Terps trounce Towson in home opener
COLLEGE PARK, Md. -- In his first ever start under center for Maryland, true freshman Kasim Hill proved to be the type of quarterback the Terps were hoping he’d be when they recruited him as a four-star prospect out of Washington (D.C.) St. John’s College High School.
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Although not many would have guessed Hill’s talent would be on display this early in his college career, opportunity knocked after sophomore quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome was lost for the season last week, and the 6-foot-2, 232-pound gunslinger took the bull by the horns during Maryland’s 63-17 win over Towson in its home opener Sept. 9.
“I don’t think anything surprised me,” Terps sophomore offensive guard Terrance Davis said. “Kasim has been cool and calm since he got here, so when [Pigrome] went down, we knew he was going to step right in and do the job well. So that’s what he did today.”
Hill showed off an impressive arm and some wheels to help the Terps advance to 2-0 on the season and in their all-time series against the Tigers.
Playing only about three-quarters of the game because of a large Maryland lead, Hill finished 13-for-16 passing for 163 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also added 41 rushing yards on 5 carries.
After going 3-for-3 for 44 yards in the fourth quarter of Maryland’s 51-41 win at Texas the week prior, Hill started the game 8-for-8 passing for 94 yards and 2 touchdowns after the Terps first two possessions. He hit junior wide receiver DJ Moore for both scores and showed great chemistry with his most reliable pass catcher.
“He was 13-for-16, so he was very efficient,” Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin said of his rookie quarterback’s performance. “I thought 163 yards was really good, but how the game went kind of got us out of some things in terms of throwing the ball, and also some of the big plays in the run game took that away. But a lot of those passes were run-pass options where he has to make the right decision and make a read, and he made the right ones. He’s that type of guy. So I think he did a great job, especially for his first ever start.”
Moore finished the game with 7 receptions for 97 yards and through two games this season is making a strong case for being considered one of the nation’s top wideouts. On top of his two touchdowns through the air, Moore also took a 21-yard run to the house in the third quarter. He continues to show this season that he’s a hard ball carrier to tackle, busting through several Towson defenders on two of his three scores.
“It helps the whole team when you have some guys that you can spit the ball out to right away and they can break some tackles and gain some yardage,” Durkin said. “It helps get the drive going.”
Terps running back Ty Johnson stayed true to his M.O. of breaking off huge runs for Maryland. Johnson carried the ball just five times but averaged nearly 25 yards per carry to finish with 124 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. Johnson’s touchdown runs of 74 and 54 yards now give him 14 plays of 40 yards or more in the Terps last 12 games. With his second touchdown, Johnson also became just the fourth Terps running back ever to rush for at least 100 yards in four consecutive games.
“It’s great for us,” Davis said. “We get off the field pretty shortly so I love when he breaks off those big runs. It helps the offense and it definitely helps the O-line. So we appreciate him and want him to keep doing it.”
After running the ball 43 times with just 15 pass attempts at Texas, Maryland’s offense was much more balanced with Hill at the helm, airing the ball out early and often in the first half. But once they built a large enough lead, the Terps ran the ball down Towson’s throat and finished with 367 rushing yards as a team.
Sophomore running back Jake Funk, sophomore quarterback Max Bortenschlager, and freshman running back Javon Leake all also added rushing touchdowns to Maryland’s total.
The Terps defense took care of business against an inferior FCS opponent and also got in on the scoring action thanks to a 75-yard pick-six by safety Darnell Savage Jr. in the second quarter.
“I saw the quarterback’s eyes go that way, and when I saw him throw the ball, I knew I had a good jump on it so I ran over there and I caught it,” Savage said. “And when I caught it I just saw a lot of black jerseys in front of me, so I just let them lead me to the end zone.”
Sophomore defensive back Antoine Brooks continued to be a key cog in Maryland’s defense and showed the playmaking ability that had many around the program raving about his talent throughout the offseason. Brooks was all over the field as a defensive back-linebacker hybrid and even recorded his first career interception with a pick in the third quarter.
“I just love Antoine,” Durkin said. “He plays with personality. He’s out there and throws his body around, plays hard, he’s physical, he can cover, he can do a lot of things. So he has found a nice home at that NICKEL position for us. And I think he’ll only continue to get better.”
Despite losing senior BUCK and last year’s sack leader Jesse Aniebonam for the season in Week 1, Maryland’s pass rush kept its momentum going by getting to Towson quarterback Ryan Stover four times. The Terps now have 9 sacks on the year and have only allowed 3 through two games.
“We did good but everyone has to step their game up,” Terps senior defensive tackle Kingsley Opara said. “Jesse was a big piece of what we’re doing and I feel for him. Jesse is like my brother and it’s hard. I love that kid. I love him and he’s going to do great things and he’ll be back sooner than later because he’s just a hard-working kid.”
The Terps coaching staff also made a change in Maryland’s kicking game, promoting Georgetown grad-transfer Henry Darmstadter to the starting place kicker position. Darmstadter connected on all nine of his extra point attempts.
“Henry has done a great job at practice,” Durkin said. “He has earned that job. He did good on his extra points. He even banked one in, which is hard to do. He’s certainly a guy that we think can help us and are counting on. But we’ll keep those guys competing. That’s going to be a big part of our game at some point here. It hasn’t affected us yet, but it certainly will, so we have to be ready when it does.”
The 46-point win marked the first time in school history the Terps have scored 50 points or more in consecutive games to open their season. The 63 points scored by Maryland is also the most the program has put up since scoring 74 in a win over Missouri during the 1954 season.
The Terps now get set for an open week next week and will start to prepare for Sept. 23 when they host Central Florida.
“Obviously it was a good win for us and we came out and started the way we wanted to,” Durkin said. “We gained momentum right from the start. I thought Kasim did a great job of taking team down the field on that first drive, making good decisions with the ball, and we wanted to come out and get some throws in with him.
“We’re 2-0 and we get a bye early in the season. Not many byes usually in Week 3 of the season, but it is what it is, so we’ll take it and continue to work to get better. We need to improve with UCF coming here in a couple of weeks. They’re an extremely talented team and we’re going to have to play our best game so far to get to 3-0.”