Terp football coach Ralph Friedgen has never held an open practice for students the day before a game before. But with his team battling for ACC supremacy into the last three weeks of the season, he figured it was worth a try.
Weather permitting, Friday’s practice will be held at 3 p.m. in Byrd Stadium, and students can get in with a University ID. If practicing on the field would jeopardize conditions for Saturday’s game, the practice will be moved to its normal location-the turf fields behind the varsity team house.
“I’m trying to find some way to give a lift to our team,” Friedgen said. “I’m hoping [the fans] show up. Right now there’s no way of me knowing. We’ll see.”
Friedgen invited students through the athletic department’s student ticketing listserv in a mass e-mail sent Wednesday afternoon. The e-mail also encouraged students to be as loud as possible at Saturday’s game against No. 17 North Carolina.
Additionally, the first 100 students at Friday’s practice will receive a free t-shirt.
“I probably could have a few other motivating things,” Friedgen said. “But they probably wouldn’t fly right now.”
Maybe it’s best not to know exactly what he was talking about.
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Tags: Byrd Stadium, North Carolina, Ralph Friedgen, terps