With a little help from his CB friend

WR Demus improved by practicing against Bennett

Cornerback Kenny Bennett and wide receiver Dontay Demus Jr., who have been Maryland football teammates for the past three years, begin every practice with a confidence-building ritual.

“Me and him, we get each other going every practice,” Bennett, a junior, said Tuesday, calling Demus his greatest competitor.

“The first rep of every practice, me and him go against each other. It’s just really great because we are the body types that we’re going to see in a game a lot. So us getting that every single day just helps us prepare for anybody.

“That also helps with confidence because he’s like, ‘OK, this [opposing cornerback] is 6-2, 200, and that’s fine because I go against that every practice.’ For me, it’s, ‘This [opposing wideout] is 6-4, 200, running 4-whatever, and I go against that every day.’ So it helps us with our confidence.”

Those lessons may help explain the season the 6-foot-3, 217-pound Demus is enjoying for the Terps (2-2), who were scheduled to visit Michigan (2-4) on Saturday before the game was canceled. The junior leads the offense in receptions (23), yards (342) and touchdown catches (three) and joins junior Brian Cobbs as the only wideouts to start all four games this fall.

Demus ranks seventh among all Big Ten receivers in yards per game (85.5) and receptions per game (5.8). He has exceeded 100 yards in two games, including a career-high114 yards and one touchdownin a 27-11 loss atNo. 10 Indiana.

In a season when coronavirus issues sidelined four starters, including redshirt sophomore wide receiver Jeshaun Jones and highly touted freshmanwideout Rakim Jarrett, Demus has been a constant for the offense. He indicated that he anticipated these numbers from himself, saying, “Just knowing that I had to be more consistent in being an A player, always being available. No matter how the game is going, good or bad, Iwant to be able to make plays.”

But Demus sidestepped the notion that he has emerged as the team’s undisputed No. 1wide receiver.

“I embrace the role of being a role model in our room,” he said. “I’ve just got to be more consistent and show guys how to move andhowto be able towork inthe field and be able to make plays.

“I don’t want to simply be like, ‘Oh yeah, I’m going tomake this play. I’m the leader of the room.’ I just try to make sure everybody eats and I can be a good example.”

Demus’ modesty is a trait he has exhibited since he joined the football team at Friendship Collegiate Academy inWashington as a freshman in 2014. In addition to lining up as a wide receiver, Demus asked MikeHunter ifhecould play defensive back and return kicks and punts, which the coach gladly took him up on.

“Anytime you have a guy as athletic as him, you put him in as many places as you can,” Hunter said. “He was always open to doing whatever he could for the team.

“I know it’s kind of cliché, but he was truly one of those guys thatwas the first one in and the last one out. You didn’t have to worry about him missing practice or anything like that.”

Hunter said one of his lasting memories of Demus occurred on Dec. 2, 2017, during a timeout with Friendship trailing Ballou in the fourth quarter of a District of Columbia State Athletic Association Class AA championship game at Georgetown.

“I kind of did my coaching thing and yelled at the team a little bit,” Hunter recalled. “I just remember making eye contact with him, and he was playing well, so it wasn’t directed at him. But we made eye contact, and the very next play he took a 5-yard hitch 89 yards for a touchdown. It just kind of showed the type of guy hewas.”