The Nittany Lions scored 44 unanswered points.
In a seemingly wasted season, Maryland football flashed signs of life in the first quarter against No. 4 Penn State.
After Nittany Lion running back Nicholas Singleton fumbled on the first play of the game, quarterback MJ Morris — in for an injured Billy Edwards Jr. — immediately found Kaden Prather for a 25-yard touchdown.
But as it has all season, disappointment crept in for the Terps. The closest they got to victory was with 14:49 remaining in the first quarter. Penn State scored 44 unanswered points en route to a 44-7 beating of Maryland Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
“Disappointing loss, a disappointing end to a long, long season,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “This season didn’t meet the standards that we set out.”
No team has terrorized the Terps more than Penn State (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) over the last three years, and in a season full of blowouts, there was no team better to end Maryland’s season than the Nittany Lions. Penn State is now 49-4-1 all-time against the Terps, and since 2021, has beaten Maryland (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) by an average of 30 points per game.
The hope and momentum provided by Singleton’s fumble and Maryland’s first touchdown was short-lived. Its offense was completely shut down thereafter, as the offensive line allowed multiple rushers to attack Morris off the edge untouched. On consecutive first-quarter drives, Morris was either sacked or hurried on second and third down to force two punts.
Penn State recorded six sacks and four quarterback hurries Saturday, as Morris rarely had ample time to read the field and throw the ball. Abdul Carter, Penn State’s leader in sacks with two, hit the Heisman pose after sacking Morris for the second time on a second-and-10 in the third quarter.
“We took some sacks at the quarterback position where there were opportunities top get rid of the ball,” Locksley said, “but there were also times where we’ve got to line up and block people.”
But even when Morris had space to throw the ball, he continuously missed targets and turned the ball over. Two of his three interceptions came on the Terps’ final two drives of the first half. The first was picked off near midfield, giving Penn State another possession starting in Maryland territory, and the second was thrown at the Penn State 23-yard line, ending the Terps’ second-most promising drive of the half.
Penn State’s first touchdown drive of the game started at its 40-yard line, but two of its next three touchdown drives began on Maryland’s half of the field, resulting in a 31-7 halftime deficit for the Terps.
Morris’ play did not improve in the third quarter, and backup quarterback Champ Long replaced him for the period’s second drive. Long entered the season as the team’s fourth-string quarterback and had never seen a snap with the Terps before Saturday. He only played in that one drive, in which he was 1-of-2 for 10 passing yards, while Morris finished the game 14-of-24 for 112 yards.
Maryland’s defense kept Penn State off the scoreboard in the third quarter, but a Singleton 18-yard touchdown — his second of the game — extended Penn State’s lead less than a minute into the fourth quarter, allowing the Nittany Lions to coast the rest of the way.
Even though they were up by 31 points, the Nittany Lions continued to run plays with under a minute remaining. Beau Pribula threw for a 15-yard passing touchdown with zeroes on the clock, adding onto Maryland’s worst loss of the season.
This led to a heated exchange at midfield between Locksley and Penn State head coach James Franklin.
“I asked about his family, Christmas cards, address, all those things,” Locksley said of the confrontation. “Bullshit, is what it was. I respect the game. I got a lot of respect for James, his program. I think it was bullshit.”
Three things to know
1. Felton fell just short of Maryland’s single-season receiving yards record. Senior wide receiver Tai Felton entered Saturday needing 144 receiving yards to pass Marcus Badgett’s 1,240 and set a new program single-season record. Felton only tallied 27, though, falling 117 yards short of the record set in 1992.
2. Warren did a little bit of everything. Penn State versatile tight end Tyler Warren was a threat in the passing, rushing and receiving game Saturday. He connected on a 9-yard pass to Singleton, rushed three times for 32 yards — including a 28-yard run in which he broke multiple tackles and hurdled a defender — and caught game-high six passes for 68 yards.
3. Maryland’s season finale. For the first time in three seasons, the Terps’ season ends against a Big Ten opponent and without a bowl game. While an expected result, it is still an unsatisfactory one, as Locksley and his squad could not send their seniors out on a positive note.
“The senior group has continued to lead us through a tough year,” Locksley said. “They have left a really solid foundation for us, and for that, I thank that group of guys.”