After Maryland football quarterback Kasim Hill evaded a Central Florida defender with a first-quarter spin move, he took simultaneous hits to his back and lower body. The freshman stayed on the ground as players shuffled toward the sideline.
Hill exited with an apparent leg injury, forcing the Terps to turn to their third quarterback this year. On a similar rushing attempt against then-No. 23 Texas, signal-caller Tyrrell Pigrome suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
Maryland’s offense stalled with third-string quarterback Max Bortenschlager. His two interceptions and five sacks contributed to a 38-10 loss to Central Florida on Saturday, as the Terps gained just 197 total yards.
“We’ve got to respond to adversity,” linebacker Jermaine Carter said. “That’s one thing coach tries to make sure we do a good job of handling. That’s something we didn’t do today.”
Maryland scored 104 points and averaged more than 500 yards in wins over Texas and Towson. Hill was a key part of that success after taking over against the Longhorns.
In about five quarters, the rookie completed 18 of 21 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for a score in the Terps’ upset victory over Texas.
Bortenschlager failed to replicate Hill’s production, once missing a snap for a 23-yard loss and later under-throwing wide receiver DJ Moore by about 10 yards on a third-and-10.
The Terps (2-1) entered halftime with 86 yards of total offense. While the defense held Central Florida quarterback McKenzie Milton to 95 passing yards over the opening 30 minutes, the Knights (2-0) went into the break with a 14-3 lead.
Milton fared better as the game progressed. Central Florida racked up 241 second-half yards against a tiring Maryland defense repeatedly forced back onto the field by quick offensive possessions.
“We were playing good defense for a while there,” Durkin said, “but I just think we let the circumstances affect how we played and responded.”
Bortenschlager found Moore for a 20-yard touchdown in the third quarter, but his limitations in the pocket hindered Maryland’s attempted comeback. On the next drive, he took a second-down sack, setting up third-and-20. Despite a 14-point deficit, the Terps ran the ball, leading to their sixth punt.
“They were able to load up the box and that’s why we talk so much about being two-dimensional,” Durkin said. “It certainly wasn’t because Max Bortenschlager can’t execute. There were a lot of guys who had their fingerprints on that [problem] today.”
The Knights capped Bortenschlager’s afternoon with a 57-yard interception return for a touchdown that bounced off Moore’s fingers. As defender Mike Hughes raced toward the end zone, Moore clapped his hands in frustration before walking slowly off the field.
Central Florida outscored Maryland 38-7 after Hill’s final drive.
When the D.C. native went down in the first quarter, running back Ty Johnson told him to keep his head up because “we’re going to get things right.” Hill responded with a nod.
Most things went wrong for the Terps over the final three quarters. The 28-point defeat marked their worst nonconference loss since 2009 at California.
“They were a team that was executing and we were a team that wasn’t,” Durkin said. “We had breakdowns and lacks of communication.”
