DEKALB, Illinois (Ticker) -- No. 14 Maryland will will bring an assortment of bumps and bruises in its backfield into the season opener Thursday at Northern Illinois.
Quarterback Scott McBrien, recovering from a strained groin, went through a full practice for the first time in a week on Sunday.
McBrien threw 14 touchdown passes and just six interceptions over the last 11 games last season and has emerged as a team leader. If McBrien is not ready, senior Orlando Evans, who has thrown just one pass in his Maryland career, will get the start.
The Terrapins already are without star tailback Bruce Perry, who will miss Thursday's game with an ankle sprain and hopes to return in time for an Atlantic Coast Conference showdown at Florida State on September 6.
In Perry's absence, Josh Allen is the probable starter. Allen rushed for 405 yards on 60 carries as a true freshman in 2002. A new face in the backfield is Sammy Maldonado, a transfer from Ohio State.
"We are beat up a little bit going into this game so we need to be focused and ready to play," coach Ralph Friedgen said. "If we are not, we could hit a bump in the road up there."
Northern Illinois, picked as a title contender in the Mid-American Conference, has the talent to pull an upset. The heart of the Huskies is tailback Michael Turner, the nation's leading returning rusher last season with 1,915 yards.
Josh Haldi threw for 2,027 yards and 15 TDs as a freshman last year.
Northern Illinois has an ambitious non-conference schedule that also includes games with Alabama and Iowa State.
In the only previous meeting between the teams, Maryland posted a 30-6 win in 1996.
