Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/557480
K I C K O F F I S S U E BIG-GAME HUNTING Eager to build rivalries in their new league, Maryland and Rutgers take aim at PSU. But is the feeling mutual? | B efore facing Maryland in Beaver Stadium last November, Penn State captains Miles Dieffenbach, Christian Hackenberg, Jesse Della Valle and C.J. Olaniyan strode to midfield and extended their arms. They expected their Terrapin counterparts – P.J. Gallo, Stefon Diggs and Sean Davis – to do likewise, because why wouldn't they? The pregame handshake is one of the most ritualized parts of game day, as automatic as the coin flip and the national anthem. But as the Penn State contingent approached, Gallo, Diggs and Davis stepped back, their arms never leaving their sides. Sensing trouble – there had already been a fight during warm-ups – an umpire quickly stepped in be- tween the players to prevent Maryland's snub from escalating into something worse. Nothing happened, but plenty of harm had already been done. All any- one wanted to talk about after the Terps' 20-19 victory was the handshake. The Maryland play- ers were dressed down by fans and media, with Washington Post columnist John Feinstein calling the gesture "a remarkable act of immaturity, stupidity and selfishness." The Big Ten called it "exceptionally regrettable" and fined the school $10,000. Even the Maryland players seemed to recognize they had gone too far. As Gallo admitted after the game, "We need to keep our composure." But no matter how much harm may or may not have been done to the teams or the conference or the impressionable youth of America, the episode did help turn a lopsided, long-dormant series into something that may just command the attention of Big Ten football fans in 2015. It may have been an unintended consequence, but it was a consequence, and not necessarily a re- grettable one, at least as far as Maryland is con- cerned. At the Big Ten's annual preseason media summit last month in Chicago, Terps coach Randy Edsall talked about his team's desire to establish rivalries in its new conference, noting that Penn State's proximity – University Park is only 200 miles from College Park – makes it the most logical choice. "You hope that that can develop into a rivalry, because I think those things are good," Edsall said. "But those things do take time. The ON THE PROWL Maryland's Yannick Ngakoue tracks down Christian Hackenberg, one of five sacks the Terps amassed in a 20-19 victory over the Nit- tany Lions last No- vember in Beaver Stadium. Photo by Steve Manuel