Maryland Terrapins May Play Three Quarterbacks in Home Opener

If you happened to watch Maryland struggle to defeat Navy last week, then you also saw the atrocious outing by Terps quarterback Jamarr Robinson.

Although the Terps prevailed with a 17-14 final score, Robinson finished the game with just 11 yards on 2-of-5 passing and an interception.

Ralph Friedgen and the Terps face Baltimore’s own Morgan State Bears in the team’s 2010 home opener.

While this may seem like a prime opportunity for Robinson to get quality game experience against a much weaker opponent, Friedgen has brought up the idea of possibly playing three quarterbacks in Saturday’s game.

“I think we’ll play both,” said Friedgen when asked about his team’s quarterbacks. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we wind up playing C.J. Brown.”

When Friedgen mentions “both,” he is speaking of starter Jamarr Robinson and Danny O’Brien, a redshirt freshman. C.J. Brown, also a redshirt freshman, is the No. 3 listed quarterback on the Terps’ depth chart.

We can either look at Friedgen’s idea of multiple quarterbacks as a good idea, with all intentions of giving his quarterbacks a chance to compete and gain experience, or we can look at Friedgen’s idea of multiple quarterbacks as a bad idea, with ultimate results leading to less game-time experience for this year’s true starting quarterback.

Don’t get me wrong; everyone would like to see these kids play. Not only would we like to see some competition for Robinson to create a spark beneath his feet, but we’d also like to see what the Terps may be working with in the future. Both feelings are normal.

But keep in mind that O’Brien was inserted at quarterback against Navy last week when the game was gridlocked at 14. During such a crucial time in the game when the Terps were positioned on the wrong side of the field, Friedgen’s decision to sub out Robinson in exchange for the freshman was suspect, to say the least.

The result? O’Brien’s first play consisted of a dropped handoff attempt, resulting in a turnover. O’Brien never saw the field again.

With all due respect to the Morgan State Bears (DMV representatives), they’re no match for the athleticism and coaching experience of the Maryland Terrapins. I don’t want to sound like I’m calling this game a rollover, because no game should be approached like that.

However, this is a perfect opponent for Jamarr Robinson to complete some passes, throw some touchdowns, and build his confidence before heading to Morgantown next week to face No. 23 West Virginia.