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 PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 108.2 YPG, 3.3 YPC // MARYLAND RUN DEFENSE119.0 YPG, 3.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNThrough the first five games of the season, this has probably been Penn State's biggest disappoint- ment. The Nittany Lions rank last in the Big Ten in rushing offense, and sophomore RB Saquon Barkley has topped 100 yards only once, gaining 105 yards in the season-opening victory over Kent State. Nevertheless, Barkley is Penn State's leading rusher by a wide margin with 380 yards on 86 carries, and he leads the Big Ten with seven rushing touchdowns. Redshirt sophomore QB Trace McSorley is Penn State's second-leading rusher with 105 yards on 49 carries and two rushing touchdowns. In last Saturday's victory over Minnesota, McSorley was the Lions' leading rusher with 73 yards on eight carries. Despite its difficulties on the ground, Penn State has 10 rushing TDs as a team. Through four games, Maryland ranks fiBh in the Big Ten in rushing defense. The Terrapins' leading tackler is redshirt junior OLB Shane Cockerville with 32 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Redshirt junior MLB Jermaine Carter Jr. is second with 28 stops, including four negative-yardage tackles. Senior CB Will Likely has 28 tackles with four TFL. Junior DE Jesse Aniebonam is the Terrapins' big-play specialist on defense. Of his 14 tackles, seven are for negative yardage. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State LT Brendan Mahon will try to neutralize Aniebonam, while guards Ryan Bates and Connor McGovern will be matched up against Cockerville and Carter. // EDGE Maryland PENN STATE PASSING GAME 256.8 YPG, 13.8 YPC // MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE 206.3 YPG, 11.0 YPC THE LOWDOWN Penn State will enter this game with the third-ranked passing attack in the Big Ten. McSorley is third in the conference in passing, having completed 93 of 158 attempts for a Big Ten-best 1,284 yards, with six touchdown passes and three interceptions. Junior WR Chris Godwin is Penn State's leading receiver with 23 receptions for 325 yards (14.1 yards per catch) and two touchdowns. Junior TE Mike Gesicki is having a break- out season with 19 receptions for 251 yards (13.2 ypc) and one touchdown. Redshirt junior WR DaeSean Hamil- ton has 16 receptions for 169 yards, while redshirt sophomore WR DeAndre Thompkins has 14 catches for 237 yards and a team-leading average of 16.9 yards per catch. Twelve receivers have caught passes from McSorley. Maryland has not played a strong schedule to date, so its struggles against the pass are concerning. The Terps, who employ a 4-2-5 scheme, are ranked 10th in the Big Ten in pass defense. But they do have a star in Likely, a 5-foot-7, 176-pounder who has intercepted seven passes in his career. Also, Maryland has a very effective pass rush, having totaled 14 sacks in its first four games. Aniebonam leads the team with four sacks, while Carter has three. // KEY MATCHUP Mahon will try to keep Aniebonam out of Penn State's backfield, while Godwin will match up downfield against Likely. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE MARYLAND RUNNING GAME 300.0 YPG, 6.5 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE216.6 YPG, 4.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN Maryland has made huge strides in this department. In fact, the Terps enter their game against Penn State with the No. 2 running game in the Big Ten, thanks in large part to sophomore RB Ty Johnson, who has gained 333 yards. Freshman Lorenzo Harrison has 286 yards, while senior Trey Edmunds has 150 yards. All three are aver- aging more than 6.5 yards per carry, and Johnson is averaging a gaudy 11.9 yards. In addition, opponents have to be- ware of Hills, a mobile quarterback who has gained 104 yards on 35 carries. Penn State has the 12th-ranked rushing defense in the Big Ten. That's not surprising given the injuries that have devastated the linebacker corps. Opening- day starters Nyeem Wartman-White, Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell are out, and replacements Jake Cooper and Brandon Smith are also banged up. It appears as though Smith will start, but Wartman-White is out for the season, and it's unclear whether any of the others will be available. The problems in the front seven have resulted in the secondary making more than its share of tackles. Junior FS Marcus Allen is the Big Ten's leading tackler with 50 stops, while senior SS Malik Golden is second on Penn State's defense with 29. // KEY MATCHUP Maryland LT Michael Dunn will face DE Torrence Brown, while guards Mike Minter, a redshirt junior, and Maurice Shelton, a senior, will tangle with linebackers Manny Bowen and Cameron Brown. // 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 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 4 MARYLAND PASSING GAME 166.3 YPG, 12.3 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE187.2 YPG, 9.9 YPC THE LOWDOWNEven though Maryland's pass offense ranks 13th in the Big Ten, senior QB Perry Hills has done a solid job throwing the football, completing 35 of 73 passes (61.6 percent) for 550 yards, with five touchdowns and only one interception. Last year Maryland fielded one of the sloppiest offenses in the country, committing 39 turnovers. That problem appears to have been rectified; through their first four games this year, the Terps

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