Oquendo and other teammates delight in rehashing the quarterback's practice-field exploits, which include weaving downfield runs and incorrect play calls - sometimes on the same play. Rangy at 6 feet 4, Portis has an effortless, loping stride.
"He's just all over the place," running back Morgan Green said. "He makes guys look crazy out there. He's really elusive."
His coaches have sometimes found him elusive, too. They have spent hours trying focus his attention on mastering the read-and-react West Coast offense put in place by Franklin, who was hired in December.
Portis lost his 2007 eligibility after being reprimanded for cheating on a pop quiz before the season opener. "I didn't do the right thing, but I can be a man and say what I did was wrong," he said.
Portis, a cousin of Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis, has honed his play-calling with a computer program that is a cross between a simulator and a John Madden football game - joystick and all.
Coaches say Portis has become more adept at managing the offense than earlier in the year. But no coach says Portis is challenging for the starter's spot. "He'll be going along and doing something good and then he'll do something stupid," Friedgen said.
Portis was meeting with the other quarterbacks during spring practices when Franklin asked him to diagram a play. Portis grabbed a black pen and began writing "O's" on a white, erasable board.
Portis was still drawing when Franklin interrupted. "No, stop. Stop, stop, stop, stop," said Franklin, who began tapping spots on the board to illustrate routes that Portis should have identified.
"I don't care if the camera's here or not," Franklin said, referring to a crew member from Terrapins Rising, the team's reality television program that captured the meeting. "I'm going to hold you guys accountable every single time."
Portis, who ran for 163 yards in his only season at Florida in 2005, made his Maryland debut in the opener against Delaware, finishing with 10 yards on four carries. Friedgen said Portis called the wrong play on at least one carry - a 3-yard loss.
Portis, who ran well in the second game against Middle Tennessee State, entered in the first quarter against California last week and ran for 2 yards. He faked an end-around to Heyward-Bey and made an inside cut with a chance for daylight before being tackled by a lineman who had slipped a block. Friedgen and Portis agreed the play could have been a touchdown with better blocking.
