Maryland's Perry will miss 4-8 weeks

COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Maryland tailback Bruce Perry will miss the first four to eight weeks of the season because of a groin injury, the school announced Thursday.

Perry suffered a third-degree tear of a groin muscle in his left leg during warmup before Tuesday's scrimmage.

"Bruce's injury is very unfortunate for us as a team," said Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen. "The good news is that he did not tear the tendon off of the bone and it looks like he will be able to come back some point this year. If there is some silver lining, I think that's it. Bruce is determined to rehab and get back on the field as soon as possible."

Perry was the 2001 Atlantic Coast Conference Offensive Player of the Year. He ran for 1,242 yards as a sophomore last year, his first as a Terps starter. He finished ninth in the nation last year in all-purpose yards with an average of 156.2 yards per game.

Second-year freshman Mario Merrills and sophomore Jason Crawford are behind Perry on the depth chart.

Perry, who also had 359 receiving yards last year, will be sorely missed, Friedgen said.

"He carried us the first four games last year," Friedgen said.

"Bruce is the best pass-catcher out of the backfield. Recently, he's been running good routes, and he has good hands. I don't think any of the other guys are as good as he is at that stage of the game," Friedgen added.

 

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