Terps Football: 5 Thoughts Before Maryland/Penn State

Game Information

Opponent: #22 Penn State Nittany Lions (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten Conference)
Location: Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium (51,802)
Date: Saturday, November 6, 2021
Time: 3:30 PM ET
TV/Radio Broadcasts: Fox Sports 1, Maryland Sports Radio Network
Series Record: 40-3-1 Penn State

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Following their fifth victory of the season last weekend against Indiana, Maryland will be looking to reach bowl eligibility with another win as they face off against Penn State on Saturday afternoon. The Nittany Lions enter this game having lost their last three games against Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio State. James Franklin is in his eighth year as their head coach, but rumors have been swirling for weeks that he’ll be a top candidate for the current openings at LSU and USC. The Terrapins haven’t fared well against the Nittany Lions historically, but were able to come away with a 35-19 victory in State College last year.

1. Must Win? Won.

Last weekend’s game against Indiana was as close to a must-win as you can get for the Terrapins if they wanted to have any chance at becoming bowl eligible, and they got it done. While it wasn’t the prettiest victory, they rode an historical performance from quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa all the way to their fifth win of the year. While this weekend’s game against Penn State isn’t as necessary a win, it may represent the team’s best remaining chance for an upset. After a physically and emotionally taxing game against Ohio State last weekend, the Nittany Lions will be forced to regroup quickly and avoid a free-fall. With a big home game against Michigan looming for them next weekend, Maryland may be able to catch them with their guards down.

2. Still Can’t Run, Still Can’t Stop the Run

Offensively, Maryland’s running game has seemingly gotten worse every single week. The team enters this game averaging just 122 rushing yards per game, ranking them 102nd in the country. Running backs Tayon Fleet-Davis and Challen Faamatau combined to average 2.3 yards per carry against Indiana, with their longest run being 9 yards. The offensive line wasn’t creating any holes for them to run through or getting any sort of push against the Hoosiers’ defensive line.

For the second week in a row, the Terrapins knew exactly what the opposing team wanted to do offensively: run the ball. And for the second week in a row, they couldn’t do much to stop it. After giving up 292 rushing yards to Minnesota’s running backs, they allowed Indiana’s to average 5.8 yards per carry. If they want to have any chance to compete in their next three games against some of the best teams in the Big Ten Conference’s East Division, their run defense has to tighten things up.

3. Tagovailoa Shines Once Again

While his October didn’t go quite as well as his September did, Tagovailoa capped off the month with his best performance in a Maryland uniform to date. He completed 65% of his passes for 419 yards and two touchdowns, and never really put the ball in harm’s way. It was the first 400-yard passing game for a Terrapin quarterback since Danny O’Brien in 2010, and ranked third all-time for the most passing yards in a game behind two outings by Scott Milanovich. A competent running game would help take some of the pressure off of him, but until then expect offensive coordinator Dan Enos to ride the arm of his talented quarterback.

4. Carriere Finally Breaks Out

He’s been buried on the depth chart for the last four years, but fifth-year senior wide receiver Carlos Carriere had the first breakout performance of his career against Indiana last weekend. He caught eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, and quickly won himself a starting job moving forward. Until his season-ending injury in the team’s game against Iowa, Dontay Demus, Jr. was Tagovailoa’s favorite target on the outside. Carriere is a similar player, tall and long with sneaky speed. If he can prove to be a consistent weapon, he should be a mainstay on the outside with Rakim Jarrett and Marcus Fleming on the inside.

5. Compete While Running the Gauntlet

Beginning this week, Maryland’s next three games take them through the cream of the conference’s crop. After facing the Nittany Lions, they’ll hit the road to face Michigan State before heading back home to take on Michigan. While they won’t be favored in any of these games, keeping some or all of them close into the fourth quarter would be considered a major step in the right direction for the program. If they get obliterated in similar fashion to their games against Iowa and Ohio State, it’ll be hard to find tangible progress when the season is looked back upon, regardless of whether or not they cap it off with a bowl berth.