Passing muster

Before the season started, the idea of benching Danny O'Brien would have been laughable. He was the ACC Rookie of the Year, the best quarterback the Terrapins football team had in years, the face and future of the program. If the Terps were going to the next level, it would be on his shoulders.

Well, against Georgia Tech last weekend, he was benched. And nobody's laughing.

O'Brien rode the pine after a 1-for-6 start that included as many interceptions as completions. The unfortunate thing for the Terps may be that the rough start wasn't surprising. O'Brien has been a different quarterback this year from the one who led the Terps to a 9-4 record last year. He's forcing throws, making bad reads, has been inaccurate, all of which are holding back the offense. In what was supposed to be O'Brien's breakout year, he's instead taken a major step back.

There were signs of this decline even in O'Brien's best game of the year — the Terps' season-opening victory over Miami. Overshadowed by the methodical drives he led and the 348 passing yards he racked up was an interception. It took place in the red zone, where it was thrown directly into coverage — a very uncharacteristic throw for the redshirt sophomore, who was so impressive in his first year under center.

It was an afterthought at the time, washed away by the sounds of the Terps' victory song and the high hopes the win created. But we've seen more of the same from him. He's thrown multiple touchdowns only once this season, and they came against Towson. After throwing only eight interceptions last year, he already has six in five games.

O'Brien just isn't right. Maybe it's the new offensive scheme, a spread attack that doesn't suit his pro-style play. It could be the lack of a dominant receiver, which he had in Torrey Smith last year. Or maybe it's a just a sophomore slump, plain and simple.

"I know what Danny's going through, and it's just part of the game," defensive tackle A.J. Francis said yesterday. "You get put in these situations where you got to perform. And sometimes, people make mistakes and it costs you."

Whatever the reason for his struggles, it's not a shock that he got benched against Georgia Tech. The surprise is how quickly the move came, and the fact that he never got back in the game.

Without a doubt, O'Brien looked shaky in the short time he was playing, and the interception he threw was inexcusable. But were his six throws enough to show how he was going to play Saturday? If you want to bring in C.J. Brown, that's fine. But give O'Brien more than four series to prove himself before giving him the hook.

Regardless of the timing, the move worked to an extent. Brown provided the spark coach Randy Edsall was looking for, running for 124 yards highlighted by a 77-yard touchdown scamper.

But it soon became clear that besides running the ball, Brown wasn't bringing much to the table. Although he played for more than half the game, he still completed only four passes for 36 yards.

With Brown ineffective through the air, signs pointed to O'Brien possibly returning. Instead, he sat on the bench as the Terps' passing game floundered.

If you're Edsall, you do what you can to offer a spark — especially when your team looks as flat as the Terps have at times this year. But at what cost? O'Brien looked unsteady before being pulled. Edsall and his teammates said he took the benching well, but it's anyone's guess as to what he's going through this week.

The question now becomes who the Terps' starter under center will be going forward. Edsall said yesterday he won't name a starter until game time, which is smart. Make Clemson prep for both quarterbacks.

"We're very fortunate that we have two outstanding quarterbacks here on our campus. And the thing is, it's great to have that kind of depth at that position," Edsall said. "You'd like to have that at every position. So again, we're just going to evaluate the quarterback position just like we do every other position. What we'll do is, we'll evaluate it, and then come Saturday night, we'll make a determination of who's going to be our starter this week."

But when the Terps do take the field against Clemson, it should be O'Brien under center. He deserves a chance to bounce back from his slump. Even with O'Brien at his worst, does Brown offer that much more? He had success running the ball, something Georgia Tech hadn't planned for, but if you take his touchdown run out of the equation, he created 83 yards of offense.

Edsall made the right decision in benching O'Brien. Now it's time to put him back in the game.

schneider@umdbk.com