Know who wasn't heard from much in camp?
D.J. Adams.
The star of Maryland's spring game is plugging away, even if he's listed as a fourth-stringer. But veterans Da'Rel Scott and Davin Meggett remain the Terrapins' top two tailbacks after both enjoying strong camps.
And as for the hard-charging redshirt freshman from Georgia?
"I think the thing that’s holding D.J. back is his pass protection," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "It’s not his running. He runs pretty good. That’s always the last thing to come on a back. To be honest with you, Meggett and Da’Rel really weren’t very good pass protectors last year. I think they improved a lot. But D.J. is still struggling with that. If D.J. gets that down, I think he’ll get a lot more snaps. It wouldn’t surprise me to see D.J. in goal line and short yardage situations because he does run the ball pretty hard."
That always seemed like the most sensible way to use Adams this season. Scott will probably lead Maryland in carries if he's healthy. Meggett had 89 and 99 carries his first two years, and could wind up in that neighborhood again.
It also begs the question: Just how much will Maryland realistically use its No. 3 tailback (as measured by total carries)?
Well, let's take a peek at the Terps' history with a third back during Friedgen's tenure, with back, carries, yards/touchdowns and percentage of team carries included.
No. 3 TAILBACK PRODUCTION, MARYLAND 2001-09
| Year | Back | Carries |
Yards (TD) |
Pct. |
| 2001 | Jason Crawford |
36 | 146 (2) |
6.8 |
| 2002 | Josh Allen |
60 | 405 (8) |
10.1 |
| 2003 | Sammy Maldonado |
50 | 305 (3) |
9.1 |
| 2004 | Mario Merrills |
33 | 124 (1) |
7.3 |
| 2005 | Keon Lattimore |
58 | 181 (3) |
13.4 |
| 2006 | Josh Allen |
33 | 98 (0) |
7.3 |
| 2007 | Da'Rel Scott |
14 | 135 (0) |
2.6 |
| 2008 | Morgan Green |
24 | 112 (3) |
5.5 |
| 2009 |
Caleb Porzel |
30 | 75 (0) |
7.3 |
It should be pointed out that Green scored two of his touchdowns in 2008 when Scott was hurt and the other during a game Scott was suspended for more than a half.
Put another way, Maryland hasn't made much room for a third back for the last four seasons in any circumstance.
Nonetheless, Adams might be the most developed No. 3 tailback in Maryland's stable since Allen was a freshman (Allen wasn't the same rusher after returning from a catastrophic knee injury suffered in the 2004 finale, but he was a strong runner early in his career). Here's guessing he's at least the most productivethird backfield option since Maldonado, if not earlier than that.
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