Penn State football pulls away in the fourth quarter to beat Maryland Terrapins, 31-14
Penn State football hung on to defeat the Maryland Terrapins and move to 6-3 with a 31-14 win in College Park Saturday evening.
The two teams traded empty possessions on the first four drives of the game before Penn State finally broke through on a four-play drive that included two big passing plays. Redshirt senior starting quarterback Sean Clifford hit open sophomore wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith for 30 yards and two plays later made another big play.
He pump faked on what appeared to be a slant route by senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson, causing Maryland safety Nick Cross to step forward. Dotson quickly cut up field and left Cross in the dust, giving Clifford an easy throw for a 38-yard touchdown to open the game’s scoring and make it a 7-0 lead for Penn State.
The two teams continued their offensive struggles with six straight combined drives that didn’t end with a score. Maryland was finally able to break that streak of scoreless drives by punching the ball in on a goal line rush by Challen Faamatau.
The Terrapins moved down field with ease on the drive, with six of their eight plays going for at least 10 yards. One of the only two plays that didn’t gain double-digit yardage on the drive was the two-yard rushing touchdown that punctuated it. A missed extra point by Maryland kicker Joseph Petrino made it a 7-6 game heading into the half.
Penn State was able to stop Maryland on its first drive of the second half and get the ball back with a chance to extend the lead. The Nittany Lions did so on the back of its running game, with sophomore running back Keyvone Lee racking up 35 yards on five carries as the offense moved the ball.
Dotson scored his second touchdown of the game to end the drive, bringing a high pass down for a 21-yard reception and a score.
Penn State hung on from there, closing out the 31-14 win to move to 6-3 on the season.
Player of the game
Senior wide receiver Jahan Dotson: Few things went right for Penn State’s offense Saturday evening, but it should be no surprise that Dotson was at the top of his game. He’s been one of the best wide receivers in the country this season and continued that display against the Terrapins. His impeccable route running gave him space on his first touchdown. Then his catch radius and athleticism allowed him to snag a high pass for his second touchdown.
The Terps had no answer for the senior wide receiver throughout the game and that allowed him to finish with 11 receptions for 242 yards and three touchdowns in the game, leading the Nittany Lions in all three categories. Penn State’s offense struggles frequently, but few things can bail it out like Dotson can. He played like a star once again.
Stat of the game
72%: That was Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa’s completion percentage against Penn State. The quarterback was able to find open receivers and allowed them to go to work in the open field frequently. He and his teammates were unable to punctuate plenty of their drives but the Terps’ ability to complete passes and move the ball down the field has to be concerning for a Penn State defense that has been relied upon for the entire team to have success this season.
The Nittany Lions need their defense to be one of the best in the country to make up for the offense’s deficiencies.
Up next
vs. Michigan: Penn State heads back home next week to take on the Michigan Wolverines for a matchup with one of the two remaining ranked teams on its schedule. The Nittany Lions will try to keep their momentum going after defeating the Terrapins to snap a three-game losing streak.
The game against the Wolverines could be a ranked one with Penn State having a chance to enter the College Football Playoff rankings after moving to 6-3 with a win over Maryland.
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 7:16 PM.
