In week ten of the 2023 College Football season, the Penn State Nittany Lions defeated the Maryland Terrapins 51-15. The offense played the way fans knew they could while the defense made sure the offense could get back onto the field quickly. Penn State now has an 8-1 record while Maryland now falls to a 5-4 record. Here is a look back on the Penn State win and where the Nittany Lions will go from here.
Penn State’s Fun Offense
If there is one thing that everyone should talk about this week regarding the Nittany Lions, it is that quarterback Drew Allar was poised in the pocket. After two weeks of looking like he was really feeling the pressure, Allar was playing really well. It is as if that interception last weekend completely turned him around for the better. He did well reading the defense and made smart decisions.
Not only was he calm, but Penn State pulled out some fun plays against Maryland. In the red zone, the team put in both Allar and Beau Pribula. The ball was snapped to Pribula who gave it to Allar. Allar was under pressure but able to make an impromptu pass to tight end Theo Johnson for the touchdown. Allar also used his legs this game, rushing the ball for 39 yards. One run went for 21 yards, which is a big help for this offense.
Penn State TE Tyler Warren (84) – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Aside from that, there were explosive plays, but the offense never lost who they were either. They still tried not to force anything that wasn’t there and took the easy passes to get downfield. By the end of the game, Allar completed, 25 passes out of 34 attempts for 240 yards, according to ESPN. He also had four passing touchdowns. The touchdown receptions were made by Johnson, Tyler Warren, and Dante Cephas who had two receptions.
The run game was there for the team as well. Penn State rushed the ball for 158 yards and two touchdowns. The two scoring plays came from Pribula and Kaytron Allen. Aside from the touchdown, Allen had himself a strong game this weekend with 14 carries for 91 yards. While this is a special team play, Nicholas Singleton does deserve credit for his 51-yard kick return in the fourth quarter. This gave his team a great field position to extend their lead even more.
Penn State RB Kaytron Allen (13) – Mark Selders/DKPS
Dominant Defense
The Nittany Lions gave up just 15 points against Maryland. Even that final touchdown by Maryland was in part due to a questionable pass interference call in the fourth quarter. By the end of the game, the Penn State defense had 50 combined tackles, 12 tackles for loss, and six sacks, according to ESPN. This was a dominant performance by the defense, which helps make up for how they played last weekend.
The team also had two interceptions. One was by Dominic DeLuca, which went for 35 yards. The other was by Tony Rojas, which went for 20 yards. On top of those turnovers, Zane Durant and Jordan van den Berg had fumble recoveries. These turnovers led to the Nittany Lions dominating time of possession and winning the game.
It should also be remembered that the Nittany Lions did all of this on defense without Chop Robinson, who is still out after sustaining an injury against the Ohio State Buckeyes two weeks ago. Hopefully, Penn State can get him back by next weekend, which is a huge Big Ten matchup.
Penn State Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz – Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Where Penn State Goes From Here
Following the win against Maryland, the Penn State Nittany Lions are now 8-1. They will head back home next weekend for a tough matchup against the Michigan Wolverines. The Wolverines are still undefeated and are not slowing down. This will be a huge matchup in week 11 of the college football season. If the Nittany Lions pull off the win, that could greatly change the outlook of this college football season.
