Today marked the final spring practice in College Park that was open to the media. The team practiced on the field in Maryland Stadium as opposed to their normal practice fields. The Terps also were just in helmets today and wore their uniforms with out pads, so there was minimal contact throughout the practice.
DJ Durkin broke the news just before practice that presumed starting QB Caleb Henderson will not be participating in Saturday's Red-White Spring Game as he tends to a minor foot/ankle injury. Durkin added that his level of concern is low when it comes to the seriousness of Henderson's injury and that it occurred in practice but not during a contact play. As of now, this sounds like normal wear and tear and the Terps are just simply taking every precaution to keep Henderson healthy for the regular season.
Durkin also shared that junior CB RaVon Davis will miss the spring game with a foot/ankle injury of his own and that transfer WR Chris Jones will miss the rest of the offseason with a torn ACL and be re-evaluated before the regular season.
Now that the unfortunate news is out of the way, here are some observations from today's practice:
Lots of situational drills today as opposed to 11-on-11. Practice began with some special teams and then shifted to some ball-security drills. When the Terps did do 11-on-11, the coaches seemed to be moving them around the field for different situations instead of progressing through a series like they normally do. Lots of red zone work and even some Hail Mary throws being made by Maryland's offense today.
Speaking of those Hail Mary attempts, there was one that was successful and just downright impressive. With all of the wide receivers and defensive backs bunched up in the corner of the end zone, quarterback Ty Pigrome let one rip from about the defense's 40-yard line and junior WR Michael Cornwell went up and snagged it out of the air for a touchdown. It was a very nicely thrown ball by Pigrome that got there in a hurry.
Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager have both been making major strides this spring and Durkin's confidence level in both of them seem to be growing. They split practice reps basically 50-50 today and will likely have close to an even split on Saturday as well.
The Terps special teams should be an interesting dynamic next season. The field goal kicking unit is certainly a work in progress, and from what has been on display so far this spring, Maryland might be going for it a lot on fourth down in 2017. But on the other hand, the return game looks like it could be a strength of the Terps. Running back Lorenzo Harrison and wide receiver Taivon Jacobs seem to be getting the most attempts at returning kickoffs and punts, but DJ Moore and Jacquille Veii have also been working into the mix. Regardless of which one of these supreme athletes emerges with the return job, Maryland should find itself with some good field position to start drives next season.
Also of note, running back Jake Funk gets a ton of reps at running back with the first unit. It's been like that for all of spring ball but it seemed particularly prevalent today. Not saying he's going to be the starter, but the experiment of him possibly being a DB seems officially over and I'd fully expect him to be worked into the backfield mix next season. Not only has he shown good field vision on his runs, he also seems to be one of the various Terps quarterbacks' favorite targets to throw to out of the backfield.
With that being said about Funk, running back Ty Johnson has probably been the most impressive offensive player throughout all of spring ball. As he showed last season, he has a knack for finding the right running lane, and when he does, he explodes through it. Most of his touchdowns came on big plays last year, but as one of the biggest backs on Maryland's roster now, expect more goal line carries for him in 2017.
On defense, Darnell Savage has been a huge playmaker. He also seems to be Pigrome's kryptonite, as he continuously jumps Piggy's passes and is able to pick them off or deflect them away from the receiver. Wearing No. 4 next season in honor of one of his best friends Will Likely, Savage is hoping he can perform the way his buddy did for years in College Park.
DJ Durkin broke the news just before practice that presumed starting QB Caleb Henderson will not be participating in Saturday's Red-White Spring Game as he tends to a minor foot/ankle injury. Durkin added that his level of concern is low when it comes to the seriousness of Henderson's injury and that it occurred in practice but not during a contact play. As of now, this sounds like normal wear and tear and the Terps are just simply taking every precaution to keep Henderson healthy for the regular season.
Durkin also shared that junior CB RaVon Davis will miss the spring game with a foot/ankle injury of his own and that transfer WR Chris Jones will miss the rest of the offseason with a torn ACL and be re-evaluated before the regular season.
Now that the unfortunate news is out of the way, here are some observations from today's practice:
Lots of situational drills today as opposed to 11-on-11. Practice began with some special teams and then shifted to some ball-security drills. When the Terps did do 11-on-11, the coaches seemed to be moving them around the field for different situations instead of progressing through a series like they normally do. Lots of red zone work and even some Hail Mary throws being made by Maryland's offense today.
Speaking of those Hail Mary attempts, there was one that was successful and just downright impressive. With all of the wide receivers and defensive backs bunched up in the corner of the end zone, quarterback Ty Pigrome let one rip from about the defense's 40-yard line and junior WR Michael Cornwell went up and snagged it out of the air for a touchdown. It was a very nicely thrown ball by Pigrome that got there in a hurry.
Pigrome and Max Bortenschlager have both been making major strides this spring and Durkin's confidence level in both of them seem to be growing. They split practice reps basically 50-50 today and will likely have close to an even split on Saturday as well.
The Terps special teams should be an interesting dynamic next season. The field goal kicking unit is certainly a work in progress, and from what has been on display so far this spring, Maryland might be going for it a lot on fourth down in 2017. But on the other hand, the return game looks like it could be a strength of the Terps. Running back Lorenzo Harrison and wide receiver Taivon Jacobs seem to be getting the most attempts at returning kickoffs and punts, but DJ Moore and Jacquille Veii have also been working into the mix. Regardless of which one of these supreme athletes emerges with the return job, Maryland should find itself with some good field position to start drives next season.
Also of note, running back Jake Funk gets a ton of reps at running back with the first unit. It's been like that for all of spring ball but it seemed particularly prevalent today. Not saying he's going to be the starter, but the experiment of him possibly being a DB seems officially over and I'd fully expect him to be worked into the backfield mix next season. Not only has he shown good field vision on his runs, he also seems to be one of the various Terps quarterbacks' favorite targets to throw to out of the backfield.
With that being said about Funk, running back Ty Johnson has probably been the most impressive offensive player throughout all of spring ball. As he showed last season, he has a knack for finding the right running lane, and when he does, he explodes through it. Most of his touchdowns came on big plays last year, but as one of the biggest backs on Maryland's roster now, expect more goal line carries for him in 2017.
On defense, Darnell Savage has been a huge playmaker. He also seems to be Pigrome's kryptonite, as he continuously jumps Piggy's passes and is able to pick them off or deflect them away from the receiver. Wearing No. 4 next season in honor of one of his best friends Will Likely, Savage is hoping he can perform the way his buddy did for years in College Park.
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