UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State hosts regional foe Maryland Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. Coverage is set to start at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
FAMILIAR FOE: Penn State is meeting Maryland for the 44th time, ranking the Terrapins as the Nittany Lions' sixth-most frequent opponent. Penn State is 40-2-1 in the previous 43 meetings with a 23-1 advantage in Happy Valley.
LOOKING TO REBOUND: The last time Penn State started a season 0-2, in 2012, it won its next five games and rallied to finish second in the Big Ten Leaders Division.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Penn State is one of the youngest teams in the country with 81 underclassmen (31 true freshmen, 24 redshirt freshmen, 26 sophomores) to just 10 players in their final year of eligibility.
DOTSON BREAKS OUT: WR Jahan Dotson is tied for the Big Ten lead in receiving touchdowns with Purdue's David Bell with four this season. Dotson had three against Ohio State last week in a career game that included career highs with eight receptions and 144 receiving yards. His receiving yard total was the most by a Penn State receiver since current NFL-er Chris Godwin recorded 187 yards vs. USC in the 2016 Rose Bowl.
1,000: Juniors TE Pat Freiermuth (981 yds) and WR Jahan Dotson (929 yds) are both approaching 1,000 career receiving yards, as Freiermuth enters just 19 yards shy of the milestone, while Dotson needs 71 yards. Through two games in 2020, Freiermuth is averaging 53 yards per game, while Dotson is averaging 119 yards per game.
THE OPPOSITION: Maryland is 1-1 after bouncing back from a season-opening loss at Northwestern with a 17-point fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Minnesota in overtime last week. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa leads the Big Ten's third-ranked offense, while linebacker Chance Campbell is the Big Ten's leading tackler.
SCOUTING THE TERRAPINS
- Maryland is 1-1 to start the 2020 season, falling to Northwestern to open the season but rallying for an overtime win over Minnesota last week.
- With his effort against Minnesota, quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa became the third Big Ten player in the last 20 seasons with 350 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns in a game, joining Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State, 2018) and Zak Kustok (Northwestern, 2001).
- Maryland ranks third in the Big Ten in total offense averaging 441.0 yards per game.
- The Terps are led on offense by their passing game, which is averaging 268.5 yards per game, while running back Jake Funk ranks third in the Big Ten with 221 rushing yards.
- Linebacker Chance Campbell leads the Big Ten with 7.5 tackles per game and ranks second with 2.0 tackles for loss per game.
PENN STATE-MARYLAND CONNECTIONS
- Penn State redshirt senior DE Shane Simmons and freshmen DT Coziah Izzard and OL Golden Israel-Achumba and Maryland sophomores DB Nick Cross, QB Eric Najarian, LB Kobi Thomas, OL Evan Gregory, OL Austin Fontaine and K Greg Torcaso and juniors DL Greg Rose and OL Marcus Minor all attended DeMatha Catholic in Maryland.
- Maryland running backs coach Elijah Brooks was Simmons' high school head coach.
- Penn State redshirt junior WR Cam Sullivan-Brown played with Maryland seniors OL Tyler Hamilton and TE Zack Roski at Saint Vincent Palotti in Maryland.
- Penn State junior DT PJ Mustipher, redshirt sophomore OL Will Knutsson, redshirt freshman DT Dvon Ellies, and freshman LB Curtis Jacobs and Maryland redshirt sophomore WR DeJuan Ellis all attended The McDonogh School in Maryland.
- Penn State sophomore redshirt freshman CB Makai Self and sophomore RB Noah Cain and Maryland graduate LB Shaq Smith and freshman OL Mitchell Gorgas all attended IMG Academy (Fla.).
- Penn State redshirt sophomore K Rafael Checa and Maryland freshman WR Rakim Jarrett both attended St. John's College in Maryland.
- Penn State freshman OL Olu Fashanu and Maryland senior OL Johnny Jordan and freshman TE Conor Fagan attended Gonzaga College High School.
COACHING CONNECTIONS
- Penn State head coach James Franklin spent eight seasons on staff at Maryland. He was the Terrapins' asst. head coach/offensive coordinator (2008-10) and recruiting coordinator/wide receivers coach (2000-04).
- Franklin and Maryland head coach Michael Locksley coached together on Maryland's staff from 2000-02. Franklin was the wide receivers coach and Locksley was the running backs coach.
- Penn State co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Tim Banks served on the Maryland defensive coaching staff from 2003-06.
- Penn State tight ends coach Tyler Bowen served as Maryland's offensive line coach in 2017, as a graduate assistant from 2011-12, a student assistant in 2010 and played for the Terps for three
- seasons. Bowen worked with Maryland outside linebackers coach Brawley Evans in 2012 when both were graduate assistants and in 2017 when Evans was an analyst.
- Assistant AD of performance enhancement Dwight Galt is a graduate of Maryland and spent 22 years with the Maryland strength & conditioning staff. His sons, Dwight IV and Tommy, both played at Maryland and are former members of the Nittany Lions' staff.
- Maryland cornerbacks coach Henry Baker played at Maryland from 1994-97 when Galt was the director of strength and conditioning, was a recruiting intern at Maryland in 2001 when Franklin was the wide receivers coach and he coached with Penn State offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Ciarrocca at Delware in 2012 when Ciarrocca was the running backs coach there.
- Penn State assistant AD, chief of staff Kevin Threlkel served at Maryland as a football operations intern in 2009 and program management specialist in 2010.
The 2020 Penn State Football Season is presented by PSECU.