Opponent Preview: What can Penn State fans expect from Maryland in 2023?

Penn State is just one week out from the start of the 2023 season. Expectations are as high as they’ve ever been under head coach James Franklin, as the Nittany Lions will start the year at No. 7 overall in both major polls. Between the excitement surrounding Drew Allar and a host of future NFL players, there’s no shortage of storylines to follow.

But their schedule also features marquee games throughout the 2023 season. Before shifting our focus to Maryland, Penn State fans can recap our previous opponent previews below.

West Virginia
Illinois
Iowa
Northwestern
Ohio State
Indiana

Quick Facts

All-Time Series: Penn State leads 42-3-1
Last Meeting: Penn State held visiting Maryland to 134 yards in a 30-0 shutout on Nov. 12, 2022.
Head Coach: Mike Locksley (21-28 in five full seasons and one partial season at Maryland; career coaching record: 23-54)
2022 Record: 8-5, 4-5 Big Ten
Returning Starters: 10 (4 offense, 5 defense, 1 specialist)

Returning Leaders

Rushing: RB Roman Hemby (989 yards, 10 TD)
Passing: QB Taulia Tagovailoa (3,008 yards, 18 TD)
Receiving: WR Jeshaun Jones (557 yards, 4 TD)
Tackles: S Beau Brade (85)
Sacks: OLB Jaishawn Barham (4)
Interceptions: S Beau Brade, S Dante Trader Jr. (2)

What Could Go Right

A manageable nonconference schedule followed by two winnable Big Ten games could set the stage for a battle of unbeatens when Maryland visits Ohio State in Week 6.

What Could Go Wrong

The rebuilt offensive and defensive lines could fail to jell, which would make it very difficult for Maryland to pull off the upsets it has been seeking over Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State.

Summary

Michigan has J.J. McCarthy, and Ohio State always seems to have someone waiting in the wings ready to lead the Big Ten in passing. But after those teams, Maryland might boast the Big Ten’s best quarterback situation this year.

Taulia Tagovailoa is back for his fourth season in College Park and is already the Terrapins’ all-time leader with 7,879 career passing yards and 51 touchdowns. A year ago, Tagovailoa completed 67 percent of his attempts for 3,008 yards, with 18 touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

Maryland has steadily improved ever since Tagovailoa arrived via the transfer portal from Alabama, going from two wins in 2020 to seven the following year and eight last fall.

But the Terps have yet to beat either Ohio State or Michigan in that span, and their only win over Penn State came during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. If they’re going to take the next step forward as a program, from taking a mayonnaise bath at the Duke’s Mayo Bowl to playing somewhere on New Year’s Day, they’ll need to be more competitive against the East Division’s three perennial powers.

Link: Penn State DT Zane Durant eyes run-stopping improvement

Maryland has signaled its intentions by making big investments in facilities and coaching talent. The Terps have spent nearly $200 million to overhaul their football complex, and earlier this year they brought in two high-profile names to oversee their offense: former Houston and Texas A&M head coach Kevin Sumlin and former Michigan and Miami offensive coordinator Josh Gattis. Penn State fans will of course remember Gattis from his tenure as the Nittany Lions’ receivers coach.

The Terps have had to hit the transfer market to replenish their offensive line and receiving corps, but they’ve got a homegrown star in the backfield. Roman Hemby is back after rushing for 989 yards and 10 touchdowns a year ago. His 1,287 yards from scrimmage were the third-most by a freshman in the FBS last year, and if Maryland can adequately fill its four starting vacancies on the offensive line, the 6-foot, 200-pound Hemby should be headed for another big year as a sophomore.

Defensively, the Terps’ strength is a talented linebacker corps headlined by sophomore Jaishawn Barham and seniors Ruben Hyppolite II and Fa’Najae Gotay. Barham knows how to make plays in the opponent’s backfield, having finished with 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks in 2022.

The defensive front and secondary have been largely rebuilt, with some of that manpower coming from the transfer portal. Maryland fielded a middling defense last year, ranking eighth in the Big Ten in points allowed (23.2 per game) and ninth in yards (357.1). A better performance, coupled with another strong showing by the offense, could get Maryland closer to where it wants to be as a program.