Despite starting the season with a 2-1 record, Maryland has suffered a severe case of bad luck as the team heads into Big Ten play this weekend. The Terps have lost starting quarterbacks Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill to season-ending ACL injuries they suffered over the last three weeks.
“Piggy’s down, Kasim, Jesse [Aniebonam], all these guy had big injuries that are going to put them out for a long time,” head coach D.J. Durkin said. “When it happens at the same position, that makes things a little tougher, but it’s part of life. It’s a great way to learn.”
The Terps will now look for Max Borthenschlager to run the offense against Minnesota on Saturday afternoon. The sophomore quarterback tallied 132 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the loss to UCF.
“Max is a tough kid, he went in the game in a tough spot. I thought it was a gutsy performance,” Durkin said. “He did really well. It wasn’t perfect, but who would expect it to be?”
There were times in the game against UCF where Borthenschlager was not on the same page with his receivers and the rest of the offense. But a week of practice should help the offense adjust to Borthenschlager’s game.
“I think our offense can operate just fine with Max there. I think we’ve shown that and proven that before,” Durkin said. “There’s tweaks and things you major in you tailor to who the personnel is. We’ll certainly do that with that in mind with Max.”
Even though Maryland is down to its third string quarterback, the Terps see junior Caleb Henderson, who transferred to Maryland in 2016, make progress in practice, and redshirt sophomore Ryan Brand has shown his knowledge of the offense.
“Ryan Brand is the third team quarterback, he does a great job for us every day,” Durkin said. “He’s a very accountable guy. Knows the offense and he’s been with us for a while now.”
The Terps matchup against Minnesota will be on the road at 12 p.m. on Fox Sports 1.
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