What We Learned From Penn State's Meaningful Win Over Maryland

The Nittany Lions shook off another frustrating start to earn win No. 11 and clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game.

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Nicholas Singleton (10) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the Maryland Terrapins during the third quarter at Beaver Stadium. / Matthew O'Haren-Imagn Images

STATE COLLEGE | No. 4 Penn State took care of business on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, slamming Maryland 44-7 to finish the regular season 11-1 and clinch a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game against Oregon next week. As the Nittany Lions set their sights on an early start to the postseason, here’s what we learned from the regular-season finale. 

Pass rush continues to make the difference

Penn State’s defense clamped down on Maryland all night, and it started with a dominant effort from the pass rush. Defensive end Abdul Carter led the way with two sacks, his fourth multi-sack game this season. Carter has reached career-highs in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (19.5), and it feels like he is improving at his position with each week that passes. 

“There’s still a lot of games left and a lot of weeks to get better, and you still haven’t seen the best of me yet,” Carter said after the game.

Across from Carter, Penn State got consistent pressure from Dani Dennis-Sutton, who added a sack and three quarterback hurries. Defensive tackle Zane Durant also remained a consistent force from the interior. In total, Penn State’s starters racked up five of the team’s six sacks.  

The Nittany Lions will need the pass rush to show up against Oregon to contain quarterback Dillon Gabriel. The Ducks are among the best pass-protection teams in the nation. They entered last night’s game against Washington having allowed only 12 sacks, which was one more than Penn State.   

Through 11 games, Gabriel had thrown 22 touchdowns to six interceptions while completing 73.8 percent of his passes. If he’s able to be that efficient next weekend, it could be a long day for the Penn State pass defense. 

Tyler Warren sets more records

It was another record-setting day for Tyler Warren, who set Penn State’s career receptions and receiving touchdowns record for tight ends in another standout performance. Warren was the Nittany Lions’ leading receiver with six receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown, putting him up to 130 receptions and 17 touchdowns in his career.

His best play of the night was ruled as a 29-yard rush, on which quarterback Drew Allar escaped a sack and flipped the ball to Warren behind the line of scrimmage. Warren then hurdled a defender, his first such play since high school, and rumbled up the sideline for a big gain — another potential Heisman moment for the tight end. 

Tyler Warren Hurdle 😳 @PennStateFball #B1GFootball on @BigTenNetwork 📺 pic.twitter.com/rmpsyJreai

— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 30, 2024

Warren has been Penn State’s top receiver this season and arguably its best overall player. The Nittany Lions will depend on him further next weekend as they try to break down Oregon’s top-10 passing defense. 

The Ducks allowed 469 total receiving yards to tight ends through 11 games this season, 25 percent of the team’s total receiving yards allowed. One of the country’s best tight ends, Michigan’s Colston Loveland, tallied 112 yards against Oregon earlier this season.

“He’s a beast,” Penn State coach James Franklin said of Warren. “Everybody goes into it saying you gotta stop Tyler Warren. Everybody’s defensive game plan is, ‘We can’t allow 44 to impact the game.’ Everybody has said that every single week, and no one has done it.”

Warren will continue playing with a target on his back, and it’ll be up to offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to continue getting the ball to his top playmaker. It also will be up to Penn State’s wide receivers to get open when Warren is covered, which has been a work in progress this season. Notably, Trey Wallace, Penn State’s leading receiver at the position group, did not play against Maryland after being listed as questionable for the game.

Penn State overcomes another slow start

Though the win was dominant, Penn State’s start was inauspicious, as the Nittany Lions trailed 7-3 after one quarter. Running back Nick Singleton lost a fumble on the first play from scrimmage, which led to Maryland’s only touchdown, and the Nittany Lions gained a total of 1 yard on their next three possessions.

Penn State’s offense didn't pick up a first down until its fifth drive of the game. That’s when the offense started clicking, scoring four straight touchdowns and effectively putting the game away by halftime. 

“Obviously, the game did not start the way we’d like it to start. Very sloppy on offense and defense, but after that, from that point on, very pleased,” Franklin said. 

Fortunately for Penn State, this slow start went unpunished, as Maryland got nothing going after its one-play touchdown. The Nittany Lions’ defense pushed the Terrapins backward for the rest of the first quarter and then forced a pair of interceptions and a turnover on downs in the second. 

Penn State has gotten away with sloppy starts in several games this season, including the last two weeks against Minnesota and Maryland. Against Oregon in the Big Ten title game and later in the playoffs, it’ll be much tougher to come back from those types of starts.

“We’ve been in every scenario,” Singleton said. “We just know how to finish games I feel like, so we just gotta continue and keep doing it.”

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Sam Woloson has covered Penn State Athletics for the past three years and is currently the managing editor of The Daily Collegian. His work has also appeared in Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Huntingdon Daily News and Rivals. Follow him on X @sam_woloson