The Maryland football team has been consistent in one aspect this spring: Inconsistency.

After an encouraging performance in last weekend’s scrimmage, the Terps regressed in practice on Tuesday, according to coach Ralph Friedgen.

In a familiar refrain this spring practice season, Friedgen was pleased with the progress of his defense this week, but not his offense.

With about a week until Maryland’s annual Red-White spring game April 28, Friedgen said he still doesn’t quite know where his players are as a team. He blames a steady stream of injuries for that. Seniors Isaiah Gardener (DB) and Jermaine Lemons (DL) and juniors Rick Costa (LB), Isaiah Williams (WR) and Jeremy Navarre (DL), and redshirt freshman Da'Rel Scott are among the players bitten by injury.

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“When everybody gets back, I will have a better feel of what kind of team we will have,” Friedgen said in an Atlantic Coast Conference coaches' teleconference Wednesday. “We will be a lot better team when we get some of our guys back.”

Unlike the 2006 spring workout, the Terps do not have a returning starting quarterback. The front-runners for the starting role are junior Jordan Steffy and sophomore Josh Portis. Because of his experience and prior knowledge of the offense, Steffy has led the way.

“[Steffy] is very confident,” Friedgen said. “He has played very well this spring and has played the best football he has since he played here.”

Throwing with 71 percent accuracy this spring, the junior is beating his old spring marks in the 60s. Portis' good decision-making skills in practice still make him a contender to start, but he needs more repetitions in the offense.

“We will decide that in the fall,” Friedgen said of the quarterback position.

Wednesday’s teleconference wasn’t all about football. Conversations with the various ACC coaches eventually turned toward the Virginia Tech shootings earlier this week. Friedgen, a close friend of Hokies coach Frank Beamer, said he has not yet spoken with Beamer.

“My heart goes out to him and all the people at Virginia Tech,” Friedgen said. “My wife and his wife are close. They have talked about what a traumatic experience it was”

Virginia Tech’s spring practice session and spring game have been canceled.

“The amount of college coaches that called is unbelievable,” Hokies associate head coach Billy Hite said. “The phone has rang off the hook with people to give their support.”