Wallace Grows Into A Terp Standout
The transition from a high school sports star to a collegiate student-athlete was
not easy for Terrapin senior defensive end Al Wallace.
A talented running back and wide receiver at Spanish River High School in Del ray
Beach, Fla., Wallace was a redshirt during his inaugural season in College Park
and did not play a down. In the classroom, Wallace said, he did not do much more
than he did on the field.
Facing disappoint on two fronts, Wallace said that he went home following his
freshman season and was scared into growing up a lot quicker than he had
expected.
"I really thought about it and really grew up a lot over the that summer," said
Wallace. "I decided I wanted more from my life than partying every night and not
getting it done."
Bringing his new attitude back with him to his sophomore year, Wallace began
excelling both in the classroom and on the playing field. His maturation was so
complete, that Wallace's coaches say he had handled the rigors of being a
student-athlete as well as any player they had ever coached.
"It's a tremendous adjustment for anybody," said defensive end coach Peter
McCarty. "He's made the adjustment as well as, if not the best, of anyone I've
been around."
Wallace's personal growth has earned him All-ACC Academic honors twice, in both
1994 and 1995. Last year, he was named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll for
both the fall and spring semesters. he earned a 3.66 last fall and a 3.0 during
the spring semester.
At the start of practice his freshman year, Wallace was supposed to play at
outside linebacker for pass coverage purposes. After witnessing one of the
largest growth spurts they had ever seen, the Terp coaching staff moved him to a
rush defensive end position.
"He has realized one of the biggest growth spurts of anyone on this football
team," said McCarty. "Over time, he has been able to do a great job in the weight
room, and increasingly gain weight to make himself the physical player (6-4, 244) that he is
right now."
Wallace said it took a while to adjust to playing defense. As his playing time
increased during the last three seasons his production has skyrocketed.
In 1994, he led the Terps in both sacks (three) and tackles for minus yardage.
An injury against West Virginia, slowed his progress but he still managed 39
tackles.
When asked how he maintained his outstanding academic stature and still held to
his rigorous athletic schedule, Wallace speaks about the dedication which he has
found within himself.
"You have to find a way," explained Wallace. "There are a lot of things football
players have to do in a day: class, practice and having to find time to study.
You have to know yourself, and you have to find time and kind of force yourself."
Terps Westley Named ACC Football Rookie of The Week
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- True freshman running back Harold Westley, who
rushed for a career high 120 yards versus Wake Forest on Saturday was
named the ACC Rookie of the Week by the Atlantic Coast Sports Writers
Asociation. It is the first time Westley has been so honored.
Maryland travels to Duke on Saturday.
Westley became the first true freshman at Maryland since 1990 and only
the third in school history to gain 100 yards rushing in a single game
as he accounted for 120 rushing yards versus Wake Forest. In addition,
his 10.9 yards per carry marked the best ever average by a true freshman
and is the fourth best per carry average in Maryland history.
Westley teamed with junior Buddy Rodgers to become the first Terps
tandem to gain 100 rushing yards in a single game since Rick Badanjek
(217 yards) and Alvin Blount (104 yards) ran past the century mark
versus Virginia on Nov. 17, 1984.
Westley also scored his second career touchdown on a 39-yard carry in
the fourth quarter of Saturday's victory.
In amassing his 120 net yards, Westley was productive on nine carries
for positive yards, with two carries of 30 yards or more and four
carries for 10 yards or more. His nine carries for 120 positive yards
averaged out to 13.3 yards per carry. he ran for three first downs and
accounted for nearly 35 percent of Maryland’s 335 total yards on the
ground.
Westley carried three times for 28 yards in the first half and eight
times for 92 yards in the second half. His 92 second half yards
surpassed his previous career best of 57 yards versus Northern Illinois
on Aug. 31, 1996.
Westley is currently Maryland's leading rusher with 288 yards. He is
bidding to become the first true freshman to lead the Terps in rushing
since Steve Atkins in 1975 and only the second true freshman to lead the
program in rushing in its history.
