Terps believe Pigs can fly high in Texas

COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- Maryland returns to Austin, Texas for the first time since 1959 to take on the Texas in the season opener Sept. 2, and the Terps will be led by newly named starting quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, who was given the reins to the offense by head coach D.J. Durkin on Monday after winning an offseason position battle.

TERPS INSIDER message board | SHOP NOW: DEALS on TERPS apparel | LIKE us on FACEBOOK

Entering his sophomore season, Pigrome split first-team reps with true freshman signal caller Kasim Hill throughout fall camp but ultimately showed the coaching staff enough to win the competition for the starting spot.

“Like I said going into camp, we’re going to go practice, set up competitive situations and then evaluate,” Durkin said Tuesday. “Players decide who plays. Although I know that was a big announcement yesterday, who the starting quarterback was, there was a lot of other starters that were put on there [the depth chart], and it was just how they performed, how they played in competitive situations. We try to make things as competitive as they can be everyday at practice. Different situations, see how guys respond, how they react. And then let them go do it. Tyrrell did a great job through this camp. That’s how he earned the job.”

Pigrome will make his second career start under center for the Terps when they travel to Texas to take on the Longhorns Saturday afternoon. He made his first career start against Minnesota last season and threw for 161 yards and a touchdown while also gaining 71 yards on the ground.

MORE: Watch DJ Durkin Tuesday press conference | Five burning questions heading into Texas week

The 5-foot-11, 196-pound Pigrome also proved to have a knack for making big plays as a freshman, including a game-winning 24-yard touchdown run in double overtime at Central Florida--one of his four scores on the ground in 2016.

Pigrome’s inexperience was also evident at times last year as he completed just 52 percent of his passes and threw two interceptions in his limited action. But with an entire offseason in the Terps program to work on his game, Durkin believes he has shown enough improvement to be the man calling the plays in the huddle in front of 100,000-plus fans at Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium this weekend.

“We have to make decisions as a program, what’s the best for us right now, what gives us the best chance to win right now,” Durkin said. “That’s the world we live in. It’s ‘what are you doing tomorrow’ and [Pigrome] is who we feel gives us the best chance right now.”

Durkin wasn’t the only one impressed with Pigrome’s performance this offseason. His teammates, who refer to him as Piggy, have also taken notice to the hard work Pigrome has put in and the strides he has made as a quarterback since last year.

“[Pigrome] has gotten a lot better under pressure,” junior center Brendan Moore said. “He steps up into the pocket. He’s taking great steps in leadership as well as throwing the ball down field. I trust him and I think all of the O-linemen, all the wide receivers, and everyone on our would agree that he has made great strides as a leader and as a player. We’re expecting big things from him.”

Although having Pigrome at quarterback gives Maryland a more athletic option under center who can take off at the drop of a hat, Moore said nothing for him and his fellow blockers will be different than if any other signal caller was named the starter.

“My job doesn’t change,” Moore said. “I block for as long as I can, as fast as I can. Who’s back there doesn’t matter. We trust who goes back there whether it be any three of those guys. But we’re happy Piggy has come into his own.”

Durkin basically waited as late as he could before naming a starting quarterback. But he said he felt “really good” about the performance of several of the Terps quarterbacks this offseason and believes the “healthy competition” brought out the best in each passer, which prolonged his decision.

“Competition makes everyone better,” Durkin said. “Whoever ends up being the starter at any position, I think it helps having depth at a position where all those guys – you come to work every day knowing ‘I could either A – lose my job today’ or ‘I have the chance to go take someone else’s job based on how I perform.’ I think it makes practice better, it makes your program better. We’re trying to create that [at] every spot we can. I think we have that going at the quarterback position.”