No. 4 Penn State trounces Maryland, advances to Big Ten Championship
The Nittany Lions will face No. 1 Oregon for in the Big Ten title game next Saturday.
Penn State punched its ticket to the Big Ten championship game with a 44-7 win over visiting Maryland and will head to Indianapolis for the first time since 2016 for a battle with No. 1 Oregon.
The path to the Big Ten Championship seemed unlikely early in the season. But on Saturday, the door was opened by Michigan’s upset of No. 2 Ohio State coupled with Penn State’s win in its regular-season finale that raised its record to 11-1, 8-1 Big Ten.
Things didn’t seem to be headed that way initially. On the first play, junior running back Nick Singleton fumbled in Penn State territory. With Terrapins starting quarterback Billy Edwards out with injury, backup quarterback M.J. Morris hit receiver Kaden Prather for a 25-yard touchdown.
That lead was short-lived as the Nittany Lions took a 31-7 lead before halftime and held Maryland (4-8, 1-8) scoreless the rest of the way.
Defensive dominance
Maryland’s one-play touchdown was the first and only lapse from the Penn State defense.
The Nittany Lions defense snapped right back into its normal self, holding Maryland to 10 rushing yards and 97 yards of total offense.
It started by dominating Maryland’s offensive line with six sacks and plenty of pressures. Junior defensive end Abdul Carter led the onslaught with two sacks.
The defense gave Penn State’s offense plenty of chances to score with first-half interceptions by redshirt sophomore cornerback Audavion Collins and sophomore linebacker Tony Rojas.
Freshman safety Dejuan Lane also recorded his first career pick in the second half.
Warren sets another record
Senior tight end Tyler Warren did it again.
Against Minnesota, Warren laid down instead of scoring a touchdown so Penn State could run the clock out. It would’ve been his 17th career touchdown, a Penn State tight end record.
He ended up getting the mark shortly before halftime against Maryland, but it wasn’t the only record he set.
Warren also broke the Big Ten tight end single-season reception record with his 76th catch, which came in the first quarter. Warren made plenty of plays all day, taking his regular quarterback duties and hurdling a man on the run.
As Warren makes his case for Heisman Trophy consideration, he made a statement in a pivotal game for the program.
Offense starts slow
While Penn State’s defense clicked immediately, the offense couldn’t say the same. After Singleton’s fumble, he returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to give Penn State great field position.
The offense didn’t respond, settling a field goal. They then went three-and-out twice, leaving Penn State down 7-3 to end the first quarter.
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They picked things up in the second, with their biggest stride coming from the run game. The Nittany Lions had four rushing touchdowns, with Singleton compiling 87 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns.
The efforts allowed Penn State to run the clock down as they finished with 221 rushing yards. Quarterback Drew Allar threw for 171 yards and a touchdown.
Up next
Penn State will face the top-ranked Oregon Ducks (11-0) in the Big Ten Championship at 8 p.m. Saturday in Indianapolis.