Penn State-Maryland primer: Kick time, TV info, latest spread, stat leaders, more
It’s Penn State game day again.
Head coach James Franklin’s team is set to take on Maryland this afternoon in a clash between two teams seeking their sixth win.
Will the Nittany Lions clinch a bowl berth, or will the Terrapins punch their first trip to the postseason since 2016?
We’re setting the table for Saturday’s Big Ten East showdown.
Penn State-Maryland time and TV info
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on FOX Sports One (channel finder). Dan Hellie and Petros Papadakis have the television broadcast call.
The Penn State Sports Network will have the radio stream with Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp. It can be found on affiliates across Pennsylvania, at GoPSUsports.com, and on Sirius/XM/Internet channels 83.
What’s the spread?
Per VegasInsider, the consensus spread is Penn State -10 as of Saturday morning.
Tale of the coaching tape
James Franklin is 65-31 over eight seasons at Penn State, and 5-2 versus Maryland. He seeks his 90th overall head coaching victory Saturday.
Mike Locksley is 11-20 at Maryland, 13-46 over six seasons as a head coach, and 1-2 against Penn State.
Penn Stat stat leaders
Passing: Sean Clifford has completed 172 of 264 passes (65.15%) for 2,008 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Rushing: Noah Cain has 258 yards on 83 carries through eight games and four touchdowns.
Receiving: Jahan Dotson’s 60 catches for 690 yards and six touchdowns are tops on the team in all three categories.
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Defense: Middle linebacker Ellis Brooks is first with 62 tackles. End Arnold Ebiketie has a team-high 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown leads with three interceptions.
Special teams: Jordan Stout is 12 for 17 on field goal tries, has boomed 39 of 42 kickoffs for touchbacks, and averages 48.46 yards per punt, half of which have resulted in a fair catch.
Maryland stat leaders
Passing: Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa sports a 70 percent completion percentage as he’s 198-of-282 so far this year for 2,384 yards (298.0), 17 -to-8 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Rushing: Tayon Fleet-Davis has carried 79 times for 399 yards and six touchdowns.
Receiver: Dontay Demus Jr., who is hurt and will not play, is still the team’s leading receiver with 28 receptions for 507 and three touchdowns. The top pass catcher who is expected to be active is Rakim Jarrett, who has a 31-463-5 line.
Defense: Safety Nick Cross leads the Terps’ defense in tackles (46) and interceptions (two). Defensive lineman Sam Okuayinonu has a team-high five sacks.
Special teams: Joseph Petrino is 10 of 14 on field goal tries. Maryland uses two different punters, Anthony Pecorella and Colton Spangler.
Staff picks
Nate Bauer: Penn State 24, Maryland 20
Greg Pickel: Penn State 33, Maryland 14
David Eckert: Penn State 31, Maryland 24
Matt Herb: Penn State 28, Maryland 24
Ryan Snyder: Penn State 31, Maryland 17
This week’s other games of note
We’ll be keeping an eye on these games throughout the day:
Ohio State at Nebraska, Noon (FOX)
Michigan State at Purdue, 3:30 (ABC)
Auburn at Texas A&M, 3:30 (CBS)
Indiana at Michigan, 7:30 p.m. (FOX)
San Diego State at Hawaii, 11 p.m. (FS1)
Best of BWI’s Penn State-Maryland pregame reading
James Franklin: College football has changed and “we have to change with it”
Penn State Mailbag: What are the most difficult positions to recruit?
A Penn State recruiting note; keys to beating Maryland, more: Friday’s Fifth Quarter
Projecting the Penn State football depth chart at Maryland
Previewing Penn State vs Maryland: Mike Locksley on PSU fans, Lions defense, more
