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Previewing The Enemy: Maryland Terrapins

Penn State football’s regular-season finale is here, everyone.

The Nittany Lions host Maryland at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, and the game will be televised on the Big Ten Network. James Franklin’s team survived Minnesota 26-25 in Minneapolis last week, while Maryland fell 29-13 against Iowa at home. The Terrapins have struggled this season, so let’s preview Penn State’s opponent one final time this regular season.

The Team

Maryland is 4-7 overall and 1-7 in the Big Ten, ahead of only Purdue, which is winless in the conference. Its lone conference win was a 29-28 upset against USC last month in College Park.

Maryland has won bowl games in each of the last three seasons but won’t be bowl-eligible this season.

Mike Locksley has been Maryland’s head coach since 2019, although he went 1-5 as an interim coach in 2015. The Washington, D.C., native is 32-35 with the Terrapins, which included three consecutive winning seasons from 2021 to 2023. He also went 2-26 at New Mexico State from 2009 to 2011 and served as an offensive analyst under Nick Saban at Alabama before a one-season stint as Saban’s offensive coordinator.

Josh Gattis, who previously worked for Franklin at Penn State from 2014 to 2017, is in his second season as Maryland’s offensive coordinator. Brian Williams is in his third season as defensive coordinator and sixth with the program.

Penn State owns a 43-1-3 record against Maryland. The Nittany Lions defeated the Terrapins 51-15 in College Park last season, while Maryland’s last victory was a 35-19 win at Beaver Stadium in 2020.

Offense

Maryland averages 25.18 points per game and 403.7 yards per game, including 289.64 passing yards and 114.1 rushing yards.

Quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. has 2,881 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions along with a 65% completion rate. The former Wake Forest signal-caller has been dealing with an injury to his throwing hand, although that hasn’t stopped him from playing. If that changes, MJ Morris would back him up. Morris has 238 passing yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions, and a 59.46% completion rate over six appearances. Neither quarterback has outstanding numbers on their feet: Edwards has 150 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns while Morris has 46 and one.

Running back Roman Hemby leads the Terps with 543 yards and six touchdowns while redshirt freshman Nolan Ray has 323 yards and two touchdowns.

Maryland’s deadliest threat is wide receiver Tai Felton, one of the best receivers in college football. Felton’s 1,097 receiving yards rank first in the Big Ten and fourth in America. His nine receiving touchdowns are tied with Washington’s Denzel Boston, Illinois’s Pat Bryant, and Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka and Jeremiah Smith for first in the conference. The senior from Ashburn, Virginia, is the No. 5-ranked wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft, according to NFL Draft Buzz.

Kaden Prather and Octavion Smith Jr. round out a dangerous receiving unit. Prather has 599 yards and three touchdowns, while Smith has 315 and two. Tight end Dylan Wade has 357 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Andre Roye Jr. and Isaac Bunyun line up at left tackle and guard, respectively. Purdue transfer Josh Kaltenberger is at the center, while the right side also consists of transfers. Former Georgia Bulldog Aliou Bah is at right guard, and former Penn State transfer commit Alan Herron is at right tackle.

Defense

Maryland allows 29.18 points per game and 375 yards per game, including 245.73 passing yards and 129.3 rushing yards.

Linebacker Ruben Hyppolite II leads Maryland with 55 tackles and one interception. Caleb Wheatland Jr., who lines up next to Hyppolite, has 42 tackles and leads the team with four sacks. Daniel Wingate and Michael Harris also see significant playing time at the position.

Donnell Brown and Kellan Wyatt line up on the exterior of the defensive line. Wyatt has 29 tackles and is tied with Wheatland with a team-most seven tackles for loss. Brown has 21 tackles and a team-most five quarterback hurries. Jordan Phillips and Tommy Akingbesote are the defensive tackles. Akingbesote has 30 tackles and one sack, while Phillips has 25 tackles and two quarterback hurries.

Perry Fisher and Jalen Huskey are at left and right cornerback, respectively. Huskey has 39 tackles and leads the Terps with three interceptions. Fisher has 25 tackles and two pass breakups. Glendon Miller, who lines up at nickelback, has 34 tackles and three picks.

Dante Trader Jr. and Lavain Scruggs are the safeties. Trader has 54 tackles and four breakups, while Scruggs has 38 and two.

Special Teams

Jack Howes is 11-of-16 on field goal attempts, with a 48-yard attempt his longest successful kick this season. He also averages 62.9 yards per kickoff with 31 touchbacks on 50 kicks. Bryce McFerson handles punting duties, averaging 45.53 yards with a 64-yard punt as his longest.

Braeden Wisloski handles punt returns, and he’s averaging 8.38 yards. Meanwhile, Smith averages 13.57 yards per kickoff return.

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About the Author

Nolan Wick

Nolan is a senior journalism major from Silver Spring, Maryland. He's an avid D.C sports and Liverpool fan who loves going to games in his free time. Nolan mainly writes about Penn State football, men's hockey, and baseball. You can follow him on Twitter @nolan_wick or email him at [email protected].

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