When MJ Morris transferred to Maryland football last December, he entered an open quarterback competition. The graduation of Taulia Tagovailoa, the Big Ten’s all-time leading passer, left a gaping hole for coach Michael Locksley to fill.
Morris stood out in Maryland’s annual Red-White spring game Saturday. The NC State transfer was awarded MVP after throwing the lone passing touchdown of the game, helping lead the White Team to a 34-3 victory at SECU Stadium.
Morris and Billy Edwards Jr., who started the game, quarterbacked the White Team. The group housed the majority of the Terps’ presumptive offensive starters, while Morris and Edwards primarily faced Maryland’s defensive starters on the Red Team.
The final result mattered less than the performances of specific position groups the Terps haven’t solidified for next season. Multiple storylines developed as certain players outpaced others.
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Morris shines most among a trio of quarterbacks
Morris stole the spotlight, throwing for 65 yards on eight attempts with one touchdown. His best throw was a 13-yard strike to Dylan Wade in the corner of the end zone despite facing pressure.
Morris also displayed his rushing ability, highlighted by a 16-yard carry in the third quarter and 20 total yards on the ground.
“I feel like right now I know the offense,” Morris said.
Edwards completed six of his 14 pass attempts for 36 yards. The redshirt junior won the MVP award in the Music City Bowl — the Terps’ first game without Tagovailoa — but that was without Morris in contention.
Edwards struggled to connect with his receivers on deep passes. Kevis Thomas deflected a throw intended for Tai Felton down the sideline late in the second quarter, and Edwards overthrew potential touchdowns to Shaleak Knotts and Kaden Prather on back-to-back plays later in the drive.
Cam Edge took the majority of Team Red’s snaps, throwing for 151 yards with a 44 percent completion rate. A lot of Edge’s passes were deep attempts, with a stretch midway through the third quarter highlighting his inconsistencies. He underthrew a deep ball to Robert Smith to start the drive but fired two excellent ones later in the drive.
“We’re a long ways away from naming a starter,” Locksley said. “We’ll get to watch the film and then be able to evaluate. We’ll progress this competition through the summer.”
With offensive line questions, three names see the most snaps
Maryland’s offensive line lost a lot of experience. The front five’s top three leaders in snaps all graduated, headlined by DJ Glaze, who the Las Vegas Raiders selected in the third round of the NFL Draft.
The White Team — which featured most of the Terps’ offensive starters — rotated between Conor Fagan, Alan Herron and Kevin Kalonji at tackle, while Isaac Bunyun, Josh Kaltenberger and Aliou Bah solidified the interior of the offensive line.
Bunyun, a redshirt senior who spent his first four seasons on the defensive line, played left guard on Saturday. Locksley believes Bunyun’s best chance to compete at the next level is with the offense’s front five.
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Kaltenberger slotted in at center, the position he played the majority of his three years as a backup at Purdue. Bah, a Georgia transfer, appeared in just three games over two seasons for the Bulldogs.
The White Team’s lone offensive touchdown of the first half came when the interior offensive line created leverage for Roman Hemby and allowed him to finish a three-yard run.
“I like the way that the offensive line is coming along,” Locksley said.
The secondary is young, but competition is wide open
The departures of Beau Brade, Tarheeb Still and Ja’Quan Sheppard created openings in Maryland’s secondary. The Red Team, which featured most of the Terps’ defensive starters, provided a potential glimpse into the future of that unit.
Perry Fisher and Jalen Huskey, a Bowling Green transfer, spent the majority of the spring game as the group’s outside cornerbacks.
Fisher played sparingly in last year’s regular season but took the second-most snaps of any Maryland defender in the Music City Bowl. He recorded one pass breakup on Saturday.
“Throughout the whole spring I just wanted to come out and dominate day-by-day,” Fisher said. “You got to take advantage of the opportunities that was given to you and that’s exactly what I did.”
Kevis Thomas and Karon Ball rotated as the third corner in certain coverages. Most of Glendon Miller’s and Rex Fleming’s snaps came at safety.
The majority of Miller’s snaps last season came in the slot, but he spent a lot of the spring game as the Terps’ lone defender deep in a traditional safety role.
