Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State vs. Maryland Position Grades

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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On Saturday afternoon, Penn State surprisingly dominated Maryland in a 38-14 victory.

It was so good to be so wrong in predicting this week’s game.  The score differential was not the only surprise Saturday afternoon, but how the Nittany Lions beat the Terrapins was also surprising.  They did it mostly on the ground, to the tune of 372 yards.  You would have to go back to 2002 against Michigan State to find that kind of performance, which was the game that Larry Johnson eclipsed 2,000 yards on the season.

James Franklin and Joe Moorhead definitely saw something in the film this past week and exploited it.  I thought coming into the game that the Terps would load the box to stop Saquon Barkley, however they stuck with their base 4-2-5 defense for most of the game and  the Nittany Lions made them pay.

Maryland clearly was not as good as their record indicated and I’ll admit I was wrong in thinking that their opponents did not matter.  Penn State, while still needing work in some areas, took it to Maryland all game long.  Two weeks ago, Penn State stood at 2-2 and many thought the program was heading in the wrong direction.  Now at 4-2 heading into the bye week, things are looking up again.

Penn State should enjoy this win and take the next two weeks getting healthy.  After the bye, a daunting task of a visiting Ohio State awaits.

Let’s take one last look at the Maryland game and grade out the positions.

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Trace McSorley (9) runs the ball into the end zone for a touchdown during the second quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Trace McSorley played beautifully against the Terps on Saturday, getting it done with both his arm and legs.

McSorley completed 10 of his 19 passes for 152 yards two touchdowns. That included a beautiful 70-yard strike to DeAndre Thompkins.  The bigger surprise in the game was his running game.

McSorley had 18 carries for 81 yards and if it wasn’t for the 3 sacks he took, would have had over 100 yards on the ground.  He also scored a rushing touchdown.

A bulk of McSorley’s carries came on designed rushes.  He executed the read option well against the Terps and they had no answer.  This new phase of Joe Moorhead’s offense is going to be fun to watch in the second half of the season.

Backup Tommy Stevens got some snaps late in the fourth quarter due to the blowout and made the most of it. He carried the ball four times for 36 yards and unfortunately had a touchdown run called back for a holding penalty.

I actually think his execution was a little bit smoother than McSorley’s, but now I’m just nitpicking.

It was a great day for the quarterbacks and it was fun to watch.

Grade: A

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Saquon Barkley (26) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Running Backs

Former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot called Saquon Barkley “the truth” after last year’s matchup with the Buckeyes.  Saturday’s performance by Barkley backed up those words once again.

After struggling to find a lot of rushing room through the first five games, Barkley had the breakout performance we have been waiting for this season.  He finished the day with 31 carries for a career-best 202 yards and a touchdown.

As much trouble as Maryland had bringing down McSorley, they had an even tougher time slowing down Barkley.  At one point he did one of his video game moves on Maryland’s Will Likely, hurdling the cornerback and picking up 13 yards in the process.

The other running backs had some touches too.  Mark Allen had seven carries for 31 yards. True freshman Miles Sanders only had one carry, but took it 25 yards to the end zone.

Grade: A

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins (3) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Wide Receivers / Tight Ends

It says something about the rest of the team when Chris Godwin did not have a single catch and they still had a dominant performance.

DeAndre Thompkins had the best day of all the receivers, catching 4 balls for 91 yards and a 70-yard touchdown.  He got a couple steps behind the defender and caught a perfectly thrown ball and was off to the races.

The only other wide receiver who had a catch was DaeSean Hamilton, making two receptions for 35 yards.

Tight End Mike Gesicki had a good day with four catches for 26 yards and a touchdown.  If it wasn’t for an offensive pass interference call he would have had even more yards.  He created a matchup problem when he was lined up in the slot and it led to a couple penalties on the Terps.

Grade: B

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions running back Mark Allen (8) runs with the ball during the second quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Line

The offensive line had perhaps its best performance in Franklin’s three years.  They did give up 3 sacks on the day, but for most of the game the five up front gave McSorley and the offense time to operate.

All season the line has struggled to get much of a push and create running lanes for the Nittany Lion running backs.  That wasn’t a problem on Saturday.  Very impressed in particular with Connor McGovern and Ryan Bates on the interior guard positions.

The worst part for the line was when right tackle Andrew Nelson went down with a bad leg or knee injury.  After the game, Franklin said it was likely Nelson was done for the year.  Real tough break for the kid.

After the injury, Brendan Mahon switched from left to right tackle and Paris Palmer played the left side.  The offensive line continued to click against Maryland, but with Ohio State in two weeks, it will be interesting to see how Franklin shuffles around the line and if he burns the redshirt of Will Fries.

The minus here is for a few of the penalties that negated big gains or scores.

Grade: A-

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Perry Hills (11) is sacked during the first quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

Defensive Line

The Terrapins came into Saturday’s game averaging 300 yards per game on the ground.  They left Saturday’s game far below that total as the Nittany Lions only allowed 170 on the ground and 270 yards total.  Much of that had to do with the play of Lions front four.

On Maryland’s first offensive series of the game, the Nittany Lions established the tone early with two sacks of quarterback Perry Hills.  The line finished with 3 of the 4 sacks on Maryland quarterbacks.

Penn State used a nice rotation of guys along the front to keep them fresh.  Robert Windsor, Parker Cothren, and Garrett Sickels all had good days and limited the rush attack of Maryland all game long.

Grade: B+

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Maryland Terrapins quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome (3) runs with the ball during the fourth quarter against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Linebackers

No Brandon Bell or Jason Cabinda?  No problem — at least against Maryland.  The Nittany Lion linebackers had a solid game.

Brandon Smith led the team with 14 tackles, with one of those going for loss, and had his first-career interception.  Not bad for the former walk on.

Koa Farmer had a great game as well, including five tackles and 1.5 for a loss.  His best play came with the Terps set up in the redzone after blocking a punt.  He flew off the line on the snap and blindsided Perry Hills, forcing him to fumble which was recovered by Torrence Brown.

Still, this group had some missed tackles on the day, along with others in the defense.  They need to work on that during the bye week.  All in all though,  it was a very good day by the linebackers. With Bell and/or Cabinda returning soon hopefully, this group can only get better.

Grade: B+

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions cornerback John Reid (29) reacts after tackling Maryland Terrapins wide receiver Teldrick Morgan (not pictured) during the second quarter at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Secondary

The Terps only had 100 yards passing and 66 of those yards came on a screen pass touchdown to Ty Johnson.  Other than that, the secondary held the Terp passing game in check.

Marcus Allen picked up from his 22 tackle performance against Minnesota last week and had seven tackles, including one for a loss.  Malik Golden also contributed with 6 tackles.

I was very impressed with John Reid in his run support and coverage.  He had 5 tackles with one going for loss.  He also had two passes defensed and seemed to be all over the field.

Yes, there were missed tackles in this group too, but the secondary continues to be a strength of this Penn State defense.

Grade: B+

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions kicker Joey Julius (99) during the second quarter against the Maryland Terrapins at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren – USA TODAY Sports

Special Teams

Another week, another late hit on Joey Julius, and another ejected player from the opponent.  A word of advice to future Nittany Lion opponents — either find a way to block Julius legally before the whistles, or lay off him.

Tyler Davis remained perfect, hitting his lone field goal attempt from 30 yards and also nailed all five of his extra points.

Fantastic job by the special teams to contain dangerous Will Likely on his returns.  His seven combined returns went for 86 yards, a less than 13 yard average.

Blake Gillikin wasn’t his normal self, averaging 34 yards on three punts and had one blocked.  Franklin said after the game he had been nursing an injury so hopefully the bye week helps him heal.

The blocked punt was the biggest reason why this grade wasn’t higher.

Grade: B-

Oct 8, 2016; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin (left) shakes hands with Maryland Terrapins head coach DJ Durkin (right) following the completion of the game at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Maryland 38-14. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O’Haren- USA TODAY Sports

Coaching

This game might have been the most complete game of the James Franklin era at Penn State.

This week in practice, Franklin talked about starting faster on offense and they were working on it.  Well, it paid off as the Nittany Lions took the opening kickoff and had a seven-play, 84-yard drive for a touchdown in only two minutes and 27 seconds.

The game plan on offense looked like it was taken from Maryland’s playbook and they ran it down the Terps’ throats all day.

The offensive line looks like it’s starting to come together under Matt Limegrover.  Defensive coordinator Brent Pry is doing the most he can with the injuries on defense.

Overall, Franklin and company outcoached D.J. Durkin and his staff.  Penn State was ready for this one from the start and Maryland wasn’t.  It was that simple.

Grade: A

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