Penn State-Maryland takeaways: Jahan Dotson stars, a back to lean on, more

COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Penn State has ended its losing streak.

Sean Clifford connected on three touchdowns tosses to Jahan Dotson, the Lions’ defense forced two turnovers, and the visitors did enough to win at Maryland, 31-14.

Let’s dive into the takeaways.

1. It wasn’t pretty, but…

No one will mistake the Nittany Lions’ sixth victory of the year as a football masterpiece. But, after losing three straight games, they did what they had to do to get back in the win column.

Penn State sputtered on offense at times but it still netted 458 yards and didn’t surrender a turnover. The defense bent a couple of times but never broke despite a few quality series from Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa, and it created two turnovers. The Lions even dealt with a subpar night from usually rock-solid punter Jordan Stout.

A pretty win was not required. A victory certainly was, though. With one secured, the Lions are now bowl eligible with three regular season games to go.

2. Dotson shows why he’s a star

The NFL Draft hype has been building for Jahan Dotson ever since he decided to return for another college football season. It was certainly the right choice.

Dotson had three touchdowns on the day and finished with 11 catches for a new single-game school record 242 yards He often ran himself open and hauled in almost everything that came his way. The most impressive score of the trio saw him catch a Sean Clifford pass at the PSU 35 before turning on the burners and outracing numerous Maryland defenders to the end zone.

The Nittany Lions needed their star to be one in this game, and No. 5 answered the call in a big way.

3. It’s time to pick a running back

James Franklin has talked often about wanting a running back to step up and become ‘the guy’ for his Penn State team.

From our point of view, Keyvone Lee has made a strong enough case to be that player.

Despite not being used as often as he probably should have been, Lee was the best runner on this night. He finished with eight carries for 50 yards and averaged 6.3 yards per carry.

Penn State has been looking for a leader in its backfield. Lee appears to be it, and it’s time to lean on him more.

4. What was Penn State aiming to do before halftime?

Penn State allowed Maryland to score its first points late in the first half. It meant the Nittany Lions were getting the ball back at their own 25 with three timeouts and 1:15 to play in the half.

It feels like a safe bet to say that most teams would have tried at least one or two pass plays to try and set up the chance for points prior to the break. That’s especially true when the other team is getting the ball to start the second half. Penn State did not go that route, however. Instead, it threw an incomplete pass and ran four times, which resulted in two first downs.

With no sense of urgency, it seemed likely that Franklin’s side was content with just going to the half. But, after a seven-yard John Lovett run to move the chains and set the visitors up with a fresh set of downs at their own 46, Franklin called timeout with three seconds left. That suggested that a hail mary was coming. Instead, Penn State broke its huddle and took a knee to end the half.

While it didn’t impact the outcome of the game, the game management during that sequence was baffling.

5. Final thoughts

Some quick hit thoughts on Penn State-Maryland:

–Drops continue to impact this offense. KeAndre Lambert-Smith had one in the second half that could have cost Penn State points if Dotson didn’t bail them out a couple of plays later. The drive ended with a field goal.

–Brandon Smith had a tremendous game. The linebacker had a team-high nine tackles (2.5 for loss) and also a pair of pass

–That was an incredible pick six by Ji’Ayir Brown, who read the play perfectly, secured the interception, and was never close to being caught on his way to the end zone.