While he was out, Henderson took advantage of his chance to work with the first unit and appears to have played his way into a starting role. Bishop returned to practice late last week, but Vanderlinden seems inclined to keep Henderson in the lineup and has hinted he might make other changes. He's not always smooth, but he's like an old-time linebacker and gets the job done. On the surface, the four players appear similar. I'm very excited about them.
Every time there is a play, they make sure they're around the ball.
In addition to the veteran starters, the Terrapins have some depth. Redshirt junior Reggie Lewis, a backup inside linebacker, will not play Saturday because of a pulled hamstring suffered in a scrimmage on Friday. A former all-American at Michigan, Mallory is the most energetic coach on the staff, constantly running to give instructions during practice. Mallory also knows what to look for in a linebacker. We still need to go as far as setting tempo, but we've gotten better.