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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 162.3 YPG, 4.6 YPC // MARYLAND RUN DEFENSE196.8 YPG, 4.3 YPC THE LOWDOWNFreshman RB Saquon Barkley is for real, as he proved by gaining 194 yards on 26 carries against Ohio State. With Barkley in the backfield, the Lions have one of the most dynamic running attacks in the Big Ten. Despite missing the second half of the San Diego State game and all of the next two games against Army and Indi- ana, he is the fifth-leading rusher in the Big Ten with 567 yards on just 68 carries. His average of 8.3 yards per at- tempt is by far the league's best. The Lions also have junior Akeel Lynch back in action after an injury. Lynch has rushed for 274 yards on 53 carries and has averaged 5.2 yards per attempt. If Ohio State's talented defense had trou- ble containing Barkley, Maryland could be in for a long afternoon. The Terrapins are 13th in the Big Ten in total de- fense (457.7 ypg) and are also 13th against the run. Maryland's leading tackler is sophomore MLB Jermaine Carter Jr. with 63 stops including seven tackles for loss. Senior SS Sam Davis is the Terps' second-leading tackler with 48 stops and three TFL. Senior safeties Anthony Nixon and A.J. Hendy are Maryland's third- and fourth-leading tacklers, respectively. The fact that three of Maryland's top four tacklers are members of the secondary suggests that Barkley could be in for another big day. // KEY MATCHUPPenn State offensive guards Brendan Mahon and Brian Gaia will face Maryland's top two linebackers: Carter and sophomore OLB Jalen Brooks. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 177.4 YPG, 12.9 YPC // MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE 260.8 YPG, 12.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNDespite the fact that Christian Hackenberg completed only 7 of 13 passes for 120 yards and one touchdown against the Buckeyes last week, Penn State will enter its game against Maryland with an excellent chance of having a truly balanced offensive effort. The Terrapins rank 11th in the Big Ten in pass defense, as oppo- nents have completed 60.9 percent of their attempts and have thrown for 14 touchdowns. Hackenberg has com- pleted 94 of 177 passes for 1,206 yards, with eight TD passes and just two interceptions. Sophomore Chris Godwin is Hackenberg's go-to receiver with 30 catches for 493 yards, and his average of 16.4 yards per catch is the team's best among receivers with at least 10 catches. Sophomore DaeSean Hamilton is Penn State's second-leading re- ceiver with 19 catches for 220 yards, and he leads the team with three TDs. Tight ends Kyle Carter and Mike Gesicki have nine catches apiece. The Terps' top performer in the secondary is junior CB William Likely. He's the team's sixth-leading tackler with 31 stops and its top cover man. He doesn't have any interceptions this season (after making six as a sophomore), but he's broken up eight passes. As a team, the Terps have five interceptions, two of which were by Davis. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State LT Paris Palmer will face DE Yannick Ngakoue, the Terps' sack leader with five. Also, Godwin will no doubt get plenty of attention from Likely. // EDGEPenn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE MARYLAND RUNNING GAME 177.7 YPG, 5.3 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE145.3 YPG, 3.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe Terrapins have a solid rushing attack, ranking eighth in the Big Ten in yards per game. Their leading rusher is senior RB Brandon Ross with 431 yards on 80 carries (5.4 ypc). The Terps' second-leading rusher is junior QB Perry Hills with 289 yards on 36 carries. He's averaging a robust 8.0 yards per carry, thanks in large part to a monster game against Ohio State in which he gained 170 yards and scored two touchdowns. Freshman RB Ty Johnson is the Terps' third-leading rusher with 131 yards on 26 carries. Penn State is coming off a tough game in which it gave up more than 300 rushing yards against Ohio State, but its front seven will have an opportunity to bounce back and control the line of scrimmage against Maryland. The Nittany Lions are seventh in the Big Ten in rushing defense. Sophomore MLB Jason Cabinda leads Penn State with 51 total tackles, while senior DE Carl Nas- sib leads the nation with 15.5 tackles for loss. Junior DT Austin Johnson is having an All-Big Ten season with 40 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Penn State is first in the Big Ten with 63 tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUP Johnson and fellow DT Anthony Zettel with be matched up against Maryland senior guards Andrew Zeller and Ryan Doyle. Elsewhere, Penn State junior OLB Brandon Bell will probably spy on Hills when he keeps the ball on quarterback draws. // EDGEIndiana 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 O C T O B E R 2 1 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 MARYLAND PASSING GAME 163.7 YPG, 11.8 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE152.3 YPG, 10.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNMaryland's passing game has been unimpressive, ranking 13th in the Big Ten. The Terps are com- pleting only 44.1 percent of their attempts with 10 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Junior QB Caleb Rowe threw 12 of those interceptions (with only four TDs) before being pulled in favor of Hills, the team's starter on opening day. Hills has completed only 47.4 percent of his passes for 439 yards, but his touchdown-interception ratio is 5 to

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