Week 1: Delaware at Maryland

Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen waited most of training camp before selecting his starting quarterback. Delaware coach K.C. Keeler is waiting even longer.

Keeler, whose Fightin’ Blue Hens reached the Football Championship Subdivision title game last season on the strength of NFL first-round draft pick Joe Flacco’s arm, is deciding between Ohio State transfer Robby Schoenhoft and redshirt freshman Lou Ritacco. He might not reveal his choice until kickoff.

Regardless, Maryland should be in good position to win its fifth consecutive season opener under Friedgen. Senior Jordan Steffy, who defeated Josh Portis and Chris Turner in Maryland’s preseason quarterback derby, will be under center. Steffy was Maryland’s starter before getting injured last season, and he has the benefit of playing with four starting offensive linemen and the team’s top three wide receivers from a year ago.

The Terrapins, who are switching to a 3-4 defensive scheme, also return five starters on defense after finishing 6-7 in 2007 and playing in a bowl game for the second consecutive year. Delaware, meanwhile, is a consensus top-10 team in preseason FCS polls after its 11-4 mark last season.

Notes/Things to Watch:

Experienced wide receivers will be all over the field at Byrd Stadium. Delaware has junior Mark Duncan and seniors Kevin Michaud and Aaron Love — a trio that combined for 195 receptions for 2,607 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Maryland counters with junior Darrius Heyward-Bey and seniors Danny Oquendo and Isaiah Williams.

The Terrapins have far less experience at tailback than a year ago. With Keon Lattimore and Lance Ball combining for nearly 130 rushing yards per game last season as seniors, Maryland will turn to sophomore Da’Rel Scott as its primary rusher in 2008.

If Schoenhoft starts at quarterback for the Blue Hens, it will be business as usual. A Delaware recruit has started just one game in Keeler’s 78-game tenure at the school, with transfers Andy Hall (Georgia Tech), Sonny Riccio (Missouri) and Flacco (Pittsburgh) starting two seasons apiece.

Friedgen always has called offensive plays during his tenure at Maryland, but this season he has handed those duties to new offensive coordinator James Franklin. It will be interesting to see if the Fridge knows what to do with himself while the Terrapins are on offense against Delaware.

Key Player (Blue Hens) — Matt Marcorelle, DE

Marcorelle led Delaware with eight sacks, 14 tackles for loss and a school-record five forced fumbles in 2007. He’ll need to spend much of the game wreaking havoc in Maryland’s backfield if the Blue Hens are to have a chance to pull the upset.

Key Player (Terrapins) — Jordan Steffy, QB

Friedgen has said all along that he sees all three of his quarterbacks playing at some point this season. But Steffy has a chance to bring some stability to the situation with a strong performance against Delaware. If he struggles, the calls for Turner and Portis in Byrd Stadium will be loud.

Maryland by 14