UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — With the Maryland football team trailing Penn State, 17-14, fresh off freshman quarterback’s Tyrrell Pigrome’s touchdown run with 52 seconds to go in the half, its defense could only look on as Penn State running back Saquon Barkley broke through the line of scrimmage for a 45-yard score.
The play epitomized what the Nittany Lions accomplished on the ground, en route to taking a 24-14 lead into intermission on Saturday afternoon. The Terps defense, which allowed an average of 119 rushing yards over its first four games, gave up almost double that (230 yards) in the opening 30 minutes.
Penn State entered the game last in the Big Ten with 108.2 rushing yards per game, the combination of Barkley and dual-threat quarterback Trace McSorley gashed Maryland using a read-option attack.
Barkley, who defensive coordinator Andy Buh said would be the best running back Maryland has faced this year, went for 148 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown.
McSorley had success on the ground both when he took the ball on a designed run and when he was forced to scramble out of the pocket when it collapsed. After throwing for 335 yards in Penn State’s home win over Minnesota last week, McSorley ran the ball 14 times for 73 yards.
With six minutes and six seconds to go in the half, McSorley ran up the middle for a nine-yard score, putting the Nittany Lions up by double digits.
The effects of Penn State’s rushing success also damaged the Terps offense, which spent much of the first half on the sideline.
The Terps ran 24 plays in the opening 30 minutes, converting six first downs and combining for 156 yards of total offense. Sixty six of those yards came on a screen pass from quarterback Perry Hills to running back Ty Johnson, who darted down the right sideline for a score that tied the game at seven.
Johnson earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 204 yards on seven carries in the Terps’ 50-7 win over Purdue last Saturday, but the sophomore speeder ran for one yard on two carries in the first half against the Nittany Lions.
While the Terps averaged 4.9 yards per carry before halftime, Penn State’s methodical offensive approach has largely kept offensive coordinator Walt Bell’s up-tempo attack off the field.
Aside from Hills’ throw to Johnson — the longest completion of his career — the redshirt senior’s other four completions went for six yards. When Hills dropped back, his offensive line didn’t give me much time to survey the field.
Late in the first quarter tight end Avery Edwards allowed his defender to go around him and blindside Hills as he released the throw. The ball wobbled threw the air, landing in the hands of linebacker Brandon Smith for an easy interception.
The Nittany Lions converted on a 30-yard field goal on the ensuring possession, marking the first point Maryland has allowed off a turnover this season.
Penn State sacked Hills twice, and then put licks on the Pittsburgh native the other seven times he carried the ball.
On Hills’ last carry of the half, which came about a minute before intermission, he did not immediately get off the ground. He left the game, and Pigrome started the second half under center.
