No. 11 Penn State struck first and never looked back as the Nittany Lions (8-1, 5-1) rolled past Maryland (5-4, 2-4) 51-15 on Saturday in College Park.
The Nittany Lions put together perhaps their most complete offensive showing in weeks, if not on the season, with a balanced attack and a couple explosive plays en route to 404 total yards — 246 passing and 158 rushing.
Drew Allar was 25-34 for 240 yards and four touchdowns, showing precision on a number of perfectly placed throws in just over three quarters of work. He completed passes to seven receivers, led by KeAndre Lambert-Smith’s eight catches for 95 yards and a breakout day for Dante Cephas, who caught six passes for 53 yards and two touchdowns. Kaytron Allen led Penn State’s rushing attack with 91 yards on 14 carries
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was sharp in the first half and the Terrapins capitalized on untimely Nittany Lion penalties for both of their scores, but the Penn State defense dominated at the line of scrimmage and eventually shut the hosts down entirely. Penn State forced four turnovers, recorded six sacks and 12 tackles for losses and held Maryland to -49 rushing yards (-2 sack-adjusted).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Maryland picked up a first down on the game’s first possession and quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was 6-6 on the drive. But on fourth and 1 from their own 44, the Terrapins went for it and Curtis Jacobs and Jaylen Reed blew up a completion for a loss to force a turnover on downs.
Penn State took advantage on its first drive. Drew Allar converted a key third down to KeAndre Lambert-Smith on a rub route and Kaytron Allen carried four times for 29 yards to get the Nittany Lions inside the 10. On first and goal from the 6, Allar threw a perfectly placed ball on a fade in the end zone to Dante Cephas, who managed to get control before going out of bounds for the touchdown. Penn State led 7-0 with 8:41 to go in the first quarter.
The Terps got downfield quickly on a 30-yard pass from Tagovailoa to Tai Felton, and two more completions gave Maryland a first down inside the Penn State 40. Tagovailoa completed another short pass to Felton, but Penn State defensive end Adisa Isaac forced a fumble that the Nittany Lions recovered at their own 37.
Penn State’s offense couldn’t do anything with it though, as a Caedan Wallace personal foul put the Nittany Lions in a hole and Allar threw consecutive incompletions before Riley Thompson came on for a punt.
After the Penn State defense stuffed a third-and-1 run, the Nittany Lion offense embarked on one of its best drives of the season to that point. Allar completed a pass to Lambert-Smith down the middle for 30 yards and immediately followed up with an 18-yard completion to tight end Tyler Warren to get Penn State back inside the Maryland 10.
Backup QB Beau Pribula came in on second and goal from the 3 and rushed for a yard on a keeper. On the next play, both Allar and Pribula were on the field. Pribula took the shotgun snap and pitched it to Allar, who was about to be tackled when he shoveled it to tight end Theo Johnson for a touchdown. The eight-play, 79-yard drive extended Penn State’s lead to 14-0 as the first quarter came to a close.
Maryland got back in it on a long drive keyed by Tagovailoa’s precise passing and Penn State miscues. Tagovailoa completed a 28-yard pass to Kaden Prather, who made a brilliant catch to get the Terps into Penn State territory. After another short completion, the Nittany Lion defense stiffened, stopping a Tagovailoa keeper for a four-yard loss and getting a sack on a corner blitz from Johnny Dixon to bring up fourth down and a Maryland punt.
That’s where the mistakes began for Penn State. Liam Clifford was called for roughing the kicker on the punt, giving Maryland a fresh start at the 40. Tagovailoa converted a third and 9 on a 17-yard completion, and after a six-yard toss to Felton, Penn State corner Kalen King was flagged for unnecessary roughness. The penalty brought the Terps to the 7, where Tagovailoa avoided a sack, scrambled and found Roman Hemby for a touchdown. The 13-play, 75-yard drive ate up 7:03 and cut Penn State’s lead to 14-7 with 7:59 left in the half.
Penn State’s offense responded with another well-executed drive. Allar’s 21-yard keeper and a pair of 14-yard completions to Warren and Cephas helped the Nittany Lions get inside the 10. Penn State tried another Pribula keeper that lost two yards before Allar threw a dart to Warren in the end zone, who hauled in the eight-yard pass between defenders for the score. The 75-yard drive pushed Penn State’s lead to 21-7 with 2:34 to go before halftime.
Maryland picked up two first downs, including a third-and-18 conversion on another Tagovailoa completion, to move into Penn State territory as the first half wound down, but the Nittany Lion defense clamped down and forced a punt in the waning seconds. Penn State took a two-touchdown advantage into the locker room.
Tagovailoa was a stunning 22-25 for 205 yards in the first half, including completing his first 18 passes. But the Penn State defense held the Terps to -35 rushing yards (-3 yards not counting Penn State’s four sacks).
Allar was 13-16 for 124 yards and accounted for all three of Penn State’s touchdowns in the half. The Nittany Lions gained 70 yards on the ground, led by Allen’s 29.
Penn State’s offense picked up where it left off to start the second half. Allen carried four times for 20 yards, while a 12-yard Allar pass to Lambert-Smith and a roughing penalty moved the Nittany Lions into Maryland territory. Facing fourth and 1, Allar completed a short pass to wide open tight end Khalil Dinkins for a 16-yard gain, but the drive fizzled from there. Alex Felkins connected on a 30-yard field goal to extend Penn State’s lead to 24-7 just over five minutes into the third.
The Nittany Lion defense, meanwhile, turned up the pressure on the Terps, with Abdul Carter getting into the backfield and Isaac sacking Tagovailoa to force a three and out and a punt. After a Penn State punt on its next possession, the Nittany Lions continued to get after Tagovailoa. He completed a 20-yard pass to JR Smith on Maryland’s next drive, but otherwise threw four incompletions before the Terps punted again.
Penn State went to work again, this time from its own 12. Allen carried five times for 32 yards and Allar continued a steady day moving the Nittany Lions down the field. He connected with Warren for 11 yards on fourth and 2 and completed three passes to Cephas, including a 15-yard touchdown throw to the back corner of the end zone as Penn State moved ahead 31-7.
A pass interference flag on Dixon on fourth and 7 and a roughing penalty on Dani Dennis-Sutton moved the Terps into Penn State territory on the ensuing drive. Tagovailoa then hit Prather for a 13-yard pickup and tossed a short pass to Tai Felton, who broke tackle after tackle for a 30-yard gain to the 1. Tagovailoa finished off the drive with a one-yard pass to Jeshuan Jones for the score. After another PI penalty against Dixon on a two-point try, Antwain Littleton punched it in for two as Maryland narrowed the deficit to 31-15 with 11:27 remaining in the game.
Penn State answered right back Nicholas Singleton set up the Nittany Lion offense with good field position, returning the kickoff 51 yards to the Maryland 41, and Allar hit Lambert-Smith for a 20-yard gain on the first play of the drive. Two Allar runs got the Nittany Lions to the 10, and Allen took care of it from there. The sophomore back powered his way through the Terps defense with a push from a few teammates on a 10-yard run to the end zone as Penn State stretched its lead to 38-15 with 9:14 to go.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty after the touchdown and a Gabe Nwosu kickoff out of bounds started the Terps at the 50, but on the first play of the drive linebacker Dom DeLuca picked off a Tagovailoa pass and ran it back 35 yards to the Maryland 20. With Pribula taking over at quarterback, the Nittany Lions went three and out but tacked on a 35-yard Felkins field goal to open up a 41-15 lead with 7:38 left.
Maryland again turned it over on the first play of its next drive. Linebacker Tony Rojas caught Tagovailoa from behind and forced a fumble that was recovered by Jordan Van Den Berg at the Maryland 26. Penn State picked up a first down, but had to settle for a 39-yard Felkins field goal with just under three minutes left for a 44-15 lead.
Billy Edwards Jr. took over at quarterback on Maryland’s next drive and promptly threw the ball into the arms of Rojas, who returned the interception to the Terps’ 12. After a six-yard pass to Trey Potts, Pribula kept it on a six-yard run as Penn State cracked 50 points for the third time this season with 1:25 left.
The 51-15 victory moved the Nittany Lions’ all-time record against Maryland to 43-3-1.
Next up for Penn State is a showdown with No. 3 Michigan at noon next Saturday in Beaver Stadium. The game will air on Fox.
