Last Saturday, the Maryland football team underwent a physical and mental test of mettle against Georgia Tech. In what coach Randy Edsall said was something he had never experienced, the injury-riddled Terps played reserve linebacker Shawn Petty at quarterback.
It took four injuries to get to it, but a Lisfranc fracture and three torn ACL’s later, Petty found himself under center for the first time since high school. And it showed.
Looking back, it was an almost ridiculous situation to put the freshman in, given his lack of practice, experience or general knowledge of how to be a quarterback at the college level. Forget basic quarterback staples, such as how to properly throw a ball, how to hand it off, and how to set your feet on a three-step drop as opposed to a five-step drop. Petty had seven practices to learn how to run a complex college offense. Audibling at the line, making checks with offensive linemen and calling out blitzes are some of the more sophisticated aspects of being a quarterback, and many full-time starters struggle with those calls. Now imagine a guy who’s barely played in his natural position on defense at the college level, much less at quarterback. Now imagine him being a freshman. Except this wasn’t imaginary, it was real life.
Petty looked lost most of the afternoon Saturday, missing open receivers running simple routes, struggling to keep his eyes downfield when the rush came and even having difficulty running up-tempo running plays. His footwork and tossing skills on pitches and sweeps seemed to slow Terp running backs down and offset the rhythm of the play at times.
Looking back at the box score, one stat jumped off the page. Maryland, whose quarterback situation is well-documented above, threw the ball 14 more times than Georgia Tech. Petty shouldn’t have thrown 14 passes all day, much less 14 more than a healthy opposing offense. Edsall needs to acknowledge the situation he is in, and not try to turn a linebacker into a pocket passer in two weeks.
The one thing Edsall still has on offense is athletic playmakers such as receiver Stefon Diggs, running back Wes Brown and running back Brandon Ross. The ball needs to be put in their hands and out of Petty’s as soon as possible and as often as possible. Georgia Tech embarrassed Maryland by playing the style Edsall should have implemented the moment quarterback Caleb Rowe went down. Instead he took a difficult team situation and placed it into the hands of a freshman playing out of position.
If Maryland wants to win another game this season, last week’s offensive approach is not the answer. An option running attack, using Diggs and other backs, is the only way to have any semblance of an offense that can move the ball down the field, while keeping their own defense off the field against offensive juggernauts in Clemson and Florida State, Maryland’s next two opponents.
It’s easier said than done, but it’s still easier than asking for 300 yards passing from a reserve linebacker.
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