Whether at home or elsewhere, it makes no difference. If there are some future NFL players on Maryland’s roster, it makes no difference.
James Franklin and the Penn State Nittany Lions are too good for the Terps to match.
When Maryland plays PSU, it rarely goes smoothly and frequently ends badly.
At Beaver Stadium, the Lions defeated the Terps 44-7 on Saturday to wrap off their regular season 11-1. PSU will now play Oregon on Saturday in the Big Ten championship game after Ohio State lost to Michigan at home.
You usually get good grades when you win by 37.
Let’s start with them.
OFFENSE: B+.
One of the few blemishes on PSU’s record was Nick Singleton’s slost fumble on the opening offensive play. With 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns, Singleton made up for the mistake. The Lions concluded with 4 touchdowns and 219 running yards, with Beau Pribula and Drew Allar scoring the other runs. Harrison Wallace III, a wide receiver, was unable to play, but tight end Khalil Dinkins added three catches for 36 yards. Allar connected with Tyler Warren on a seven-yard scoring throw after completing 17 of 26 passes for 171 yards. A sack was not permitted by the Lions’ O-line. The Lions went 5-for-15 on third-down tries, so it was fortunate that PSU converted 4 of 5 fourth-down efforts.
DEFENSE: B+.
What transpired during the game’s first touchdown for Maryland? QB MJ Morris made a fantastic pass to wide receiver Kaden Prather, who scored from 25 yards out. Give the guests credit. Penn State stuffed the Terps twice on fourth down and gave up just two third-down conversions in 12 attempts. Penn State recorded six sacks and four quarterback hurries, led by edge rushers Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton. Dennis-Sutton had a sack, three quarterback hurries, while Carter had two sacks. During the regular season, neither the Lions nor Penn State allowed a third-quarter score or a third-quarter point. Consider that. On Saturday, the Lions demonstrated the depth of their secondary. Both reserve safety Dejuan Lane and reserve corner Audavion Collins had interceptions.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B.
In the first quarter, Nick Singleton had a spectacular 66-yard kickoff return to set up a field goal for PSU. In addition to making a 49-yard field goal, placekicker Ryan Barker had a 53-yard attempt on the last play of the first half blocked. Riley Thompson had a good day, averaging 42.5 yards on four tries. Maryland was held to 64 return yards on five kickoff-punt returns by Penn State’s covering teams.
COACHING: B+.
The Lions O-line had to adapt without right tackle Anthony Donkoh in the starting lineup, while Penn State did not have wide receiver Harrison Wallace III available. With a trip to the Big Ten championship game on the line, it seemed that PSU improved as the game went on and the players were able to concentrate.
B+ overall.
a four-game winning streak to end the regular season, a 37-point victory on Senior Day, and a 5-0 road record. Penn State is now 11-1 and might perhaps secure a high seed in the forthcoming collegiate playoffs. The only thing left for James Franklin’s team to do is defeat undefeated Oregon in Indianapolis. Why not?
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