Maryland's switch to Caleb Rowe already paying dividends in use of playmakers

When Maryland switched quarterbacks from Perry Hills to Caleb Rowe after Week 2's heavyloss to Bowling Green, it was safe to expect the Terrapins to stretch the field more vertically with a more capable arm under center (or in the shotgun). They did that Saturday, leading to four passing touchdowns in a win against South Florida -- the most ever thrown by a Maryland team under Randy Edsall in a single game.

The Terrapins' reliance on the deep ball also led to three interceptions, so you win some, you lose some.

Once again, Maryland had success over the middle. With Rowe, however, Maryland had much more success throwing to the right side, and throwing deep.

For comparison on the deep balls: through two games, Perry HIills was 3/10 for 79 yards and two touchdowns on passes longer than 15 yards. In one game, Rowe completed 5/11 15+-yard passes for 187 yards, with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

One of Rowe's three interceptions came as a result of both failed blocking and poor decision making.

The USF defensive tackle lined up over right guard Andrew Zeller (No. 66) fakes like he's going at Zeller, but instead stunts over the middle, where Mike Minter and Evan Mulrooney have left to double-team the other tackle.

The result is a wide open Rowe, who makes a poor decision to chuck the ball down the field rather than throwing it away or taking the sack. In this situation (3rd and long near midfield), the arm punt ends up being okay, but Rowe threw a similar lob later on that was almost picked as well.

Because we like to finish with a good play, here's Rowe at his best, with a pinpoint throw to Taivon Jacobs (who doesn't even have to break stride). Take note of how quickly Maryland's offensive linemen (and Brandon Ross out of the backfield) crash the USF front seven, taking away the ability for a quick rush at the QB or a deflected pass.

Here's how Maryland's receivers fared Saturday.

Another good game for Levern Jacobs, who is undeniably the team's No. 1 receiver at this point. It's also the third straight game (out of three) that the true freshman Moore has led the team in yards per target (minimum three targets).

And how about Avery Edwards?! Maryland has a threat at tight end for the first time since Matt Furstenburg! The true freshman caught two touchdown passes Saturday, continuing his strong start to his Terrapin career.

Two other notable takeaways: Maryland is using the Jacobs brothers a lot more with Rowe throwing the ball (at least through one game), and Amba Etta-Tawo's usage took a steep drop.

Here's the receiving stats over the entire season.

Other notes:

• Sean Davis had two interceptions, which is great, but he had a big coverage lapse with Anthony Nixon once again. The only reason it didn't end up in points this time is because the USF receiver let it literally drop through his hands.
• Maryland's defensive line did a great job once again. Yannick Ngakoue and Jesse Aniebonam continue to impress with their pass-rushing abilities, but Saturday they showed more involvement in stopping the run. Another big-time contributor was Roman Braglio, who appears to be coming into his own off the other edge.
• This was a sloppy game. Maryland was called for 12 penalties (South Florida, for its part, got flagged 10 times) and committed three turnovers. The first three games have been played against teams with inferior talent. That stops this Saturday with West Virginia. If the Terrapins have any hope of contending with the Mountaineers, they have to stop making so many mistakes.
• South Florida mostly kicked away from Will Likely, but he's now at 337 punt return yards on the season. He's still on pace to break the single-season record of 791, but it will depend on how many opportunities opponents give him.