Quarterback Caleb Rowe looks down the line of scrimmage during Maryland’s 35-17 win over USF at Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium on Sept. 19, 2015.
We all knew Terrapins football quarterback Caleb Rowe wasn’t going to throw an interception every other pass attempt, right? Terps fans were certainly hoping that was the case after his second attempt Saturday was caught by a South Florida defender.
At that point, Rowe had three picks on six attempts in 2015.
“We go down 7-0 and I’m sure people thought, ‘Oh God, here we go,’” coach Randy Edsall said.
That sounds about right. Any fear was premature, though. The Terps rolled to a 35-17 win over the Bulls a week after falling by three touchdowns to Bowling Green. Here are four takeaways from their bounceback victory:
Rowe matches gunslinger reputation
On Wednesday, offensive coordinator Mike Locksley talked about Rowe’s gunslinger mentality, something he’s “not a big fan of.” But he also said Rowe had been taking steps in practice to improve his decision making.
He seemed like the same ol’ gunslinger Saturday, heaving four touchdowns and three interceptions. He was the first Terps quarterback do that in a game since Joel Statham in 2004.
The Terps probably would have beaten South Florida pretty easily with Perry Hills under center, too, but Rowe undeniably makes the offense more dangerous. It will be against stiffer opponents that his arm will become more important, and that goes for his decision making as well.
Penalties become issue
If the Terps want to hang with opponents when conference action starts up, they are going to have to clean up the careless penalties. Saturday was a showcase of what you don’t want to do.
Where do I begin? There was the targeting penalty on running back Wes Brown, which resulted in an ejection. There was safety A.J. Hendy running into the punt returner. And there was tight end Avery Edwards channeling his inner Rob Gronkowski with a spike after his first career touchdown for a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct.
Plus, left guard Mike Minter’s false start on fourth and 2 in the second quarter forced Edsall to call on the punt team instead of going for it. When all was said and done, the Terps had racked up 12 penalties for 120 yards. Not something any team can afford to do, let alone a middling Terps squad.
“That was totally unacceptable,” Edsall said. “It’s disappointing because we talk about those things, we stress those things all the time. … Just some things you see and you shake your head and you just say, ‘Wow we just got to do a better job as coaches.’”
Freshmen showcase talent
A lot has been made of the 2016 recruiting class set to arrive in College Park next year. After all, future Terps quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. did account for eight total touchdowns Friday for Bullis.
But given the opportunity Saturday, this year’s freshman class — true and redshirt — showed off its talent. Edwards hauled in two touchdown catches, doubling what Terps tight ends had last year. Wide receiver D.J. Moore showcased his playmaking skills with three catches for 47 yards. And running back Ty Johnson, even before Brown was ejected, got early action, finishing with 30 yards on the ground and a long kick return.
Sean Davis gets redemption
Cornerback Sean Davis was embarrassed last week. South Florida seemed to take notice and targeted him a lot. This time, he rose to the occasion.
The former safety nabbed a pair of interceptions and forced a fumble, his third of the season. With star cornerback Will Likely usually shutting down one side of the field, Davis’ play is crucial in the secondary.
The senior probably isn’t as bad as he was against Bowling Green nor as good as he was Saturday, but he at least proved he can be a viable starting option across from Likely.
