CBS Sports puts Penn State football on ‘upset alert’ against Maryland

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 24: KJ Hamler #1 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after recording a first down against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at Beaver Stadium on November 24, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 24: KJ Hamler #1 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after recording a first down against the Maryland Terrapins during the second half at Beaver Stadium on November 24, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

CBS Sports writer Ben Kercheval explores the idea of Penn State football potentially taking a loss this Friday against Maryland.

Heading into the week four matchup against the Maryland Terrapins, Penn State football has a flawless record. Being 3-0 is an excellent accomplishment and all, but the Nittany Lions weren’t what you would consider an impeccable team thus far.

Despite being unbeaten, Penn State still had tons of things to work on as they approached their bye week. From the offense struggling on third down, to the defense taking a while to get off the field — Penn State had a few improvements that needed to be made before Friday.

However, their week four opponent isn’t exactly flawless either. Through two weeks of football, it felt like Maryland might actually be quite a tough opponent for the Lions. But a loss on the road to Temple University plainly put the Terrapins in their place and sent them back to College Park with a long list of things to work on for themselves.

After a week off though, both teams are looking to showcase their improvements against each other. It is widely assumed that Penn State has the upper-hand in this matchup. But it’s hard to be so sure. That’s why CBS Sports writer Ben Kercheval suggests that the Penn State Nittany Lions could very well be on ‘upset alert’ this Friday.

How could Maryland run away with the victory?

Last week, Penn State was expected to take down their rival, Pittsburgh with ease. As we know, it didn’t happen that way. Although they won, the Panthers kept it pretty close. Penn State has shown its weak spots against Buffalo and Pitt, so now Maryland will try to get a stab at exposing them. Except for they might have the most significant advantage of all — the home crowd.

This week marks the first road game of the season for Penn State, which means it’s also the first road game for the quarterback, Sean Clifford as the starter. Kercheval mentions that PSU’s defense should help out tremendously, but Clifford’s performance could be the difference-maker.

Next. Terps announce it’s a sell out for Friday. dark

“The Nittany Lions defense should travel,” Kercheval writes. “But I’m more interested in quarterback Sean Clifford making his first road start. How the offense performs probably dictates whether this is a blowout or upset in the making.”

So far Clifford has done a decent job of taking care of the football, but he’s also left a lot of meat on the bone while out on the field. Not to mention, he’s caught a few breaks with turnovers as well. We’ll see how he responds to a sold-out crowd as Maryland looks to use home-field advantage to the best of their ability.