Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen has three aces. So why are Terrapins fans so upset?
The Terps open Saturday against Delaware with fifth-year senior passer Jordan Steffy starting over Chris Turner and Josh Portis. It’s the same pecking order as last year, only Steffy and Turner now have a substantial experience while Portis learned the system while ineligible in 2007.
Fans want Turner after becoming the first Maryland quarterback ever to beat two Top 10 teams in one season while Steffy was hurt. Turner upset No. 10 Rutgers and No. 8 Boston College to become the cool second coming of Joe Namath. Turner’s father was a drummer in the band Ratt whose rock star status seemed to pass on to the son.
Still, Friedgen doesn’t give a flying forward pass over what fans think. Coaching to the stands doesn’t work any better than governing by polls. It was a tough call between three talented passers as Maryland finally found depth at a position it has often starved.
The right quarterback means everything to Friedgen. In four years with a seasoned passer, the Terps won 40 games. Three years with a newbie meant losing seasons and 16 wins.
Delaware reached the Division I-AA national championship last year behind quarterback Joe Flacco, who was the Baltimore Ravens first-rounder in April. The Blue Hens are now ranked No. 9 largely thanks to nine returning defensive starters.
Friedgen’s decision came down to finding secondary options and practicing well. The new West Coast Offense relies on multiple targets that Jordan better locates. While Turner is known as a gamer, he can only blame himself for not playing outplaying Steffy in offseason camps.
Terps fans have moved on from Steffy, though. That’s rather ironic given the Pennsylvania passer is one of the bigger recruits in Friedgen’s eight-year tenure. Steffy’s agility and arm were supposed to give Maryland a bona fide quarterback after scraping good seasons from journeymen Shaun Hill and Scott McBrien.
Injuries have scuttled Jordan’s career, though. He was knocked out in his freshman season and redshirted in 2005. Returning starter Sam Hollenbach kept the job in 2006 before Steffy finally started last season. After a poor opening month and a concussion against Rutgers in the fifth week, Steffy gave way to Turner.
It was supposed to be temporary. Who knew Turner was a phenom, throwing for 149 yards in the second half in the 34-24 road upset. Turner passed for 255 yards the following week to beat Georgia Tech, then struggled through three straight losses. Just when Maryland’s season seemed over, Turner followed with three touchdowns and 337 yards over Boston College.
Fans haven’t forgotten Turner. If the Terps start slowly, Byrd Stadium will turn into boo stadium. Maryland has enough experience to win eight games this season, but supporters worry Friedgen picked the wrong passer.
We’ll soon know.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
