Andrew Stefanelli didn’t know what to do late in the third quarter of the Maryland football team’s game against Rutgers on Saturday afternoon. The reserve fullback had just received his first career carry, plowing through the middle of the line.
That plunge, which felt to Stefanelli as if it took two hours to complete, resulted in a touchdown, extending Maryland’s lead to 15 points in the eventual 31-13 victory.
The magnitude of his Senior Day score after a grueling four-year college career didn’t register until he returned to a swarm of raucous coaches and teammates on the bench.
“I honestly just blacked out until I was running back to the sideline, and I was like, ‘I don’t even know what happened,'” Stefanelli said. “I’m used to letting the running backs and letting the skills players score. It was overwhelming for me, so I just tried to play it cool.”
The run that left the senior from Rockville feeling like he was floating had been a topic of coach DJ Durkin and offensive coordinator Walt Bell’s conversations during the week. The staff wanted Stefanelli to record a stat in his final home game.
Stefanelli had an illustrious career as a fullback at Good Counsel, helping the Falcons win the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference title as a senior in 2011 and earning all-conference honors. He joined Temple the next season as the country’s No. 6 fullback recruit.
He redshirted with the Owls as a rookie before transferring to Maryland as a walk-on in 2013. He made two appearances as a redshirt freshman, but spent the Terps’ entire 2014 campaign on the scout team. Stefanelli developed a role on special teams in the latter half of last year, but the action came after the team endured former coach Randy Edsall’s mid-year departure and an eight-game skid.
This season, playing time became harder to forge because Bell’s up-tempo scheme doesn’t often involve a fullback. Stefanelli has taken a few snaps as a wedge blocker on kickoff returns but didn’t play offense until his plunge against the Scarlet Knights.
“Never says a word,” Durkin said of Stefanelli’s approach. “[He] competes, goes really hard.”
“I’ve been through a lot of ups and downs,” Stefanelli added. “I’ve just been extremely blessed with this new staff, and not much has changed with my playing time. But they cut a role out for me, and they really honored it.”
That commitment showed this week, as the coaches created a package, identified by one of Stefanelli’s nicknames, to get him on the field.
“We definitely knew it was very important, and the guys were going to come together and do it for the seniors,” quarterback Perry Hills said. “Do it for us to get that extra game under our belt.”
Stefanelli anticipated his opportunity when he heard coaches call his number for the goal-line personnel. He lined up at fullback in an I-formation and lunged.
Hills’ arms flew up and the linemen surrounded Stefanelli in congratulations, but he wasn’t sure if he could stand up. He was shocked at his accomplishment.
“My senior year, Senior Day, to be able to go out like that,” Stefanelli said, “it’s something I’ll never forget.”
