Travis Baltz became Maryland's unexpected kicker last month.
With Nick Ferrara back, he might wind up handing the gig back.
But not without an effort to keep his extra duties.
"I was kidding Travis, are you gonna yield this job," Friedgen said. "And he said 'No, I'm not.' This was Monday night when we do our kicking drills, and Nick probably had the best of it at that time. He said, 'You know, kicking in the game is different from kicking in these drills.' I said 'I know, that's probably why you're still kicking."
Indeed, Baltz is 4-for-4 on his field goal attempts and has made all 12 of his extra points. His strong performance, coupled with his superb punting, has left Ferrara as more of a convenient luxury than a commodity put into action.
"He's been a very valuable guy for us right now," Friedgen said in what constitutes an understatement. Baltz is third in the ACC in punting average and sixth in scoring.
Still, Ferrara looms. He's re-assumed his kickoff job, and is improving in practice. The sophomore, who was 18-for-25 on field goals last year, had only one attempt blocked this week.
In the long term, he'll probably regain his job at some point, and he might be used for long attempts now. Baltz could push that date into 2011, but the presence of a second option certainly expands Friedgen's flexibility in special teams choices.
"The positive thing is Nick's start to kick better," Friedgen said. "If we can get him kicking with the leg he has and be consistent, that would help our team."
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