Blue White Illustrated

to Penn State. So, when Maryland played at Beaver Stadium on Nov. 1, 2014, the players were eager to demonstrate their loathing of the Lions. As described by Neil Rudel of the Al- toona Mirror, "[W]hen [Maryland] took the field after the national anthem, the Terps streaked toward Penn State's bench. That led to woofing, and the teams had to be separated. … During Maryland's attempt to make its point, video shows one of its players, Stefon Diggs, actually shoving an official for which the Terps were penalized 15 yards before the game even began… [and then] Maryland's captains – its designated leaders – reported to midfield for the pre-game coin flip Saturday afternoon, and when Penn State's captains ex- tended their hands for the customary handshake, the Terrapins acted like they weren't there and refused to shake hands." A few days later, the Big Ten adminis- trators suspended Diggs for one game for hitting the official and violating the league's sportsmanship policy, publicly reprimanded head coach Randy Edsall for failing "to control his team prior to the game when Maryland players initi- ated a confrontation with Penn State players" and fined the school $10,000. In the end, the Terps beat the mistake- prone Lions, 20-19, on a last-minute 43-yard field goal, giving Maryland its first victory at Beaver Stadium. The players and the small group of Maryland fans who were there rightfully cele- brated, giving credence to the Terps' disruptive pregame antics that had all the markings of one of those traditional bitter rivalries. If only Maryland could win more games. Alas, Edsall was fired in the middle of the 2015 season and D.J. Durkin took over last year. Durkin's Beaver Stadium debut was another dud, 38-14, but his players behaved. Jersey barrier Rutgers has been even less competitive than Maryland since winning the first game of the series in 1918, 26-3, at Beaver Field. Unlike the Terps, the Scar- let Knights have not come close to winning most of the games between the two teams. The only other Rut- gers win was in 1988, 21-16, when longtime Penn State assistant Dick Anderson was the Scarlet Knights' coach and the Nittany Lions had their first losing season in 50 years. In the seven games that followed, Penn State's vic- tory margin was at least two touch- downs. Take the last Penn State-Rutgers con- test prior to the Scarlet Knights' entry into the Big Ten. That was in 1995 at the now-defunct Meadowlands, a 59-34 Nittany Lion victory in which Joe Pa- terno was accused of running up the score. Quarterback Mike McQueary threw a 42-yard touchdown pass in the last minute, and the provocative play led to a confrontation between Paterno and Rutgers coach Doug Graber on the field after the game. What also exasperates Rutgers is recruiting. For decades, New Jersey has been a prime market for Penn State, with such Jer- sey natives as Rosey Grier, Franco Harris, Lydell Mitchell, Greg Buttle, Andre Collins (and his brothers) and current tight end Mike Gesicki becoming stars for the Nittany Lions. Penn State coach James Franklin added gasoline to the raging fire even before he coached his first Penn State game when he boasted in the spring of 2014 that he considered New Jersey and Maryland to be in-state recruiting territory for the Nittany Lions. "I know there are other schools around here," he told an audi- ence at a Coaches Caravan stop in Balti- more, "but you might as well shut them down." Aside from Pitt students, no opposing fan base has seized on the child abuse scandal as venomously as Rutgers. They FOR THE GLORY Franklin and his players had reason to celebrate after rallying to defeat Rutgers in 2014. It was the Knights' first conference game as Big Ten members. Photo by Steve Manuel

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