Friedgen Has Praise For Cal; Skinner Out

Things were relatively slow at practice today. Chris Turner, Josh Portis and Jamarr Robinson all took snaps in practice today. Is it possible we could see Robinson get some playing time soon? Unlikely, but don't completely rule out the possibility. Also, I know I said it last week, but I fully expect to see Josh Portis get more snaps this week and attempt some passes. The offense is stuck in a rut, and this is a good week to try something new.

With that said, here are some notes from today's press conference.

• Ralph Friedgen reported that safety Tyrrell Skinner will be out 2-3 weeks after suffering an injury in the loss to Middle Tennessee State. This one hurts as Skinner has been the MVP of the secondary so far this season, and you can make the case that he has been the best player on the defensive side of the ball thus far.
• Friedgen was full of praise for this week's opponent, Cal. He called them, "One of the best teams we have played in my time here." He also stated that there are a lot of similarities between the Terps offense and the Golden Bears, "They are just doing those things better than we are right now," he said.
  
• At this point it seems that Friedgen and his coaching staff are taking a positive approach with their players, rather than being overly critical after the tough loss. The head coach did say however, he is contemplating some line up changes and has told several players if they don't improve their play, these changes will go into effect. Friedgen did not allude to what these changes were.
• I also spoke with offensive lineman Edwin Williams and defensive back Jeff Allen about taking on Cal. Both players seemed excited bout the prospect of playing a top 25 team from out west. Allen stated that this is the best week for the Terps to take on the Bears because, "We're just so focussed as a team right now."

Check back tomorrow for more daily updates from practice, and of course on Friday we'll have a complete breakdown of Cal.