Jahan Dotson, Penn State wideouts take Maryland man coverage personally en route to record breaking performance

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — After watching Penn State wideout Jahan Dotson torch his Maryland defense Saturday, setting a new school record for single-game receiving yards and finding the end zone three times along the way, Mike Locksley offered a cut-and-dry explanation for what he saw.

“He ran slant routes for 242 yards against man coverage,” Locksley said postgame.

Maybe it wasn’t quite that simple, but you get the gist.

Maryland’s man coverage stood no chance against Dotson, who accumulated 125 yards after the catch on 11 receptions. Dotson picked up plenty of that chunk on an 86-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter, giving Penn State a lead that it would eventually convert into a 31-14 win to move to 6-3 on the season.

The Terrapins’ man coverage scheme was burned into Dotson’s memory, and not just because it was on the scouting report. Maryland had used it heavily last season, when it came to Beaver Stadium and left with a 35-19 victory.

Dotson had 123 yards and a touchdown in that game, but it wasn’t enough. Saturday, he nearly doubled that total.

“We know the coverages they were going to give us,” Dotson said. “Last year, they played us man the entire game, so we kind of took that personal, took that on the wide receivers.

“That’s a wide receiver’s dream, man coverage. We weren’t able to execute last year, we weren’t able to get enough points on the board. We kind of took that on the wide receivers’ shoulders. When you’re one-on-one, you’ve gotta win. That’s what you do as a wide receiver. You gotta separate.”

That’s what Dotson did, over and over again until the single-game receiving yard record of 216 set previously by Deon Butler was forced to settle for second best.

Penn State offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich has a habit of feeding the hot hand in any particular game, Dotson said, and he did that Saturday — including at the game’s most crucial moment.

The Terrapins had just marched down the field to tie the game at 14 early in the fourth quarter. On the first play of the ensuing Penn State drive, Sean Clifford took a sack, setting the Nittany Lions up with second-and-18 deep in their own territory.

The play the Nittany Lions dialed up from there was designed to rip through the Maryland coverage. It did exactly that, with Dotson streaking over the middle of the field with nothing but green grass in front of him, leaving his man in the dust.

Penn State defensive tackle Derrick Tangelo said Dotson’s teammates call him the human joystick. He gave that nickname justice Saturday.

“He’s just crafty,” Penn State corner Tariq Castro-Fields said. “He has a lot of tricks in his book. His release game is crazy. He knows manipulation, as far as getting in blind spots.”

Clifford, who finished with 363 passing yards and a touchdown, said Dotson wants the ball on every single play.

Penn State strives to get it to him as much as possible. Clifford targeted Dotson on 15 of his 46 attempts Saturday night, and who could blame him? He is Penn State’s answer to every question on the offensive side of the ball.

“I’m not surprised at all by what he did tonight,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “They were playing very aggressive man coverage, either Cover One or Cover Zero. We knew if we got the ball in his hands, he could make those type of plays. He’s really done it his entire career.”

It’s a career that is shaping up to be more and more remarkable in the context of Penn State history.

He’s up to 932 receiving yards this season, nine games in. He also surpassed the 2,500-yard threshold through the air for his career, to go along with 23 touchdowns.

Dotson told the media this offseason that he often writes to himself about being legendary. That was his goal entering this season. He has a notebook full of scribbling to prove it.

In front of a group of aunts and uncles who had never seen him play live before, Dotson wrote a new page in Penn State’s book of legends.

He didn’t even need to lift his pen.