Maryland football trailed 21-0 with 2:28 left in the first half, but the Terps were set to receive the football — and hopefully garner some momentum entering halftime — as Penn State punted on fourth down.
That didn’t happen, as Maryland defensive back Dante Trader was penalized for roughing the punter when he hip checked Barney Amor on the punt, resulting in a free 15 yards and an automatic first down for Penn State.
Instead of gaining even the slightest bit of momentum, the Terps allowed a field goal on the extended drive — and another as the half expired — to enter halftime down 27-0.
For the second week in a row, Maryland football displayed an atrocious performance on the field. The Terps fell to No.14 Penn State, 30-0.
“It is time that we, starting with myself, take a deep look at everything we’re doing — on offense, on defense, on special teams — and find a way to get us back on the right track,” coach Mike Locksley said.
After Maryland went three-and-out on its opening drive, Penn State moved the ball down the field with ease.
A nine-play, 47-yard drive ended in seven for the Nittany Lions when quarterback Sean Clifford rolled to his right and found tight end Brenton Strange in the end zone for a three-yard touchdown.
Maryland’s offensive line struggled significantly on its first two drives, as quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa was sacked twice before completing a single pass.
Late in the first quarter, Penn State elected to go for it on fourth-and-one on the Maryland 45-yard line.
Lined up with three in the backfield behind Clifford, running back Nicholas Singleton took the handoff and slivered his way through for the first down. Singleton wasn’t done on the play, as the freshman burst past the Maryland defense en route to a 45-yard score to put the Nittany Lions up by two touchdowns.
Midway through the second quarter, deja vu struck.
Faced with a fourth-and-one on the Maryland 27-yard line, the Nittany Lions lined up in the T formation once again. Singleton squeezed past the big men and broke through, taking the handoff the distance as he dragged defensive back Deonte Banks into the end zone with him.
“Fourth down, everybody in the box on both sides and just [a] wide open gap,” defensive back Beau Brade said. “The running back cut upfield, broke some arm tackles and then was gone.”
Penn State led 21-0 before Maryland registered its second first down of the game.
With less than two minutes left in the second quarter, Maryland was set to take possession of the ball as Penn State punted from its own 46-yard line. However, Trader was penalized for roughing the punter, which continued Penn State’s drive.
The Nittany Lions took advantage of the penalty, as Jake Pinegar connected on a 50-yard field goal to put Penn State up 24-0.
Pinegar nailed a 46-yarder to end the first half to give Penn State a 27-0 lead at halftime.
Penn State registered 10 more first downs and 269 more yards than Maryland in the half.
“Credit their defense, they had a good gameplan, we just didn’t execute the way we wanted to,” running back Roman Hemby said. “We had the plays that we wanted to get done, we just didn’t get them done.”
The Nittany Lions scored first in the second half with a 21-yard field goal, extending their lead to 30.
The Terps moved the ball over midfield for just the third time of the day on a 12-play drive in the middle of the third quarter, but Tagovailoa’s fourth down pass intended for wide receiver Jacob Copeland was broken up by cornerback Kalen King. The incompletion resulted in Maryland’s second turnover-on-downs of the game.
Freshman Drew Allar took over at quarterback for the Nittany Lions on the ensuing drive, ending Clifford’s day. Clifford finished 12-23 for 139 yards and one touchdown.
Billy Edwards took over in relief of Tagovailoa midway through the fourth quarter. Tagovailoa suffered his second-straight poor performance since he returned from a knee injury, as he finished with just 74 passing yards, no touchdowns and a 50% completion percentage.
The final quarter was a scoreless one, resulting in a 30-0 win for Penn State.
“Now’s not the time to panic,” Locksley said. “We’ve still got two games left. We’re in a great situation but it is time to really take a hard look inside to make sure we’re playing the right guys, we’re doing the right things in all three phases and get it fixed to get us back on the right track.”
Maryland’s offensive line was completely outmatched by Penn State, as Tagovailoa was sacked a season-high seven times. Defensive end Chop Robinson led the Nittany Lions with two sacks.
For the third week in a row, the Terps allowed over 200 yards on the ground. Singleton led Penn State’s rushing attack with 122 yards, while running back Kaytron Allen added 73 yards himself.
Maryland will look for its first win since Oct. 22 next week at home when the Terps face No. 2 Ohio State.
