Adams comes up big on short gains for football

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Facing a fourth-and-1 in the red zone midway through the second quarter, the Terrapin football team elected not to trot out running backs Da'Rel Scott or Davin Meggett.

But its special teams didn't move from the sideline, either. Instead, the Terps called on third-string running back D.J. Adams for the short-yardage situation. The redshirt freshman delivered where his teammates have often come up short this season, barreling through the Virginia defense for a first down on the Cavaliers' 8-yard line.

Four plays later, on yet another fourth-and-1, Adams got the call once more on the goal line. Again, he easily broke through the line of scrimmage, pushing the Terps' lead to 11 with his second of three rushing touchdowns.

Displaying an impressive physicality and perseverance throughout the Terps' 42-23 win against the Cavaliers — if not impressive yardage totals — Adams proved himself a valuable offensive weapon, making the most of his 13 carries for 37 yards.

"Sometimes, he doesn't make the right read, but the one thing the kid does is he will compete," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "We can't turn him free because he's not solid on all his protections yet. But he will fight his butt off to get the ball in the end zone."

Adams scored the Terps' first touchdown of the game, a 6-yard run in the first quarter in which he took four Virginia defenders with him over the goal line to finish the play. His two fourth-down conversions came shortly thereafter.

By the time the Terps marched into the red zone less than a minute into the fourth quarter, there was no question who would get the ball. Facing a two-point deficit and first-and-goal from the 7-yard line, quarterback Danny O'Brien handed off to Adams, who forced his way through to the 2-yard line. On the next play, he pushed himself into the end zone for a touchdown and what proved to be the game-winning score.

"I'm playing my role," said Adams, who became the first Terp to rush for three touchdowns in a single game since Lance Ball in 2007. "I've accepted my role, and opportunities present themselves, like they did tonight, and you've got to make the most of them."

Though Adams has appeared in six games this season, Saturday marked his most significant contribution since scoring two touchdowns against Football Championship Subdivision opponent Morgan State in the second game of the season.

Adams helped the Terp offense Saturday to a perfect 6-for-6 in the red zone. Last week, the Terps went 2-for-3, with both scores against Miami coming on field goals.

"We finished the ball a lot on the offensive side today, and that was a very positive step," Friedgen said.

Adams' success against the Cavaliers was due in large part to the work of behemoth defensive tackle Zach Kerr. The 6-foot-2, 320-pound sophomore helped out on both sides Saturday, playing as a fullback in short-yardage packages and ably clearing out Adams' path.

"We're still using D.J. in packages because he's still a young guy, growing, but he does run extremely hard," offensive coordinator James Franklin said. "And when you've got him, who's a 400-pound bencher, 220 pounds, and you've got him behind Zach Kerr, that's a pretty good combination."

kyanchulis@umdbk.com