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 156.6 YPG, 4.7 YPC // MARYLAND RUN DEFENSE182.2 YPG, 4.5 YPC THE LOWDOWNABer a lot of midseason struggles, Penn State enjoyed a breakout game against Nebraska last week, rushing for 267 yards on 35 carries (7.5 yards per carry). It was the Nittany Lions' best performance since their game against Michigan on Oct. 21 when they rushed for 224 yards. One of the more impressive aspects of the team's showing against the Cornhuskers was that it only had one negative-yardage play, a 4-yard sack of Trace McSorley. Saquon Barkley gained 158 yards on 17 carries and scored three touchdowns and has now topped the 1,000-yard plateau for the third time in three seasons. For most of this season, Maryland has struggled against the run, ranking 12th in the conference in that department. MLB Jermaine Carter Jr. is the Terrapins' leading tackler with 79 stops and is tied with DT Cavon Walker for second on the team in tackles for loss with six. Nickel back Jalen Brooks is second on the team in tackles with 71 and leads the Terrapins with 8.5 tackles for loss. Weakside OLB Isaiah Davis is the Terps' third-leading tackler with 62 stops. As a team, Maryland has 56 tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUP For Penn State to have the same type of rushing success against Maryland that it had against Nebraska, guards Steven Gonzalez and Brendan Mahon must get to the second level and control Carter and Brooks. If they can accomplish that, the Nittany Lions should rush for over 200 yards against Maryland. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 289.3 YPG, 13.0 YPC // MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE 226.8 YPG, 11.7 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State goes into its game against Maryland with the second-ranked passing offense in the Big Ten, and McSorley leads the league with 2,991 yards, having completed 65.2 percent of his attempts. McSorley has done an excellent job of spreading the ball around to all of the Lions' playmakers. Through 11 games, four Penn State receivers have surpassed 40 receptions. Barkley leads the way with 46 catches for 590 yards, while TE Mike Gesicki has 46 catches for 466 yards. DaeSean Hamilton has 43 receptions for 688 yards, and fellow wideout Juwan Johnson has 42 catches for 572 yards. Maryland ranks 13th in the Big Ten in pass defense, but the Terps have been opportunistic and are tied with Penn State for sixth in the conference with 10 interceptions. CB J.C. Jackson and FS Darnell Savage Jr. lead the way with three interceptions apiece. For the most part, Maryland has struggled to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, ranking 12th in the Big Ten with 15 sacks. // KEY MATCHUP McSorley turned in the ninth 300-yard passing performance of his career last week against Nebraska, throwing for 325 yards and three touchdowns. He is now tied with Christian Hackenberg for the most 300-yard games in school history. If he's going to break the record at Maryland, he will need Gesicki to get open against Savage. Also, Mahon and C Con- nor McGovern will need to control Carter when he blitzes in third-and-long passing situations. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MARYLAND PASS DEFENSE MARYLAND RUNNING GAME 165.1 YPG, 4.4 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 118.7 YPG, 3.3 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Terrapins' ground game ranks fiBh in the Big Ten, thanks largely to running backs Ty Johnson and Lorenzo Harrison III. Johnson, a 5-foot-10, 208-pound junior, has rushed for 805 yards on 129 carries (6.2 ypc) to rank eighth in the Big Ten. Harrison, a 5-8, 195-pound sophomore, has totaled 562 yards on 130 carries (4.3 ypc). The Nittany Lions are coming off a solid performance in which they held Nebraska to 67 rushing yards on 26 carries. MLB Jason Cabinda is Penn State's leading tackler with 81 stops, including 5.5 tackles for loss. FS Marcus Allen is next with 61 tackles and four tackles for loss. SS Troy Apke and OLB Brandon Smith are tied for fourth on Penn State's tackle charts with 50 apiece, but the Lions suffered a setback against Nebraska when Apke was flagged for targeting late in the game, a penalty that will force him to sit out the first half against Maryland. // KEY MATCHUP For Maryland to have any hope of upsetting Penn State, it must control the tempo of the game with its rushing attack. That means it must control the line of scrimmage. The key matchups here will pit guards Sean Christie and Ter- rance Davis against Penn State's box linebackers. In addition, the Terps will be looking for LT Derwin Gray to win his battle with DE Shareef Miller. // EDGE Penn State 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 N O V E M B E R 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 MARYLAND PASSING GAME 160.1 YPG, 11.4 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 213.0 YPG, 10.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNThe biggest storyline of Maryland's season has been its run of bad luck at quarterback. Tyrrell Pigrome and Kasim Hill both went down early in the year with season-ending ACL injuries, and with those two out of action, the Terps have had to rely on sophomores Max Bortenschlager and Ryan Brand. The 6-3, 211-pound Bortenschlager has played in 11 games and started seven, hitting 101 of 197 passes (51.3 percent) for 1,128 yards, with 10 touchdowns and five interceptions. Despite the Terps' quarterback woes, WR D.J. Moore

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