In a surprising turn of events, Maryland did not start Taulia Tagovailoa at quarterback for the Duke’s Mayo Bowl this Friday.
Instead, Billy Edwards Jr. led Maryland’s opening drive against NC State. The Terrapins got all the way down to the red zone but were unable to score.
Tagovailoa has been Maryland’s starter throughout this season, completing 68.6 percent of his passes for 2,787 yards with 17 touchdowns and six interceptions.
Edwards, meanwhile, had just 45 pass attempts coming into this game. To his credit, he had 263 passing yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions.
Tagovailoa replaced Edwards for the second drive. It’s unclear if he will lead Maryland’s offense for the remainder of the game.
Maryland’s offense is at its best when Tagovailoa is leading the charge. However, it’s possible that Mike Locksley wants to see what Edwards can do in a larger role.
The Mayo Bowl is currently underway on ESPN.