Thomas prays, aims and focuses

Once a season, minister Jerome Thomas - father of junior offensive lineman Jaimie Thomas - leads the Terrapin football team in a devotion the evening before a game.

Last Friday, Jerome was giving the devotion to the Terps, and he told the team a story that highlighted three main points: Pray first, aim high and stay focused.

Shortly after, Jerome collapsed while he was still speaking.

Jerome, 58, was taken to the hospital, where Jaimie stayed with him for much of the night. The doctors still aren't sure exactly what happened, but an electrocardiogram test and a CT scan ruled out a heart attack or stroke. Jerome was released from the hospital Sunday and has been doing well since. But it was hardly an easy weekend for the soft-spoken, 339-pound lineman who is very close to his family.

"It shocked me. I've never seen my dad go through something like that before, so it was a little scary for me," Jaimie said. "But everyone was just a great support for me. Everyone was telling me they're keeping me in their prayers, and it really helped out a lot."

Once Jaimie found out his father was OK, he chose to play in the Terps' game against Rutgers. As Jaimie played while his father watched in the hospital, the three points Jerome pointed out during the devotion could never have been truer: Pray first, aim high and stay focused.

"I try to keep my same routine every Saturday," Jaimie said. "I go and read the Bible and get focused. I pray for God to keep [Jerome's] health and then just to help me go out and have a good game and try to be the best I can be."

Thomas had one of his better games of the season, as did the entire offensive line. The running game thrived and the pass protection was stellar, especially in the second half.

"Jaimie's a real tough guy," junior wide receiver Danny Oqeundo said. "I think once he got the news that his father was doing well, he was ready to beat up on somebody."

After beating Rutgers, coach Ralph Friedgen opened his press conference by praising his players for the character they showed in overcoming so many hardships, from the Wake Forest loss to Jordan Steffy's first-half concussion to seeing Jerome collapse.

"It was a tremendous win and a tremendous display of character by our players," Friedgen said. "We were so concerned about [Jerome's] well-being."

As Jaimie was in the hospital with his father, the rest of the Terps continued to pray for the Thomas family.

"It was so rough it kinda took me away from what we were actually there to do," senior safety Christian Varner said. "You're getting ready for the game, and then all of the sudden that happens - whoa, reality. It's reality for you, the football game, but then the real reality set in when that happened. Shocking.

"I think that it just made us all get a little more serious. When stuff like that happens, that's just a gut check. It lets you know that any second, something could happen and that could be you."

Jaimie stayed with Jerome until midnight the night before the game and would have remained at the hospital even longer had his father not told him he'd be all right.

"It was tough, but my dad told me the whole time … 'you don't need to be here with me, you have a game to play tomorrow,'" Jaimie said. "I was just hoping that he was OK."

From there, Jaimie went into his normal Saturday routine leading up to game time. But not without addressing the three key points in Jerome's story.

Pray first, aim high and stay focused.

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