Gameday Observations: Maryland
After a quick road trip to College Park, Penn State football is officially back in the win column.
Although the Nittany Lions weren’t in Beaver Stadium, the number of fans donning blue and white made it feel like a home game at times. While the first half of the game wasn’t quite exciting, our traveling staff writers and photographers noticed everything from interesting locker room setups to adorable fan interactions on Saturday.
Blue Band, Nittany Lion Make Trip
The boys (and girls!) are back in town. Penn State’s Blue Band typically travels to just one away game, and it happened to be Maryland this year.
Whole team here
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 6, 2021pic.twitter.com/xkyADhR5fH
Due to the pandemic, this is the crew’s first away game since the 2019 Cotton Bowl. The band performed pregame, played “Fight On State” after every score, and gave a classic rendition of the Alma Mater after the win. They sound just as good in College Park as they do in Happy Valley!
Pick-six vibes
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 6, 2021
Penn State Fans Show Out, Infiltrate Student Section
There were so many fans behind Penn State’s sidelines that it almost felt like a home game at times, as Sean Clifford said after the game.
Thanks to Maryland’s close proximity to Pennsylvania, the amount of alumni fans in the area, and lots of players’ families being from the DMV, quite the blue and white crowd made an appearance. Nittanyville members even made a 2019-esque infiltration of the Terps’ student section after it cleared out.
It’s happening again…
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 6, 2021pic.twitter.com/DEWXirSJYC
Locker Room Situation Is Really Weird
Maryland’s away locker room facilities truly did not resemble that of a Big Ten team. Obviously, we didn’t get a peek inside, but players were very clearly being taped and suited up in a makeshift tent outside of the locker room itself. Maryland Stadium had lots of renovations going on when we were there, so maybe expansions are in the works.
Tank Smith Wants To Run The Damn Ball
Following a bounce-back performance from Penn State’s running back room, Tank Smith showed his support for the ground game by donning a pretty self-explanatory hat.
Jahan Dotson Emotional After Career Performance
Jahan Dotson carried Penn State big time against Maryland. The wide receiver put together the best performance of his career, fit with 11 receptions, 242 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. He also set the program’s record for most receiving yards in a single game.
The Nazareth, Pennsylvania native grew emotional after the game talking about how much his family meant to him. He said about 20 members of his family were in attendance to watch his incredible effort against the Terps.
James Franklin Holds Baby Lion
Following Penn State’s first win in nearly a month, its players and coaches were quite riled up. Clifford, Dotson, and James Franklin headed over to the swarming Nittany Lions fans to greet them after the game.
Franklin stopped for a moment to pose for a picture with a baby wrapped up in a Nittany Lion outfit. John Patishnock of The Football Letter got pretty great footage of the whole encounter.
Trace McSorley, Odafe Oweh Say Hello
Former Penn State football stars and current Baltimore Ravens players Trace McSorley and Odafe Oweh were in attendance for the game. Maybe it was good luck, as the Ravens went on the beat the Vikings 34-31 in overtime on Sunday.
Pregame DJ Impresses
Not sure who was controlling the pregame music, but he had the place rockin’ with mashups and classic hits. If only there were more fans in attendance…
Pregame vibes couldn’t be better
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 6, 2021pic.twitter.com/OX1h7G0l12
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