Hollenbach

Occasionally last year, in the middle of a frustrating, disappointing season, coach Ralph Friedgen's phone would ring. On the other end of the line would be Jeff Hollenbach, the head football coach at Pennridge High School in Sellersville, Pa., and the father of Maryland's fourth-string quarterback, Sam Hollenbach. The calls always were cordial and polite - unlike some of Friedgen's discussions with other parents - but Jeff Hollenbach wasn't shy about asking direct questions, including some that required blunt answers.

COLLEGE PARK - Few questions were answered in Maryland's closed scrimmage yesterday afternoon at Byrd Stadium, but coach Ralph Friedgen left no doubt that Sam Hollenbach will be the Terps' starting quarterback in the season opener Sept. 3 against Navy. "Oh, yeah," Friedgen said. "There's no question in my mind." Hollenbach was 10-for-13 for 170 yards and three touchdowns, including a 7-yard slant pass on third down that freshman Darrius Heyward-Bey (McDonogh) turned into a 65-yard touchdown.

Football isn't religion for Maryland quarterback Sam Hollenbach, but he can't seem to separate the two. After all, Hollenbach's faith in God is the reason he didn't transfer last year, and it's what he credits with transforming him from an unlikely backup to possibly the team's top quarterback this fall. Amid all of the pressure and media hype piled on the back of a Division I quarterback, Hollenbach said last week that he couldn't be more at peace. Even though there are two other quarterbacks pushing him every day at practice - including last year's starter - Hollenbach's emotions remain in check.

COLLEGE PARK - At the top of Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen's to-do list before the season starts is revamping an offense that produced more turnovers than touchdowns in the final four games of last year's losing season. As he zipped around the field in his red golf cart yesterday afternoon, Friedgen began preseason camp determined to move the ball this fall. He just has to figure out who's going to do that for him. Maryland's quarterback, junior Sam Hollenbach, has started only one game, but Friedgen said Hollenbach impressed him yesterday.

COLLEGE PARK - They talked about pride. They talked about friendship. They talked about how their time at Maryland had forced them to become men, and then they took a moment to reflect. They looked each other in the eye, and then promised one another that, despite the disappointments, they would finish it off the right way. Normally on the day before a game, Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen stands up and gives the speeches. But this week, as the team readied itself for the season finale against Wake Forest, the coach asked his senior class to do the honors.

Maryland (4-6, 2-5) vs. Wake Forest (4-6, 1-6) Site: Byrd Stadium, College Park Time: Noon TV/Radio: ESPN/WBAL (1090 AM) Line: Maryland by 6 Series: 38-13-1 Last meeting: Maryland defeated Wake Forest, 41-28, last year in Winston-Salem. Maryland offense vs. Wake Forest defense: All eyes today will be on Sam Hollenbach, the Terps' sophomore quarterback who gets his first career start against the Deacons. Hollenbach isn't particularly mobile, and his release isn't as quick as Joel Statham's, so Wake Forest will likely blitz a lot early to see if it can rattle him. Hollenbach looked comfortable against Virginia Tech, but Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen is eager to see how he handles the pressure of starting.

COLLEGE PARK - Ralph Friedgen and Sam Hollenbach might not realize it, but in many respects they're very much alike. Both were excellent high school quarterbacks, and both learned the game from - and were coached by - a former college football player who also happened to be their father. Both men were good students who came to the University of Maryland with great expectations, and both struggled to make it onto the field. For Friedgen, the dream of playing quarterback quickly faded. His coaches made it clear early on he would never see the field playing that position.

COLLEGE PARK - In some people's minds, he was being patient. In other people's opinions, he was being stubborn. But for 10 games this year, through both feast and famine, Ralph Friedgen remained steadfast in his opinion that Joel Statham was Maryland's starting quarterback. That era came to a close yesterday, and with little fanfare, when Friedgen announced that sophomore Sam Hollenbach, a fourth-stringer for much of this season, would likely start the Terps' season finale Saturday against Wake Forest.

COLLEGE PARK - If the Maryland quarterback situation was perfectly clear entering the annual Red-White Game yesterday, it emerged from the day slightly muddled. Joel Statham, the holdover with the most experience, has the inside track to succeed Scott McBrien as the 2004 starter, but sophomore Sam Hollenbach made up some ground. "I don't think Joel has the position sewed up," Terps coach Ralph Friedgen said after the White team romped over the Red, 33-7, before 18,238 sun-splashed spectators at Byrd Stadium.

COLLEGE PARK - A week into Maryland's spring quest to find a starting quarterback for next fall, things didn't look promising for Sam Hollenbach. Hollenbach, a sophomore-to-be from Sellersville, Pa., hadn't shown the arm strength of sophomore Joel Statham or the poise of freshman Ryan Mitch during the Terps' first week of practice. In the three-way competition, he was losing ground, not gaining it. Yesterday, however, during Maryland's first scrimmage of the spring, Hollenbach not only earned a large helping of praise from Terps coach Ralph Friedgen, but he also gained ground on Statham, currently No. 1 on the depth chart, for the first time in a long time.