Perry Hills 'fine,' Piggy progressing
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Terps senior quarterback Perry Hills left Maryland’s loss to Penn State after injuring his shoulder at the end of the first half, leaving true freshman Ty Pigrome to finish out the game, but head coach D.J. Durkin told reporters Monday that Hills’ prognosis and chances of starting Saturday look good.
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“Perry is an extremely tough guy,” Durkin said. “I don’t think this will be something that lingers too long for him. We’ll continue to monitor him everyday this week but I think Perry will be fine.”
So far Hills is having the best season of his collegiate career but he has thrown interceptions in back-to-back weeks after not turning the ball over at all through Maryland’s first three games.
Pigrome has shown flashes of his playmaking ability while filling in for an injured Hills or when the Terps have a large lead late in the game. But Pigrome wasn’t able to get much going against Penn State outside of his first play from scrimmage, which resulted in a 7-yard touchdown run for the first-year signal caller.
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The former Alabama high school player of the year finished 5-for-9 for 28 passing yards and also added 39 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. Durkin was pleased with some of the stuff he saw from Pigrome but knows the dual-threat quarterback is still a work in progress, especially as a passer.
“There’s plenty to improve on,” Durkin said. “I liked how he came in and didn’t get too high or too low. He kind of just stayed even keel, which is want you want out of your quarterback. I thought he did some really good things but there are some things that he and we can do better and clean up. But what’s good is that he has gotten playing time in just about every game, which will obviously help us in the long run.”
Maryland’s already run-heavy offense became even more so in the second half with Pigrome under center.
Durkin admitted that part of the coaching staff’s responsibility when Pigrome enters the game is to call plays that make the offensive scheme easier for the freshman. But the Terps’ headman believes that Pigrome and Hills bring similar skill sets to the table and that Maryland’s offense suits both players’ strengths.
“I think there’s definitely some things that we’ve talked about that are definitely more geared toward Piggy when he’s in, but overall, our offense and the design of it is built for him and Perry,” Durkin said. “Their stature might be a little bit different but they’re not that much different in terms of being a player.
“I think Perry is a very good runner at quarterback and I think he can throw the ball well when we give him time and I think Piggy is the same way. He’s very effective running the ball and if we give him time I think he can deliver the ball downfield. He has a very strong arm and he’s very capable of throwing. I think the biggest thing for him and for any young quarterback is decision making and putting the ball in the right place--not throwing it in harm's way. For us, it’s creating the best looks and schemes to make his reads simpler so that he can go in and do that, and do that fast.”
It remains to be seen which quarterback will start in College Park this Saturday when the Terps host Minnesota. However, from Durkin’s initial comments this week, it appears Hills will get the nod if he doesn’t experience any setbacks at practice leading up to the game.
If Hills is unable to go, Pigrome will get his first career collegiate start and it will be interesting to see what the Terps’ offense looks like against the Golden Gophers.