Injury woes grow worse
Starting QB C.J. Brown, running back Brandon Ross and tight end Dave Stinebaugh will be out against Clemson
COLLEGE PARK — Maryland’s injury situation sank to new depths Thursday with news that the team’s starting quarterback, tailback and tight end would join its top two receivers in missing Saturday’s homecoming game against No. 9 Clemson.
Less than a week after receivers Stefon Diggs and Deon Long suffered seasonending lower-leg fractures against Wake Forest, the team announced that quarterback C.J. Brown (hip-oblique), running back Brandon Ross (shoulder) and tight end Dave Stinebaugh (knee) also suffered injuries in that game that will keep them out against the Tigers.
Their statuses beyond Saturday are unknown.
Maryland’s challenge Saturday — playing short-handed against a Clemson team (6-1, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference)
that has 14 straight double-digit victories against unranked opponents — rivals what the Terps faced last season, when four quarterbacks were lost to season-ending injuries.
Clemson is seeking to rebound from its first loss of the season — 51-14 to Florida State on Saturday.
Maryland coach Randy Edsall joked that he might ask 60-year-old former Terp Randy White, the Hall of Fame former NFL defensive lineman, to step in Saturday.
“We’re going to suit him up if he’s got some plays left in him,” Edsall said of White, who will be honored during the game along with other former Maryland All-Americans as part of homecoming weekend. “Every week presents a different challenge.”
The injuries aren’t confined to the offense. The Terps (5-2, 1-2) were already missing starting cornerbacks Dexter McDougle and Jeremiah Johnson before the Wake Forest game. Joining the injury list — which was released Thursday — is starting safety Anthony Nixon (toe).
There was some good news for Maryland at the depleted linebacker position. Matt Robinson (Atholton) and Alex Twine were listed as probable for Saturday after missing the Wake Forest game.
It’s difficult to find a trend in Maryland’s injuries, which have occurred virtually all season, at home and on the road.
“We’re not losing guys in practice. We’re just losing guys in games,” Edsall said. “That tells me we’re practicing the right way.”
The injuries appear to have made the coach even more superstitious.
“We haven’t had some of the things we had a year ago,” Edsall said. “I’m not even going to say [the name of the injury].”
Brown and two other quarterbacks suffered ACL tears last year.
Brown, a fifth-year senior who is a running threat when healthy, started against Wake Forest after missing the previous game with a concussion.
It’s not clear when he suffered the newest injury, which the injury report listed as a “trunk” ailment. He was sacked three times and lifted for backup Caleb Rowe in the third quarter.
Rowe becomes the starter against Clemson. Sophomore Albert Reid becomes the starting tailback, and P.J. Gallo is the likely replacement at tight end.
Rowe, a sophomore, is 44-for-85 for 702 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He is known for having a strong arm but is less mobile than Brown.
“I think he did OK,” offensive coordinator Mike Locksley said of Rowe’s performance in Wake Forest’s 34-10 victory. “Obviously, when you don’t win, it’s hard to say anyone did well. I’m sure he’ll be the first to tell you we made a lot of mistakes at the quarterback position. We left some plays on the field and had opportunities to score points. We came up short, especially in the red-zone area.”
Rowe has the advantage of having worked on the second unit in practice with receivers — such as Levern Jacobs and Amba Etta-Tawo — who have now been elevated to the first team to replace Diggs and Long.
“I’ve thrown with them a lot because I have worked with the twos,” Rowe said. “My connection is probably strongest with them.”
Maryland would not publicly name a backup quarterback for Saturday.
Transfer Ricardo Young has been playing behind Rowe. Sophomore Perry Hills gained experience last season stepping in when Brown was injured.
Hills, a former Pennsylvania state champion wrestler in high school, seemed still to be feeling the effects of his ACL injury early in Maryland’s preseason camp. But coaches say he has progressed in practice since the season began.