Adam Fried/The Diamondback
The first pass thrown by a Terrapin football player other than Chris Turner this season was on a wide receiver reverse play: Receiver LaQuan Williams hurled an incomplete pass to Adrian Cannon the drive after Turner went down with an MCL injury in the second quarter last week at N.C. State.
The first completion thrown by someone other than Turner didn’t come until early in fourth quarter, when Jamarr Robinson delivered the ball to Torrey Smith on a screen play, picking up nine yards in the process.
Turner is listed as doubtful for tomorrow’s home game against No. 20 Virginia Tech (6-3, 3-2 ACC), a 1 p.m. “blackout” game broadcast on ESPN360.com. All week, though, the Terps (2-7, 1-4) have been preparing for their senior quarterback’s absence, and Robinson is ready and enthusiastic for his first full game under center.
The sophomore has received his coaches’ full support should he play. All season, offensive coordinator James Franklin has said he wanted to use Robinson in designed packages that would take advantage of the North Carolina native’s speed and strong arm. Now, it appears Robinson will run the bulk of the Terps’ traditional offense — a baptism by fire in a season full of them for the young Terps, who have started 20 sophomores and freshmen at various points this season.
“After Chris got hurt, [Jamarr] basically ran most of the plays anyway,” Franklin said. “There’s certain plays I think he’s more comfortable with. I think there’s certain plays that build on his strengths more than others. So we’ll probably build on those, and things that he’s not comfortable with, we’ll obviously stay away from.”
Should Robinson falter, coach Ralph Friedgen said he has no qualms about turning to true freshman Danny O’Brien. But Robinson progressed throughout the course of his first in-game action, and after failing to complete a pass on his first four drives, he settled in and connected on five of seven attempts in the fourth quarter.
But none of those five completions were for more than 9 yards. And Robinson, lauded for his arm strength, missed several big-play opportunities, overthrowing teammates.
In his first in-game action since Oct. 3, Robinson had a wide grin across his face for much of the game even as his team trailed — a sense of satisfaction in finally proving he can get it done in a game. But the general consensus is if he starts, he must maintain his emotions better this week.
“He’s got such a strong arm, and he hasn’t played very much, so he gets juiced up,”
Franklin said. “So now, his arm becomes even stronger. So like, in the game, we had a post [route] for a touchdown, and he overthrows LaQuan. I don’t even think he tried to throw it that hard, but he’s excited, and he’s wide open. Until you learn to focus that energy and harness that strength, it can be an issue.”
In the future, should Robinson beat out O’Brien, freshman C.J. Brown, transfer Clay Belton and two incoming recruits for the position, Friedgen said the possibility remains for the Terps to run more of an option offense. With quarterbacks Shaun Hill and Scott McBrien in his first three seasons at the helm, Friedgen used a passing-option offense similar to the one he won a National Championship with while at Georgia Tech.
At this point in the season, with the team on a four-game losing streak and already eliminated from postseason play, revamping the playbook does not seem like a realistic or reasonable goal, particularly while Turner’s status remains doubtful.
Still, Robinson’s athleticism, good enough that Friedgen has considered sliding him to safety in the past, allows him to evade pass rushers and scramble for big gains. On the final drive Saturday, Robinson picked up 19 yards on a scramble after the pass protection broke down, putting the Terps in position to tie the game with less than a minute left.
“He’s our quarterback,” Smith said. “Everything Chris had [in the playbook], he has. And maybe a little bit more because of his speed.”
Robinson’s mantra this week has been to execute in games just as he does in practice. In the past, Friedgen has criticized the sophomore for uneven play and occasional poor decision making.
But teammates have praised the 6-foot signal caller for his presence in the huddle and vast potential, even if they would have preferred to see him earn his chance without Turner going down.
“I feel like they’re all behind me,” Robinson said. “Everybody’s excited because of what I showed the last half of the game on Saturday and what I did with my feet.”
At this point in the season, a fresh face — and, perhaps more importantly, a returning face — will stir up excitement in a team that has struggled to captivate its home fans for much of the year. Now, it’s up to Robinson to validate that hype.
ajoseph@umdbk.com
