Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1054766
P R E G A M E R E P O R T M A R Y L A N D @ P E N N S T A T E T I M E 3 : 3 0 P . M . , N O V . 2 4 | T V A B C MARYLAND FACTS COACH Matt Canada (Indiana, '93) COACH'S RECORD 5-6 (3-5 Big Ten) in one season as interim head coach at Maryland; career college record: same 2018 RECORD 5-6, 3-5 Big Ten RECORD VS. PSU Penn State leads the all-time series, 38-2-1. MOST RECENT MEETING Backup quarterback Tommy Stevens rushed for 113 yards and three touchdowns and passed to Tom Pancoast for another score in a 66-3 Penn State victory on Nov. 25, 2017. GOOD NEWS Freshman Anthony McFarland is coming off the second-most-pro- ductive game ever by a Maryland running back. McFarland gained 298 yards last week against Ohio State, just 8 yards short of the school record that LaMont Jordan set against Virginia in 1999. BAD NEWS Maryland has not been very effec- tive at putting pressure on oppos- ing quarterbacks this season. The Terrapins are averaging only 1.6 sacks per game to rank 11th in the Big Ten and 105th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. DID YOU KNOW? Even before D.J. Durkin was fired, Maryland's coaching staff had un- dergone significant change. Five members of this year's staff are in their first season with the pro- gram, including Canada, who was hired in January to be the team's offensive coordinator. Canada had spent the previous season at LSU. M A T T H E R B | M A T T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Before fielding his first question about the game that had ended moments earlier, James Franklin made his pitch. Penn State had just defeated Rut- gers, 20-7, but in the opening statement to his postgame presser, the Nittany Lions' head coach made it clear that he was already thinking about the next one, a clash with Maryland that would bring an end not only to the regular season but also to the tenure of Trace McSorley and his classmates as Beaver Stadium fixtures. Franklin wanted those seniors to feel the love. "We want them to end it on a positive note be- cause of all they've meant to Penn State," he said. "I hope the stadium is sold out for another good Big Ten opponent coming into our place. All these seniors, they deserve that stadium to be sold out and to be sent out the right way. It's going to be an emotional day. We all owe these seniors a world of gratitude, and I hope everyone comes and shows their respect." A late-November sellout would indeed get that message across, and that's not all it would do. A Postseason hopes at stake as Lions, Terrapins get set to do battle 1 N O V E M B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 8 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M With McSorley lead- ing the way, Penn State totaled 534 yards of offense in a 66-3 rout of Mary- land last season. Photo by Steve Manuel NOVEMBER REIGN