Here’s 3 takeaways from Penn State football’s 35-19 loss to Maryland
Penn State is 0-3 for the first time since 2001 after taking a 35-19 loss at the hands of the Maryland Terrapins. The Nittany Lions never led in the game.
Here are three takeaways from the defeat.
1. Sean Clifford struggles until it’s too late
Redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford wasn’t the only reason the Nittany Lions were bad offensively, but he was a big part of their struggles. Clifford — in his 16th career start — struggled to find open receivers when the game was still in question and couldn’t hit his open receivers. There were numerous occasions in the game when Clifford and Penn State could’ve moved the ball down field or had big plays, but instead had incompletions because of his inability to get his weapons the ball.
Clifford finished the game with 340 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on 27-of-57 passing, but most of that production came when the game was well in hand. He finished the first half 6-of-20 with 78 passing yards. His numbers at the end of the game don’t tell the full story of a quarterback who struggled mightily against a defense that gave up 87 points in its first two games.
2. Penn State’s defense has no answers
The Nittany Lions have put together some of the nation’s best defenses in recent year, and there wasn’t much reason to expect any differently this season. Through three games, there are plenty of reasons to question the unit and how little it’s been able to positively impact the team.
A pass rush featuring Jayson Oweh, Adisa Isaac and Shaka Toney rotating in at defensive end should be one of the best in the Big Ten and potentially one of the best in the country. Instead, it’s consistently no-showing and failing to make an impact on opposing quarterbacks.
Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa had plenty of time to throw Saturday evening and took advantage of that time to the tune of 18-of-26 passing for 282 yards and three touchdowns. Tagovailoa is a good quarterback but this is a Penn State defense that was supposed to be able to stop players at his level, not allow them to get whatever they want through the air.
3. Jahan Dotson continues to shine
While the Penn State offense struggled mightily Saturday, junior wide receiver Jahan Dotson followed up his performance against Ohio State with another strong performance against the Terrapins. He made a few highlight-reel grabs — including a fingertip catch along the sidelines — and consistently found his way into open space.
The junior wideout isn’t the biggest receiver in the world, but he fights for the ball when it’s in the air, and has the ball skills and hands to come down with contested catches. He’s a savvy route-runner who can create separation against good defensive backs and reliably comes down with open passes.
He’s quickly proving to be Clifford’s favorite target, finishing the game with nine receptions, 123 yards and a touchdown on 16 targets.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 7:01 PM.
