Portis has solid practice with his mother watching

Quarterback Josh Portis looked as good as he has all spring practice on Tuesday, and it may have just been a coincidence that someone close to him was watching: his mother, Patricia Portis.

But it's not the first time Josh Portis has played well with his mother looking on. Last year, Portis led his team on the game-winning drive in the Red/White spring game with his mother in attendance. And up until Tuesday, Portis had not looked comfortable running the offense during the spring season.

"I thought Portis had a better day today," Terrapin football coach Ralph Friedgen said after Tuesday's practice. "That might've been his best practice since he's been here. I thought that was a positive."

Portis downplayed the significance of his mother's presence as the reason for improved play, instead focusing more on the team.

"Nah," Portis said when asked if he played better because his mother was there. "I'm still just learning the offense. We're growing as a team."

Patricia Portis, who drove up from Florida, said it was the first time she saw her son practice with the Terps. Watching intently from the sidelines, she was supportive and vocal during big plays, including a "Yeah, baby!" after a 40-yard completion.

"That's the first time his mom's been out here, so that might be a confidence booster for him," wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. "But that's good to get support like that from your mom. Everybody loves their mom."

Filling the voids

During the past year, Friedgen has talked about the importance of building depth on the offensive line. It is a part of recruiting strategy - choices on which walk-ons to accept and to whom on the roster to give scholarships. Friedgen once beamed, knowing he had two full offensive lines he could rotate in and out of games.

Now, he is faced with serious offensive line troubles. What happened?

Well, the Terps are without four scholarship players from last season. Tackle Stephon Heyer graduated, junior guard Garrick Clig did not return, and guard Donnie Woods left to enlist in the U.S. military. Friedgen also excused junior tackle Jared Gaither from spring practice to work on academics.

Since then, starting right guard Andrew Crummey severely sprained his left ankle. Even counting senior lineman Jack Griffin, who twisted an ankle Saturday, the Terps have about a dozen healthy linemen - seven of whom are on scholarship. Friedgen has experienced this problem before, and he said that made the Terps' current position less worrisome.

"That's never a great situation, but it is what it is," Friedgen said. "What I'm hoping for is that Jack Griffin and Phil Costa come out and we can win with them. That'll give us seven, and hopefully we can stay healthy and hope the good Lord looks out for us. I don't know what I can do. It's the cards we're dealt. We just gotta play them."

Friedgen added that he hopes to get something out of freshmen like Paul Pinegar, but the top guys have had to take extra snaps to compensate.

On the first team this spring, tackles Dane Randolph and Scott Burley, guard Jaimie Thomas and center Edwin Williams have been regulars. In the other spot, the Terps have used Griffin, Costa and even Lee Oliver, who has never appeared in a college game. The only other healthy scholarship lineman is freshman Evan Eastburn.

Friedgen knows what this situation is like, and Williams said it was just another situation where "every year, you face different types of adversity," but it's a new experience even for the older, more experienced guys like Thomas.

"It's different this year than it was last year. Last year we had more depth, so when one guy got hurt, we could put someone in there and not really miss a beat," Thomas said. "This year, we got some young guys, and we're trying to teach them. They're learning; they're coming along well, but they're not there quite yet. You throw young guys in the fray, you sometimes have mental mistakes."

Thomas was thankful, though, that Friedgen cut some drills out of practice. Friedgen even said Tuesday he changed the whole practice around to cut down on the potential for injury. Williams said nothing has changed, preferring to take the optimistic approach about the line depth issue.

"I just think a lot of guys are stepping up, and they're out there to get a position," Williams said. "A lot of guys need to get experience, and it's just gonna make us better when those guys who are injured come back."

One of those guys who has gotten a fair share of playing time is Costa, who saw action in only three games last season. Costa has been particularly valuable to the Terps because of his versatile ability to play both guard and center.

"It's another way to get on the field," Costa said. "That's what I want at this point."

It also wouldn't be a stretch to think Costa could fill in at tackle, as Friedgen said it is possible Gaither will not return to the team if he does not get his academics in order.

But even with all the injuries and concerns about depth, Thomas said there's no point in having practice without some risk involved.

"You can't pace yourself in practice," Thomas said. "It's not gonna make you better. It's not gonna make anybody better, but you just gotta be cautious and do what you can."

Wacky Weather

There's nobody on the campus who isn't aware of how strange the weather has been during the past few weeks. The Terps recognize the change every day they step onto the field.

On the first day of spring practice, it was over 80 degrees; Saturday, snow flurries fell. The Terps have been forced to adjust to the temperature variations.