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2006 Maryland Intra-squad Scrimmage Red vs. White Game By J. H.
Today was the first tailgate of the New Year. I know it’s a ways off until the real football season starts but today was a day to get a good look at some of the new players and returning players on the UMD football team. It was also a day to knock the cobwebs off the old grill and cook a few brats, drink a few beers, and of course eat a gyro at Marathon Deli. The weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Now I know why so many people say San Diego is the best place to live. “Lights Out” is a lucky guy. It was maybe 70 degrees without a cloud in the sky. I was the first to arrive in lot 1 around 12:15. I know, it was a very late start but Bix and Bob weren’t here to get us moving earlier. Witchart showed up right after I did, with Johnny and E. arriving about a half hour later, and J. Lev. finally made an appearance around 1pm. He had a late night out so he wasn’t in a hurry to consume any beverages. Brats were cooked and eaten, cupcakes were devoured, and John’s chips quickly disappeared. There would be no flip cup or beer pong on this day. It was just a nice relaxing April afternoon. Around 2:30 we packed up all of our goods and headed off to Byrd with a few travelers in hand. There were maybe 5,000 people in the stands when we arrived. Not many for a normal game but quite a good amount for a scrimmage. The starting QB’s were Chris Turner (Freshman) and Sam Hollenbach (Sr.). Both were ineffective on their first offensive series. Basically the whole game was about the defense. Neither side could move the ball very much. The QB’s attempted to go deep more than you would normally see in a game but for the most part they were ineffective. Hollenbach threw two picks, one for a touchdown, and looked like he was trying to force the ball into tight spots. Come to think of it, he looked just like he did last year. I hope he plays better in the fall, we will need him. Steffy and Portis played decent. Steffy’s first pass was a beautifull deep ball to Isiah Williams who proceeded to get crushed and dropped the ball. He dropped a couple of passes which would have gone for big plays. Freshman Wideout Chris Turner ( Oh really J? I didn' 't know he lined up in the slot as well) looked good as did Danny Oquendo. Senior RB J.P. Humber looks like a bruising runner and ran well all game. Lance Ball didn’t carry it much in the first half but came out firing in the second. He started where he left off last fall. Josh Allen carried the ball a few times but didn’t do much. By far the worst effort put forth was by our kicker Obi Egekeze. He missed his first field goal from about 42 yards by coming up way short then got a chance from 50 and was about 10 yds short. Ennis kicked well. Podlesh got a chance to punt a few balls and did well. The defense played well on both sides and had some young corners making some really nice plays. Jared Gaither, aka T. Rex, is a man among boys and pushed Mack Frost around all day. He won’t be here much longer. My biggest worry right now would be our QB situation. Steffy and Portis can scramble and make plays but our most seasoned QB just throws pickles all day long. We have got to find some consistency. Ricker won’t join the team until the fall, maybe he can be a freshman phenom. We ended the day by visiting Nick at Marathon and had our customary game day gyros. Can’t wait until the fall.
P.S.-On a side note, Brenda Frease, passed us by on her way to the Terrapin Times tailgate. We gave her a standing ovation and she said our food smelled really good. Too bad there was nothing but grease burning on the grill by that time but it was nice to see our womens national championship coach out enjoying the festivities at Maryland day just like us common folk. See you all in the fall. Preseason tailgate MVP goes to myself. Yahooo!
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