July 30, 2002

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - The following is the first installment of an eight-part series that will look at each facet of the 2002 University of Maryland football team as it approaches the start of fall camp. With the first day of full-squad practice scheduled for Saturday, August 10, this series will first look at the offense and the quarterback position (today); the running backs (Thursday); wide receivers and tight ends (Friday); the offensive line (Monday, August 5); the defense and defensive line (Tuesday, August 6); the linebacking corps (Wednesday, August 7); the defensive backfield (Thursday, August 8); and the special teams (Friday, August 9).

Part I: Overview, Offense, Quarterback
Times have changed in College Park and they have done so quickly.

It had to be the hope when Ralph Friedgen was hired a year ago that the Terrapin football team would turn the corner from a team on the verge of success to one that could be considered a success. That hope, however, was pushed aside quickly as the 2001 Terps made their way through the regular season with just one loss and ultimately found themselves in a Bowl Championship Series game.

Where the Maryland program finds itself now is in a whole different place. Attention has intensified from the public, the media and the rest of the conference and the Terrapins are sure to find themselves with different expectations than in year's past.

With all that said, the Terps return 15 starters (eight offense, five defense, two specialists) from last year's ACC championship team. They enter the season with a year in Friedgen's system under their belts, the knowledge of his expectations, and the experience of what it takes to succeed. Moreover, they enter the season with the ACC's offensive (Bruce Perry), defensive (E.J. Henderson) and overall (Henderson) players of the year on the roster, and a chance for the first time in 16 years to repeat as conference champion.

The focus early in '02 will be in finding a new face to run the offensive system at quarterback. In addition, the team will need to find a new starter at center where a player who started every game the last four years has graduated and left for the NFL. It will need to find a starter at the nose tackle spot which was vacated by the defensive line's top performer of a year ago and also two starters and several key backups at linebacker; and, finally, both safety spots.

The spring sought to have answered all of those questions and the Terrapins enter the season seemingly in good hands. Injuries could play a role early - as they already have at the quarterback position - but should the Terps have the ability to remain healthy as they did a year ago, they will again likely be a team to contend with on the conference and national levels.

The following is the start of a position-by-position look at where the 2002 version of the Maryland Terrapins are at the start of Ralph Friedgen's second season as head coach in College Park:

OFFENSE

The offense returns eight starters and many other key contributors from a unit which came on as one of the most balanced attacks in college football. Last year, Maryland averaged 35.5 points per game while posting an average of 439.7 yards of offense per game. The 390 points the Terps scored were the most ever by a Maryland team.

Several important players from last year's group have graduated, but one stands out as the key that needs replacing - quarterback Shaun Hill. Ralph Friedgen said many times a year ago that he would like to have Hill for three more years. Unfortunately, Hill was a senior. But what is lost in Hill's experience and moxie, this year's group of quarterbacks may be able to make up in athleticism and arm strength. The injury to Chris Kelley in this year's spring game is a chink in the offense's armor, but it did not leave it empty handed.

In the end, it is still an offense that returns the ACC Offensive Player of the Year, a deep corps of fullbacks, four starters on the offensive line, talented receivers who are more settled in the system than a year ago and a strong group of tight ends.

"If things work out with our quarterback situation, we have a chance to have a good offense," said Friedgen. "As an offensive unit, we are better because the understanding is improved from last year. I like some of the things I see; we just have to get a quarterback where we need him. We aren't in bad shape at quarterback. We are just going through a lot of the things that we went through with Shaun (Hill) last year. The difference this time is that everybody else is a year ahead."

QUARTERBACK

The Terrapins went into spring ball with all eyes focused on the quarterback position with three players vying for the starting job. After 14 practices, it became apparent that the Terps had established a pecking order with sophomore Chris Kelley holding a slight edge over junior transfers Scott McBrien and Orlando Evans on the eve of the annual Red & White game.

The three-way competition, however, turned into a two-man race as bad fortune struck Kelley for the third time in as many years when he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee while scrambling for extra yardage in the early going of the spring game. Kelley had performed well all spring and looked as if he was making a return to the form that had made him a highly-recruited prep and touted as a future standout at Maryland, but his latest setback put those plans on hold once again.

The cupboard, however, is not bare for Maryland as the southpaw McBrien now enters fall camp atop the depth chart. The junior who sat out last year after transferring from West Virginia had a strong spring in his own right, showing a strong, accurate arm and good athleticism while having the ability to move the offense. He spent last season running the scout team offense and was a big help to the defense's efforts as he posed a legitimate threat in their preparation for each week's contest. As it was for Shaun Hill the year before, the lone concern is his comfort level with the offense, but out of all the quarterbacks on the Terrapin roster, McBrien boasts the most game experience after seeing action while at WVU (most notably 252 passing yards in three quarters of action against Notre Dame as a redshirt frosh in 2000).

Evans will enter fall drills as the number two quarterback, although a few strong performances could have him in the mix as a starter. A JC transfer who started out at Oregon, Evans is a mobile quarterback who throws well with a quick release and was rated as one of the top junior college quarterbacks in the country and the 23rd-best JC player overall (any position) by SuperPrep magazine. Last year, he completed 165 of 251 (.657) passes for 2,391 yards and 28 touchdowns en route to a perfect 12-0 season at City College of San Francisco. Like McBrien, his understanding of the offense is a concern, but Friedgen likes where he was after just 15 practices with the team in spring.

"His understanding is better than what I could have expected out of a junior college kid coming in," said Friedgen.

The third-string job will be determined in the fall, but Hunter Cross - another West Virginia transfer - is the early leader for that spot. Cross is a strong, heady player with a solid work ethic who will get a push from newcomers Sam Hollenbach and Joel Statham. The two freshmen enter with solid prep credentials despite varying styles. Hollenbach is more of a pocket passer who already has ideal size (6-5, 215) while Statham is more of an athlete who excels at running the option.

"The progress that these guys make this summer and early in the fall will go a long way in determining who our starting quarterback is," said Friedgen. "Scott has a strong arm and the potential to be a real good passer and Orlando is a good athlete. Overall, how they develop and which one is able to step up will play a major role in what kind of offensive football team we are."

Addendum: As of July 30th, Chris Kelley's recovery from his knee injury has been dramatic. His status for 2002 is still in question, but he is well ahead of schedule from a rehabilitation standpoint as fall camp approaches.