No. 11 Penn State football (7-1, 3-1 Big Ten) will head south to play the Maryland Terrapins (5-3, 2-3 Big Ten) at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 4, at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland.

The Nittany Lions are rolling off a 33-24 win over Indiana. The game came down to the final minutes, and it was all sealed when Drew Allar threw a 57-yard touchdown to KeAndre Lambert-Smith, followed by a Penn State safety.

The Terrapins, on the other hand, lost 33-27 at Northwestern last week, and their season has unraveled after going winless in October. That said, our staffers are confident Penn State will improve to 8-1 this weekend.

Michael Siroty (2-0): Penn State 34, Maryland 17

Penn State had a bit of a scare last week against Indiana, but if it takes that game as a learning experience, this game against Maryland should be a bounce-back outing. The Terrapins have lost three consecutive games, but with a talented quarterback, they should be able to get some points on the board. However, I expect the Nittany Lions to double them up and gain momentum before their matchup with Michigan.

Brady Miller (7-1): Penn State 27, Maryland 21

The Penn State offense has shown some struggle these past two weeks, and this Maryland team is no joke.

Although the Terrapins dropped their last three games, they did start the season 5-0. I expect them to show some true fight and maybe even hold a lead at some point in the second half.

Ultimately, the Nittany Lion defense will come up with a much-needed stop, and Penn State will claw this one out in a close game.

Brendan Wagner (8-0): Penn State 31, Maryland 14

After a lackluster performance in the rain last week, the Nittany Lions will travel to Beaver Stadium South to take on Maryland. Despite a routinely good roster and resume from the Terps, the Nittany Lions seem to have it out for them. Expect a fairly easy game in front of a crowd full of Penn State fans.

CJ Gill (5-0): Penn State 38, Maryland 17

The Nittany Lions love to win in College Park, and they are going to go down and take another one from Maryland this year despite Drew Allar’s road struggles. I think Maryland has some talent that could keep this close in the early portion of the game.

However, I think Allar and the offense figured out some things at the end of the Indiana game. Don’t be surprised if Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have breakout games against the Terps, too.

Cooper Cazares (4-1): Penn State 24, Maryland 14

This is a sneaky test for the Nittany Lions. Maryland is a good team that played solid against Ohio State for three quarters before running out of gas in the closing minutes. I imagine this game will be similar. Penn State’s defense will keep this game close at first before the Nittany Lions pull away in the last quarter. This is the last chance the blue and white have to get their offense off the ground before a mammoth home game against No. 3 Michigan next week.

Fernando Martinez (4-1): Penn State 31, Maryland 20

This game feels like a trap game for the Nittany Lions, and it’s critical that they don’t take Maryland for granted, especially on the road.

Penn State didn’t look good last week at home against Indiana and barely survived that game despite being huge favorites. The only positive from that game is that Drew Allar demonstrated that he can come up clutch for this team when it needs him to as he led the offense on a game-winning touchdown drive. I think that drive will boost Allar’s confidence heading into the game, and I believe we see him throw the long ball more frequently.

Maryland is no joke, and it will come in motivated to snap the losing streak at home. However, I expect the Nittany Lions to be ready for this challenge after what happened last week, and I think they win this game as they look ahead to their big showdown against Michigan next week.

Jamie Lynch (4-1): Penn State 38, Maryland 23

Originally, I predicted this game to be much closer. But the reality is that Maryland is not the team I first thought it was. After starting off the season 5-0, the Terps are currently on a three-game losing streak, including a defeat against a 3-5 Illinois squad and a 4-4 Northwestern team. Don’t get me wrong, I still believe this is a trap game for Penn State, as Maryland’s Taulia Tagovailoa is one of the best quarterbacks in the Big Ten. However, I think the Nittany Lion defense cleans up its mistakes from the last game and contains Tagovailoa and the Terrapin offense.

I also think that this matchup will be a huge momentum boost before the all-important Michigan game the following week. I really do believe that Penn State, and specifically Drew Allar, needed that Indiana game to unfold the way it did. The gritty win will set this team on the right track going forward, and Allar’s legacy interception/deep ball touchdown will carry the Lions to a win in College Park this weekend.

Matt Brown (7-1): Penn State 42, Maryland 17

Many think that after last week’s game versus Indiana, there is cause for concern for Penn State. However, I think it should be the opposite. I think that, finally, we’re going to see an offense that will take some chances on the field and not be afraid to throw an interception or two. I want to see big plays both in the air and on the ground, and I want them to not stop the scoring.

This Maryland team is not that good. Taulia Tagovailoa is the best player it has and as long as Penn State keeps him in check, this should be an easy win. I think Allar has his highest passing yard game of the season and may even sit out the fourth quarter if they score enough.

Mitchell Corcoran (4-1): Penn State 31, Maryland 21

This is a big get-right game for Penn State. Historically, Penn State has played very well against Maryland, especially on the road.

Since the start of James Franklin’s tenure at Penn State in 2014, Penn State is 7-2 against Maryland and 3-0 at College Park. The Nittany Lions’ two losses were a one-point loss in 2014 and the other came in the 2020 COVID-19 year when Penn State went 4-5. In the three wins in College Park, Penn State outscored the Terrapins 156-14. In the last two meetings overall, Penn State has outscored Maryland 61-14. Maryland is also coming off three straight losses to Ohio State, Illinois, and Northwestern.

However, this Maryland offense is good, averaging 32.9 points per game and 418.4 yards of total offense per game. Holding Maryland’s offense and putting up an impressive road performance is crucial for the Nittany Lions to gather momentum to face Michigan.

Rico Gore (8-0): Penn State 31, Maryland 16

Maryland might just be the most confusing team in the country. It seems like it is really good, but then it goes and loses a bunch of silly games. I honestly don’t know if Maryland is the real deal this year or not. Either way, Penn State should be able to handle this game (hopefully better than the team that handled Indiana).

Nolan Wick (7-1): Penn State 45, Maryland 10

Maryland makes me a little uneasy, and the main reason is Taulia Tagovailoa, who paces the Big Ten in both passing yards and touchdowns. His coach, Mike Locksley, has done an admirable job in College Park and seems to have a better team each year.

However, this Terps squad is in a free-fall right now after losing three straight games. Penn State had a scare last week, but it’s hard to see that happening again. The Nittany Lions’ defense is more than capable of shutting down Tagovailoa and his offense, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he throws his seventh interception of the year. Despite how inefficient it can be, the offense should be able to do enough to win this game.

Joe Lister (7-1): Penn State 31, Maryland 13

Alright, I was wrong about how much of a bounce-back game Indiana was going to be. I forgot how bad James Franklin is coming off losses, but Maryland should be a different story. The Terrapins are on a downward slope after starting the season off hot, even going as far as to fall to Northwestern last week. Talk about a statement loss.

Realistically, this is going to be a test of how well Drew Allar and the rest of the team can perform before Michigan. See you all in College Park, folks.

CJ Doebler (7-1): Penn State 34, Maryland 20

This is a huge momentum game for the Nittany Lions heading into the final stretch of the season. Maryland is a beatable team, but the Terps will be looking to get back on track after dropping their last three games, including one last week at Northwestern.

Penn State has struggled on the road, and Maryland fans have convinced themselves this is a rivalry, so the atmosphere is once again going to be pretty hostile for Drew Allar and Co. I think the team will bounce back from the Indiana showing and possibly start to build on the late-game heroics that resulted in Penn State’s second-longest score of the season last week. This won’t be as easy as Penn State’s other middle-tier Big Ten opponents, but Penn State will still come away with a handy victory.

Keeley Lamm (7-1): Penn State 31, Maryland 10

I’ll never bet against the Nittany Lions.