Terp tandem leads in its special way

As they sprint down the field from the same position on opposite ends of the kickoff formation, Terrapin wide receivers LaQuan Williams and Emani Lee-Odai are difficult to tell apart.

Williams is an inch shorter and his No. 3 jersey lacks the the ‘8' stitched into the back of Lee-Odai's No. 83 jersey. Besides that, there's little to separate the rangy, muscular frames soaring downfield as their long dreadlocks bounce up and down.

And now, thanks to a newfound appreciation for the importance of special teams from both, they have nearly equal status as the unit's captains and best playmakers.

Entering tomorrow's crucial prime-time showdown with Florida State, coach Ralph Friedgen readily admits the Terps' special-teams play has helped key their success this season. He also points out that Lee-Odai and Williams are a big reason why.

The senior duo — both of whom are on the field for kickoffs, punts, and punt returns — not only bring leadership and experience but a presence to the unit not fully measured by their combined 18 tackles and two blocked kicks.

"They are what I call hardcore special teams guys," Friedgen said. "They make plays every week, and they are so unselfish. They could be complaining and whining about playing receiver, but they aren't doing that, and it's one of the reasons we are winning right now."

Special teams coach Charles Bankins has always been slightly miffed about the multitude of weekly accolades for offensive and defensive players to earn, while special teams players rarely receive recognition.

But since taking over the unit, Bankins has taken matters into his own hands. The team hands out numerous weekly awards, but none are as creative or as coveted as the ones Bankins hands out.

None of the other awards are accompanied by props either. Players with the week's biggest hit on special teams win "The Hammer" award and the honor's accompanying sledgehammer. Players who make game-changing plays on special teams earn a distinction as the "The Heavyweight Champion of the World" as well as an authentic heavyweight belt for as long as they can hold it.

"We compare it to that scene from [the movie] 300 when they run at each other in the battle," Williams said. "We look at it like we are warriors going to war, and we are going to do whatever it takes to make a play."

The awards have become both a source of pride and the grounds for a friendly competition between Williams and Lee-Odai. And for two players with the speed to outrun opposing coverages and the strength to stop a returner in his tracks, the accolades have come often.

Before last week's game against Virginia, Williams held a slight edge in combined hardware. Then Lee-Odai smacked Virginia's starting running back, Perry Jones, on a kickoff as Jones tried to block him, knocking Jones out of the game for good and giving the Terps momentum in a close game.

"You never want to glorify knocking someone out," Bankins said. "But that was a big play because not only did it set the tone, but it got us out of the fog we were in at the time and woke us up."

Lee-Odai, who won both the sledgehammer and the heavyweight belt for that hit, plans to run out of the tunnel tomorrow with both in hand.

When both players arrived on the campus, though, special teams success seemed like a secondary concern.

In 2006, Lee-Odai and Williams joined the program as lightly recruited players before spending their true freshman seasons away from the wide receiver position. Lee-Odai redshirted, while Williams started his career as a defensive back. The next season, both were buried on the wide receiver depth chart.

They were presented with a dilemma: get on the field with special teams, or wait their turn for a shot on offense. Both chose special teams, but not without reservations.

"I really didn't take it seriously or think of it as a real job until last year," Lee-Odai said. "I used to get caught up in wanting to play receiver, but at the end of the day, special teams is what gets people looks at the next level. So when I wasn't getting shots at receiver, I thought I might as well give special teams my all."

"I'm not going to say I just went through the motions," Williams added. "But I definitely wasn't giving it my best every single play. Now I tell myself before every time that I am going out there to make something happen."

Both players have NFL aspirations but are, for now, content with enjoying the last two regular-season games of their college career. They know tomorrow could be special, in more ways than one.

"Last year, it came down to special teams when we didn't kick the ball out of bounds and [Florida State punt returner Greg] Reid got a good return," Lee-Odai said of the Terps' 29-26 loss. "We pretty much had the game until then. This game is going to be a battle of special teams and field position, and whoever wins those two areas will come out victorious."

lemaire@umdbk.com