Posts Tagged ‘Morgan Green’

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April 7th, 2009 | 06:32 pm

Spring Practice No. 7: Rising and Falling

With spring practice nearly half complete, Terp coach Ralph Friedgen has started adjusting his depth chart a little bit. Here’s a run-down of some of the points he made sure to mention today.

Rising:

Morgan Green: The junior running back fumbled during goal line drills on Saturday, but Friedgen said he has been doing enough in practice to earn more carries. He will get more looks with the second team, taking away work from sophomore Davin Meggett.

Kevin Dorsey: The redshirt freshman wide out has been one of the talks of spring practice so far with his play-making ability. He was stuck behind Torrey Smith on the depth chart, but he is now learning to play the “Z” position with Emani Lee-Odai moving to the “X” position. Don’t be surprised if Dorsey, who missed last season after serious ankle surgery, makes a splash in ‘09.

Masengo Kabongo: The redshirt freshman defensive end has moved into a virtual tie with Derek Drummond for the starting end spot. This is a little surprising given that Friedgen has had some good things to say about Drummond, who is making the transition from the LEO position. But today, Friedgen was gushing about Kabongo, a former four-star recruit from Connecticut, and he deserved it with some nice plays during the practice-ending Oklahoma Drill.

Falling:

Dion Armstrong: Friedgen continues to be less than optimistic about the defensive tackle’s chances to be academically eligible next season. Armstrong continues to sit out to work on his grades, but Friedgen seems to get more pesimistic by the day about getting him back on the field. In related news, A.J. Francis, one of the leading candidates to replace him in the starting lineup, made a really nice play in the backfield on Da’Rel Scott in full-team play this morning.

Paul Pinegar: The right tackle who is one of the leading candidates to get a spot on the inexperienced line next season has not gotten a lot of love from Friedgen recently. Pinegar continues to work with the first team, but every time he is asked about Pinegar, he mentions tackle Tyler Bowen, who is trying to play his way back from injury. Today, we learned that Bowen has dropped 25-pounds from his 6-foot-8 frame in the offseason, and he did some good work in the Oklahoma Drill. R.J. Dill, who has been working at left tackle in Bruce Campbell’s stead, also has a chance to compete for the right tackle spot, so the competition is very much on right now.

A final word from Friedgen on all of these spots that are up for grabs (This particular quote came in regards to the Dorsey move, but it can be applied universally, and it means Friedgen isn’t about to give anyone a free pass in camp.):

“We’re trying to get our guys that can make plays in position to make them, get the best players on the field.”

edetweilerdbk@gmail.com

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January 14th, 2009 | 11:27 am

2008 Season Review Top 10

As the only member of The Diamondback staff to see every minute of Terp football in person this season, I thought it would be appropriate to compile a list of the top 10 most memorable plays, moments and performances from the 2008 Terp football season. Here are the bottom five. Check back tomorrow for the rest. Feel free to disagree.

10. Da’Rel Scott’s 197 yards against Delaware on Aug. 30: In order for Scott to become the first Terp since 2002 to rush for more than 1,000 yards, he needed this coming out party in the season-opener. The Terps had more trouble than expected with the Blue Hens, but Scott’s 26 carries and tough running were major bright spots.

9. Darrius Heyward-Bey’s 63-yard TD catch against Va. Tech on Nov. 6: Down 20-3 in the third quarter, it looked like the Terps were on their way to another embarassing defeat in Blacksburg, Va. But Heyward-Bey took a screen pass from Chris Turner and quickly changed that with the last of his three 60+-yard gains this season. The Terps later had a chance to pull even with the Hokies but couldn’t complete the comeback.

8. Morgan Green’s two first half touchdowns against Eastern Michigan on Sept. 20: Green has had a tough go of it during his time in College Park trying to escape the specter of Steve Slaton. But with Scott shelved for the final non-conference game with a shoulder injury, Green got a chance to shine. Sure, Green averaged just 3.3 yards per rush against the MAC bottom-dwellers and didn’t get another carry until the bowl game, but his two first half TD’s were definite feel-good moments in a 51-24 win.

7. Scott and Heyward-Bey’s long touchdowns against MTSU on Sept. 6: Many Terp fans would rather forget about the early-season trip to Murfreesboro, Tenn., but the final score would have been even more lopsided without a pair of huge plays. After the Blue Raiders marched down for an opening score, Scott took the Terps’ second play from scrimmage for a 63-yard touchdown. Heyward-Bey kept the Terps close, taking a screen pass for an 80-yard score in the 24-14 loss.

6. Chris Turner’s near flawless performance to blow out Wake Forest on Oct. 18: The Terps put together a complete game in a 26-0 dismantling of the Deamon Deacons, but Turner’s performance stood out. He led the Terps’ fifth straight win against a ranked opponent by completing 28-of-41 passes for 321 yards and a score. He completed 11 of those passes to Heyward-Bey and overcame three fumbles by Scott. Later in the season Turner had games with more yards, attempts and touchdowns, but this game can serve as a blue print for Turner at his best.

Check back for the rest of the list tomorrow…

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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