Penn State Football Report Card: Maryland Edition

The Nittany Lions score 44 unanswered points against the Terps to reach the Big Ten Championship Game.

Penn State running back Nicholas Singleton (10) runs with the ball against the Maryland Terrapins during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | Penn State originally had scheduled an off say Sunday, during which safety Jaylen Reed planned to go to New York. "That's over now," Reed happily said Saturday at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State's 44-7 win over Maryland completely changed the Nittany Lions postseason, which now begins in the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon. The No. 4 Nittany Lions return to Indianapolis for the first time since 2016, when they beat Wisconsin in their first title-game appearance. To get there this time, Penn State scored 44 unanswered points against the Terps, including a touchdown pass as time expired that didn't sit well with Maryland coach Mike Locksley. Penn State coach James Franklin was pleased, though.

Anyway, to the report card.

OFFENSE: B+

The Nittany Lions reverted to their rake-tripping starts, generating just 1 yard of offense on their first four drives, which including an opening-play fumble. Quarterback Drew Allar was off, the line looked shaky and the receivers wandered. Then Allar hit tight end Tyler Warren for 20 yards on first down, converted a pair of 4th-and-1 sneaks and watched Warren draw a pass-interference penalty. That opened the gateway to touchdowns on four consecutive series, scored by four different players.

Allar found his rhythm, completing nine of 10 passes in one stretch, and Warren went beast mode, leaping over a defender for the first time since high school. He hadn't even considered attempting the move until that moment Saturday. Warren, who set three more records, has been among the most fun players to watch in college football this season. After his fumble, Nicholas Singleton ran angry, totaling 170 all-purpose and scoring two touchdowns. And receiver Omari Evans played a welcome-back game, catching four passes for 49 yards.

DEFENSE: A

Maryland receiver Kaden Prather took advantage of man coverage on his team's first snap, catching a 25-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring. The Terps mustered 169 yards of offense the remainder of the game, and Penn State flattened their next 12 drives: seven punts, three interceptions and two fourth-down stops. Penn State's Abdul Carter and Tyrece Mills combined for the game's most pivotal defensive play, stopping Maryland on a 4th-and-short from its 30-yard line. Carter made two more tackles for loss, giving 19.5 tackles on the season, the same number Carl Nassib generated in 2015 when he was named Big Ten defensive player of the year.

Penn State's defensive line hounded Maryland's front for five of the team's six sacks, Maryland threw for just 35 yards in the second half, and the Nittany Lions extended one of the nation's great defensive streaks. No team scored a third-quarter touchdown against Penn State this year. And Maryland's Tai Felton, the Big Ten's leading receiver, finished with four quiet catches for 27 yards.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B-

Singleton exploded on his next touch after the fumble for a 66-yard kickoff return, his longest of the season. That burst set up kicker Ryan Barker's 49-yard field goal, his longest of the season. Barker has been an underrated success story, going 11-for-13 since becoming the starter. However, Penn State's special-teams front allowed its second blocked kick (on a 53-yard attempt) in two weeks. Franklin said personnel changes contributed to the breakdown. Coordinator Justin Lustig will be watching a lot of film this week.

COACHING: A

Since the loss to Ohio State, Franklin and his staff reframed the team's perspective, got everyone pointed forward and lit the runway to four vital wins. Each was unique: Penn State routed Washington and Purdue with huge starts, delivered an enormously nervy game-clinching drive against Minnesota and closed the deal against Maryland. The Nittany Lions have won 33 consecutive games against teams ranked 20th or lower. Unimpressed? Ohio State would be headed to Indianapolis instead of Penn State had it defeated an unranked team Saturday.

OVERALL: A-

Penn State needed a quarter to wind up its haymaker but then delivered a quick and decisive knockout blow. Every minute can't be perfect, but every moment means something. In this case, the Nittany Lions recognized their early deficiencies and scored 44 unanswered points. That matters, and it earned Penn State a trip to Lucas Oil Stadium to face No. 1 Oregon for the Big Ten title.

More Penn State Football

Maryland coach Mike Locksley calls "bull----" on Penn State's last-second touchdown

What they said after the Nittany Lions' win over Maryland

What we learned from Penn State's victory over the Terps