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Penn State Football: 3 Keys to beating Maryland

By Lawrence Santa Maria

Sep 27, 2019; College Park, MD, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) celebrates with Nittany Lions wide receiver Jahan Dotson (5) after scoring a touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins in the first quarter at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2019; College Park, MD, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Sean Clifford (14) celebrates with Nittany Lions wide receiver Jahan Dotson (5) after scoring a touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins in the first quarter at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 31, 2020; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Devyn Ford (28) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes as an official falls down at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2020; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Devyn Ford (28) runs with the ball during the first quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes as an official falls down at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports /

Getting the Run Game Going

Penn State football was unable to get the ground game going Saturday against Ohio State, rushing for only 44 yards 27 carries.

Sophomore Devyn Ford was the only running back to carry the ball, and he was an unsuccessful 8 rushes for 36 yards, with 23 of them coming on one play. The lack of a rushing attack made Penn State one dimensional and predictable and led to three 3-and-out drives in the first half alone.

Luckily for the Nittany Lions, Maryland may be exactly what the doctor ordered this week, as the Terrapins have given up an astounding 587 rushing yards and 9 touchdowns on the ground in two games this season.

Last Friday, Gopher running back Mohamed Ibrahim ran for 207 yards and four scores, forcing Minnesota signal caller Tanner Morgan to only have to throw the ball 15 times all game. This is a Maryland front four who only returned one starter from a year ago, and is a bit undersized with only one guy over 300 lbs.

The Penn State offensive line has been a disappointment to this point, and should have no problems opening up massive holes along the line of scrimmage. Expect not just Ford, but also freshmen backs Coziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee to see plenty of touches this week, opening up the passing game for Sean Clifford and company.

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