When the Maryland football team walked off the Maryland Stadium field at about 2:15 p.m. Saturday, its spring season was over.
After 14 practices and a spring game to get acclimated to the new coaching staff, led by former Michigan defensive coordinator DJ Durkin, the Terps go into the summertime free of organized activities.
In Durkin’s mind, this is also an opportunity for his players to “make a jump on a lot of your opponents.” Sure there’s limited contact with coaches, but players can still hone their skills in preparation for the preseason.
After the game Saturday, quarterback Perry Hills discussed his offseason plan.
Hills, who finished Saturday’s game 14 of 25 for 102 yards and a touchdown, said he’ll likely go back to his home in Pittsburgh every weekend to work on his arm with Gus Frerotte, who played 15 seasons under center in the NFL.
Prior to last season, Hills said he worked on improving his athleticism so he’d be more mobile in the pocket. He had less confidence in his arm, though, so more times than not he’d tuck the ball and run if he saw an opening downfield. Hills finished with 535 rushing yards, the second highest mark on the team, but threw 13 interceptions to eight touchdowns.
In an attempt to improve his passing, Hills has Frerotte videotape his mechanics, and the two break down the film afterward. One of the biggest things they noticed was that Hills was overstriding when he made a throw, something he’ll look to improve on with some time away from the team.
“It’s going to come down to getting more confidence in my arm working with [Frerotte] and just being able to make quick, accurate throws,” Hills said.
