Oh how the Maryland Terrapins’ season went from bright and optimistic to dark and not overly appealing in a matter of one play.

In the Terrapins’ 38-10 loss at home to the UCF Knights, starting quarterback Kasim Hill went down with an apparent leg injury late in the first quarter after trying to scramble for a first down. The true freshman was in clear pain and was helped off the field.

Coming off the field, Hill could put little pressure on his leg. After trainers further evaluated Hill on the sidelines, he was taken to the locker room. With Hill being injured, that meant Maryland lost two starting signal callers in its first three games of the season.

In the season opener against the Texas Longhorns, the Terrapins lost sophomore quarterback Tyrell Pigrome due to an ACL tear. And with Pigrome and Hill out, Maryland looked to its now former third-stringer Max Bortenschlager, who struggled mightily and did not impress Terrapin fans at all.

 

 

Bortenschlager was widely inconsistent against the Knights. He would either underthrow or overthrow his intended receiver. Just take a look at this throw late in the second quarter:

 

At halftime, Bortenschlager’s stat line read 5-of-9 for 31 yards and an interception, which is less than ideal for an offense that has playmakers like running back Ty Johnson and wide receiver D.J. Moore to utilize.

Now, Bortenschalger’s play did slightly improve as the game progressed. He was able to make an impressive, under pressure throw to Moore for a touchdown.

Despite the mild improvement, he was still inconsistent. To open the second half, Bortenschlager was almost picked off and then was sacked twice in a row.

Now, granted, Bortenschlager is only a true sophomore who only threw two passes in his collegiate career before he was thrown into the fire against UCF. If Bortenschlager’s play was any indication, Maryland’s year went from possibly being the fourth, fifth best team in the conference to maybe now missing a bowl game.

Entering the year, Bortenschlager was actually the Terrapins fourth string quarterback. But he became their third-stringer because Caleb Henderson suffered a foot injury. So, Bortenschlager’s skill level is not overly high.

If Bortenschlager does become Maryland’s long term quarterback for the year, the Terrapins could just lean on their run game going forward. Maryland has one of the best running back tandems in college football with Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison III. Plus, the Terrapins could also use Moore in the run game via jet sweeps.

However, if that does become the Terrapins’ plan of attack, B1G teams could easily stack eight defenders in the box to force them into throwing the ball.

Head coach D.J. Durkin’s offense is at its best when it’s balanced. So to possibly create a balanced system, Maryland might ask Bortenschlager to be a game manager. Hand the ball off and make small, easy passes. But if the Terrapins do ask that of Bortenschlager, that means giving up Moore’s deep ball ability. So it seems like a lose-lose situation.

Although Bortenschlager only completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 132 yards, a touchdown and an interception, he was not the only reason why Maryland suffered a loss to UCF. The Terrapins’ defense showed no heart in the game. However, losing Hill early in the game was the main reason for such a defeat.

If Maryland wants to make a bowl this year, Bortenschlager will need to improve dramatically and fast. As of right now, however, the once bright future the Terrapins had for this season are now gone.