Maryland Football: Perry Hills closing in on starting job

Perry Hills is hoping to put an end to the quarterback competition.

As the season draws closer, it appears that Hills is closing in on the starting job.

During Saturday’s scrimmage, Hills saw the majority of the playing time. It’s been the same story since the spring.

Despite coach D.J. Durkin declaring it an open competition, Hills has looked like “the guy.”

Honestly, that’s the best case scenario for the Terrapins.

New offensive coordinator Walt Bell came to College Park as one of the most young and dynamic minds in college football. During his previous stop at Arkansas State, Bell’s offense broke five school records in his first season at the school.

The Red Wilves put up 6,194 yards of total offense, averaged 476.5 yards-per-game, ran 1,024 plays, scored 477 points, and scored 65 touchdowns.

Bell bases his offensive system off of keeping a very quick tempo.

Now why exactly does that benefit Hills?

If you watched the games where Hills was under center, it was clear that Hills wasn’t afraid to run the football. In fact, the Pennsylvania native looked to almost prefer running to passing.

Maryland ran a version of the read-option, which required split-second decisions from their quarterback. Hills excelled in that role, which is evident in his 4.9 yards-per-carry (a career high).

Hills certainly has the ability to read a defense and make the call whether to run or pass.

For example, Hills displayed this attribute against Ohio State in 2015. He dropped back to pass, surveyed the field, and saw the pass rush closing in.

Instead of waiting for a wide receiver to get open, Hills saw a lane between the hash marks and took off into the secondary. The play ended up being a 75-yard run and the Terps later scored on a Hills touchdown run.

Hills has that burst and athleticism to really be one of the top producers on the ground for Maryland. That is a big deal considering that Bell likes to run a variety of draws and sweeps with his skill players.

Obviously, Hills is what he is as a passer at this point. He doesn’t have a great arm, but can do enough to get by.

He likely won’t be called upon to throw as much because Bell loves to run the football. With the amount of talent that the Terps have in the backfield, that’ll take a lot of the pressure off of Hills.

Next: D.J. Turner looks to rebound from injury

Hills may not be the most flashy signal caller under the sun, but he’s the right fit for Bell’s offense.