Blue White Illustrated

Penn State's regular-season showing, bolstered by a whopping 66 points and 534 yards of total offense Saturday, is already among the best in the program's history. Scoring 499 total points for the season in 12 games, the Nittany Lions have the third-highest points per game average in program history behind only 1994 (47.8 ppg) and 1971 (45.4). Two years ago, the Lions were ranked No. 101 in the Football Bowl Subdivision at just 23.2 points per game. Since suffering a 49-10 blowout at Michigan in the fourth week of the 2016 season, Penn State has scored 20 or more points in 22 consecutive games, a streak that ranks third all-time in the Big Ten behind Michigan State (25 games from 2013-15) and Ohio State (46 games from 2006-14). The Lions have also been effective on defense for most of the year. Allowing just 186 total points, they finished the regular season with an average scoring margin of plus-26.1 points per game, a number that is the best at Penn State for a regular season since 2008. All of it, Franklin reiterated Saturday night, can continue to improve as the program strives to move forward. "We've got to keep scraping, and clawing and scratching for every little inch that we can find, because to be honest with you, to get where we want to go it's still going to be a slow, steady crawl," he said. "I'd make the argument that it's going to be harder, these next steps, than what we've already done. So it should be an interesting ride." BARKLEY'S NUMBERSAlthough Penn State running back Saquon Barkley ex- ited the game with 20 minutes, 46 sec- onds remaining, he had a big impact on the outcome with his two touchdowns. For the regular season, Barkley fin- ished with 199 carries for 1,134 yards and 16 touchdowns on the ground, good for 5.7 yards per carry. His yards-per- carry average is actually improved from last year, when he finished the regular season with 228 carries for 1,219 yards (5.35 ypc). The biggest improvements came as a receiver and kickoff-return specialist. In his 12 regular-season games last year, Barkley finished with 21 receptions for 327 yards and two scores. For the 2017 regular season, including his single catch for 4 yards on Saturday night, Barkley had 47 receptions for 594 yards and three touchdowns. Factor in his 429 yards and two touch- downs on 16 kickoff returns, and Barkley is averaging 179.75 all-purpose yards per game. PERSONNEL NOTESDefensive lineman Ryan Buchholz appeared at tackle on Maryland's third offensive play from scrimmage. Coming off an injury that sidelined him on the very first play of Penn State's loss at Ohio State, then prevented him from playing against Michigan State, Rutgers and Nebraska, the redshirt sophomore was held with- out a recorded defensive statistic but returned to action nonetheless. Starting offensive tackle Ryan Bates appeared with the team in pregame warmups, his le? ankle wrapped, and returned to action briefly at right tackle in the game Saturday. Additionally, on the offensive line, starting center Con- nor McGovern le? in the first quarter but returned to action in the third quar- ter, while redshirt freshman Michal Menet appeared at right guard at the end of the first quarter. Menet finished the season appearing in 11 of the Nit- tany Lions' 12 games. At wide receiver, redshirt sophomore Irvin Charles saw action a?er missing Penn State's game against Nebraska due to an unspecified violation of team rules. Charles' tough season continued Saturday, as he dropped a well-placed pass from Trace McSorley midway through the second quarter, as well as another in the fourth quarter. DEFENSE DELIVERSPenn State's de- fensive front found some redemption Saturday night. At one point ranked among the nation's leaders in sacks, the Nittany Lions produced just five com- bined quarterback sacks in games against Ohio State, Michigan State and Rutgers. Saturday evening at Maryland, tackle Kevin Givens and company brought down Maryland quarterback Max Bortenschlager five times for 13 yards in losses. "I just felt like we still had something to prove. This being the last game, I felt like the last couple of games we didn't get to the quarterback that much and I felt like we wanted to make a statement this game," Givens said. "I just felt like this game, it was the last game for our seniors and we just wanted to make a statement for them and play a good game for them." Allowing fewer than 20 points for the ninth time on the year, the Nittany Lions also produced three fourth-down stops of Maryland's offense, which Franklin considered to be turnovers in addition to the Terrapins' two fumbles. "I felt like we matched up really well against Maryland on offense and de- fense up front and I thought we played well," Franklin said. "But I thought the fourth-down stops, I don't know if I've even seen three fourth-down stops in short-yardage situations. You kind of put them into the turnover category in some ways." JOHNSON SHINES Redshirt sophomore receiver Juwan Johnson continued his impressive play. Against the Terrapins, he led the team with six catches for 63 yards, and he considered the team's 66- point outburst to be a nice season-cap- per. "It kind of is a cherry on top to the regular season. It's been a wonderful season, but it was a hard season," John- son said. "It's sort of been up and down, so it's good that we came out today and put up the numbers that we did." 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 12 JUWAN JOHNSON Steve Manuel

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