Penn State Football Season Rewind: Nittany Lions Run all Over Maryland
Penn State used a potent ground attack to down the Maryland Terrapins.
After a dramatic comeback victory over the Minnesota Golden Gophers, Penn State remained at Beaver Stadium for a matchup with the Maryland Terrapins. With close games between the two teams in each of the previous two years, including a win by Maryland at Beaver Stadium in 2014, the 2016 version bucked that trend.
Penn State got a great offensive performance, particularly on the ground, and ran away with a 38-14 victory.
The Nittany Lions got on the board quickly when Trace McSorley hit tight end Mike Gesicki for a short touchdown pass. Maryland tied the game up later in the quarter on a 66-yard pass from Perry Hillis to Ty Johnson.
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A Tyler Davis field goal early in the second quarter gave Penn State a lead that it would never relinquish. Two rushing touchdowns in the second period by McSorley and Saquon Barkley put the Nittany Lions up by 10 at the half.
Two unanswered touchdowns in the second half put the game away for Penn State. The first came on a 70-yard touchdown pass to DeAndre Thompkins at the end of the third period. The next one came on a 25-yard touchdown run by freshman Miles Sanders in the fourth quarter.
Penn State finished the day with over 500 yards of total offense, including 372 on the ground. Barkley led the way with 202 yards. McSorley added 81, while backup quarterback Tommy Stevens ran four times for 36 yards.
There wasn’t a big need to go through the air, as McSorley threw just 19 times for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Thompkins led the team with four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
The defense had a great performance and held the Terps to just 270 total yards. The Nittany Lions recorded four sacks and forced two turnovers. Former walk-on linebacker Brandon Smith recorded a game-high 14 tackles.
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With the win, the Nittany Lions headed into the bye week with back-to-back victories and prepared to welcome the Ohio State Buckeyes.