Terps defensive tackle has new role as blocker
As a two-way lineman at Quince Orchard High in Gaithersburg, Zach Kerr was better known for his blocking than his tackling. Three years later at the University of Maryland, Kerr is revisiting the past.
The sophomore has developed nicely as a 6-foot-2, 330-pound defensive tackle, now in the rotation for roughly 35 plays per game behind sophomore starters Joe Vellano and A.J. Francis.
But in recent weeks, it’s been his devastating blocking that has turned heads and inspired coaches to brainstorm ways to get him on the field.
Against Wake Forest, the Terps used Kerr as the lead blocker on the kickoff return team, a duty usually reserved for players 80 pounds lighter. Saturday at Virginia, Kerr was used as a fullback on short-yardage situations.
The unique roles fit his rare combination of size and speed. Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen says Kerr can run 40 yards in 4.8 seconds.
“He’s really a strange guy,” Friedgen said. “He’s very athletic. He’s very, very powerful.”
Kerr’s impact was evident in Saturday’s 42-23 win, as he helped freshman D.J. Adams score three touchdowns. In six trips to the red zone, the Terps maxed out with 42 points.
Quarterback Danny O’Brien enjoyed watching film of Kerr’s work on Monday.
“He was blowing up a Virginia guy,” O’Brien said. “The next time the guy just kind of ducked him. He’s a beast.”
Identifying Kerr for his new roles required outside-the-box thinking. According to Friedgen, when he suggested Kerr as a fullback, coaches laughed. But as they considered it more closely, it made sense.
“He’s probably faster than [Taylor] Watson or Haroon [Brown],” said offensive coordinator James Franklin, comparing Kerr to the Terps other fullbacks. “We started using him in the kickoff return package and people were just running out of the way or taking him on and getting blown up.”
Kerr’s emergence isn’t just a sideshow curiosity. The Terps have been searching for ways to become more productive and powerful in short yardage. In the Virginia game, there was no disguising the Terps’ intent. Nearly every short-yardage conversion came behind left tackle R.J. Dill and left guard Andrew Gonnella.
So will the Terps become predictable when Kerr enters Saturday against Florida State?
“Now we gotta find a way for him to go deep,” Friedgen joked. “We’re not going to just run the ball with Zach.”
