This weekend, many Terrapin football players are leaving behind the fast-paced world of ACC football for cold bleachers and fields surrounded by running tracks.
As the Terps seek to relax during their first weekend off in more than two months, many Terps will attend high school games to see former teammates play before a few thousand people.
Defensive lineman Dean Muhtadi plans to see some former teammates play before a few thousand people, too. The difference is, Muhtadi's homecoming doesn't involve high school students.
The senior transfer will head to Newport News, Va., to watch his ex-teammates at Division III Christoper Newport University play Greensboro College tomorrow afternoon at 4,200-capacity POMOCO Stadium.
"It'll kind of remind me of where I came from, why I transferred and what I'm playing for now," said Muhtadi, who left the Captains after two seasons to walk-on with the Terps and pursue his dream of playing in a Division I program.
No matter how they choose to spend their weekend, most Terps (4-2, 1-1 ACC) say they are happy for their first break since preseason camp began Aug. 4. Despite Saturday's 31-0 loss at Virginia, coach Ralph Friedgen has given his players today and tomorrow off practice after a reduced workload this week.
"It's nice to have any kind of time off," said quarterback Chris Turner, who said he might use the time to get away from College Park to possibly head to Philadelphia. "A lot of people don't know the kind of time we put in. Even coming off a loss, it was nice to have a couple days off to get our legs back. And this weekend, people can go home and see their families."
Friedgen has pledged to use this week to see the team get healthy and continue to improve. He gave the players Monday and Tuesday off of practice, just asking them to lift one of the two days before returning to the practice field Wednesday.
The players were excited at the prospect of a free weekend, and they were focused on practicing well yesterday to earn the rest.
"I'm hoping that we have an off day [Saturday]," guard Jamie Thomas said on Wednesday, before the day off was official. "I plan to go home and just try to get my mind right. Look at myself in the mirror and just see what it is that I can do better, myself, to help the team."
Tight end Dan Gronkowski has used the light week to catch up on schoolwork. He's excited to head home to New York and relax this weekend.
The senior detailed the grind of a daily schedule that has included early morning treatment on his injured ankle, school, practice and film sessions, leaving him little time for himself.
"You need some break[s] once in a while to get back to normal life," Gronkowski said.
Muhtadi will use the weekend to remember what a normal life used to be for him, as he watches his old squad play "one of the teams you've never heard of." He's looking forward to talking to players who share a similar goal of playing major college football and "just kick back."
The Virginia native is hoping the game works out better than his trip during last season's bye week when he watched the Captains win on a rainy Saturday evening.
But no matter how much fun he has this weekend, Muhtadi said it's important to keep the Terps' season in perspective.
"With the goals we have," Muhtadi said. "We can't really afford to even take a day off."
Senior staff writer Greg Schimmel contributed to this article.
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