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McBrien finally in place as Maryland's No. 1 quarterback

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COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) -- Maryland quarterback Scott McBrien entered fall practice last year engaged in a battle with Chris Kelley.

Maryland head coach Ralph Friedgen refused to make any predictions on who would start in the opener because the race was so close.

Things are much different this year.

When fall practice opened Monday, Kelley was playing safety for the Terps and McBrien, with a Peach Bowl victory under his belt, is Maryland's starting quarterback.

"It feels good. It's a totally different feeling than last year, that's for sure," McBrien said. "It's good knowing guys are behind you. They know who to turn to and it just feels good being the number one guy right now."

McBrien led Maryland to an 11-3 record and a 30-3 win over Tennessee in the Peach Bowl last season. He completed 162-of-284 passes for 2,497 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

McBrien is the first returning quarterback of the Friedgen era in College Park. Offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe, entering his third year at Maryland, said it is a nice luxury to have a returning starter.

"We don't want to take things for granted or assume things, but it's nice having a guy that's been through the fire and is a year ahead in our offense," Taaffe said.

McBrien understands the importance of having the starting quarterback return for consecutive seasons.

"This program hasn't had a returning quarterback in a long time," McBrien said. "It's good having a guy come in who knows the system, has some victories under his belt, and really knows how to work the system."

McBrien said the players around him feel comfortable with a returning quarterback and play hard for him.

Senior wide receiver Jafar Williams, who has never played alongside a starting quarterback for more than one season, said the continuity helps the offense to start the season on the same page.

"I think it's really important, just because of the fact that we don't have to start over," Williams said. "Since I've been here, each year is like starting from scratch because the quarterbacks and the receivers just aren't on the same page. With Scott coming back, it really helps the offense to be in a position to do things better than we did in the past."

Friedgen said McBrien became better each game last year.

"As his confidence rose, so did his performance," Friedgen said. "He has the ability. He has a very strong arm. He has a little unorthodox release, but he finds ways to make plays."

 

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