Throughout the season, the Maryland football coaches have lauded backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome’s electric skills. He wowed fans with a highlight juke in the season opener against Howard and sealed the Terps’ double overtime victory against Central Florida with a 24-yard weave.
The freshman’s flash, however, didn’t shine in his first career start.
Pigrome led the opening huddle of the team’s game against Minnesota despite coach DJ Durkin labeling quarterback Perry Hills, who suffered a shoulder injury late in the second quarter against Penn State last week, as “day-to-day” on Tuesday. During pregame warm-ups Saturday, the Maryland Stadium jumbotron announced the redshirt senior as the starter. He never took the field.
Instead, the Terps punted seven times and committed four turnovers, failing to establish rhythm in their tempo-based offense in the 31-10 loss.
“It wasn’t all him — at all,” Durkin said of his Pigrome’s performance. “There were some penalties on several big plays and plays that got us set way behind, so I feel like it wasn’t just an issue on his part. And he’s a very strong-minded, strong-willed young man, so he’s not going to have any problem bouncing back.”
The first-year coach said after the game he never considered replacing Pigrome with one of the Terps’ three other co-backup quarterbacks on the depth chart. Durkin felt the former Alabama Gatorade Player of the Year gave the team its best chance to win.
Hills put his helmet on at the end of the second quarter, and reserve quarterback Caleb Rowe took the kneel-down snap to enter halftime, but Pigrome operated the huddle for every other offensive play.
Wide receiver Teldrick Morgan said Pigrome has improved since starting his college career six weeks ago. In relief duty during blowouts, Morgan said the rookie was quiet in the huddle. After playing the second half last week when Hills left with a right shoulder injury, he noticed Pigrome took a more vocal approach against the Golden Gophers.
Pigrome accounted for 62 of the Terps’ 73 plays, rushing for 71 yards on 25 carries and completing 18 of his 37 passes for 161 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The Terps, who averaged 404.3 yards per game entering the contest, finished with 291 yards.
“They were hugging the line of scrimmage,” Durkin said. “Daring us to throw with Piggy.”
His first pick came on the Terps’ first play of their second drive, dropping back and sailing a pass to Minnesota defensive back KiAnte Hardin. The Terps forced a field goal attempt on the ensuing possession, and kicker Emmit Carpenter missed the 36-yard attempt.
Still, the Golden Gophers responded with two touchdowns before the break.
Running back Rodney Smith capitalized on cornerback Will Likely’s muffed punt with an eight-yard rushing score, and Conor Rhoda, Minnesota’s reserve quarterback starting in place of Mitch Leidner (concussion), hit running back Shannon Brooks for a 17-yard slant with 14 seconds until intermission.
“There’s obviously things that we need to work on,” linebacker Jermaine Carter Jr. said. “Everybody has to know what gap they have and know that they have to be there at a certain time.”
For the second consecutive week, the Terps surrendered a score with less than a minute left in the half. Penn State running back Saquon Barkley gashed the defense for a 45-yard rush 15 seconds before the break in the Terps’ 38-14 loss Oct. 8.
The Terps didn’t score in the second half at Beaver Stadium, a drought that stretched 49 minutes and 37 seconds Saturday until kicker Adam Greene converted a 32-yard field goal with 11 minutes remaining.
Pigrome hit wide receiver D.J. Moore for an 11-yard touchdown about four minutes later to cut the deficit to 24-10. But with a minute left, the rookie threw his second interception of the game.
He streaked down the field in pursuit of defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr., displaying the speed coaches have coveted in his reserve appearances, but he couldn’t chase him down on the 82-yard touchdown.
“We just need to find our chemistry,” Morgan said. “We have it, but we just need to go out there and execute more.”
