COLLEGE PARK - August preseason camp might be grueling and hot, but it sure beats what happens to Maryland football players who run afoul of coach Ralph Friedgen's intricate points system - a motivational tool that can't help but grab team members' attention.
Consider the experience of fourth-year defensive back Anthony Wiseman.
Under wispy clouds turned orange by the sunrise, Wiseman jogged up and down the Byrd Stadium stairs in shorts and a T-shirt last year, beginning at 5:30 a.m.
His lonely run - captured by the cameras of Terrapins Rising, the team reality show - turned him into a cautionary tale for teammates who prefer to sleep past dawn.
Wiseman was a victim of a points system instituted by Friedgen before last season and continued this year.
"You gain points for bad behavior," Friedgen said in an interview before the team held its media day and first preseason practices yesterday afternoon.
As in golf, players endeavor to keep their scores low, or risk paying a Wiseman-like price.
"You miss class, it's a point. Late for class is half a point," the coach said. There are various other ways to gain or lose points.
"If a player amasses five points, that player runs at 5 a.m.," Friedgen said.
The process begins early in spring practice when the team is divided into 10 units, each with a captain.
"I have a draft," Friedgen said. "We go into the auditorium. I say, 'Team One, you're on the clock, 30 seconds.' And I have all the names on a big screen."
The system is aimed not only at keeping players in line but also at building bonds as unit members police each other. "If the team gets 10 points, they all run at 5 a.m.," Friedgen said.
As in the military, it is in each player's interest to ensure that his buddy understands the drill.
Matt Goldberg, last year's holder and backup receiver, said the points never strayed far from players' minds.
"People were aware of it and could push each other: 'Get to class, get to class!' " Goldberg said. "But was it fun? It wasn't fun running for somebody else's mistakes. We had to go and run at 5 o'clock in the morning."
Larry Grabenstein, chairman of the Maryland Gridiron Network booster group, said the system seems to work because it places responsibility on team members rather than the coaches. "He has the players disciplining themselves," Grabenstein said.
