By: Pasquale Tartaro, GoPSUSports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lions visit Maryland in a Big Ten Conference football game Saturday.
Game Information
This weekend's meeting between the Nittany Lions and Terrapins will mark the 45th matchup between the programs. Penn State has won nine of the last 11 contests.
Penn State head coach James Franklin is in his eighth year with the program and has a 5-2 career record against Maryland (65-31 overall with the program).
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley is in his third year with the program and has a 1-2 career record against Penn State (11-20 overall with the program).
Last season, Maryland defeated Penn State 35-19 in Beaver Stadium. Quarterback Sean Clifford threw for 340 yards and three touchdowns, while wide receiver Jahan Dotson secured nine catches for 123 yards and a score.
Kickoff at Capital One Field in College Park is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Players to Watch: Maryland
Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa has served as a versatile playmaker for the Terrapins. The junior has completed 70.1 percent of passes with 17 touchdown strikes.
Wide receiver Rakim Jarett has emerged as Tagovailoa's top target, especially since pass catcher Dontay Demus Jr. suffered a season-ending injury.
As a true freshman in 2020, Jarrett racked up 144 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State's defense. Jarrett leads the team with 31 receptions and five receiving scores, and is coming off an 88-yard performance against Indiana.
On the other side of the ball, defensive back Nick Cross has developed into the leader of the Maryland defense, leading the team in tackles and interceptions. Cross has two of the team's four total interceptions in 2021.
At safety, Jordan Mosley is the team's second-leading tackler, while defensive tackle Sam Okuayinonu serves as a disruptive factor in the trenches. Mosley has five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss, as well as 20 solo tackles.
Players to Watch: Penn State
Maryland is 5-0 this season when it passes for over 300 yards, but the Nittany Lions have only given up over 200 yards three times and over 300 yards once.
Penn State's surging defense will look to hold Maryland's rushing attack to under 100 yards on the ground for the fifth straight game.
Defensive end Arnold Ebiketie leads all Power 5 defensive linemen with 11.5 tackles for loss.
Defensive coordinator Brent Pry's defense, which ranks eighth in the country in points allowed per game, is also filled with playmakers on the back end such as Jaquan Brisker, Joey Porter Jr. and Tariq Castro-Fields.
As for Penn State's offensive weapons, Dotson and Parker Washington continued their high-production last week against Ohio State. Dotson secured a career-high 11 catches for 127 yards and added a 2-yard rushing touchdown. Washington also tied his career-high for receptions (9) and totaled 108 yards.
