Highs and Lows: Penn State blows out Maryland

PLAYER OF THE GAME:

Running out of the tunnel at Beaver Stadium for the final time, Trace McSorley delivered a what has become a typical Trace McSorley performance. The Penn State quarterback found the end zone three times — twice on the ground and once through the air — while passing for 230 yards and rushing for 64 more, leading the Nittany Lions to a 38-3 win over Maryland in the final game of the regular season.

PLAY OF THE GAME:

Granted an opportunity to put the game out of reach on their first drive of the second half, the Nittany Lions took advantage with a nifty run by Ricky Slade. The true freshman running back was patient upon entering the hole at the line of scrimmage, and then made a slick move to elude a linebacker to gallop into the end zone, putting Penn State up 24-3.

BEST PASS:

Penn State stifled the Maryland offense for much of the game, but the Terrapins were able to strike for big yardage through the air in the first quarter, when Tyrrell Pigrome found wideout Brian Cobbs deep down the field. Pigrome hit Cobbs in stride, and the Penn State defensive backs in coverage seemed to let up on their pursuit, giving the Terrapins a 48-yard gain.

BEST RUN:

Miles Sanders seemed just as slippery as the sloppy playing surface on his first carry of the game. He weaved in and out of traffic, reviving what seemed to be a dead play a few times on his way to 35-yard gain. The rush set McSorley up for a short touchdown carry that gave Penn State a 7-0 lead.

BEST CATCH:

Good wide receivers habitualize turning off-target passes into receptions, and that’s just what KJ Hamler did on Penn State’s first play of the game. Hamler had a step on his defender as he streaked down the middle of the field, but the pass from McSorley was underthrown just slightly enough to throw off the play’s timing. Undeterred, Hamler slowed up and took a big hit from the defensive back in coverage as he reeled the pass in for a 34-yard pickup.

WORST DROP:

After his fantastic grab on the opening drive, Hamler suffered a rare drop, as he couldn’t handle a short pass from McSorley as he ran across the field on a short crossing pattern. This pass, like the other, was a bit behind Hamler, but the redshirt freshman wideout let this one slip through his fingers.

BEST SACK:

Pigrome proved elusive under center for Maryland, stepping away from Penn State defenders several times throughout the game. The Nittany Lions did manage to get to him late in the first half, though, as Kevin Givens reached for Pigrome’s legs and brought him down for a sack.

BEST HIT:

Tariq Castro-Fields didn’t shy away from contact as he came off the edge on a corner blitz, meeting Maryland running back Javon Leake in a violent collision and holding Leake to a standstill just long enough for Antonio Shelton to arrive and help bring the running back down before he could get back to the line of scrimmage.

BEST EFFORT:

Hurdling defenders was made fashionable by a certain Nittany Lions who wore No. 26, and now everyone seems to be trying their hand. The latest was true freshman wideout Daniel George, who hopped over a Maryland defensive back taking aim at his legs to earn a little more real estate on a 17-yard catch.

BEST KICK:

Blake Gillikin wasn’t summoned from his post on the sideline very often, but he delivered when called upon. His best kick came in the second quarter, when he pinned the Terrapins at their own 12-yard line with a 49-yard punt. Maryland compounded the bad field position by taking an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the play.

WORST KICK:

A persistent problem for Penn State’s special teams has been the inability of freshman placekicker Rafael Checa to keep the ball in the field of play. Those issues struck once again Saturday, as Checa booted the opening kickoff of the second half too far to the left and out of bounds, setting the Terrapins up at the 35-yard line.

BEST DECISION:

CJ Thorpe’s tendency for temper flares has been well-documented, and a trait that’s hurt Penn State a few times this season. But Thorpe showed growth on Saturday. He was pushed out of bounds late into the Maryland sideline during a Penn State punt and elected not to retaliate, drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty as the Terrapins were forced to start at their own 6-yard line.

WORST DECISION:

Inside the Maryland 10-yard line late in the second quarter, Penn State dialed up a pair of fade routes to the corner of the end zone that simply had no chance of being caught. One pass to Hamler sailed out of the back of the end zone, and Jahan Dotson couldn’t real in the pass when the Nittany LIons tried it again on third down, leading to a Jake Pinegar field goal.

MOST TELLING MOMENT:

McSorley played in front of the Penn State faithful for the final time on his senior day, already the winningest quarterback in Penn State history. He earned another win for his collection against Maryland and broke the Penn State record for career completions in the process.