Quarterback Caleb Rowe readjusts his helmet after getting sacked when the Terps lost to West Virginia, 45-6, in Morgantown, West Virginia, on Sept. 26, 2015.
When Terrapins football quarterback Caleb Rowe boarded the bus after one of the worst performances of his career, he went right back to work.
On the trip back to College Park after a 45-6 drubbing at No. 23 West Virginia, in which the redshirt junior was benched after throwing four interceptions, Rowe sat with offensive coordinator Mike Locksley and analyzed the game film on an iPad.
The duo usually waits until Sunday to watch the tape, but after the demoralizing loss, the task couldn’t wait. The Terps hope the impromptu film session helped Rowe, who has thrown nine interceptions in 64 pass attempts this season.
Rowe will get a chance to redeem himself when the Terps host No. 22 Michigan on Saturday under the lights at Byrd Stadium.
“He’s got something to prove, man,” redshirt senior center Evan Mulrooney said. “I’m excited for him this weekend.”
Rowe’s father, Dave, always preached the importance of short-term memory and moving past on-field mistakes. In high school, he constantly implored Rowe to focus on the impending play and forget about his last throw.
That mindset carried over to college as Rowe watched other quarterbacks, such as former Terp C.J. Brown, employ the same philosophy.
“It’s just the mentality you have to have,” Rowe said. “I know our guys believe in me, so I can’t let one mistake become another mistake.”
Though he’s pushed the performance out of his mind, it was forced to the forefront of his memory during media availability Wednesday when reporters repeatedly asked about what went wrong in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Rowe said it’s still tough to talk about four days later. He couldn’t recall an experience that compared to Saturday’s thrashing.
Sometimes, Locksley is irritated by Rowe’s short memory, but the coach acknowledges it’s a mindset quarterbacks must have.
While Rowe struggled Saturday, miscommunication with the wide receivers contributed. The Terps’ passing offense depends on the quarterback and wide receivers making the same decisions based on the opponent’s coverage schemes, Locksley said, and sometimes the receiver made the wrong read Saturday.
In one play, wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo ran straight up the field when he should have cut to the outside, Locksley said, so when Rowe threw the ball to the intended spot, Etta-Tawo wasn’t in the vicinity.
“It’s both guys being on the same page with what they’re doing coverage-wise,” Locksley said. “That’s usually the factor when you see a ball thrown and a receiver not looking or not in the right spot. It’s those two guys not seeing the same thing based off the coverage that the defense gives us.”
On other throws, the fault fell on Rowe. He often forced the ball into tight coverage and admitted he made throws he shouldn’t have. Just like last week, his focus in practice has been on making the right reads.
And against Michigan on Saturday, avoiding miscues will be crucial to the Terps’ success.
“It starts with decision-making with him because we know he has the arm talent,” Locksley said. “We know he has the ability.”
Senior staff writer Ryan Baillargeon contributed to this report.
