Matt Palmer, The Examiner
2007-09-03 07:00:00.0
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BALTIMORE -

Make no mistake: Maryland quarterback Josh Portis’ season-long suspension for violating the University’s Code of Academic Integrity, which was announced in a quietly distributed press release an hour before Saturday’s opening game with Villanova, is the death knell for the season.

Such apocalyptic declarations are undoubtedly producing eye-rolls and yawns from fans in College Park and across the state who think this is nothing more than rabble-rousing.

Portis wasn’t even the starter, they’d say. Coach Ralph Friedgen’s man under center is Jordan Steffy.

Whether it was midway through the victory over Villanova or during this Saturday’s game against Florida International, the move to Portis was going to be made. There’s a basic reason for that. If the Terps had Bowl game aspirations, Portis was the man to take them there.

Friedgen showed loyalty to Steffy, who has paid his dues in the program and had a better grasp of the offense. But Portis’ athletic ability and talent are too hard to keep on the bench. Now, Portis has made the decision easier for Friedgen and, in the process, will likely cause his coach many restless nights this fall.

Portis was supposed to be the program-changer. The Florida transfer with the All-American pedigree was on a mission to prove that he was an elite player.

Friedgen’s decision to go with Steffy instead of Portis early in the season was nothing more than a tactic to make the beast a little hungrier and meaner.

By the time he got out on the field, Portis would be an option-running machine, with a powerful arm and a chip on his shoulder as big as Friedgen.

The press release announcing his suspension never specified what exactly Portis did to get suspended. Portis simply said, “I am extremely disappointed that I made a mistake involving the University Academic Code of Conduct. That has resulted in the University declaring me not eligible for the 2007 season.”

Such a vague explanation pretty much leaves out that he simply did not perform in the classroom. A little digging into the Code of Academic Integrity reveals cheating, fabricating, facilitating academic dishonesty and plagiarism as violations.

“We’re trying to prepare kids for life and we take academics seriously,” Friedgen said. “So does Josh. He is a good person who made a mistake. He’ll learn from this and move on.”

Right now, it’s easy to move on when you’re facing the Villanovas and Florida Internationals of the world.

West Virginia, Rutgers and Florida State are not exactly strolls down Cupcake Lane, however.

Against teams of that caliber, Steffy has looked awkward in the past. There has been nothing in his play to give hope that there is a star lurking under his stutter-steps, interceptions and wildly overthrown balls.

Portis should have been out there Saturday, next Saturday–and against all those top 25 teams waiting for the Terps.

Now, the season is on the precipice of disaster and no amount of solace will be found in Portis’ empty apologies come January.

Matt Palmer is a staff writer for The Examiner who regularly writes columns about college sports. He can be reached at mpalmer@baltimoreexaminer.com