5 Storylines to Follow as Penn State Hosts Maryland This Weekend

Penn State is 7-2 on the year eyeing a very reasonable path to a 10-win regular season for the first time since 2019 and a bounce-back campaign from the struggles of the past two years. While nothing is guaranteed in Big Ten play a favorable path including Maryland, Rutgers and Michigan State stands in the way of that 10-win mark. Of course you can’t win your 10th game of the year without winning eight and nine, so here are a few storylines to follow as the Nittany Lions look to pick up No. 8 on the year.

Get Him In Again: With just three regular season games left to go there appears to be zero movement in regards to backup quarterback Drew Allar getting the starting nod. Frankly there’s no real reason to at this point either, longtime starter Sean Clifford has done more than enough to get Penn State in a position to win and Allar has done nicely so far in relief of Clifford. All things considered it may have been one thing if Penn State had wanted to start Allar weeks ago, but at this point a few quarters here and there aren’t going to make a big difference in what kind of quarterback he becomes. If Clifford starting and Allar mopping up means Penn State gets to 10 or 11 wins then you should probably just ignore any fan that complains about that outcome. All of that being said, getting Allar back into the game does have value, so Penn State should do that as soon as it is able.

Offensive Line Surge: Penn State’s offensive line has been battling through some injuries but also appears to be playing some of its best football of the past few seasons. Can it keep up that sort of play? Maryland is the No. 55 rushing defense in the nation, about 30 spots better than Indiana was last week so the test will be ever so slightly tougher – in theory. This group is fighting some legitimate injury issues, but if it can continue its solid play that would be quite the win for all parties involved. Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton continue to grow into their roles as runners and smart running back play will certainly help that cause. Penn State has also only given up 13 sacks this year, a mark among the best in the nation.

Keep Him In Check: Taulia Tagoviloa has shown flashes of his brother’s play over the course of his career and has in his own right made a name for himself as a rising quarterback prospect. The Terps were lucky to land him in the transfer portal and he has certainly given Penn State fits in the past. He has fallen back to earth a bit this season but Penn State will still need to keep the fiery arm and active legs under control. In theory Maryland passing the ball should play into the strengths of Penn State’s defense but there’s really not situation in which “a good quarterback throwing the ball a lot” is ever a good thing for a defense.

Don’t Let Up Now: Penn State has managed to find a bit of its swagger and momentum again after a commanding win over Indiana. Sure the Hoosiers aren’t very good, but beating the pants off a bad team is a lot better than the alternatives if you’re James Franklin. Penn State’s schedule works out to three very winnable games the final three weeks of the year and the Nittany Lions could put a lot of bad feelings in the rear view mirror with a four-game winning streak to close out the season. Penn State didn’t shoot itself in the foot against Indiana and sometimes not beating yourself is the easiest way to avoid losing to a bad team. Maryland is probably a bit better than the Hoosiers, but the Nittany Lions should have more than enough in the tank to win if they can get out of their own way. Last week Penn State played with its foot on the gas for four quarters, no reason to let that up now.

Status Quo: Penn State hasn’t won a home game against Maryland since 2018 thanks to a 35-19 defeat at Beaver Stadium in 2020. Things were – different – that season but nevertheless the Terps ability to keep last season’s game fairly close to the tune of a 31-14 Penn State win has made back-to-back games in this series far more interesting than usual. Maryland is generally a much better program than it was a few years ago but Penn State still wants to maintain its status as the big kid on the block in recruiting circles. In reality one game isn’t going to change anything about how these two programs are perceived, but losing two out of three to the Terps, COVID or not, will raise more than a few eyebrows along the eastern front of the conference. Penn State doesn’t need to blow the doors off Maryland each year to prove its point, but it doesn’t need people to think that gap is closing in any significant fashion either.