Jordan Steffy (19) and Sam Hollenbach will play on the same team so the coaching staff can see them both compete against the first-team defense.
Quarterback Jordan Steffy lofted a long pass to J.P. Humber to the frenzied cheers of the Terrapin football team’s offensive players yesterday morning.
Throughout yesterday’s final spring practice, players on both sides of the ball were passionate, while maintaining the emotion from the past weeks. On the last day of spring practice, coach Ralph Friedgen said his team wasn’t playing lackadaisically even after four practices and a scrimmage in five days.
The hooting and hollering from both sides of the ball is a positive thing, Friedgen said, something he wants to continue during tomorrow’s Red/White Spring Football Game, which marks the end of the spring season. The intensity from the practice fields will be elevated at Byrd Stadium with the pressure of actual winning and losing added to the equation. And amidst the battle on the scoreboard between players in different colored uniforms, competition will be at the forefront.
That competition starts at quarterback, where Steffy and last year’s starter, junior Sam Hollenbach, are vying for the top job. Friedgen said Hollenbach is the leader right now after two scrimmages.
Hollenbach has completed 18 of 28 passes for 233 yards, throwing two touchdowns and an interception in the Terps’ two scrimmages, while Steffy has gone 16 for 29 with 200 yards passing, a couple of touchdowns and two picks.
Hollenbach and Steffy will not be on opposite sidelines tomorrow, as the two will alternate snaps with the red team. In making the teams, Friedgen wanted to put the first-team offense (red) against the first-team defense (white) and said not splitting the two up was a matter of uniformly evaluating their performance.
“For me to evaluate Jordan and Sam, to me, all the intangibles have to be equal,” Friedgen said. “If they’re playing with the same players, I’m gonna get a better evaluation than if one guy was playing with poorer players.”
At his press conference Wednesday, Friedgen discussed the long strides the young Terp receivers still need to make. Alternating Hollenbach and Steffy with the projected offensive starters gives them both the ability to throw to Drew Weatherly, who has been the most consistent of the group this spring.
Hollenbach said he doesn’t pay attention to Friedgen’s public comments about the quarterback competition and isn’t upset that he’s splitting time with Steffy instead of competing against him tomorrow.
“To me, it’s just making plays when you’re in there,” Hollenbach said. “As far as just leading the team and making the best of the reps you’ve got, that’s what coach Friedgen is watching. He has a good idea of what we both can do, so however he wants to do it, that’s alright.”
Tomorrow’s game will highlight other key position battles, whether the players contending for spots are on the same team or not. Redshirt freshman Erin Henderson, who has been playing weak-side linebacker with the starters, is fending off walk-ons Moises Fokou – a Frostburg State transfer – and Rick Costa, a former Temple Owl. Henderson and Fokou are both listed on the white team’s roster that includes the Terps’ first-team defense, while Costa will play for the red team.
While running back Josh Allen isn’t yet at full-strength to take major carries away from starter Lance Ball, Friedgen said yesterday Allen will play tomorrow after requesting to and showing off some of his past form this week.
“[Allen] said, ‘coach, I’d really like to play in that game.’ So we’ll play him some,” Friedgen said.
Friedgen added that junior cornerback Josh Wilson, who sprained his left knee at Sunday’s scrimmage, asked to practice yesterday. Wilson is listed on the white team’s roster and Friedgen said he’ll probably play.
Walk-ons Fokou, Costa and safety Hunter Reddick have the most to gain from tomorrow’s game because they’re trying to earn scholarships, Friedgen said.
Whether trying to win a starting job, a scholarship or bounce back from injury, a lot of Terps have a reason to amp up their passion and play well. And for anyone who says the final score doesn’t matter, Friedgen spiced things up with a little wager.
“I said we’ll have the winners Monday night eat steak and the losers have hot dogs. They said, ‘no, no, no. We want orange chicken,'” Friedgen said. “Then they said, ‘how about, coach, the winners don’t have breakfast on Monday. I said ‘alright, the winners are off breakfast on Monday and the losers eat hot dogs for dinner on Monday night.'”
Contact reporter Stephen Whyno at whynodbk@gmail.com.
