Sam Hollenbach made sure to schedule a light course load for this fall semester. As a slight favorite to win the Terrapin starting quarterback job last spring, the mechanical engineering major figured he might be pretty busy when the season came around.

Months later — despite anticipation that a fierce three-way quarterback battle would wage on throughout the preseason — Hollenbach is still in line to take all the snaps Saturday in Baltimore when the Terps open the 2005 season against Navy.

Incumbent starter Joel Statham has made strides in cutting down his mistakes and fan favorite Jordan Steffy has recovered from arm and knee injuries, but to coach Ralph Friedgen, Hollenbach still leads in the most important category.

“Sam Hollenbach is undefeated,” Friedgen said of the signal caller who almost decided to transfer last season. “He was put in a very tough situation at Virginia Tech and did some things that were very good for a guy that hadn’t practiced much. He came in against Wake Forest and … played good enough for us to win. What I admire is his perseverance. He didn’t make excuses. When his opportunity came, he made the most of it.”

Hollenbach hardly entered his name into Heisman Trophy consideration with a 16-for-27, 164-yard performance in the final game against the Demon Deacons, but his turnover-free showing set him a notch ahead when the season ended.

And as this season’s campaign has grown closer, Hollenbach has done everything necessary to pull away from the competition. Friedgen said the quarterback had “an extraordinary camp,” and the coaches and players have rallied around him.

“The thing that held him back previously is that he’d have a hard time processing information after the snap and making the split-second decisions that a quarterback has to make,” offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe said. “He’s a lot more poised. He’s a lot more confident. As we say, the game has slowed down for him. He’s seeing things a lot better. That’s probably been his biggest improvement.”

Hollenbach plans to take linear algebra and a class on vehicle dynamics this semester. It doesn’t take an engineer to realize the Terps’ offense last season — ranked second worst in the ACC in scoring — could use some mechanical tweaks.

“The main similarity between engineering and playing quarterback is just the discipline you need to do it,” Hollenbach said. “There’s a lot of nights where you can’t really do what you want to do because you’ve got to study, and that really translates well to football.”

Admittedly “a horsepower kind of guy,” Hollenbach realizes there are other drivers on the team if he can’t get the Terps in motion. Statham — the backup at this season’s start — threw 15 interceptions last year, but orchestrated an upset of Florida State.

Steffy, who considered taking a redshirt this season to recover from arm surgery and a sore right knee, has decided to stay on board and is ready to contribute if needed.

But Taaffe said the Terps won’t make any “knee-jerk reactions,” because he believes Hollenbach will flourish if given the opportunity.

Ever since spring camp began April 1, Hollenbach has said his concentration is on the road ahead.

“Added pressure doesn’t help at the quarterback position,” he said. “What matters is what happens between the whistles on the practice field and on Saturdays in the fall.”

Contact reporter David Selig at d.selig@dbk.umd.edu.