Oct. 7, 2016 UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State Football remains home for the second consecutive week, hosting Maryland on Homecoming at Beaver Stadium Saturday.
The Nittany Lions (3-2, 1-1 East) and the Terrapins (4-0, 1-0 East) are set to meet at noon on the Big Ten Network, marking the third consecutive season the two teams have met as members of the Big Ten Conference.
Last week, freshman wide receiver Irvin Charles sparked the Nittany Lions' second-half comeback against Minnesota with an 80-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. Charles joined both Saquon Barkley and Mark Allen to complete a trio of Nittany Lions who all registered their first collegiate touchdown on their first career catch.
.@McSorley_IX 80 yrd TD completion âž¡️ @SwirvingtonTon marked a career long for both Nittany Lions. #MINNvsPSU pic.twitter.com/1Z6U6xemhc
- Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 2, 2016
The 80-yard pass was also a career long for Nittany Lion quarterback Trace McSorley, who led the team with 408 yards of total offense against the Golden Gophers with 335 passing yards and a team-high 74 yards on the ground to mark the third-highest total in program history. McSorley enters Saturday's matchup leading the league with 1,284 passing yards on the year.
Defensively, Big Ten Co-Defensive Player of the Week Marcus Allen reached his fourth straight game with at least seven tackles, doubling his 2016 average in a single game with a team-high 22 tackles against Minnesota, the most for a Nittany Lion since Paul Posluszny had 22 stops at Northwestern in 2005.
Penn State place kicker Tyler Davis also kicked his way into the Nittany Lion record books, converting on his 17th consecutive field goal to clinch overtime against Minnesota. His streak of 17 straight field goals stands atop the Nittany Lion record book, having previously been held by Sam Ficken, who made 15 in a row. The 17-straight makes are also tied for fourth in Big Ten history.
MR. CONSISTENT. Get the mind right for overtime! #MINNvsPSU pic.twitter.com/X6aUduYyXS
- Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) October 1, 2016
Led by first year head coach DJ Durkin, Maryland enters Saturday's matchup undefeated, having won its first four straight for the first time since 2013. Averaging 43.3 points per game, the Terps topped Howard (52-13), Florida International (41-14) and UCF (30-24, 2OT) top complete a perfect non-conference slate before downing Purdue, 50-7, in last week's Big Ten opener. Maryland's 173 points on the year are the most in program history through four games.
The series between Penn State and Maryland dates back to 1917, with the Nittany Lions owning a 35-2-1 advantage, including a 21-1 record at home. The two teams met consistently from 1960-75 and again between 1984-93 before Penn State and Maryland renewed the series in 2014. Aligned together in the Big Ten East Division, each of the two most recent matchups have been closely contested.
"The last two games between Penn State and Maryland have been decided by just one point, so we know it's going to be a hard fought battle," cornerback Grant Haley said.
Welcome to the week six gameday preview - Penn State vs. Maryland
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