Penn State dominated Maryland on the road during a Saturday matchup. Nittany Lionsquarterback Drew Allar tossed four touchdowns and PSU forced four turnovers while totaling 12 tackles for loss.
Ranked 11th in initial College Football Playoff ranking, Penn State improved to 8-1 before a Nov. 11 visit from Michigan. Maryland has lost four straight since a 5-0 start and will next travel to Nebraska.
Penn State has woneight of 10 meetings with Maryland since the Terps joined Big Ten competition in 2014. Overall, the Nittany Lions lead the series 43-3-1 dating back to 1917.
Readbelow for a review of the players and moments that made the difference...
Penn State 51, Maryland 15 (4th Q; 1:24)- Beau Pribula piles up more points with a six-yard run, giving the backup QB four touchdown rushes this fall. Freshman linebacker Tony Rojas made another splash play to set things up, intercepting a pass. He has two forced turnovers in fourth quarter work.
Penn State 44, Maryland 15 (4th Q; 2:51)- Alex Felkins is now 3-for-3 on field goals after converting a 39-yard kick. Once again, the defense gave Penn State great field position via a takeaway. Freshman linebacker Tony Rojas delivered a strip sack and the ball was recovered by defensive tackle Jordan van den Berg. An offense using backups did not do much on the ensuing possession.
Penn State 41, Maryland 15 (4th Q; 7:38)- Penn State picks up three more points after a Maryland turnover. Nittany Lions linebacker Dom DeLuca interceptsTaulia Tagovailoa and returns it 35 yards to the red zone, setting up a 35-yard field goal for Alex Felkins.It appears Drew Allar's day at the office is done. If so, he finishes 25-of-34 for 240 yards and four touchdowns. Through nine starts, he owns 23 total touchdowns and one turnover.
Penn State 38, Maryland 15 (4th Q; 9:14)- Penn State doesn't blink after the Maryland touchdown, answering with its own TD drive. Kaytron Allen scored on a powerful 10-yard run, giving him 91 rushing yards on 14 carries. KeAndre Lambert-Smith made another splash with a 20-yard catch one play after Nick Singleton set things up with a 51-yard kickoff return. Singleton has a return of 50-plus yards in two straight games.
Penn State 31, Maryland 15 (4th Q; 11:27)- Maryland isn't dead just yet. The Terps strike back quickly via a seven-play, 75-yard drive.Taulia Tagovailoaremains sharp and hits Jeshaun Jones for a one-yard score.Tagovailoa is 29-of-38 passing for 286 yards and two scores without a turnover.Antwain Littleton rushed into the end zone on a two-point conversion to make this a two-possession game again.
Penn State 31, Maryland 7 (4th Q; 13:55)- Make it four touchdown passes for Drew Allar, and a second to receiver Dante Cephas. Allar drops the ball in a bucket to complete the 16-yard score. Penn State drove 88 yards on 13 plays in more than six minutes, and Allar completed a fourth-down throw to Tyler Warren while keeping the possession alive. Cephas has six catches for 53 yards an two touchdowns. He didn't surpass two receptions or reach 40 yards in any of the previous eight games. PSU is dominating on the road.
Penn State 24, Maryland 7 (3rd Q; 9:26)- Alex Felkins converts a 30-yard field goal to cap off an 11-play, 70-yard drive that takes more than five minutes off the clock and makes this a three-possession game. Drew Allar had a key fourth-down completion to tight end Khalil Dinkins along the way.
HALFTIME: Penn State 21, Maryland 7- Penn State produced a highly efficient first half offensively, led by Drew Allar's three touchdown tosses. Since throwing his first career interception against Indiana, Allar is 15-of-18 passing for 192 yards with four scores. Maryland QBTauliaTagovailoa is 22-of-25 passing for 211 yards and one touchdown, though Maryland has negative-42 rushing yards factoring in three sacks.
Penn State 21, Maryland 7 (2nd Q; 2:34)- Drew Allar tosses his third touchdown of the first half, finding Tyler Warren for an eight-yard completion. Allar has thrown more touchdowns today than he did through three previous road starts. Overall, he is 13-of-16 passing for 124 yards. Allar had a key 14-yard completion to Dante Cephas on third down two plays before the score. Allar had a 21-yard rush on an earlier third down.Penn State entered this game leading college football in tight end touchdowns. The Nittany Lions have tacked on two more before halftime at Maryland. That's a dozen trips to the end zone for Penn State tight ends, with half of them courtesy of Warren.
Penn State 14, Maryland 7 (2nd Q; 7:59)-TauliaTagovailoa's 17th straight completion to open this matchup cuts Penn State's lead in half. The Terps QB is17-of-17 passing for 172 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown toss to Roman Hemby. It was a pretty ugly defensive series for PSU, featuring costly penalties and coverage lapses. Maryland launched this drive via a roughing the punter penalty called against Penn State's Liam Clifford.
Penn State 14, Maryland o (1st Q; 0;02)- Penn State doubles its lead while get tricky. Featuring two quarterbacks at the goal line, Beau Pribula handles the snap before giving it over to Drew Allar, who pitches it forward for a two-yard touchdown toss to Theo Johnson. That score completes an eight-play, 79-yard drive headlined by a 38-yard catch for KeAndre Lambert-Smith. Allar only threw two touchdowns through three road starts, but he's started hot today. The sophom*ore QB is 10-of-12 for 85 yards with two scores. Across the field, Taulia Tagovailoa is 11-of-11 passing but Terps possession have resulted in a turnover on downs, a fumble and a punt.
Penn State 7, Maryland 0 (1st Q; 7:12)-Penn State quickly pounces on another opportunity via fumble forced by Nittany Lions defensive end Adisa Isaac and recovered by defensive tackle Zane Durant. Maryland's Tai Felton lost control of the football following a nine-yard catch at PSU's 23-yard line. Set back by a personal foul penalty, the ensuing offensive possession stalled, which led to a 3-and-out punt.
Penn State 7, Maryland 0 (1st Q; 8:41)- Penn State scores on its opening possession as QB Drew Allar finds receiver Dante Cephas for a six-yard touchdown. The play was initially ruled an incomplete pass but an official review overturned it, rewarding a sensational snag along the sideline. Cephas used one hand to gain possession on that reception. Allar was 4-of-4 passing on the drive for 15 yards. KeAndre Lambert-Smith kept the chains moving with a seven-yard catch. Kaytron Allen did the heavy lifting, turning five touches into 30 yards.
Pregame: Penn State starters Chop Robinson and Harrison Wallace out; Amin Vanover questionable vs Maryland
