Maryland is closing the book on its first week of fall camp as head coach Mike Locksley told reporters following Thursday’s practice that he’s been pleased with his team’s progress thus far. The Terps were able to lean on the indoor field inside the Jones-Hill House to avoid Thursday’s heat, but Locksley added he’s been pleased with the progress and installations the team has completed so far.
“We've been able to get, I want to say seven, really, our core installs, and I like the way that we've kind of retained some information, even the young players that have been able to get out and execute some of the stuff that we've asked them to do,” Locksley said after Thursday’s practice. Maryland will practice once more on Friday before Saturday’s scrimmage, the first scrimmage of camp and one that Locksley said will provide “a good barometer for us.”
“The thing that's been good is I've been I've been pleased and impressed with the amount of information that our players have been able to retain. You can tell they put a lot of work in with the player-run practices this summer. You know, some of the things that’s probably a bit disappointing is obviously, we have refs out here and as you know, the two keys for us this year will be are we a team that will play with great discipline, minimizing penalties, minimizing the self-inflicted wounds, and you know, I can tell you, we've had quite a few penalties in practice that we got to get cleaned up. And then the second for us is how we're going to handle adversity.”
Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa returns as he’s the expected second-year starter, but former VMI quarterback Reece Udinski has been cleared for camp and taken advantage of his reps as he continues to make the starting spot a battle. Udinski holds an edge over Tagovailoa when it comes to in-game experience and the poise he’s played with has not gone unnoticed through the first days of camp. “Having Reece and his experience as a starter down there at VMI, transferring in, having ‘Lia a second year in the system, and then with Dan Enos coming on as the coordinator has benefited that room,” Locksley added. But Locksley also cited his pleasure with the development of walk-on David Foust while Eric Najarian was also cleared and able to practice through the first week of camp.
Maryland has three weeks and two scrimmages to finalize a starter but whoever it is, he’ll have a talented group of receivers beside him. The wide receiver room gives optimism for what can be of Maryland’s passing attack this season, but Locksley noted the unit has “had a few too many drops” through the first days of practice. “If they want to be an elite group, they've got to play elite and practice elite all the time,” Locksley added. A bright light for the offense is the official return of tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo and while he’s expected to play a significant role in the passing game, Locksley added he’s taken his biggest stride as a blocker.
“We all know that he has the ability as a pass catcher and the matchup he creates, we’ll always try to utilize a guy with his skill set in our system. But as we like to say, you got to be able to hit the curveball and the curveball for Chig has been his ability to block big six techniques…and I've been really impressed from a fundamental and technique standpoint of just how he's improved in that area. He’s put on some size, he’s put on some strength, and I think that really benefits him to make them a dual-threat as a run blocker in our as well as a receiver.”
The run game will look different with Jake Funk off to the Los Angeles Rams, but that means veteran running back Tayon Fleet-Davis will have his first chance as the go-to in the backfield. Behind Fleet-Davis, committee approach is appealing given second-year tailback Peny Boone is down 30 pounds from last year while Isaiah Jacobs continues to build off a strong spring. “Though we only got five games in, these guys got some meaningful reps in some meaningful games early and I think they both have benefited from those reps. You know, they have been able to create some depth force in the running back room, you know, obviously having a veteran like Fleet-Davis returning. And then you know, Peny’s coming in great shape. First time he's been with us for a full year to be trained by [Ryan Davis] and our strength and conditioning staff. And then like I said, Isaiah’s development continues to improve as well as Challen [Faamatau].”
The heralded ’21 class will also be under the microscope on Saturday as the Terps could have several true freshmen within the two-deep, but Locksley is impressed with what he’s seen so far given the volume of information that’s come their way. “I think the big thing is just that they’ve put some work in this summer and understanding our concepts. So you know, the big thing that's always held young players back from being able to contribute early is their ability to retain the information and what we do on offense, defense, and special teams. And these guys have really benefited from the work they've put in this summer, you know, with our player-run practices and been able to get the reps with the coaches not being here. So if there's anything that's really jumped out to me is just how much information including the young players they've been able to retain, because we've really thrown a lot out of these first six or seven practices.”
With the first of two scrimmages less than 48 hours away, Locksley breaks down what he wants to see on the field.
“Well, the big thing is getting the coaches off the field and then being able to see what players are able to go make plays when, you know, in a normal game-like situation as we can make it. Like I said, we got a lot of young players that were counting on, some veteran players, we got new coaches so I want to see how we react with having to call plays from the box and just the chemistry of getting plays down to the field. So, our game day, our game day execution by the coaches and then on the field, just seeing which players kind of step up and become and create some roles of being playmakers for us in all three phases.”