Maryland
Penn State report card for Maryland: Lions’ depth, defense take the steam out of Terps on Senior Day
It does not matter the environment, home or away. It doesn’t matter if Maryland has a roster sprinkled with some future NFL players.
The Terps cannot hang with James Franklin’s Penn State Nittany Lions.
It rarely ends well for Maryland when it faces PSU, and often it ends very badly.
The Lions toyed with the Terps 44-7 on Saturday at Beaver Stadium to finish their regular season 11-1. With Ohio State losing at home to Michigan, PSU now advances to the Big Ten championship game to face Oregon on Saturday.
When you win by 37, the grades typically look good.
So, let’s get to them.
OFFENSE: B+.
Nick Singleton’s lost fumble on the first offensive play was one of the few blemishes on PSU’s ledger. … Singleton atoned for the error with 87 rushing yards and a pair of scores. … The Lions finished with 219 rushing yards and four scores, the others on runs by Drew Allar and Beau Pribula. … Tight end Khalil Dinkins added three catches for 36 yards with wideout Harrison Wallace III unavailable. … Allar completed 17 of 26 passes f0r 171 yards and teamed up with Tyler Warren for a seven-yard scoring pass. … The Lions’ O-line did not allow a sack. PSU converted 4 of 5 fourth-down tries, a good thing since the Lions were 5-for-15 on third-down tries.
1/43
DEFENSE: B+.
What happened on the lone Maryland touchdown earlier in the game? Great throw by quarterback MJ Morris to wideout Kaden Prather for a 25-yard score. Give the visitors credit. … Penn State allowed just two 3rd-down conversions in 12 attempts and stuffed the Terps twice on fourth down. … Led by edge rushers Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State racked up six sacks and four quarterback hurries. Carter had two sacks, Dennis-Sutton had a sack and three quarterback hurries. … Penn State did not allow a third-quarter point, and the Lions did not permit a third-quarter touchdown in the regular season. Think about that. … The Lions’ showcased their secondary depth on Saturday. Reserve corner Audavion Collins and reserve safety Dejuan Lane both had interceptions.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B.
Nick Singleton flashed his wheels on a 66-yard kickoff return in the first quarter that set up a PSU field goal. … Placekicker Ryan Barker drilled a 49-yard field goal, but he also had a 53-yard attempt blocked on the final play of the first half. … Solid day for Riley Thompson, who averaged 42.5 yards on four attempts. … Penn State coverage teams limited Maryland to 64 return yards on five combined kickoff-punt returns.
COACHING: B+.
Penn State didn’t have wideout Harrison Wallace III available and the Lions’ O-line had to adjust without right tackle Anthony Donkoh in the starting lineup. It appeared PSU got better as the game progressed and the players were able to focus with a spot in the Big Ten title game on the line.
OVERALL: B+.
A 37-point win on Senior Day, a 5-0 record on the road, and a four-game win streak to close out the regular season. As a result, Penn State is 11-1 and has a chance to earn a top seed in the upcoming college playoff. All James Franklin’s team has to do now is upset unbeaten Oregon in Indianapolis. Why not?