Three Things To Look For During Maryland Football’s Matchup Against Penn State

Maryland football is coming off a much-needed 38-35 victory against Indiana and now hosts Penn State Nov. 6. The Terps are looking to defeat the Nittany Lions for a second consecutive season and clinch bowl eligibility for the first time since 2016.

Here are three things to watch for in Saturday afternoon’s matchup.

No. 1: Can Maryland’s defense limit explosive plays?

Although Maryland defeated Indiana last week, the defense struggled and allowed big plays to the Hoosiers. Indiana had five pass plays of 15 or more yards and four rushes of 10 yards or more, gashing Maryland in the air and on the ground at times. Maryland’s defense will look to improve in that area against a Penn State offense with several dynamic weapons.

Wide receiver Jahan Dotson, the Nittany Lions’ most explosive weapon, is quarterback Sean Clifford’s the favorite target. The Terps are well aware of Dotson’s talent, as head coach Michael Locksley recruited him out of high school.

Parker Washington is a capable weapon out of the slot as well. There are three receiver duos in the nation with each receiver posting at least 40 catches and 480 yards through eight games this season. Dotson and Washington form one of those duos.

Beyond the receivers, Penn State utilizes a three-pronged rushing attack with Noah Cain and Keyvone Lee leading the way. Eliminating communication errors and missed assignments is key to minimizing the number of explosive plays. That will be a point of emphasis for defensive coordinator Brian Stewart and the Terps against Penn State.

“Coach has just talked about doing our job,” senior cornerback Jakorian Bennett said. “Everybody just do their specific job and everything will just handle itself. Just focus on the details and that will limit the [explosive plays].”

No. 2: Which Maryland wide receiver will step up?

Without top receivers Dontay Demus and Jeshuan Jones, Maryland relied on a veteran to galvanize its offense against Indiana. Senior Carlos Carriere finished with eight receptions for 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns. All three marked career highs for Carriere, as he helped to ignite Maryland’s explosive aerial attack.

Against Penn State, the Terps will look for a similar formula, given that sophomore Rakim Jarrett figures to be a focal point of the Nittany Lions’ defensive game plan. Two receivers who could step up are freshman Marcus Fleming and senior Brian Cobbs. Fleming finished with four receptions for 70 yards last week, improving his rapport with Taulia Tagovailoa as his playing time has increased.

Cobbs tallied just one catch for 19 yards, but still remains a pivotal part of the Terps’ wide receiving corps. The regional Penn State-Maryland rivalry has even more meaning to Cobbs, as his father played at Penn State.

“I actually brought Brian Cobbs in yesterday,” Locksley said at his Tuesday news conference. “He’s one of these senior guys and veteran players that we’ve leaned on over the last few years with the leadership he brings. I do and I have challenged him. Part of the meeting yesterday was to say, ‘Listen we’re at that part of the climb where it becomes really treacherous, we’re sitting at five wins, we’ve got a lot of great opportunities before us.’ We need a guy like Brian Cobbs to have a Carlos Carriere-type moment.”

No. 3: Can Maryland’s defense create pressure and force turnovers?

Locksley has consistently preached the importance of creating takeaways defensively and winning the turnover battle. The Terps’ defense hasn’t forced a turnover in its past five games. (An interception slid through the hands of Jakorian Bennett last week.) For Maryland to have success against Penn State, that will need to change.

In last season’s 35-19 victory at Beaver Stadium, Maryland forced three turnovers, including a 34-yard scoop and score by linebacker Chase Campbell, who is now at Ole Miss. During his time in State College, Clifford has shown the propensity to make poor decisions with pressure in his face.

“We’ve got to take our turnover circuits more serious and focus on just getting the ball out,” Bennett said of the drills the Terps do in practice. “Coach Stewart always says during practice, ‘We’ve got to get five attempts at the ball.’ So, doing that and then once you practice it, it happens in the game.”

Last year, the Terps sacked Clifford seven times, disrupting his rhythm throughout the game. Almost all of those seven sacks came from members of Maryland’s current defense. That pressure all starts up front with graduate student Sam Okuayinonu and junior Mosiah Nasili-Kite. Those two have combined for 9.0 sacks this year.

However, that responsibility extends far beyond the defensive line and transitions into the linebacker corps and secondary. Creating pressure from all three levels of the defense is vital, particularly for a defense like Maryland’s that often employs man-to-man coverage. Therefore, the Terps will look to replicate last season’s success in slowing down Clifford and the Nittany Lions’ offense.

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