Blue White Illustrated

GAME GRADES QUARTERBACK Trace McSorley had plenty of time in the pocket and he made the most of it, completing 22 of 33 attempts for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Tommy Stevens added 113 rushing yards and three scores. Easy grade here. GRADEA RUNNING BACKWhen you consider that Saquon Barkley put up more than 200 yards rushing against the Terps last season, his 77 yards on 16 carries was a bit of a letdown. However, Miles Sanders looked good on his seven rushes, as he added another 42 yards on the ground. GRADEA RECEIVERJuwan Johnson has played well down the stretch and he did it again Saturday, totaling six receptions for 63 yards. Tight end Mike Gesicki is going out with a bang, as he pulled in five more receptions, including two scores. Overall, this unit dominated Maryland's secondary. GRADEA OFFENSIVE LINEIn addition to paving the way for 500 yards of total offense, Maryland recorded just one sack on the day and three tackles for loss. Most important, Penn State got many of its younger lineman valuable reps throughout the game. That was a great way for this unit to build some confi- dence before it faces another solid op- ponent to finish the season. GRADEA DEFENSIVE LINEPenn State had seven tackles for loss on the day, including five sacks. Kevin Givens and Daniel Joseph both had one solo sack, while Shareef Miller, Shane Simmons and Shaka Toney all deserve credit for the pressure they created off the edge. That was one of this unit's best games of the season. GRADEA LINEBACKERBrandon Smith led the team with just five tackles on the day, but seven linebackers recorded at least one tackle, including four each from Jason Cabinda and Maryland native Cam Brown. The Terps couldn't do much of anything until Penn State was up big. Even then, they managed just one field goal. GRADEA DEFENSIVE BACKMaryland finished the day with 179 yards passing, but much of that came on chunk plays well after the game had been decided. Grant Haley played really well in his last regular-season game for the Lions. GRADEA SPECIAL TEAMSPunter Blake Gillikin put together another solid day, averag- ing 45 yards per attempt, while kicker Tyler Davis converted his only field goal try, from 30 yards. There wasn't much to talk about in the return game, although Thompkins broke free for a nice 20-yard return to set Penn State up for its final score. GRADEA COACHESJust like last week, the Lions were up early. However, this time the staff stayed aggressive, knowing that the score would be remembered by multiple 2019 and 2020 prospects in the coming months. GRADEA N O V E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 6 R Y A N   S N Y D E R | S N Y D E R 4 2 0 8 8 @ G M A I L . c O M Sizing up the Nittany Lions' performance in their win against Maryland Stevens scored Penn State's first touchdown on a 21-yard run, then took over the offense after McSorley wrapped up his day in the third quarter. Photo by Steve Manuel

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