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In the first unofficial 11-on-11 scrimmage of the Terrapin football team's spring practice season Sunday, nobody in the Terps' defensive backfield really stood out.

In the approximately two hours of full-squad competition played in the rainy chill, there were very few deep passes completed and very few big plays made by any of the defensive backs. With a first unit looking to replace three of the four starters from last season's team, the secondary's ability to blend in with the rest of the defense and quietly contribute is a good thing.

"The offense was attacking them in some tough spots today," coach Ralph Friedgen said afterward. "They got to do a better job jamming the receivers, but overall, they broke on the ball better. I wasn't displeased with them."

While they lack significant game experience as a unit, there is clearly still a lot of talent in the Terps' secondary.

Veterans Christian Varner, Isaiah Gardner and J.J. Justice are gone, but those who remain seem confident that those shoes can be filled.

Senior cornerback Kevin Barnes is the lone starting defensive back returning from last year, and he will be looked on to take a bigger leadership role with the group this season. Barnes has good size and speed, and he led the Terps with four interceptions last season.

He's often the player secondary coach Kevin Lempa looks to have go first during positional drills.

"Even though I don't feel like it, I'm really the old guy," Barnes said. "So I'm taking it upon myself to watch everybody else when I'm not in there and help them out as much as possible."

While perhaps not as interesting as the ongoing quarterback battle - which, by the way, Friedgen said Sunday is still pretty close between Jordan Steffy and Chris Turner, with Josh Portis not far behind - the competition for the other starting cornerback spot vacated by Gardner is also a good one.

Junior Nolan Carroll took all of the limited first-team reps Sunday, but defensive coordinator Chris Cosh said the position is still open.

Junior Anthony Wiseman is also in the running for the starting spot, and Barnes acknowledged that even his own starting job isn't safe.

"It's still open. You're looking at Barnes, Carroll and Wiseman kind of competing for those two spots," Cosh said. "That's why we're out here practicing. You come out here everyday to get better, and I think it's pretty competitive between the three guys."

The starting safety spots seem more secure, as both senior strong safety Jeff Allen and junior free safety Terrell Skinner have impressed coaches in their first spring atop the depth chart.

Allen and Skinner have both been consistently solid throughout the spring so far, with Skinner impressing with his physicality and Allen emerging as another leader.

Both players played in all 13 games last season as reserves.

"It ain't no really big adjustment for me," Skinner said. "I'm ready for it. I'm embracing it and taking it and running with it."

Sophomore Antwine Perez, a highly touted player who sat out last season after transferring from USC, should also make an impact at the safety position.

"He's a real physical dude," Skinner said.

The secondary this year projects to be more physical as a unit than last year's, which struggled at times with its tackling.

The DBs will spend the spring working on getting their communication down and making sure they're all on the same page, but there is little concern that they won't be ready to go in the fall.

"I'm not worried about that," Skinner said. "By the time the season starts, we'll probably be one of the best defensive backfields in the ACC."

n TERP NOTE: Senior receiver Isaiah Williams and sophomore receiver LaQuan Williams were both injured during drills Sunday. Friedgen said Isaiah Williams broke his hand and LaQuan Williams broke his ankle. Both will likely miss the rest of the spring.

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