Sitting one win away from locking up their first ever berth in the College Football Playoff, and a likely first-round home game, no. 4 Penn State is set to welcome a struggling Maryland Terrapins (4-7, 1-7) squad to Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. In a game where the attendance may be low with the temperatures even lower, the Nittany Lions may need to bring their own juice. Something that is not typically the case for a game at Beaver Stadium.
The Terrapins may struggle to have much juice for this game, too. Sitting at 4-7 with bowl eligibility off the table, Maryland has little to play for. Factor in the Terps entering this game as losers of four games in a row and six of their last seven, and they may not present much of a fight on Saturday.
To get more insight on Maryland we turn to Scott Greene of our sister site at TerrapinSportsReport. For one last time this regular season, let's go behind enemy lines.
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HVI: Obviously, it has been a rough year in College Park. With Maryland likely on their way to a 4-8 finish, could Mike Locksley be on the hot seat?
SG: This has become a question that has been asked quite a bit over the last couple of weeks and regardless of what happens Saturday, the answer remains the same, Locksley is not on the hot seat despite missing a bowl game this year.
The facts remain, Maryland has the smallest booster base in the Big Ten and also one of the smallest budgets among all P4 programs. Even if the AD or administration wanted to fire him, they almost certainly couldn't afford to.
Then there is the incoming recruiting class, currently ranked 29th nationally and headlined by local superstar Rivals250 quarterback Malik Washington. The Severn (Md.) Archbishop Spalding signal caller led the Cavaliers to a 12-0 record and a third straight MIAA 'A' conference championship this fall, propelling them to the top-10 national ranking. A two-sport standout in football and basketball, Penn State remained in heavy pursuit of Washington even after he committed to the Terps and Michigan tried to swoop in at the 11th hour. Having seen a lot of Washington, he has the potential to be the kind of quarterback that can single-handedly change the fortunes of a program. And with Washington expected to enroll in January to get a head start on learning the offense and getting acclimated to college life, there is just zero chance they would even think about moving on from Locksley at this point in time.
HVI: To build on the first question, is this a Maryland team with much fight left in them? Or is this group ready to move on to the offseason?
SG: Based on what we saw in the first half last week, it feels like this Maryland group is ready to move on to the offseason. With that said, the Penn State game is one that most Maryland players are going to really get up for, regardless of how the season has gone, simply because there is a lot of familiarity with these teams. There are a number of players on both teams that played together in high school at places like Archbishop Spalding and Owing Mills (Md.) McDonogh. This familiarity often leads to guys being more up for the Penn State game and can also lead to some chippiness out on the field which again, just serves to get everyone on both sides riled up. So while this Maryland team doesn't have much to play for as a unit, I think pride and showing out against their former teammates will motivate quite a few Terps.
HVI: Billy Edwards has done some nice things for the Terps this season but appears to be battling the injury bug. Do you expect him to play on Saturday? If he does play, how limited could he be?
SG: Taking Locksley at his word, based on what he said during his Tuesday press conference earlier in the week, yes, I expect to see Billy Edwards Jr. at least try to give it a go in warmups, and as long as he can hand the ball off and make the basic throws, we will see him start the game. Edwards is as tough as they come and one of the fiercest competitors on the Maryland roster. If he is able to go, there is no way he will be sitting on the sideline when the offense takes the field to start the game.
As for how limited Edwards might be, he's been battling a thumb injury that could hinder his ability to make certain throws as well as secure the ball while running with it. So it is definitely something to keep an eye on, especially in warmups. If Edwards is unable to go, I would expect to see NC State transfer MJ Morris likely get the start in his place.
HVI: Tai Felton is a stud, but is there anyone else on the Maryland offense that Penn State fans should know about ahead of Saturday?
SG: As you mentioned, Tai Felton is the top offensive weapon and option for the Maryland offense, but he isn't the only weapon you need to account for. Senior wideout Kaden Prather comes into Saturday's game with 55 catches for 599 yards and three touchdowns and has the ability to really stretch the field vertically. Junior running back Roman Hemby has had his struggles this season and had difficulty finding any room last week versus Iowa, but. he rushed for over 100 yards versus Indiana earlier this season and had over 140 all-purpose yards a couple of weeks ago versus Rutgers. So while he hasn't had the season most Terp fans had hoped for, he has the ability to be a 100-yard rusher on any given Saturday.
HVI: Neither stats nor metrics paint a pretty picture of Maryland's defensive results this season. What has gone wrong for the Terps on defense?
SG: Where to start? The defensive front seven, which was supposed to be the Maryland defense's strong suit, has simply not lived up to its billing, specifically the linebackers, who have really struggled at times.
But perhaps the biggest issue throughout the season has been the secondary. Maryland brought in Jalen Huskey from Bowling Green to man one of the starting corner spots, and while he's certainly had his moments and is tied for the team lead with three interceptions, he has also had his struggles in coverage. Young, inexperienced corners like Kevis Thomas and Perry Fisher have had to fill in opposite Huskey and have struggled all season long. Throw in missed games due to injury from players like veteran, starting safety Dante Trader Jr. and it has just led to some disasters and major breakdowns in the secondary.
HVI: What is your prediction for the game?
SG: With a playoff spot on the line for Penn State, I think they come out focused and looking for a big win versus an opponent that comes into this one reeling. I could see the Terps showing some life early and maybe putting some points on the board in the first quarter, but PSU will have over 100,000 fans behind them with too much size, too much talent and too much to play for. PSU pulls away in the second half and wins big.
Penn State - 38
Maryland - 13
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