Blue White Illustrated

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 O T H E R M A T C H U P S PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 82.1 YPG, 2.5 YPC MARYLAND RUN DEFENSE 212.4 YPG, 4.6 YPC THE LOWDOWN With Zach Zwinak's football career over because of an ankle injury, Akeel Lynch and Bill Belton will split the carries. Belton is the Lions' leading rusher with 266 yards on 72 carries, but Lynch has been their most ef- fective ball carrier with an average of 5.2 yards per attempt. It will be interesting to see who emerges as the Lions' third running back. Cole Chaippialle was impressive in the Blue-White Game last April but was injured and did not dress for the Ohio State game. Penn State ranks last in the Big Ten in rushing offense, but the Terps are 13th in rushing defense, so this matchup could give the Lions an opportunity to get their ground game in gear. EDGE Even PENN STATE PASSING GAME 274.0 YPG, 11.2 YPC MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE 246.0 YPG, 12.1 YPC THE LOWDOWN DaeSean Hamilton is coming off of a spectacular performance against Ohio State in which he totaled 14 catches for 126 yards. For the season, Hamilton has 57 receptions for 686 yards. QB Christian Hackenberg has struggled at times, but he's the Big Ten's leading passer with an average of 265.9 yards per game. Maryland has had trouble stopping opponents through the air. The Terps rank 11th in the Big Ten in pass defense despite having one of the league's best CBs in William Likely. Likely leads the Big Ten with four interceptions, two of which he returned for touchdowns. The key matchup here will be Likely in one-on-one coverage against Hamilton. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE MARYLAND RUNNING GAME 137.5 YPG, 3.9 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 83.4 YPG, 2.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Terps' leading rusher is senior QB C.J. Brown, who has gained 376 yards on 98 attempts and is av- eraging 3.8 yards per carry. Their top two RBs are Brandon Ross (257 yards, 4.4 YPC) and Wes Brown (231 yards, 4.0 YPC). Maryland ranks 11th in the Big Ten in rushing offense and will face its stiffest challenge of the season going up against the Lions. Penn State's rush defense is first in the conference and third in the country. The key matchup here will pit Maryland guards Silvano Altamirano and Andrew Zeller against Penn State OLB Nyeem Wartman and ILB Mike Hull. Against Ohio State, Wartman and Hull combined for 28 tackles. EDGE Penn State MARYLAND RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MARYLAND PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE THE LOWDOWN Maryland will have a big advantage here. Likely leads the Big Ten with an average of 16.3 yards per punt return and has taken one back 69 yards for a TD. In addition, Diggs is an excellent kickoff returner with an average 25.3 yards per attempt. The Terrapins also have one of the best place-kickers in the country in Brad Craddock. Craddock has made 12 of 12 field goal attempts this season, with his longest being 57 yards. EDGE Maryland SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN The Terrapins are ahead of Penn State in the Big Ten standings with a 2-2 conference record, but they come into Saturday's game on a downswing. They were thrashed last week at Wisconsin, falling to the Badgers 52-7, in part because their passing game never got untracked. Diggs finished with only one catch for a 21-yard touch- down in the final minute. EDGE Penn State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN James Franklin and several members of his staff previously coached at Maryland. Franklin was the Ter- rapins' "coach in waiting" when Ralph Friedgen was nearing the end of his tenure, but he eventually left for Van- derbilt instead. The Terps later hired Randy Edsall, and while their record has steadily improved over the past four years, there's been some talk that the former Connecticut coach is on the hot seat. EDGE Penn State COACHING STAFF 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 O C T O B E R 2 9 , 2 0 1 4 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 MARYLAND PASSING GAME 236.4 YPG, 12.8 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 201.3 YPG, 12.0 YPC THE LOWDOWN Brown has completed 55.1 percent of his passes (109 of 198) for 1,316 yards, with eight TDs and six inter- ceptions. In Stefon Diggs (46 catches, 601 yards) and Deon Long (33 catches, 366 yards), he has a pair of sure- handed targets. In addition, Brown likes to throw to Ross out of the backfield. Ross has 11 catches for 202 yards and two TDs, and his average of 18.4 yards per catch is the team's best. Maryland will be going up against a surprisingly effective Penn State pass defense that ranks fifth in the Big Ten in yards allowed and fourth in efficiency rating (107.7). The key matchup here will pit CBs Jordan Lucas and Trevor Williams against Diggs and Long. EDGE Even

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