Blue White Illustrated

The 5-foot-7, 176-pounder is a starting cornerback with seven career intercep- tions. He's also a potential offensive threat, having caught five passes and rushed 11 times last season aBer deciding on a whim that he wanted to help the Terps on the opposite side of the ball. But he's perhaps best known for his special teams prowess. He returns punts and kicks, and in the latter department he is averaging 51.5 yards per attempt. That might sound like an early-season statistical anomaly, and, well, it is; Likely has only returned two kickoffs so far. But he has a history of big returns, as evi- denced by his 2,117 career kick-return yards, the second-highest total in school history. And he reminded opponents of his game-changing potential on his two returns this season, sprinting 64 yards against UCF and 39 yards against Pur- due. As Penn State head coach James Franklin noted at the top of his news conference on Tuesday, "Likely has been an explosive returner his entire career. We're going to have to be ready for him." Opponents have also been looking to play keep-away on punts, as Likely, who has four punt-return touchdowns in his career, has only gotten to return three this season and is averaging 5.3 yards per at- tempt. The Lions have already given up a long return this season, with Michigan's Jabrill Peppers taking a punt by Blake Gillikin 53 yards to set up a touchdown. So Likely will pose a considerable chal- lenge this week in a game that figures to be nearly as close as the past two meet- ings between Penn State and Maryland, both of which were decided by one point. A two-time first-team All-Big Ten de- fensive back, Likely will also create prob- lems for the Lions' wideouts. Penn State is ranked third in the Big Ten in passing, as Trace McSorley has appeared increas- ingly comfortable in the pocket. If Mary- land uses the defensive template that Penn State's previous opponents have used, stacking the box in hope of shut- ting down running back Saquon Barkley, the Lions will almost certainly respond by testing the Terps' defensive backs. "They run a lot of vertical routes, and guys get downfield and they put that ball up in the air," said coach D.J. Durkin, who is in his first season in College Park aBer arriving from Michigan last December. "[McSorley] does a good job of getting the ball to his receivers, and those guys do a good job of going up and getting it. They have a big-play capability on of- fense. Their tailback is as good as you can face, and that helps them set that up. Teams load the box and [that allows Penn State to take] some shots outside, and they take them. It's a big challenge for our defense." Likely isn't the only Terps player with some eye-popping numbers on his re- sume. Tailback Ty Johnson is averaging 11.9 yards per carry, thanks mainly to a breathtaking performance last week against Purdue in which he totaled 204 yards on only seven carries. The Terps are using a hurry-up spread offense to open up running lanes, and so far the scheme has worked spectacularly well. They are ranked second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally in rushing offense with an average of 300 yards per game – a testament not only to Johnson but to freshman running back Lorenzo Harri- son, as well as quarterback Perry Hills, a dual-threat senior. It's also helped that the Terps have taken much better care of the football than they did last year. They finished last in the Big Ten in turnover margin a year ago, and Hills had a dismal touchdown- interception ratio of 8-13. But through their first four games this season, Mary- land has only had two giveaways. "We've talked about it a bunch and spent a lot of time on it," Durkin said. "It's stuff we drill every day." The Terps are unbeaten at 4-0 but they remain a bit of an enigma due to their schedule. Their three nonconference op- ponents – Howard, FIU and UCF – have combined to go 5-10 so far this season. And the Boilermakers are one of the more lightly regarded teams in the Big Ten this year, so while Maryland's 400 rushing yards and 43-point margin of victory might have been surprising, the fact that it won the game was not. The Terps will likely have trouble amassing 400 rushing yards this week, even against a banged-up Penn State de- fense. But their approach won't change. They'll try to get the ball in the hands of difference-makers such as Johnson and Likely and see what they can do. So far, they've done quite a bit. NATE BAUER RECORD 5-0 For Penn State on Saturday, the name of the game will be stopping – or at least slowing down – Maryland's ground at- tack. Opportunities to score will be there, but another tight one is likely. Home team gets the nod. PENN STATE 27, MARYLAND 26 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 4-1 Maryland's up-tempo spread offense is averaging 300 rushing yards per game, while Penn State ranks 12th in the Big Ten in rushing defense. But the Lions found a way to win last week, and it will happen again Saturday. This is a prediction with my heart and not my head. PENN STATE 34, MARYLAND 27 MATT HERB RECORD 4-1 Maryland is very good at running the ball, and the Nittany Lions are not very good at stopping the run. That's not necessar- ily an insurmountable handicap; just last week they managed to rally past a Min- nesota team that fields a pretty effective ground game. But if Penn State spots the Terrapins a double-digit lead, as it did vs. three of its first five opponents, this won't end well. MARYLAND 31, PENN STATE 27 TIM OWEN RECORD 4-1 After an emotional win, another home game before a bye week sets up nicely for Penn State against a Maryland team that is bound to come back to earth soon. PENN STATE 34, MARYLAND 28 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 5-0 Maryland will have an edge on offense, but Penn State should be able to score some points against a Terp defense that hasn't been tested yet. But Maryland's strong rushing game will wear down PSU's front seven in the second half. MARYLAND 34, PENN STATE 24 O C T O B E R 5 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 2 BWI'S FORECAST

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