Penn State vs. Maryland Position Grades

Oct 24, 2015; Baltimore, MD, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions safety Malik Golden (6) and teammates react after his game sealing interception against the Maryland Terrapins at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

Secondary: 

Of the entire Penn State defense, the secondary had the best game against the Terps. The Nittany Lions gave up just 225 yards through the air and came up with three interceptions, all by defensive backs.

As I said before, Penn State really struggled against the run game, and that’s not on the secondary, as the defensive line and linebackers should be able to take care of runners. Against the Terps, the secondary was able to hold it’s ground when any runner made its way through. Maryland’s longest run of the day went for 36 yards.

Several Penn State defensive backs played well on Saturday. Safety Marcus Allen led the group with nine total tackles, including a sack where he shot quickly through the line and made a great play. He also recovered a fumble in the game. Fellow safety Jordan Lucas recorded seven tackles and a pass breakup.

Penn State got an early interception by Grant Haley that ended a Maryland scoring threat and one late that sealed the win by Malik Golden. Cornerback Trevor Williams also had an interception in the fourth quarter, though he would have been better off dropping it. The Terps went for it on fourth down on their own 36 and Williams made the interception at the Penn State 37, causing the Nittany Lions to lose 27 important yards.

Overall the secondary fared better than any other piece of the defense. There were two pass plays of over 40 yards given up, but all-in-all, because of the interceptions, it was a decent day for the unit.

Grade: B-

Next: Special Teams