First Look: Penn State Vs. Maryland

After a 'challenging' day of injuries at Indiana, the Lions return home hoping to get healthy.

Penn State's stretch run reaches an intriguing game against Maryland, among the most difficult-to-read teams in the Big Ten. The Terps could have landed at Beaver Stadium as a seven-win ranked team but instead fizzled to a 23-10 loss at Wisconsin, where it generated little offense.

Meanwhile, Penn State handled injuries fairly well in a 45-14 victory at Indiana, though their impact likely will continue. Still, the Lions can continue carving a path to the Rose Bowl with a victory Saturday over Maryland.

Here's the first look at Penn State vs. Maryland.

Penn State (7-2) vs. Maryland (6-3)

• When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday
• Where: Beaver Stadium
• TV: FOX
• Streaming: FuboTV (Start your free trial)
• Betting Line: Penn State is a 12-point favorite
• Series History: Penn State leads 41-3-1
• Last Meeting: Penn State 31-14 in 2021
• Streaks: Penn State has won six of its last seven vs. Maryland

About the Lions: This should be a milestone day for quarterback Sean Clifford, who needs 16 yards to break Trace McSorley's career-passing record (9,899 yards). He also needs 116 yards to become the first Penn State quarterback, and seventh in Big Ten history, to throw for 10,000 career yards. Clifford draws strong responses from fans who want to see change, encouraged by TV analysts who rave about the backup. But Clifford has been an exemplary representative of Penn State who has two more games at Beaver Stadium, both winnable. Fans should recognize that while warmly embracing Drew Allar, who must continue to get reps, even if they're second-half cleanup reps. Elsewhere, injuries have mounted for Penn State, which played Indiana without three starting linemen (tackles Olu Fashanu and Caedan Wallace and guard Landon Tengwall) and lost linebackers Tyler Elsdon and Curtis Jacobs. Both positions represented depth issues this season, but the Lions made due against Indiana. Maryland's passing game should mean Penn State can play more defensive backs and hide the linebacker issues, but it's still a challenge. 

About the Terps: Maryland frittered away an opportunity at Wisconsin. Coming off a bye, and with quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa returning from injury, the Terps scored a season-low 10 points (albeit in horrible weather) against the Badgers. Tagovailoa struggled to his worst game of the season (10-for-23, 77 yards) after beginning the day with a Big Ten-best completion rate of 72.5 percent. Meanwhile, the Terps rushed for just 112 yards on a day when they planned for a run-heavy offense. Maryland has some strong receivers in Rakim Jarrett and Corey Dyches, who have combined for 61 catches and six touchdowns. Jarrett had a huge day at Penn State in 2020, catching five passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. That 35-19 loss marked a low point of the Lions' 4-5 season. Penn State defensive coordinator Manny Diaz will study those Jarrett slants this week.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.