Maryland football won its past two games against Indiana on the road, and on Homecoming against Northwestern. However, starting quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa left the field with a re-aggravated knee injury in the fourth quarter against the Hoosiers. So who has stepped up for the Terrapins in his absence? Look no further than Billy Edwards Jr. 

Out of high school, Edwards Jr. was a three-star recruit, according to 247 Sports. The 2021 grad committed to Wake Forest but entered the transfer portal after one year in which he red-shirted. Head coach Mike Locksley recruited Edwards Jr. to College Park. 

Before Edwards Jr. was announced as the starter for the Northwestern game, Locksley alluded that he had no fear in having his backup play. 

“We recruited him here once he went into the portal just for this purpose,” Locksley said. “If he’s the guy that has to play for us this week, I expect him to be able to come in, execute our system as well as anybody and give us a chance.” 

Wide receiver Dontay Demus also expressed his confidence in the backup quarterback’s ability when asked to compare Edwards Jr. to Tagovailoa. 

“I look at them kinda like 1A and 1B…I feel like there’s no drop-off when it comes to the offense, Demus said.  “(Edwards Jr.) knows us receivers, backs, and knows the scheme of everything, so I feel like Billy’s on track.”  

Since taking over, the Wake Forest transfer did nothing but win. He led the Terps to a close two-point victory versus the Hoosiers after coming in for Tagovailoa, and a Homecoming week victory last Saturday as the starter. 

The bye week comes at the perfect time for Maryland, giving Tagovailoa time to rest heading into another conference matchup at Wisconsin on Nov 5. However, after two wins and clinching bowl eligibility for his team, Edwards Jr. appears to be the answer for Mike Lockseley’s team until their star player is ready to go.