Highs & Lows: Maryland

PLAYER OF THE GAME Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford didn’t need to do anything flashy to put together one of the best single-game performances in program history Friday night at Maryland. But his 26 completions on 31 attempts for 398 yards, plus three touchdowns, is third all-time, and his seven carries for 54 yards and a fourth score rounded out the big game.

PLAY OF THE GAME Facing a third-and-long on just the second possession of the evening, Clifford hooked up with K.J. Hamler across the middle of the field. Hamler did the rest. Bouncing off one midfield hit, Hamler stutter-stepped his way up the sideline, waited for an excellent downfield block by Jahan Dotson, and made it the rest of the way into the end zone to complete the 58-yard score. The TD gave the Nittany Lions a 14-0 lead on just four offensive plays.

BEST PASS Clifford had a number he could pick from, but his pass to Hamler on the 58-yard score was actually a pretty nice strike to begin the play. It came on a key 3rd and 9 that helped set the tone of the entire game.

BEST RUN Will Levis’ bruising touchdown in the fourth quarter, boosting the Nittany Lions’ lead to 52-0 with 5:37 left to play, showed good balance capped off by a brutal barreling over of Maryland’s defense in the process.

BEST CATCH Technically, Dan Chisena was interfered with by Kenny Bennett on his 40-yard reception as time ticked away on the first quarter, but that won’t show up in the stat sheet because he made the catch anyway. Falling backward, Chisena completed the play and moved the Nittany Lions back into the scoring zone, where they punched it in to take a 21-0 lead just minutes later.

BEST SACK Penn State needed until most of the way through the second quarter to do so, but four Nittany Lions got to Josh Jackson on a Maryland 3rd and 5, with linebacker Ellis Brooks leading the way.

BEST HIT This category is usually more fun, but Friday night the opposite was true. Before the 10-minute mark of the second quarter, two players had been disqualified for targeting penalties and the number of violent hits were too numerous to mention. A naturally chippy game, the blowout nature turned it ugly early.

BEST EFFORT Penn State linebacker Jan Johnson stepped in front of Jackson’s second pass of the night Friday, making a key interception that handed the Nittany Lions the ball at Maryland’s 32-yard line in the game’s opening minutes. A pair of Maryland penalties on the play helped the Nittany Lions further, leading to first-and-goal from the 9-yard line. Penn State capitalized with a Clifford quarterback draw for a touchdown the very next play.

BEST KICK Jake Pinegar capped a wild first half for the Nittany Lions with a 21-yard chip shot to give his team a 38-0 advantage heading into the locker room.

BEST DECISION Penn State came to Maryland with the mindset that it would be aggressive on both sides of the ball from the get-go, and the Nittany Lions never looked back. But specifically on the offensive side of the ball, Ricky Rahne brought his tight ends in to help protect Clifford, and the quarterback made it count. He connected on 26 of 31 passes for 398 yards and three touchdowns on the night, with Penn State’s offense effectively doing whatever it wanted.

WORST DECISION Micah Parsons’ roughing penalty just minutes into the game proved to be doubly poor as Parsons drew a well-deserved targeting call and was ejected for the game as a result. A review of the play left no doubt, forcing Parsons to the locker room with more than seven minutes remaining in the first quarter.

MOST TELLING MOMENT Rolling forward into the end zone on a 4-yard carry early in the second quarter, Ricky Slade produced his second rushing touchdown of the season and offered up a silent warning to Maryland fans to quiet themselves. Truthfully, the home crowd had already quieted considerably by then as the Nittany Lions dominated the game’s first 20 minutes.