Turner brings new life to Terps

• Article
• Comments ()
• Click-2-Listen
• Videos

By

On one side of the country Saturday, Maryland quarterback Chris Turner came off the bench to lead Maryland to a comeback victory at Rutgers.

On the opposite coast just north of Los Angeles, his father realized the value of his pay-per-view investment.

"It's the best $20 I ever spent," John Turner said of seeing his son's second-half heroics.

Plenty more people could fork over money to see a glimpse of the sophomore this week. Turner, almost an afterthought in a camp battle also featuring Jordan Steffy and Josh Portis, helped the Terrapins rally to their first road victory over a top-10 team since 1990.

In the process, he riveted the attention of fans and teammates alike and could make his first career start for the Terrapins (3-2, 0-1 ACC) if Steffy's concussion keeps him from playing tomorrow against Georgia Tech (3-2, 1-2).

"He was real calm in the huddle," said tackle Scott Burley, one of Turner's roommates. "He would say, 'Guys, are you ready to score again? Are you ready to run the ball on these guys?' And we're like, 'Yeah, let's do that.' "

It was a glimpse into the Californian's easy-going personality, which surfaces in various ways. He wore a faded In-N-Out Burger T-shirt into a media session this week, and he has rotated his blond hair — currently curly and a bit poofy — through dreadlocks, cornrows and a military-style buzz cut since arriving at Maryland.

There are the visual comparisons to the title character in "Napoleon Dynamite" and Sunshine from "Remember the Titans," not to mention the bonus nickname of Booty developed by teammates. There's even some offbeat family history; John Turner was the original drummer for the band Ratt.

But being a character only carries so much cachet. Coolly completing 14 of 20 passes for 149 yards in his first extended playing time since high school in 2004 means a bit more.

"It's a blast," Turner said. "I feel the team rallying around me. Everybody tells me all the time, 'Chris, we have tons of faith in you.' "