By: Tyler Millen - GoPSUsports.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State is set to put a bow on the regular season Saturday with its annual Senior Day game where expressions of gratitude and appreciation will be shared by players and their families. The Nittany Lions will battle with Big Ten foe Maryland at Beaver Stadium with coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.
10-1 Penn State and 4-7 Maryland will clash for the 48th time in program history with the former holding a 43-3-1 lead in the all-time series. The Terrapins are the Nittany Lions most played opponent across all Big Ten foes with the contests dating back to the first meeting in 1917.
The Nittany Lions have won eight of the last nine meetings including last year’s matchup which finished with a 51-15 Penn State win in College Park. Penn State forced three turnovers and held Maryland to -49 rushing yards which is the fewest allowed in the head coach James Franklin era in Happy Valley.
Penn State is coming off a gritty 26-25 road win over Minnesota and secured 10 wins in the 2024-25 season. The Nittany Lions have won 10 games in the last three consecutive years for the fourth time in program history and are one of just three teams nationally to produce 10 or more wins in each of the last three seasons.
“We look forward to having the opportunity to celebrate the seniors and what they've done for our program,” Franklin said. “Obviously, we need to play well and be 1-0 to put us in the best position to be able to continue playing as a family as long as possible.”
Maryland is coming off a 29-13 loss to Iowa and the Terrapins enter with four straight losses despite maintaining a passing attack that ranks among the best in the country. Maryland is first in the Big Ten and 12th nationally in passing offense with 289.6 passing yards per game as redshirt junior quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. is second in the Big Ten in passing yards with 2,881 and seventh in the nation in completions per game with over 24 per contest.
Penn State’s talented secondary - which is ninth nationally in passing defense with 174.1 passing yards allowed per game - will be tasked with guarding senior wide receiver Tai Felton. The Ashburn, Virginia, product is leading the Big Ten with 92 receptions for 1,097 yards and Franklin said, “he’ll be a big part of our defensive game plan.”
One of those defensive backs who will have a keen eye on Felton and the Maryland passing attack is redshirt junior safety Zakee Wheatley who is having a career year in the blue and white.
Wheatley is the Penn State leader in solo tackles with 40 and tied for second in total tackles with 59 alongside redshirt junior linebacker Kobe King. Wheatley has three pass breakups and one interception on the season; forming a formidable duo with senior safety Jaylen Reed.
“Zakee is just playing great right now,” Franklin said. “His tackle radius is really impressive. His ability to make plays, whether it's causing fumbles or interceptions, hasn't made as many of them this year as maybe I anticipated, but I know he's got the ability to do it. He's one of the more natural playmakers we got. And just his football IQ and him and Dex's [Anthony Poindexter] relationship, how well they work together. I think he's playing at a very, very high level. I think he's got a really bright future.”
Another Nittany Lion in the midst of a dominant season is junior defensive tackle Zane Durant who’s made his presence felt in opposing backfields consistently. The Lake Nona, Florida, native is first among Big Ten defensive tackles with 8.5 tackles for loss which also places him second on Penn State behind junior defensive end Abdul Carter.
Durant had a season-high 2.5 tackles for loss against Minnesota and has 2.5 sacks on the year. Durant isn’t a traditional defensive tackle at 6-foot-1, 288 pounds but has elite level quickness and physicality that’s impressed Franklin and Durant’s teammates.
“He is mentally tough, physically tough,” Franklin said. “He loves football. He understands and is willing to do the things that football takes, the sacrifices he has to make to be a great player. He’s the same way in the weight room, at practice, on game day. He's what you're looking for in terms of the whole package… He showed up here with the mentality he was going to play as a true freshman, which is very unusual as a defensive tackle position, and he's done that. For the young guys in our program, he's a really good guy to model behaviors, habits after… Also a guy that will speak from a leadership standpoint. He'll speak the truth to his teammates.”