Nittany Lions Shell Maryland; Clifford becomes all-time passing yards leader

Story posted November 12, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Evan Popalis

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – Rivalries don’t always play out to be nail-biters – such was the case between Penn State and Maryland Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.

The Nittany Lions shined through the raindrops, shutting out Maryland 30-0 to secure the team’s eighth win of the season.

The Penn State defense was ready to roll at kickoff, even without the likes of Curtis Jacobs and Joey Porter Jr. Maryland’s offense sputtered and turned in a three-and-out possession to start.

An impressive opening drive ensued for Penn State. A healthy run game gashed the Terrapin defense as a makeshift offensive line prevailed for the Nittany Lions. A couple of play-action rollouts from quarterback Sean Clifford opened up green grass for tight end Brenton Strange.

The redshirt junior from Parkersburg, West Virginia, hauled in two catches on the drive, capping it off with a three-yard touchdown reception. It’s Strange’s fifth touchdown of the season.

The first drive for the Nittany Lions witnessed Clifford surpass former signal caller Trace McSorely for the most passing yards in Penn State history.

In the late stages of the opening quarter, Penn State faced a fourth and one at the Terrapins' 45-yard line. Both teams resided to a goal-line formation, but freshman running back Nicholas Singleton busted free and recorded his ninth touchdown on the campaign.

Maryland picked up a first down for the first time on a read-option play with 1:11 left in the first quarter. It was the only chain mover the visitors would get in the quarter.

The defense continued to shine for the blue and white heading into the second. Back-to-back sacks from Abdul Carter and Ji’Ayir Brown left the Maryland offense lifeless. Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa spent the majority of the half scrambling for his life and not being able to settle into a rhythm.

Penn State found much of the same on offense halfway through the second quarter as it faced another fourth and one. The same formula was the answer for the Nittany Lions. Singleton shifted through the defense and thundered forward for a 27-yard score.

It was a commanding 21-0 advantage for the Nittany Lions at the midway mark of the second quarter.

In an early desperation attempt, Maryland decided to go for a fourth and nine barely passed midfield. The Terrapins came up short on the only drive of the half that witnessed them cross into enemy territory.

Penalties stifled a promising Penn State drive, allotting for Jake Pinegar to hit a 50-yard field goal in the final two minutes of the half.

Pinegar added three more points to the Nittany Lion tally from 46 yards out to put the game at 27-0 at the intermission.

Penn State outgained Maryland by 269 yards in the first half. The Terrapins mustered a stingy 27 yards on 27 plays.

The ground game proved pivotal in the first half for the blue and white as it racked up 190 yards.

Coming out of the halftime break, both teams submitted lackluster drives. The second drive for the Nittany Lions was well constructed, but they fell short of reaching the goal line. Pinegar pitched in another field goal to get Penn State to a 30-point lead.

Drew Allar came in at quarterback for the Nittany Lions following a couple of second-half drives for Clifford. After a difficult initial drive, Allar made plays with his arm and legs.

Christian Veilleux received snaps late in the contest in the persistent rain. It is the third game that the Canadian has seen playing time on the year.

Offense was difficult to come by in the second half as Penn State put the game on ice, wrapping up the shutout victory.

Clifford ended his night 12-of-23 for 139 yards and a touchdown pass. His counterpart, Tagovailoa, finished 11-of-22, contributing 74 yards through the air.

The rushing duo of Singleton and Kaytron Allen continued to dazzle in the blowout victory. Singleton gained 122 yards on 11 attempts with two touchdowns, and Allen had 16 attempts for 73 yards.

The leading receiver for Penn State was Theo Johnson. The Windsor, Ontario, native brought in three receptions for 44 yards.

The defense for the Nittany Lions gathered seven sacks on the day in a dominating performance. Maryland ended the day going 0-for-3 on fourth-down opportunities.

The blue and white improve to 8-2 on the campaign, and it travels to Rutgers next Saturday.

Evan Popalis is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email epopalis83@gmail.com.

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Evan Popalis

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Evan Popalis is a third-year from Lititz, Pennsylvania, majoring in broadcast journalism. He is a writer, analyst, and play-by-play commentator for the CommRadio sports department. His writings include weekly NHL betting previews along with power rankings for the NHL and NFL. He appears weekly on the NHL Podcast as a host and analyst reviewing the previous week’s action. If you would like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).