Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/906973
touchdown, which they did promptly when Saquon Barkley plunged for his sec- ond 1-yard TD of the day. BEST SACKPenn State had experienced some trouble trying to generate pass pressure in the second half of the season, but its defensive front had little trouble getting to Terra- pins quarterback Max Bortenschlager. The most impressive of those stops oc- curred in the second quarter when Grant Haley brought down the QB on corner blitz on fourth down. BEST HITMaryland running back Lorenzo Harrison earned a straight- forward carry midway through the first quarter but was met by the worst-case scenario for Penn State's opposing ball carriers: a straightfor- ward Marcus Allen hit. The Nittany Lion senior safety smacked Harrison at the point of attack to allow just a 3- yard gain. BEST EFFORTMcSorley looked to be stopped in his tracks on first- and-goal late in the first quarter. He was met at the 2- yard line by Terrapins defen- sive tackle Oluwaseun Oluwatimi, but McSorley rolled on top of and over Oluwatimi and squirmed past the goal line to complete the 6- yard touchdown, giving the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead. BEST KICKPenn State's Tyler Davis booted an easy 30-yard field goal through the Maryland Stadium uprights with 2:24 remaining in the first half. The connection advanced Penn State's lead to 31-0. BEST RETURNRyan Buchholz missed all of the Ohio State game, plus Michi- gan State, Rutgers and Nebraska while nursing an ankle injury. Finally, at Maryland, the redshirt sophomore de- fensive lineman was able to suit up, making his first impact just three plays into the Terrapins' opening possession. BEST DECISIONMix in a shovel pass while leading 14-0? For offensive coor- dinator Joe Moorhead, the answer was a resolute yes. McSorley tossed the ball ahead to Gesicki in traffic, and the 2- yard touchdown pass gave the Nittany Lions a 21-0 lead just eight seconds into the second quarter. WORST DECISIONTrailing 14-0 with less than two minutes left in the first quarter, Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin eschewed a punt on fourth- and-1 at the Terps' 44-yard line. Penn State linebacker Jason Cabinda stopped Jake Funk for no gain and a turnover on downs. Durkin would try it two more times, coming up short on all three at- tempts. MOST TELLING MOMENTStevens fired a dart to tight end Tom Pancoast in the end zone to give the Nittany Lions a 52- 0 lead with 2:37 left in the third quarter. With its demolition of the Terrapins on their own field, Penn State improved to 10-2 for the regular season for the sec- ond consecutive year. 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 5 Gesicki pulls in a one-handed touchdown catch against Maryland. The senior tight end caught two TD passes in the Nittany Lions' victory. Photo by Steve Manuel