The Terrapins believe they can win the Atlantic Coast Conference championship.
But first, they have to find a quarterback.
With the departure of senior Sam Hollenbach, who led the Terrapins to a 9-4 record and a Champs Sports Bowl victory last season, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen must decide between junior Jordan Steffy and sophomore transfer Josh Portis.
“I?m not going to take a whole lot of time making this decision,” Friedgen said in a news conference Monday from the Gossett Team House. “I haven?t seen them since spring practice, so I?m anxious to see some improvement. [I?d like to make a decision within] maybe a week or a little more, but we need to focus in on who is our No. 1 guy.”
The Terrapins opened practice on a hot and humid Monday afternoon, shortly after Friedgen, in his seventh season in College Park, told the team his intentions were to win an ACC Championship.
The biggest roadblock between the Maryland and that goal is the quarterback controversy, which is becoming a frequent occurrence in College Park.
“It seems like every since I?ve been here, there?s been a quarterback controversy,” senior running back Lance Ball said, pointing to the transition after the 2003 season that led from Scott McBrien to Joel Statham to Hollenbach.
Steffy is a similar quarterback to Hollenbach, against whom he competed the past two seasons.
“There is no substitute for time. My job is to take that out onto the field and execute,” Steffy said. “I don?t need to make the big plays all the time, and that?s something I?m really starting to understand.”
A transfer from Florida, Portis said he can make the big plays as more of a gamebreaking, athletic quarterback.
“I feel that I?m a different player when I?m alive with a red [game] jersey on,” Portis said with a smile. “In practice I?m held back from what I can do. In game situations when I?m not in a yellow [practice] jersey, I feel I can do more than that.”
Friedgen conceded it?s “realistic” Portis could supplant Steffy, who entered camp atop the depth chart. Friedgen also left open the possibility of a two-quarterback system, in which both players would split time on the field.
