Terps Football 2015: Quarterback Competition

Former quarterback C.J. Brown brought stability to the Terps offense over the last two seasons. Despite missing some games due to injury, Brown played a critical role in the Terps making consecutive bowl appearances. However, with those injuries, it allowed backups Caleb Rowe and Perry Hills to get game experience. Each played during the 2012 season, a season that ended with freshman linebacker Shawn Petty starting at quarterback due to injuries to Brown, Hill, and Rowe.

Randy Edsall was able to add a new wrinkle into the equation for the 2015 season when the Terps added Oklahoma State transfer Daxx Garman. Garman graduated from Oklahoma State early, making him eligible immediately and should replace Hills as the primary competition to Rowe for the Terps’ starting quarterback position.

2014 Passing Rank: 72nd (220.2 yards per game)

(Discuss on the BSL board here)

Caleb Rowe – Senior

2014: 34-for-54 (63 percent), 489 yards, 5 touchdowns and 4 interceptions

2013: 64-for-131 (49 percent), 989 yards, 5 touchdowns and 3 interceptions

2012: 25-for-44 (57 percent), 290 yards, 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions

Rowe is more of a passing quarterback than Brown and Hills and the Terps offense has a different flow when he is on the field. In four appearances last season, Rowe seemed to have better success in getting the ball to his playmaking wide receivers. He threw a couple interceptions that came from taking chances downfield or tipped balls, but his arm strength and accuracy was the best on the depth chart.

In the Terps’ Big Ten opener against Indiana, Rowe entered in the second half for an injured Brown and sealed a victory. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 198 yards and two touchdowns.  Against Ohio State, Rowe came off the bench in the second half for a struggling Brown and showed more promise. He completed 13 passes for 173 yards and one touchdown.  

Speculation grew that Rowe could challenge Brown for the starting job during last season, but Rowe suffered a season-ending ACL injury during practice.

The Terps receiving corp for next season will be without their top four wide receivers from last season in Stefon Diggs, Deon Long, Marcus Leak, and Jacquille Veii.  As he continues his recovery from ACL surgery, it will be interesting to see who emerges as the prime target for Rowe throughout camp. The biggest question mark for Rowe will be his ability to get out of the pocket and escape pressure, especially if the Terps offensive line does not take a step forward from last season.

Daxx Garman – Senior

2014: 152-for-277 (55 percent), 2041 yards, 12 touchdowns and 12 interceptions (with Oklahoma State)

Garman appeared in nine games for the Cowboys in 2014 and made eight starts. Following a four game losing streak, Garman lost his starting job to freshman Mason Rudolph.  He was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and originally committed to Arizona. After redshirting his freshman season, he transferred to Oklahoma State.

Adding a quarterback from the Big 12 Conference will be an interesting piece for the Terps offense. The Big 12 has been known for their pass heavy offenses through the years and Oklahoma State fits that mold. Given that the offense was set to focus around Rowe heading into next season, adding another passing quarterback certifies the change in the Terps offensive gameplan from last season.

His biggest game of the 2014 season came in a 45-35 win against Texas Tech. Garman threw for 370 yards on 17 of 31 passing with four touchdowns.  

Garman was listed as a dual-threat quarterback coming out of high school, but that has not really come to fruition during his collegiate campaign. Entering his final year of eligibility, Garman is coming to Maryland with intentions of seeing the field. Even if he doesn’t win the job, the healthy competition could help Rowe elevate his game.  The addition of Garman also adds more depth to the position and gives a better secondary option in case the injury bug bites again.

Perry Hills – Redshirt Junior

2014: 5-for-10 (50 percent), 86 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions

2012: 97-for-169 (57.4 percent), 1336 yards, 8 touchdowns and 7 interceptions

After Brown was injured during the 2012 preseason, Hills was named the Terps starting quarterback as a freshman. The offense did not look great with Hills under center, in fact it looked awful in several stretches. Hills had a few bright spots through the season, but he struggled to get the ball to his playmakers frequently. He did show ability to escape the pocket and make plays with his feet.

During his freshman campaign, Hills had his most impressive performance at West Virginia. Despite coming in a loss, Hills threw for 305 yards on 20 of 29 passing and three touchdowns, all career-highs.  Hills received ACC Rookie of the Week honors after he threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the Terps’ 36-27 win at Temple. He also led the Terps to a 27-20 win at Virginia where he completed 14 of 26 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown.

The edge that Hills will have is his mobility. Hills will be able to run a similar offense to the one ran with Brown under center last season and he’ll be able to escape pressure. For him to win the starting job in camp, he’ll need to show an improved passing ability, hit his open receivers and likely be aided by an injury to Rowe or Garman. The good thing for the Terps offense is they will have a trio of quarterbacks that both have starting experience.

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For some additional insight, fellow BSL Terps analyst Zack Kiesel and myself answered a pair of questions on the Terps quarterback situation heading into next season. The quarterback competition will likely be between Rowe and Garman. Zack and I will give our thoughts on who wins the battle and what could be some difference makers when they compete in camp.

Q: Who will be the starting quarterback at the start of the season and what will be the difference maker during camp?

Kiesel: I fully believe that Caleb Rowe will be Maryland’s starting quarterback to begin the 2015 season, as I’ve projected for a long time now. He has been in Mike Locksley’s offensive system for multiple years, and showed flashes of very good play when he relieved C.J. Brown on occasion last season. The offense has been altered to fit his skill-set, and the changes that the team has made will benefit him very well. He’ll have a ton of weapons at his disposal at the wide receiver position, making me believe that you will see the team throw the ball around a little more than they did last season. Rowe’s experience and knowledge of the system puts him ahead of the other quarterbacks who will be competing for the starting job.

Garman: When the Terps open the 2015 season, I think that Caleb Rowe will be starting under center for the Terps. I felt that Rowe had a chance last season to take the starting job from C.J. Brown because of his ability to get the ball to the receivers. The Terps do not exactly have a strong rushing attack and being able to have a quarterback to hit his receivers will be a vital part to the Terps offensive success. Even dating back to his brief appearances in the 2012 injury filled season, Rowe has shown that he could lead this team and now he should be given that opportunity. The addition of Daxx Garman should push Rowe more than the competition he would have had with Perry Hills.

Q: Who has the bigger advantage, Rowe with his knowledge and experience with Mike Locksley’s system or Garman’s more game experience as a starter?

Kiesel: Once again, I give the edge to Rowe here. While Garman has quality starting experience in the Big 12 Conference in an offense that is primarily quarterback-driven, Rowe’s experience in Locksley’s system is paramount. While it is not an extremely difficult system to learn, it does have some unique pass patterns that most spread quarterbacks like Garman would take a while to adjust to.

Garman: Rowe’s experience with the system gives him an edge heading into next season over Garman’s experience at Oklahoma State.  Both have experience starting games and while I think Garman’s was more valuable in the Big 12, Rowe’s knowledge and experience of being with Locksley stands out more.  Heading into the season, it will be interesting to see what Garman has and how his experience coming from a pass-heavy offense transitions to the Terps’ system.