Turner to Start against Middle Tennessee State

With quarterback Jordan Steffy "out indefinitely" because of an injured thumb, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said Wednesday that Chris Turner will start this weekend's game against Middle Tennessee State.
Friedgen said he wasn't sure if Turner would have started Saturday if Steffy had been healthy, but what the coach knows for certain is that Steffy will not be available for some time. Steffy won the job because Friedgen said he was the more consistent player this summer.
"He had a ligament tore away from the bone is what they [the X-rays] showed," Friedgen said. "They think it will be a minimum of three weeks."
Meanwhile, third-string quarterback Josh Portis, who carried four times for 13 yards in last weekend's 14-7 win over Delaware, will get playing time again.
Steffy completed 10 of 18 passes for 115 yards and was intercepted twice against the Blue Hens.
Turner, who took over as the Terps' starting quarterback in 2007 after Steffy's season was ended by a concussion, threw the ball only three times against Delaware.
"I have a lot of confidence in Chris, just as I do in Jordan," Friedgen said. "Like I said earlier, I predicted all three would play and they did. Jordan wasn't at his best."

Maryland defeats Delaware 'Barely'

Da'Rel Scott ran for 197 yards in his first college start and the Maryland defense forced two turnovers in a 14-7 win over Delaware Saturday in the season opener for both teams.Scott carried 26 times and had runs of 40, 37 and 26 yards. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound sophomore totaled 137 yards rushing last season in nine games as a backup.The last Maryland running back to gain that much yardage on the ground was Bruce Perry, who had 237 against Wake Forest on Nov. 29, 2003. Scott also set a Maryland record for most rushing yards in a season opener. The Terps defense chipped in by limiting Delaware to just 249 yards of total offense. But the Terrapins missed three field goals and had trouble pulling away from Delaware, which has 14 starters back from the team that last year advanced to the Football Championship Subdivision title game.Senior Jordan Steffy started at quarterback for the Terrapins, completing 10 of 18 passes for 115 yards with two interceptions. Junior Chris Turner came on in the fourth quarter and led the final three drives, going 1-for-3 with 11 passing yards. Junior Josh Portis also played the position, running four times for 10 yards.The Maryland touchdowns came on a 12-yard reverse by wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey in the second quarter and on a 14-yard run by Davin Meggett in the third quarter.Delaware closed to 14-7 on a 1-yard run by Johnathon Smith with 5:20 left. The Blue Hens got the ball back with 3:32 left, but after Robby Schoenhoft was intercepted by Terrell Skinner, Maryland ran out the clock.A year ago, the Blue Hens used the talented arm of Joe Flacco to average 36 points and 337 yards passing. Flacco is now in the NFL, and Schoenhoft was not nearly as effective.Schoenhoft, a transfer from Ohio State, went 14-for-22 for 128 yards and an interception. Delaware's Aaron Love had four catches for 49 yards, becoming the fifth player in school history to top 2,000 yards receiving.Maryland limited the Blue Hens to 108 yards in the first half but led by only 7-0 at halftime.Steffy's first two passes of the season were both completed for a total of 32 yards, but Maryland's initial drive ended when a 48-yard field goal try by Obi Egekeze hit the crossbar.The Terrapins forced a punt and got a 40-yard run from Scott before Egekeze missed a 44-yard field goal attempt.Maryland finally broke through with a two-play drive in the second quarter. Heyward-Bey made a leaping catch for a 36-yard gain, then ran around right end for a touchdown.After Delaware missed a field goal try, Egekeze was wide right from 41 yards as the first half ended. Keven Barnes also had a pick for the Terps, but they were unable to convert that turnover into points.

Turner decides to stay at Maryland

After weighing his options, quarterback Chris Turner decided to remain at Maryland, where he will start the season as the backup to fifth-year senior Jordan Steffy."My whole life is here right now," Turner said. Turner, a junior, considered transferring after Terrapins Coach Ralph Friedgen named Steffy the team's starter this season. Turner started the final eight games of last season and helped Maryland beat two top 10 teams, Rutgers and Boston College, in two of Maryland's most impressive victories in recent memory.

Tate moves to Strong Safety

Kenny Tate came to Maryland to run fast and straight ahead. Now, he’s running backwards and all over the field. The Terrapins’ most prolific recruit has switched from wide receiver to strong safety to increase his chances of playing as a freshman on a team that’s predicted by the national media as one of the worst in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder is no stranger to playing defense, as he made 48 tackles and four interceptions during his senior season at DeMatha, one of the country’s best teams. But he always was the best player on the field, meaning he didn’t need to worry about proper technique to dominate the opposition.

Maryland Footbal Recruiting Overview

Headliner: When the Terps landed four-star defensive end DeOnte Arnett in July, they bested traditional powers like Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee, and kept the all-important Forestville-to-College Park pipeline flowing. Arnett -- who possesses the wingspan of a seven-footer -- follows ex-Forestville tight end Devonte Campbell and receiver Kevin Dorsey to UM. Arnett's a good bet for early playing time at Maryland.

Sleeper: Edmondson defensive end David Mackall is rated a two-star prospect by Rivals.com, but once the recruiting service gets film on the 6-foot-3, 240-pounder, that ranking should change in a hurry. Mackall's a relentless pass rusher whose size makes him the ideal fit for UM's LEO position. Click here for DigitalSports.com's highlight reel of Mackall.

Overview: Right now Maryland's 2009 class is on the fringe of the top 25, according to Rivals.com. The Terps could hang around the top 30 when Signing Day rolls around, or they could surge into the top 20 depending on the decisions of guys like Dunbar running back Tavon Austin, Good Counsel linebacker Jelani Jenkins and St. John's College (D.C.) offensive lineman Pete White. The Terps' 19-man class includes two promising quarterback prospects (C.J. Brown and Danny O'Brien), a thunder (D.J. Adams) and lightning (Caleb Porzel) combo at running back, the heir apparent to Obi Egekeze at kicker (Nick Ferrera) and a number of intriguing defensive prospects (Arnett, Mackall, linebacker Bradley Johnson and several others).

Pressure on Friedgen

Of Maryland's highest-profile coaches, football's Ralph Friedgen and basketball's Gary Williams, it's "The Fridge" who has less room for error. Those three spectacular campaigns from 2001 through 2003 when Ralph led the Terps out of the wilderness and went 31-8 are beginning to dim in the memory, and among the issues weighing on the faithful is the way Maryland has faded lately. Three of the past four seasons have been marked by more losses than wins both overall and in the ACC and left a bitter aftertaste. The Terps finished 2004 with a 2-5 slide; the following year, it was a 1-4 swoon; and last season, they were a disappointing 2-5 down the stretch after hopeful wins over Rutgers and Georgia Tech. Even in 2006, when Maryland went 9-4, it lost its last two regular-season games.
Friedgen consistently gets his team into bowls (five in seven years) but since the Orange Bowl in the 2001 season, those bowls have mostly declined in prestige. Perhaps most telling is Maryland's conference record: 19-5 in the first phase of the "Fridge" era and 14-18 the past four seasons. And unlike the men's basketball program, the football Terps cannot lay claim to playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country for their sport.Of course, most of the above is what has led to the return of former assistant James Franklin as offensive coordinator.In Friedgen's defense, he has consistently lost some of his best players early to the NFL, the most recent example being linebacker Erin Henderson, a semifinalist for the 2007 Butkus Award, presented to college football's top linebacker, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings. But that's a problem every big-time college coach - football or basketball - has to live with. The thought is that if Friedgen doesn't rev up this program soon, he won't have to live with the problem much longer.

Under Armor to Outfit University of Maryland Sports

Under Armor Inc. and the University of Maryland have inked a five-year, $17.5 million deal that will make the Baltimore sports apparel company the official outfitter of the school's entire 27-team athletic department.
Under Armour CEO Kevin A. Plank -- a former University of Maryland football player -- unveiled the deal and the new uniforms at a news conference Tuesday afternoon in Gossett Team House on the College Park campus. Terrapins head football coach Ralph Friedgen, Basketball coach's Gary Williams and Brenda Frese were in attendance.
University officials had been testing the marketplace for nearly 18 months on an official outfitter for both men’s and women’s sports, said Chris Boyer, a senior associate athletics director for the College Park campus, in an interview last week.
Apparel giant Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) provides uniforms for the Terrapins basketball and track and field programs.
Under Armour has strong ties with the University of Maryland and its athletic program.
Company founder Plank is a 1995 graduate of the university and sits on the school’s board of trustees.
While at Maryland, Plank was a member of the school’s football team. Under Armour’s first apparel deal with a university was struck in 2004 with the Maryland football team, a five-year deal valued at $520,000 annually.