March 29, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
After spending the first two days of spring practice in shorts and shoulder pads, the University of Maryland football team donned pads for the first time Saturday morning during a two-hour and 30-minute workout at the Terps' on-campus facility.
The highlight of Saturday's workout was the 11-on-11 goal-line scrimmage which featured nine offensive possessions, seven of which resulted in touchdowns.
Sophomore running backs Da'Rel Scott, Morgan Green and Dan Bonato, as well as senior back Rashad Henry each scored on 1-yard runs in goal-line.
Scott and Green, who combined to carry the ball just 17 times last season, are vying to replace Lance Ball and Keon Lattimore, two of the top running backs in school history. Scott and Green are one and two, respectively, on the depth chart at tailback.
Junior quarterback Josh Portis scored twice in the goal-line scrimmage period which had drives starting at the 3-yard line. Portis ran the ball in from one yard out on the third possession and scored on a fourth-down sneak on the seventh series.
Junior quarterback Chris Turner put the first-team offense in the end zone, completing a 3-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Dan Gronkowski on the first play of the fourth possession. Turner's play-action fake held the defense and allowed Gronkowski to get free in the end zone.
Despite the increased physical nature of the practice, Coach Ralph Friedgen thought the workout lacked the intensity he was hoping for, considering it was the first day of pads.
"I didn't think we were as intense as our first two practices," Friedgen said. "I can rationalize it and say that we were putting another front in defensively. Maybe we need to get adjusted to the pads. But I thought we've done better than what we did today. We didn't make enough plays on either side of the ball."
Sophomore Antwine Perez, a transfer from USC who sat out last season, was a player who made some plays. He made his presence felt in the goal-line scrimmage.
On the first play of the second possession, Perez nailed Green in the backfield, forcing a fumble which the offense recovered.
On the next play, Perez stopped a touchdown when he tackled Green shy of the end zone. Green took the handoff and went up the middle before bouncing the play outside to the right. Perez came from the other side of the line and tackled Green from behind at the 1-yard line.
Green did, however, score on the following play.
Senior linebacker Chase Bullock and junior defensive lineman Deege Galt combined to stop the offense on the first series of goal-line.
Bullock, who was active all day, stopped Scott on second and goal from the one and Galt sacked Turner on the next play, forcing a field-goal attempt from Obi Egekeze.
The Terps are off until Tuesday. They have 13 practices remaining, including with the Red-White Spring Game on Saturday, April 26 (3:30 p.m. ET at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium).
Practice sessions are closed to the general public, though members of the Maryland Gridiron Network and Terrapin Club, as well as players' parents and University of Maryland students, are allowed to attend the workouts.
Terp Notes:
Singled Out: Friedgen took time after Saturday's practice to single out some younger players who have been impressive during the first week of spring workouts. He mentioned the play of redshirt freshmen Lamar Young and Torrey Smith, as well that of sophomores Antwine Perez, Dominique Herald, Adrian Cannon and Travis Baltz. Young has been working at right guard behind Phil Costa and Jack Griffin, while Smith is a reserve at X receiver. Herald, who played special teams last season as a true freshman, was moved from safety to Sam linebacker prior to the spring. "He's done some good things," Friedgen said of Herald. "He's a tough kid." Meanwhile, Perez made a number of solid hits during practice and Baltz, the second-year punter who is auditioning as a holder, made nice play on a bad snap during a field-goal attempt.
Opportunity Knocks: Friedgen is practicing more of the younger players than he has in the past to give as many as possible an opportunity for playing time in the fall. The team is looking to build depth, especially along the offensive line. For parts of practice this week, the team periods had the first and fourth teams on one field, while the second and third teams were on another field. "I'm giving the threes and fours a lot of opportunities to see if we can get them better," Friedgen said. "We're going to lose our whole starting offensive line after this year. The following year it's going to be all young kids so I'm trying to get them as much work to help us with our depth and prepare us for a year from now."
