5 Thoughts Before Maryland/Penn State

Game Information

Opponent: #14 Penn State Nittany Lions (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten Conference)
Location: Beaver Stadium (106,572)
Date: Saturday, November 12, 2022
Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: FOX, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 41-3-1 Penn State

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Following their worst loss of the season against Wisconsin last weekend, Maryland heads back on the road to face off with Penn State on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions enter this game ranked #14 in the country, with their only losses of the year coming at the hands of Michigan and Ohio State. Head coach James Franklin’s squad currently sits at third place in the Big Ten Conference’s East Division, just one spot above the fourth place Terrapins.

1. Well, That Was Ugly

Maryland’s loss to Wisconsin was about as ugly as it gets. Brutal weather conditions featuring the trifecta of cold, rain, and wind made it nearly impossible for either team to do anything through the air. Both quarterbacks were held under 100 yards passing and averaged less than five yards per attempt. The difference in the game came on the ground, where the Badgers held a clear advantage. Interim head coach Jim Leonhard’s squad ran for nearly 300 yards, including an 89-yard run by wide receiver Isaac Guerendo on a jet sweep early in the second quarter. The Terrapins averaged less than three yards per carry, and their longest run was just 15 yards.

At the end of the day, this was another major opportunity wasted for Maryland. It’s become a recurring theme for the team under head coach Michael Locksley, and strongly resembles losses to Penn State in 2019, Iowa in 2021, and Purdue earlier this season. If they want to prove that they’re better than this performance showed, they’ll likely need to pull off an upset in one of their next two games.

2. Tagovailoa Needs a Bounce-Back Game

It was hard to expect much out of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa given the weather conditions he was dealing with against Wisconsin. In addition to it being his first game back after missing time with a knee injury, he was clearly struggling to grip the football. To add insult to injury, center Coltin Deery had a number of very bad snaps which put the team behind the chains on multiple occasions.

Tagovailoa has had a fantastic career in College Park, and will go down as one of the best quarterbacks to wear a Maryland uniform whenever he decides to depart. Throughout his three seasons as the team’s starter behind center, his truly poor performances can be counted on two fingers: 2020 at Northwestern, and 2021 vs. Iowa. Following his bad game against the Wildcats, he strung together two fantastic games which led to wins over Minnesota and Penn State. In those two games, he threw for nearly 700 yards and six touchdowns with just one interception. After the loss to the Hawkeyes he was without his best two receivers, but still threw for nearly 900 yards and five touchdowns over the course of the next three games. The Terrapins will be counting on a similar bounce-back performance from him in Happy Valley this weekend.

3. Be Ready to Defend Fast

If there’s one thing you can always expect from a Mike Yurcich-coordinated team, it’s that they’ll be looking to push the tempo early and often. The second-year Penn State play caller spent his most formative years coaching under Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State, and he incorporates many of those same Air Raid principles into his scheme in Happy Valley. Led by sixth-year quarterback Sean Clifford, the Nittany Lions will utilize wide splits from their wide receivers to both run the ball into a lighter defensive box and throw quick screens and slants to the perimeter. Once they’ve sucked the safeties close to the line of scrimmage, they’ll fake some of these quicker routes and throw the ball deep down the sidelines.

Defensive coordinator Brian Williams’ unit has played well so far this season, particularly against the run. They’ll need to be prepared for Penn State’s tempo, substitute every time the offense does so, fight through screens, and be disciplined enough on the back end to avoid getting caught on deep shots. Last season, Clifford threw for more than 350 yards and three touchdowns against the Terrapins. Of course, 242 of those yards and each of the scores were to Jahan Dotson who is currently in the NFL.

4. Moving the Ball Through the Air

Despite a ton of talent in their secondary led by cornerback Joey Porter, Jr., defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s unit has had their share of issues against the pass. Purdue, Auburn, Central Michigan, and Ohio State all threw for more than 275 yards on them. While they’ve been better at keeping teams out of the end zone and do have ten interceptions so far this season, there’s a clear opportunity to move the ball through the air. Given that this will be the second-best passing attack that Penn State has seen this year behind the Buckeyes, Tagovailoa may be primed for a big day.

5. Last Chance to Prove Yourselves

With Ohio State and Rutgers the only games left on the schedule after Saturday’s matchup, this may be Maryland’s final opportunity to prove that they’re ready to take that next step as a football program. They haven’t beaten a Top 15 team since 2007, and haven’t beaten a ranked conference opponent since 2010. It was just two years ago that the Terrapins blew out the Nittany Lions on the road, and last season’s game was tightly contested. At the very least this needs to be another close game, but a win would go a long way to putting the losses against Purdue and Wisconsin to bed.