Penn State vs. Maryland Position Grades

Oct 24, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Perry Hills (11) tackled by Penn State Nittany Lions tackle Anthony Zettel (98) at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Line: 

The wild dogs didn’t have their best game against Maryland. The defense as a whole struggled to stop the Maryland rushing attack, specifically quarterback Perry Hills. The Terps put up 466 yards of total offense with 241 coming on the ground.

Although the numbers in terms of yards are not impressive, the guys up front did play well to an extent.

Defensive tackle Austin Johnson led the unit with nine total tackles, including one-and-a-half tackles-for-loss. Johnson also had a pass breakup. Fellow defensive tackle Anthony Zettel recorded seven total tackles, including a sack.

Carl Nassib continued his breakout campaign. Though he finished with just four tackles, two went for a loss and one was a sack. Nassib is still statistically one of the best defensive ends in the country. Garrett Sickels also played well. He made just two tackles but did recover an important fourth quarter fumble and return it 36 yards.

The Maryland offense was able to move the ball. The Penn State defensive line wasn’t its dominating self, but still got the job done. However, the bottom line is, the Nittany Lions struggled to get off the field in some key spots and gave up a huge chunk of yards on the ground.

Grade: C

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