Penn State toys with Maryland in 30-0 win: Highs and Lows

Penn State slayed one of its season-long demons Saturday afternoon in a 30-0 win over Maryland. The Nittany Lions, on both sides of the ball, started fast.

Suffocating Maryland’s offense with an immediate three-and-out, the Nittany Lion defense offered a preview of the game’s entirety. And, on the other side of the ball, Penn State moved 47 yards over nine plays, capped by a fourth-and-1 touchdown carry for Nicholas Singleton.

Doubt over the game’s outcome wasn’t present much of the rest of the way, despite a steady November rain blanketing Beaver Stadium.

Earning a second win in as many weeks, here is a look at the highs and lows from Penn State’s dominating win:

Penn State, Maryland Highs and Lows

PLAYER OF THE GAME Nicholas Singleton virtually won the game for Penn State on two individual carries, taking fourth-and-short carries to the house, twice. But, he has to share this nod with Chop Robinson and Abdul Carter, each of whom was dominant throughout Penn State’s win. 

PLAY OF THE GAME The snap to Sean Clifford and handoff to Singleton wasn’t exactly a clean sequence, but ’twas enough. Facing a fourth-and-a-foot with a 7-0 lead late in the first quarter, Singleton made it not matter as he burst through his blockers and found nothing in between him and the 45 yards remaining to the goal line. 

BEST PASS On Penn State’s first possession of the game, facing a second-and-goal from the 3, Clifford rolled to his right, moved with tight end Brenton Strange, and fired a bullet to complete a touchdown and take a 7-0 lead. 

BEST RUN Singleton’s second fourth-and-1 touchdown midway through the second quarter might have been more impressive than the first. This time at the Maryland 27-yard line while holding a 14-0 advantage, Singleton carried Maryland safety Deonte Banks with him into the end zone to take a 21-0 lead.

BEST CATCH The play didn’t count due to a hold, but the tipped-ball catch by Maryland’s Tai Felton, while keeping his feet in bounds, was particularly impressive. 

BEST SACK Carter set ‘em up, and Zane Durant knocked ‘em down. Already pinning Maryland deep to open the game, the Nittany Lions feasted on third-and-long by slinging quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa for an 8-yard loss. Penn State had four before 20 minutes had elapsed in the game. 

BEST HIT How can a singular hit be highlighted when the Nittany Lion defense played with such ill intent all afternoon? This was a dominant defensive performance, routinely sending Tagovailoa to the Beaver Stadium turf with emphasis. 

BEST EFFORT Penn State’s defense deserves a ton of credit for its performance Saturday, but it was the Nittany Lion offensive line that hands down earned the distinction for best effort. Losing Olu Fashanu, Landon Tengwall, and Caedan Wallace to injury, with Hunter Nourzad and Sal Wormley battling through their own injury issues, Penn State turned to true freshman Drew Shelton and managed to preserve redshirts for JB Nelson and Vega Ioane in the process.

BEST KICK Rounding out the end of the first half, Jake Pinegar capped an odd possession with a 50-yard field goal. In the fringe red zone after a roughing the kicker penalty extended the drive, an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty assessed to James Franklin stunted the reprise. Then he did it again with a 46-yarder as time expired. 

WORST DECISION Franklin wants to operate his program with a bold and aggressive mindset, extending to every facet. Saturday afternoon, given the opportunity to deliver valuable game reps to a true freshman quarterback against a Maryland team unable to even feign an offensive threat, Franklin veered from his self-proscribed script.

Staying with Clifford for the first and second possessions of the third quarter, only once Penn State took a 30-0 advantage did Drew Allar enter the game with 3:38 remaining in the quarter. The decision was a disservice to Allar and, maybe more importantly, the longterm investment to the program moving forward.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Defensive end Zuriah Fisher isn’t the story, but his return to not only play, but make a late-game tackle, absolutely deserves mention here. Lost for what appeared to be a season-ending knee injury in the program’s spring practices, to grind through rehabilitation and become a usable piece on the Nittany Lion defense is a credit to his perseverance.