Ji'Ayir Brown, striking gold, delivers defensive boost in Penn State win

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – As soon as Ji’Ayir Brown stepped in front of Taulia Tagovailoa’s pass, the Terrapins were finished.

Locked in a 24-14 game with Maryland threatening to score late, the Nittany Lions’ senior safety cut in front of receiver Darryl Jones at the 13-yard line to make the interception. The ball secured tightly, Brown raced the other direction to fully put away the Nittany Lions’ 31-14 win over the Terrapins.

Brown and the Penn State defense had just been waiting for the chance.

“We always go into every game looking for that moment,” Brown said. “We’re always trying to score on defense. A three-and-out, a punt, that’s the least of what we expect. We want to get a turnover. We want to score on defense. That’s how we approach every game.”

Improved into becoming one of the nation’s top programs for creating defensive takeaways this season, the Nittany Lions again seized opportunities Saturday night.

And the moments, both attained by Brown, couldn’t have been more important to the Penn State win.

Beginning late in the third quarter, Brown’s big night turned on a mishap between Maryland’s center, quarterback, and running back well into Penn State’s red zone. The first-and-10 scenario turned into a disaster for the Terrapins as Tagovailoa couldn’t wrangle a high snap, bouncing to the Maryland Stadium turf and into Brown’s hands at the 12-yard line with 6 minutes, 51 seconds left in the period.

Still a 14-6 game at the time, the takeaway staved off the Maryland offensive threat for the time being. 

Describing both Brown and Jaquan Brisker as one of the “better combinations of safeties in the country,” head coach James Franklin cited the influence of new Penn State position coach Anthony Poindexter in helping to create that change. Just one season after securing just four interceptions and five fumble recoveries in nine games as a defense, the Nittany Lions upped their total to 16 takeaways on the 2021 campaign Saturday night. 

The realization of points was a far more elusive task realized for the Penn State defense, however.

Rallying around the idea throughout the game, particularly upon Maryland’s score to even the rock fight at 14-14 in the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lion defense was determined to produce points to help end the stalemate. 

Though Jahan Dotson’s 86-yard catch-and-run touchdown would take care of that, giving the Nittany Lions a 21-14 advantage with 13:55 left to play, Brown’s pick-six finished off the effort. 

“To do it in that moment is great,” Brown said. “Coach Pry called a great defense and I was able to execute, being in the right place at the right time, and was able to score a touchdown for us to push the lead up a little bit more. It’s a blessing just to be able to do that for the offense.”

Given some of the struggles the Nittany Lions have attempted to fight through offensively this season, that element was a point of particular pride for the defense in context. 

Holding down a Maryland offense that produced nearly 30 points per game en route to its 5-3 record coming into the game, while delivering a much-needed boost on the scoreboard, Brown said the Lions’ defense was able to fulfill its objective.

“It’s like gold,” Brown said. “You get that interception, you get the score on defense, it takes a lot of pressure off the offense. They don’t have to come on and score every time, you can help the offense out. It’s the same way that offense can help us out, putting us in great situations. So it’s a blessing to score on defense and be able to change the game that way.”