Sometimes the grades are hard, other times Penn State wins 30-0 and holds its opponent to 134 yards while gaining 413 like it’s nothing. That’s when they’re easy.
Offense: A
The transformation that Penn State has taken this year from being a team that hoped it could one day run the ball to a team that relies on the run is really quite remarkable. Nicholas Singleton has found his physical running game the back half of the year and Kaytron Allen continues to be a do-it-all option for Penn State. The duo racked up up 195 yards on 27 carries with Singleton getting two different touchdowns on fourth down via long runs. These two have really figured out how to thrive in tandem together and Penn State is reaping the benefits of it. All told, the Nittany Lions averaged 5.8 yards per carry and simply worked Maryland over in the trenches. Sean Clifford missed a few throws but otherwise made some plays with his arm and legs that the Nittany Lions needed.
A 12-for-23 night is nothing to write home about, but Clifford was as much a passenger in this game as anything else. Penn State went 5-for-15 on third down but also converted both fourth down attempts. This game was pretty much over by halftime and the offense making the most of short fields made that a reality. Scoring on five of their first seven drives will help the cause any day. It’s hard to argue with 30 points in the rain on a night when things were well in hand at the half. Six catches for Theo Johnson and Brenton Strange really showcased how good this tight end group still is when it doesn’t have to stay in and block.
Defense: A
There was a moment in this game when the idea that Maryland might not finish with positive yardage seemed theoretically possible. The Terps ended the night with 134 yards of offense, but boy was it tough sledding. The Nittany Lions racked up seven sacks and nine tackles for a loss as Maryland averaged just 1.6 yards per carry. The Nittany Lions have put the clamps on teams the last two weeks and Maryland really had no answer aside from a few spot plays here or there. The Terps averaged just 2.2 yards per play and went 4-for-15 on third down. Maryland started three drives all game outside of its own 25 and had one drive in its first eight that lasted longer than four plays.
Six different players recorded a sack, led by Chop Robinson, who had two of his own against his old team. Abdul Carter led the way with seven tackles and Kalen King continued his strong season at corner with two more pass breakups. Linebacker Curtis Jacobs and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. both were in street clothes for this game and Penn State’s defense didn’t lose a step at any level. PJ Mustipher had one tackle, which was a surprise, but Maryland also only had 60 plays from scrimmage, so only so many chances for a DT to get involved. Overall this was a dominating performance from a group that is really laying it on as of late.
Special Teams: A
Jake Pinegar has really redeemed himself after shaky start to the year and added another 50+ yarder to his resume after last week’s long make at Indiana. A 46-yarder on top of that was another highlight for a player who seems to have tuned a corner. Overall he went 3-for-3 on the day and helped cap off some otherwise promising drives with points. Barney Amor didn’t have his best day punting from a distance perspective but he also boomed a 53-yarder and had two of his three punts downed inside the 20, so that’s pretty much what the job is all about. Alex Bacchetta made his debut at punter later on and both of his two punts were downed inside the 20 as well. The only knock in this game might be a still uneventful return area, but that’s probably the least important aspect of the bunch right now.
Coaching: B+
It seems like Drew Allar could have gotten in about two series earlier than he did but at the same time he was probably just going to hand the ball off a bunch anyway. All things considered, that’s really the only reason this grade is dropped. Penn State showed up, blew the doors off a lesser team and never even gave Maryland a sniff of a chance. Manny Diaz has had a great year at defensive coordinator and Mike Yurcich is finding his stride calling plays on offense. This game never really had a moment when coaching decisions really mattered and that’s not a bad thing.
Overall: A
It’s hard to find much fault in a game that ended at the half and didn’t look like much of a contest even before that. Penn State was the better team wire to wire and that was never really in question at any point during the game. This series has had moments that have made it look like a rivalry in the making. That was pretty well snuffed out on Saturday night.
