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KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   M A R Y L A N D | B Y   P H I L   G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 199.4 YPG, 5.0 YPC // MARYLAND RUN DEFENSE172.5 YPG, 4.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State's running game has struggled lately. In their first five games of the season, the Nittany Lions averaged 261.2 yards, an improvement of more than 90 yards per game from 2017. But going into their regular-season fi- nale, the Lions rank sixth in the Big Ten in rushing offense. RB Miles Sanders is Penn State's leading rusher with 1,095 yards and nine touchdowns on 193 carries (5.7 ypc). He's the third-leading rusher in the Big Ten, averaging 99.6 yards per game. Despite having been slowed by a knee injury, QB Trace McSorley is the Lions' second-leading rusher with 659 yards and nine TDs on 140 carries (4.7 ypc). Penn State leads the Big Ten with 29 rushing TDs. Maryland has strug- gled to stop the run and goes into Saturday's game ranked ninth in the league. The heart of Maryland's defense is its line- backer corps, which features WLB Tre Watson Jr., MLB Isaiah Davis and OLB/DB Antoine Brooks. Watson leads the Terrapins with 110 tackles, followed by Davis with 85 and Brooks with 62. Included in Brooks' total are 9.5 tackles for loss. As a team, Maryland is in the lower half of the Big Ten with 52 tackles for loss. SS Darnell Savage has 5.5, and DE Byron Cowart has five. // KEY MATCHUP If Penn State hopes to run the ball between the tackles, guards Connor Mc- Govern and Steven Gonzalez and C Michal Menet must get to the second level to control Watson, Davis and Brooks. The Lions will have trouble rushing for more than 150 yards if their linemen aren't able to do that. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 212.2 YPG, 13.4 YPC // MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE 202.1 YPG, 13.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State had difficulty throwing the ball against Michigan State, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Wisconsin and Rutgers. McSorley has topped 200 yards only once in the Nittany Lions' past six games, hitting 19 of 36 attempts for 220 yards in a victory at Indiana on Oct. 20. Those struggles have plunged Penn State to ninth place in the Big Ten in passing offense. For the season, McSorley has completed 163 of 306 passes (53.5 percent) for 2,054 yards, with 14 touchdown passes and six interceptions. K.J. Hamler is Penn State's leading receiver with 38 catches for 623 yards and five TDs. TE Pat Freiermuth is next with 22 catches for 303 yards and a team-high six TD receptions. Despite barely playing in Penn State's past four games due to an injury, Juwan Johnson is third on the team with 21 catches for 293 yards. Maryland has displayed a penchant for making the big play, having amassed an FBS-leading 18 interceptions. Watson leads with five picks, while Savage has four. Those interceptions have not been the result of a relentless pass rush; Maryland ranks 11th in the Big Ten with only 17 sacks. // KEY MATCHUP McSorley will have to be aware of Mary- land's zone coverages. Watson is very good at sitting down in zone coverage and guarding against crossing routes 7 to 15 yards downfield. When the Terps use man-to-man coverage, a key matchup will pit Savage against Freiermuth. The freshman has become McSorley's top red zone target. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE MARYLAND RUNNING GAME 244.4 YPG, 6.0 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 177.0 YPG, 4.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNWith Anthony McFarland leading the way, Maryland is fielding the third-ranked running game in the Big Ten. McFarland has rushed for 1,022 yards and four touchdowns on 125 carries (8.2 ypc) and is coming off a spectac- ular performance against Ohio State in which he rushed for 298 yards. Ty Johnson is next with 506 yards and three TDs on 66 carries (7.7 ypc). The Terps do not worry about fielding a balanced offensive attack. They have run the ball 451 times and thrown it 218 times. Penn State ranks 10th in the Big Ten against the run. Its leading tackler is OLB Micah Parsons with 65 stops. MLB Jan Johnson is next with 64 tackles, while safeties Nick Scott and Garrett Taylor have 58 and 56 tackles, respectively. Despite its struggles, Penn State has allowed only 14 rushing TDs and leads the Big Ten with 85 tackles for loss. This is a big-play defense. // KEY MATCHUP When Maryland's offensive front controls the line of scrimmage, its running game can be devastating. The key matchup here will pit the Terps' guards, Sean Christie and Brendan Moore, against defensive tackles Kevin Givens and Robert Windsor. One other key matchup will be the battle between Maryland tackles Damian Prince and Derwin Gray and Penn State ends Yetur Gross-Matos and Sha- reef Miller. If McFarland is able to get outside the tackle box, he can create big running plays. // EDGE Maryland MARYLAND RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MARYLAND PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N M A R Y L A N D H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. MARYLAND RUN DEFENSE 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 4 MARYLAND PASSING GAME 137.3 YPG, 13.6 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 186.6 YPG, 10.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNTo put it bluntly, Maryland has a one-dimensional offense. If the Terps are forced to rely on the pass, they'll most likely lose to Penn State. Maryland's passing game ranks 13th in the Big Ten, and it recently lost starting QB Kasim Hill to a season-ending ACL injury. Hill's replacement, sophomore Tyrrell Pigrome, has attempted only 44 passes all season, completing 23 for 376 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception. The Terps' leading re- ceiver is Taivon Jacobs with 23 catches for 298 yards and two TDs. Jeshaun Jones is next with 20 catches for 271

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