July 1, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the first in a 10-part series previewing the 2003 University of Maryland football team. The Terrapins open fall practice on August 3rd in preparation for their season opener at Northern Illinois on August 28th.

Today's portion of the outlook for 2003 features takes a quick look at the team overall before focusing on the offense in general and the quarterback position specifically. Check back every Tuesday and Thursday in the month of July for a breakdown on each component of this year's team (a complete list of when each position's synopsis will be posted on umterps.com can be found at the bottom of this page), a squad ranked by most preseason publications in the top 15 nationally.

2003 TERRAPIN FOOTBALL OUTLOOK
This was supposed to be the season that it all started for Ralph Friedgen and the University of Maryland.

Friedgen signed on at Maryland after the close of the 2000 season and the prevailing thought was that after a couple of seasons of working on turning things around, his alma mater would be ready to challenge in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

With 2003 upon us, the record now shows that it only took Friedgen and Co. one season to get the ball rolling and the goals originally set for '03 have changed. Fortunately for the Terrapins and their fans, things seem to be setting up well for yet another exciting season in College Park.

The Terps return six starters on offense and nine on defense from a team that won a school-record tying 11 games in 2002, pummeled perennial national power Tennessee in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and challenged for the ACC title up until the second-to-last week of the regular season despite a 1-2 start. That in addition to finishing ranked in the nation's top 13 for the second consecutive year.

Though there are questions to be answered in terms of personnel in '03, the number of questions seem to be diminishing with each successive season. The Terps enter the season with a returning starter at quarterback for the first time in Friedgen's tenure, giving the Maryland offense likely its best options in terms of the playbook that it has had in three years. Tailback Bruce Perry appears to be healthy and leading a deep stable of tailbacks while the defensive backfield is experienced and amongst the most talented in the country.

Question marks include replacing all-everything linebacker E.J. Henderson and career punting leader Brooks Barnard, but the cupboard is far from bare. In fact, there is a buzz in College Park that has reached a pitch not seen in decades from Terp faithful.

The following is a position-by-position breakdown of the 2003 version of the Maryland Terrapins as they approach a season that holds both promise and great anticipation. All for a program that was just supposed to be getting it all started.

OFFENSE

To say that the Maryland offense returns six starters in 2003 is to scratch the surface of the talent that returns to the fold. True, the Terps do have all-conference performers returning in the form of QB Scott McBrien (honorable mention), TE Jeff Dugan (honorable mention), OG Lamar Bryant (second team) and OG C.J. Brooks (honorable mention) in their six returning starters, but a closer look shows that the players who will be filling in the gaps are far from green.

Among the non-returning starters are 2001 ACC Player of the Year and Doak Walker finalist Bruce Perry, All-ACC return man Steve Suter - who should see an increased role at wide receiver - and wideout Jafar Williams who enters his senior season with 76 career receptions with 14 starts under his belt. All in all, eight players slated to start when fall camp commences are seniors.

That experience should translate into another strong year for the Terrapin offense, a unit that has posted school records for points in back-to-back seasons, racking up 451 (or an average of 32.2 points per game) a year ago.

But among the most important facts that Maryland has going for it is the return of McBrien, a player who got better and better as the season went on in 2002. In each of Ralph Friedgen and offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe's first years, the Terp offense has suffered from growing pains early in the season that can only be explained by inexperience at quarterback. With each of those seasons, the offense improved as the signal-caller's comfort level improved. That lapse should be non-existent with the return of McBrien, leaving the team in its best shape at the start of any of the last three seasons.

"I think we have a chance to be a good offense," said Friedgen. "If Scott (McBrien) picks up where he left off in the Peach Bowl and continues to grow and get better, he has a chance to be a very fine quarterback. I think we need more production out of our wide receivers -- we have receivers who are very capable of making big plays. Are things exactly where I want them? No. But it continues to improve each season over where it has been."

Quarterback

Heading into fall camp of last season, not only were the Terrapins without a returning starter at quarterback, they were without a clear-cut starter coming out of spring. This year, there is no debate over who holds the reins of the Maryland offense.

Senior Scott McBrien (Rockville, Md.) started slow last year - his first as a full-time starter at the collegiate level - but finished 2003 as one of the top quarterbacks in the ACC and one of the most efficient in the nation. He finished the season passing for 2,497 yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, producing a 141.3 pass efficiency rating, 12th-best in the NCAA and fifth-best in school history. Along the way, the southpaw led the Terps to nine wins in their last 10 games and their first bowl win since 1985.

McBrien has a strong, accurate arm and as his first year at the controls wore on, he proved to be efficient at running the option, one of the question marks surrounding the former West Virginia transfer. With the majority of the receivers he worked with from last year returning, he stands to have a strong senior season with the primary concern of his coaches being that he maintain some of the consistency he had in the second half of last year -- and improve upon it.

"Scott is more comfortable with what we are doing than he has ever been," said Friedgen. "He has all of the physical tools you need in a quarterback. He has a very strong arm and he is very accurate. At times, he doesn't see plays develop as well as I would like him to, but he continues to improve in that aspect and, as importantly, is learning to play within himself. The biggest thing we are looking for out of him this year is consistency."

Though the Terps are set with their starter at quarterback, the race for McBrien's backup is not quite so clear-cut. Three players - all with different strengths - will compete for that spot this year.

Leading the way by a slim margin heading into fall is senior Orlando Evans (Stockton, Calif.). Evans has returned from a knee injury suffered last year and gives the offense a quarterback who can get in and out of the huddle. He is the most experienced of the three challenging for the backup role with his main strengths being his running ability and knowledge of the offense.

A pair of redshirt freshmen - Joel Statham (Chatsworth, Ga.) and Sam Hollenbach (Sellersville, Pa.) - both had solid offseasons and will compete with Evans. Statham is probably the Terps' most athletic quarterback and has a strong, accurate arm. He played well in the spring game and looks like a player to watch while Hollenbach offers ideal size (6-5, 221) and one of the best work ethics on the team. His improvement between year one and two has been as noticeable as any player on the team. The downfall of both Statham and Hollenbach is simple - a lack of experience. Local product and true freshman Ryan Mitch (McLean, Va.) will look to learn along with them in his first year in the system.

"We are starting to get quarterbacks that have the arms and the accuracy that you need to succeed at this level," said Friedgen. "In the five quarterbacks we will have in camp, I think we have enough of what it takes to be good - it is just going to come down to the continuing development of the guys behind McBrien as to how good they are as a group."

Outlook Schedule on UMterps.com:
Offense/Quarterbacks        Tuesday, July 1

Tailbacks                   Thursday, July 3

Fullbacks                   Tuesday, July 8

Wide Receivers              Thursday, July 10

Tight Ends                  Tuesday, July 15

Offensive Line              Thursday, July 17

Defense/Defensive Line      Tuesday, July 22

Linebackers                 Thursday, July 24

Defensive Backs             Tuesday, July 29

Specialists                 Thursday, July 31

For season ticket information, please call the Terrapin Ticket Office at (301) 314-7070 or (800) 462-TERP (8377).