Tuesday's News Conference Quotes
April 19, 2008
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -
The University of Maryland football team held its final scrimmage before the annual Red-White Spring Game, running approximately 90 plays Saturday morning at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.
Last week's scrimmage featured 20 possessions starting from various locations on the field, but Saturday's was more game-like in order to prepare the team for next week's spring game.
There were four 12-minute quarters, though the Terps moved into situational possessions (red zone and 2-minute offense) toward the end of the fourth period.
Coaches were also stationed on the sidelines and in the press box, instead of the behind the huddles, and the team utilized all facets of special teams with live kickoff and punt returns.
The offense was able to cash in with four scoring drives, including three touchdowns, among its 11 possessions.
There weren't as many penalties as last week (seven instead of nine), but there were some mistakes on both sides of the ball.
The defense had 13 sacks for the second time in as many scrimmages, but surrendered some big plays in the passing game.
"I knew it was going to be like this the first time we put the kids in game-type situations," Coach Ralph Friedgen said after the two-hour scrimmage. "It's amazing to me. All of a sudden they are out there on their own. They forget where their focus is. That's why I do it. Hopefully they learn from this and we'll be better next week."
The offense scored its three touchdowns on the first five possessions of the first half; in fact all the scoring occurred in the first 24 minutes.
Midway through the first quarter with the second teams facing off, Pha'Terrell Washington caught a 65-yard screen pass from Jordan Steffy to set up the first touchdown, a Dan Bonato 2-yard run.
On the next possession, with the No. 1 offense going against the No. 1 defense, Steffy hit Danny Oquendo for 39 yards on third-and-6. Two plays later Steffy connected with tight end Dan Gronkowski in the flat for a 5-yard score.
"I think the defense is playing the run a lot better," Friedgen said. "(The offense) is having a lot of trouble running on them. I thought our offensive line was going to be a strength, but we're giving up to many sacks and were not running the ball very well "
One of the bright spots in the running game was senior Rashad Henry, who was the leading rusher with 69 yards on 12 carries. Henry also had a 2-yard TD run on the second drive of the second quarter, and hauled in three passes for 49 yards.
"He has done some good things all spring," Friedgen said of Henry. "He's a kid who has walked on, but he has good speed. He's a guy that could be in the mix (for playing time)."
Sophomore Morgan Green ended up with 58 yards on nine carries, but Da'Rel Scott had just two yards on six carries.
Linebackers Alex Wujciak and Chase Bullock continued their solid play this spring, posting seven tackles apiece. Bullock also picked off a pass, intercepting Turner during the first 2-minute possession.
Reserve LBs Alex Schultz and Hakeem Sule also had seven stops each.
Senior defensive tackle Dean Muhtadi, who created problems for the offensive line a number of times during the day, had a team-high 3 1/2 sacks. Jared Harrell has two sacks and Jeremy Navarre one.
Turner and Steffy took the bulk of the snaps at quarterback. Steffy went 16 of 26 for 240 yards and one TD, while Turner was 11-for-19 for 102 yards and one interception.
Turner was sacked eight times and Steffy five, though the quarterbacks wear non-contact jerseys just like a normal practice.
"We have to get better at the quarterback position," Friedgen said. "We've got to make more plays and take fewer sacks. We have got to get them to manage the game better and I think overall there needs to be a lot of improvement there."
Gronkowski was the leading receiver with six catches for 50 yards. Sophomore Adrian Cannon had three receptions for 19 yards, but his fumble thwarted the third drive of the second half.
Redshirt freshman wide receiver Ronnie Tyler had a highlight reel catch in the 2-minute portion of the scrimmage. On third-and-3 from the defense's 44-yard line, Tyler leapt high in the air to haul in a 20-yard completion from Steffy.
On special teams, Obi Egekeze went 3-for-4 in field-goal attempts and Travis Baltz averaged 47.3 yards on three punts. Ted Townsley averaged 40.5 yards on his four punts.
The Terps are back on the practice field Tuesday afternoon to open their final week of the spring.
The Red-White Spring Game is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium.
With the exception of the spring game, all workouts are closed to the general public. Practices are open only to members of the Maryland Gridiron Network and Terrapin Club, as well as University of Maryland students and credentialed media.
Scrimmage Statistics
Scoring Plays
Regular Scrimmage:
1st Q: Bonato 2-yard TD run (Egekeze PAT)
1st Q: Steffy 5-yard pass to Gronkowski for TD (Egekeze PAT)
2nd Q: Henry 2-yard TD run (Wallace PAT)
2nd Q: Egekeze 39-yard FG
Red Zone Scrimmage:
Green 5-yard TD run (May PAT no good)
Henry 2-yard TD run (Egekeze PAT)
Egekeze 27-yard FG
Offense
Rushing (Carries-Yds./TDs):
Henry 12-69/2, Green 9-58/1, Bonato 16-35/1, McCree 1-16, Washington 2-3, Scott 6-2, Steffy 9-(-6), Heyward-Bey 1-(-10), Turner 8-(-41)
Passing (Comp.-Att.-Yds./TDs):
Steffy 16-26-240/1, Turner 11-19-102/1 INT, Portis 3-4-25, Robinson 1-1-(-1).
Receiving (Rec.-Yds./TDs):
Gronkowski 6-50/1, Henry 3-49, Cannon 3-19, Lee-Odai 2-42, Tyler 2-26, Smith 2-20, Galt 2-15, Dorsey 1-11, Heyward-Bey 2-10, Washington 1-65, Oquendo 1-39, McCree 1-9, Bonato 1-5, Pfister 1-5, Green 1-1.
Defense
Tackles (Solo-Assisted-Total):
Wujciak (5-2-7), Bullock (3-4-7), Schultz (3-4-7), Sule (3-4-7), Herald (5-1-6), Pooler ( 1-5-6), Covington (3-3-6), Skinner (4-1-5), Taylor (5-0-5), Armstrong (1-3-4), Allen (2-2-4), Galt (2-1-3), Moten (2-1-3), Muhtadi (3-0-3), Hartsfield (0-3-0), Dacosta (0-3-3), Harrell (2-1-3), Robinson (2-1-3), Wiseman (3-0-3), Clement (2-1-3), Carroll (0-2-2), Perez (1-1-2), Jackson-Mills (1-1-2), Ball (0-2-2), Whitmore (1-1-2), Walker (1-1-2), Carter (2-0-2), Ivey (0-2-2), McCollough (1-1-2), Akinwande (1-1-2), Navarre (2-0-2), Covington (2-0-2), Hughes (1-0-1), Davidson (1-0-1), Davies (0-1-1), Costa (0-1-1), Gronkowski (0-1-1).
Tackles for Loss (No.-Yards):
Muhtadi (3.5-15), Harrell (2-15), Moten (2-8), Skinner (1-3), Pooler (1-3), Navarre (1-4), Galt (1-4), Sule (1-1), McCollough (1-11), Clement (1-4), Schultz (1-11), Davies (1-1), Covington (1-7) Herald (0.5-4), Dacosta (0.5-4).
Sacks (No.-Yards):
Muhtadi (3.5-15), Harrell (2-15), Navarre (1-4), Galt (1-4), Moten (1-4), Pooler (1-3), Clement (1-4), Schultz (1-11), Covington (1-7), Herald (0.5-4).
Interceptions (No.-Yards):
Bullock (1-25)
Pass Breakups (No.):
Carter (1), Wiseman (1)
Forced Fumbles (No.):
Harrell (1)
Fumble Recoveries (No.):
Clement (1)
Miscellaneous
Field Goals:
Egekeze: 3-4/45, 39, 27 (missed - 45)
Punts (No./Avg.):
Baltz: 3/47.3
Townsley: 4/40.5
Punt Returns (No./Avg.):
Tyler: 1/16, Oquendo: 1/5, McCree: 1/7.0
Kick Returns (No./Avg.):
Hughes: 1/37, Wiseman: 1/31
