Andrew Vitelli, The Examiner
2008-04-26 07:00:00.0
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Annapolis -

Quarterbacks Jordan Steffy and Chris Turner and other Terrapins fighting for playing time have one last chance this spring to make a good impression.

The Maryland football team concludes its spring practice with its Red-White game, an inter-squad scrimmage, this afternoon at 3:30 at Byrd Stadium in College Park.

Steffy, who was the starter entering last season, was the most impressive quarterback in the team’s last scrimmage, completing 16-of-26 passes for 240 yards and a touchdown earlier this month. But Turner led the team to a bowl game last season after taking over for the injured Steffy, and the team’s other quarterback, Josh Portis, was suspended for all of last season after violating the University’s Academic Code of Conduct. Portis has received little playing time with the first-team offense and will enter fall practice well behind Steffy and Turner in the race to win the starting job.

“We have to get better at the quarterback position,” Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen said. “We’ve got to make more plays and take fewer sacks. We have got to get them to manage the game better and I think overall there needs to be a lot of improvement there.”

In the last scrimmage, the defense was the more impressive unit, as it recorded 13 sacks.

“I thought our offensive line was going to be a strength,” Friedgen said. “But we’re giving up too many sacks and we’re not running the ball very well.”

The Terrapins graduated running backs Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball, who combined for 1,573 of the team’s 1,787 rushing yards last year. Rising sophomore Da’Rel Scott, who averaged 9.6 yards per carry in limited action last year, likely will enter fall practice as the starter if he plays well this afternoon.

Rising sophomore Morgan Green is expected to backup Scott, but senior Rashad Henry turned heads in the last scrimmage, leading all rushers with 69 yards on 12 carries.

“He has done some good things all spring,” Friedgen said of Henry. “He’s a guy that could be in the mix.”

With the Terrapins returning Steffy and Turner as well as leading receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Isaiah Williams, production at running back will be a key for Maryland.

“I think in general we will have more speed than we did last year,” Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin said. “We are going to coach Da’Rel and Morgan, and all of our other running backs, to do such a good job that people will forget quickly that we lost two great senior running backs.”

avitelli@baltimoreexaminer.com