COLLEGE PARK - After losing the starting quarterback competition in the preseason, junior Chris Turner contemplated his future at Maryland.
He ultimately decided to stay, reasoning he would surely be called on during the 13-game season. "Inevitable" was the word Turner used to describe the chances he would call signals this year.
He just didn't know his "inevitable" moment would come so soon.
Turner was named the starter yesterday after tests showed ligament damage to Jordan Steffy's right thumb that will sideline him for a minimum of three weeks. Steffy was hurt in the season-opening 14-7 win over Delaware, but the team didn't know the extent of the injury until tests were conducted.
It's "like I said the week I was the backup. I said I'd be ready for anything, and here I am now," Turner said yesterday. "I had a good idea. I knew Jordan messed up his thumb pretty bad."
Steffy, who decided to remain on the team for a final season after graduating in May, will need surgery after the season. Steffy decided to forgo the surgery for now in hopes of returning in a month or so, coach Ralph Friedgen said.
"What [doctors] said is, he may be able to play in three or four weeks without doing further damage to it," Friedgen said. "The ligament tore away from the bone."
Turner started last season's final eight games, completing 63.5 percent of his passes as the team went 3-5. Turner entered during the fifth game after Steffy went down with a concussion and led Maryland to a victory at Rutgers.
Turner said he had mixed feelings last season about replacing Steffy, with whom he roomed during preseason practices.
Now he has that bittersweet feeling again.
"It's definitely hard," said Turner, who rarely smiled as he was interviewed at the football complex, wearing plaid shorts and a soccer shirt. "It's almost like you didn't earn it. It's almost like you don't deserve it."
Turner said of Steffy: "Tough luck again. I've jammed my thumb a thousand times. It's the worst injury you can have as a quarterback."
Steffy is a hard worker popular with teammates but not always with fans. With him, Maryland coaches felt they had the advantage of having three quarterbacks on the roster - Steffy, Turner and Josh Portis - who could start in the Atlantic Coast Conference. That's a plus because injuries are so common.
Friedgen often said the preseason competition between Steffy and Turner was nearly a draw. "I think it was very close. It was a very tough decision," the coach said.
Now he'll have to go with Turner and Portis, which means the Terps no longer have the same enviable depth.
Friedgen said yesterday that Portis will play this week at Middle Tennessee State. The transfer was in for four plays against Delaware, running each time. Portis will throw the ball eventually, Friedgen said.
After Middle Tennessee, Maryland plays California, Eastern Michigan and Clemson. If Steffy returns in a month, he could be ready to play at Virginia on Oct. 4.
Friedgen hadn't committed to starting Steffy on Saturday if the quarterback was available to play. Now the choice has been made for him.
Steffy, still digesting the news of his latest injury, was not available for an interview yesterday.
Next game: @Middle Tennessee State, Saturday, 7 p.m.
TV: Comcast SportsNet
Radio: 1300 AM
Line: Terps by 13
