College Park -- It's a simple 5-yard route, a pass play that, for some reason, Maryland backup quarterback Chris Turner can never complete in practice.
He missed it again Wednesday and drew the wrath of Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen.
"He said: `Turner! I swear you could never make that throw if your life depended on it!'" Turner said, smiling. "I said, `I hit it in the game, Coach.'"
Friedgen couldn't help but laugh.
"Well," he said, "that's where it counts.'"
Indeed, the sparse amount of significant game time Turner has had at Maryland, he has made it count - something the Terps backup hasn't exactly earned a reputation for during the other six days a week. When Maryland needed him most, though - in the second quarter against then-No. 10 Rutgers last weekend after starter Jordan Steffy left the game with a slight concussion - Turner shocked many inside the program and out with his poise and decisiveness. It was a side that a select few had seen before.
"He could stand there at practice and appreciate a sunset," said Ben McEnroe, who coached Turner at Chaminade High near Los Angeles. "He's singing and playing the drums on his offensive linemen's helmets, but when it's time to go, he's ready to go and will have a fun time doing it."
With Steffy questionable heading into tomorrow's noon game against visiting Georgia Tech, the possibility of Turner's earning his first career start suddenly is a reality. It's a scenario that a month ago seemed improbable, as Turner entered the fall as the No. 3 quarterback after not taking a snap in 2006. Since then, Steffy has been injured and his backup, Josh Portis, has been declared academically ineligible for the season.
"I just have to be ready for anything," said Turner, a redshirt sophomore. "I don't know what's going to happen. I'm just trying to be prepared."
There was no time for preparation Saturday.
With 41 seconds remaining in the first half, an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit knocked Steffy to the ground and Turner into the picture. Maryland's offense looked entirely different for the next two quarters than it had in the previous four games. Friedgen, who had depended almost entirely on the running game up to that point, let loose, and Turner completed 14 of 20 passes for a career-high 149 yards. He was successful on seven of eight third-down passes and led Maryland on four second-half scoring drives en route to a 34-24 upset of Rutgers.
