Terps expect to work in O’Brien more than ever
In his weekly news conference, the first question for Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen was, predictably enough, about his quarterbacks.
“We have two,” Friedgen muttered, cutting off his questioner.
After three days of back-and-forth on the Terrapins’ murky quarterback situation, Friedgen made clear what he didn’t want to discuss Tuesday. But several minutes later, when someone dared to invoke the name of one of the signal-callers, Danny O’Brien, Friedgen smiled and grew expansive.
He talked of how O’Brien, as a high school senior, would drive Saturday mornings from Charlotte, N.C., to attend quarterbacks meetings during spring practice.
“He’s kind of a gym rat,” Friedgen said. “He just loves to play football, study football. I think that’s a rare combination.”
When Maryland (2-0) travels to No. 22 West Virginia (2-0) on Saturday, O’Brien is more likely than ever to play a prominent role. Friedgen hasn’t said exactly how he will employ O’Brien and junior starter Jamarr Robinson. But his words suggest he is anxious to see O’Brien under fire.
“This is a test for him,” Friedgen said. “We’ll see where he’s at.”
Friedgen’s praise of O’Brien has been a running theme. Even last season when O’Brien was buried on the depth chart, Friedgen was quick to tack on superlatives about him when the subject of starter Chris Turner or backup Robinson was raised.
On Saturday against Morgan State, Maryland fans finally saw what all the fuss was about. Three of the first four passes of O’Brien’s career went for touchdowns in the second quarter of Maryland’s 62-3 romp.
“I wasn’t necessarily that surprised he did well,” Friedgen said. “He did make some mistakes.”
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound O’Brien was a mid-level recruit out of East Forsyth High, ranked No. 58 in the nation among quarterbacks by Scout.com, but impressed immediately upon his arrival in College Park.
“I saw this kid mature pretty much beyond where he should be,” said Friedgen, who last year often expressed his desire to see O’Brien play. With his team going nowhere, Friedgen decided not to burn O’Brien’s redshirt.
Robinson, with his promising play late last year and in the spring, established himself as the No. 1 quarterback heading into this season. He is a better runner than O’Brien, but his passing, in limited opportunities (8-for-19, 81 yards), has been spotty.
Against a West Virginia team that has beaten Maryland four straight times (2004-07), the Terps are looking for more.
“We’ve been comfortable with Danny and Jamarr since the spring,” junior wideout Torrey Smith said. “They both rotated with the [first team]. It’s great to have two options.”
