Multiple quarterbacks saw action for Maryland football Saturday, a plan head coach Michael Locksley set in place long before the game began.
Four-year starter Taulia Tagovailoa left a massive hole in Maryland quarterback room this offseason. Without a clear replacement, Locksley kept an open mind in the search for his new signal-caller, saying, “We’re going to give everybody a chance to win the job,” in July.
It was Billy Edwards Jr. who trotted onto the field as Maryland’s starter on Saturday. But on the fourth drive of the game, redshirt sophomore and NC State transfer MJ Morris took the field as the team’s quarterback. Morris spelled Edwards again in the third quarter, but both of his drives ended in punts.
“We went in with a plan where MJ was going to play two, three series this game to develop him like I know we’re going to need to,” Locksley said after Saturday’s game. “Billy, it’s his job. He’s our quarterback and we’ll ride with him, but we’ll continue to develop the rest of our roster.”
While a little unusual for a starting quarterback to be subbed in and out multiple times during a game, Locksley ensured that Edwards is the starter and does not have a “short leash.”
But Locksley mentioned an array of benefits to playing and developing Morris, aside from precautionary injury preparation.
“The second quarterback sometimes is a weapon,” Locksley said. “Whether it’s his ability to run [or] throw. Those things give you an added advantage.”
“We’ll use MJ based on his talent level,” he added. “And he’s a guy that has the ability to win in the pocket as a thrower, and also has the ability athletically to run the system that we like to run.”
Locksley used Edwards sporadically last year, often for quarterback sneaks, as the 6-foot-3, 222-pound Edwards dwarfed Tagovailoa’s 5-foot-11, 208-pound frame.
However, Edwards never replaced Tagovailoa for an entire drive in the middle of a game over the last two years, outside of Tagovailoa’s mid-game injury against Indiana in 2022 and fourth-quarter blowouts.
Whether this indicates a larger role for Morris in the future or nothing at all has yet to be seen.
Regardless, Morris was sidelined for Monday and Tuesday’s practices, and his status for Saturday’s game is up in the air. If Morris plays this week or later this month, his role will be something to monitor.
