Posts Tagged ‘Byrd Stadium’

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April 21st, 2009 | 03:22 pm

Spring Practice No. 13- Thinking Red & White

The Terp football team began the process of closing its spring practice season with a media luncheon this afternoon at Gossett Team House.

Coach Ralph Friedgen gave his usual run-down of the positional battles without getting too specific and unsurprisingly, went on at length about how much he enjoys coaching this particular group of guys.

More interestingly, he addressed preparing for a spring game that will be a little different than previous years.

While Friedgen still has a full slate of events planned for Friday and Saturday, including a public autograph session beginning at 12:30 pm on Saturday, construction to Byrd Stadium will cause some changes.

There will be no public address announcer for the game. It will not be broadcast on television or radio as in past years, and coaches will not be able to take their normal posts in the booth, eliminating a veritable trial run for the season.

Yet some things won’t change.

“What I’ve learned in the time I’ve been here is we kind of simplify things,” Friedgen said. “We don’t know whose going to be there. In the past it’s been on TV, so we don’t show a lot.”

Friedgen has once again made an effort to reach out to local teams to bring in a large crowd to the free admission game, and the team pumped crowd noise into Tuesday morning’s practice as they sometimes do in the fall.

For his young team, which Friedgen said has gotten more scrimmage reps this spring than any other to give them needed experience, it will still provide a good measuring stick.

“One of the things that always surprises me is they get nervous,” Friedgen said. “They get jitters in that game. I’m anxious to see how all our young players react in that situation. I think it gives a lot of experience because I’d like to find out now before the first game next year.

This year’s game is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday. For those of you keeping score at home, the red has won the last three contests, including a 27-3 win in last year’s game.

Terp Notes: Cornerback Nolan Carroll, who was taken to the hospital with a neck injury following a scary collision with running back Da’Rel Scott during Saturday’s scrimmage, may be available for the Red-White Game. Scott, however, will miss the game with an ACL strain and none of the other players who have missed significant time with injury are expected to play, including defensive tackle Travis Ivey, who is still feeling the effects from a concussion. 

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

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November 13th, 2008 | 09:25 pm

We’re Talking about Practice?

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.

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

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April 20th, 2008 | 03:00 am

Spring slumbers

Maybe it was the 80-degree temperature turning Byrd Stadium into an oven. Maybe 10 a.m. is just too early to wake up on a Saturday. Maybe it was just me.

But whatever it was, I sensed a serious lack of energy at the football team’s final spring scrimmage today. Most of the onlookers sprinkling the bleachers looked bored. People mainly talked among themselves or stared blankly out to the field, with only a handful of cheers for particularly exciting plays.

But these plays came few and far between. You can’t really blame the fans for a lack of energy when the team fell flat.

Oh, coaches yelled and players played. But there was no electricity, no spark behind the performance.

Part of the problem was the play – the team is still rough. There were miscues galore; the offense failed repeatedly to get first downs, and defensive players watched big passing plays fly over their heads.

Every once in a while, though, there were the flashes of excitement, such as Morgan Green’s touchdown run, that elicited cheers from the players and stands. You could almost feel the exhilaration of the regular season that spring football fails to replicate.

But why do we expect spring football to match the regular season? Why should spring football be exciting?

It’s not, not really. Don’t get mad, it’s true. Yes, it helps players develop; it helps coaches cement the rosters; it helps the team build chemistry. But it’s still practice.

If the players are not jumping up and down after every play, it’s because they know the truth. Scrimmages are not real games – they don’t even closely resemble them.

And if the fans are not particularly enthused, it’s because deep down, they know the truth too. No matter how much importance is placed on these games, they do not really affect the regular season.

But we still cling to spring football. It fills the void left in our hearts when the Terps’ basketball season ends with the first real football six months away. It gives us something to hold on to.

kyanchulisdbk@gmail.com

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April 4th, 2008 | 07:27 pm

Party like its the Terps vs. Navy

UPDATE: Freshman attackman Travis Reed was suspended for the game. For more coverage, check here.

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To quote my esteemed colleague Greg Schimmel, ‘Well, that sucked.’

In this case, that was walking through Lot 1 beside Byrd Stadium about an hour and 20 minutes before the Terps game tonight against Navy.

I was definitely the only person in the lot not having any fun, and in my blue dress shirt and khaki pants, I looked as out of place as anything.

There was a good mix of students and alumni, and the Monster Energy Drink truck even made an appearance to toss out free product.

One group seemed to be having the most fun with about 25 people bouncing violently to blaring music in an impromptu dance party.

Some of the writers up in Tyser Tower have remarked how close some of Midshipmen faithful set up to the Terp fans and even wondered if things could get chippy by game time.

Over at the stadium, the mood is much different, so far.

As the clock started counting down, indicating an hour till game-time, my unofficial head-count yielded 71 fans, most of them sporting the white “Beat Navy” shirts being handed out to the first 1,000 in the door.

But it’s only a matter of time before the Lot 1 crew stumbles over here, and it should be interesting to see what the total attendance is. There was a lot of extra people on campus today for the big Spring Open House for Admitted Students, and surely, some potential students will want to stay around to see this game.

I’ve never been to a Terps’ lacrosse game against Navy, but if the weather holds out, it should be an electric atmosphere at Byrd tonight.

On Wednesday, I blogged about how excited the players were for this game. Apparently, the fans are just as pumped.

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

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April 2nd, 2008 | 09:21 pm

The waiting is the hardest part

You know how you felt before that history exam worth 40 percent of your semester grade? Remember the anticipation leading up to your first high school date with the cute girl/guy from home room?

Now combine them, and that’s kind of how Terrapin men’s lacrosse long pole Brian Farrell is feeling right now waiting to play Friday’s home game against Navy.

“It gets you pumped up,” said Farrell, who is one of 27 Terps who has never suited up for a home game against the Midshipmen. “You already get chills down your back come Wednesday and you’ve still got two days to prepare. It’s going to be fun, and it should be a good game.”

It’s an 8 p.m. Friday start time that should bring a large crowd out to Byrd Stadium. (If you’re looking for incentive to go, the first 1,000 fans in get free t-shirts.)

Junior midfielder Jeremy Sieverts, a Butler transfer, is readying for his first shot at Navy at home. Last year’s game at Navy-Marine Corps. Field in Annapolis brought out 14,625 to see the Terps win 8-7 in two overtimes, and Sieverts doesn’t expect anything different this year—except for maybe a few more Terp fans.

“Last year was a great experience playing there,” Sieverts said. “I think it will be just as exciting with a great atmosphere again this year. We’re really excited for Friday.”

For freshmen like attackman Grant Catalino, it’s a new experience altogether. Even though he’s played in rivalry games already this season, Catalino admitted he really doesn’t know what to expect.

“The last few games have been pretty big rivalries, but from what I hear the Navy game is one of the biggest we have here,” Catalino said. “I’m looking forward to it. I’m excited but nervous at the same time.”

Add in the fact that the Terps haven’t beat Navy at home since 2002 and that both teams are ranked in the top-10 for the fifth straight year, and it should make enough for high drama at Byrd.

Maybe even enough to make you blow off studying for that big exam. Go ahead and ask the cute kid on your dorm floor to accompany you.

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

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