No. 4 Penn State football (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) defeated the Maryland Terrapins (4-8, 1-8 Big Ten) 44-7 Saturday at Beaver Stadium. With Michigan’s upset victory over No. 2 Ohio State, the Nittany Lions’s win clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship for the first time since 2016.

Maryland grabbed an early 7-0 lead, but Penn State erased it by the halfway point of the second quarter. The Nittany Lions kept their foot on the gas pedal and cruised past the Terps to finish 11-1 in the regular season for the first time since 2008.

How It Happened

Nick Singleton fumbled at the 25-yard line on the opening play. MJ Morris hit Kaden Prather with a touchdown pass to give Maryland a 7-0 lead with 14:46 left in the first quarter.

Singleton returned the kickoff to Maryland’s 32-yard line. Drew Allar completed a five-yard pass to Omari Evans, but Kaytron Allen’s botched snap on third down forced Penn State to kick a field goal. Ryan Barker drilled a 49-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 12:47 remaining in the opening quarter.

From his own 14-yard line, Roman Hemby rushed for three yards. Tai Felton caught a six-yard pass to set up third down, and Morris kept it for a first down. The drive stalled, as a false-start and an incompletion were too much to overcome.

The Nittany Lions went three-and-out, and the Terrapins took over at the 31-yard line. Nolan Ray ripped an eight-yard run, which was erased by an Abdul Carter sack. On 3rd-and-13, he was sacked again to force a punt.

Both teams had another set of three-and-outs, with Maryland’s concluding in a Zion Tracy 12-yard sack of Morris. Allar found Warren for a 20-yard completion, then he rushed six yards. Singleton did not convert on 3rd-and-3, but Allar did on the 4th-and-1 tush-push. Three plays later, Warren completed a nine-yard pass to Singleton for another 4th-and-1, and the sneak worked again. Warren caught an eight-yard pass on 3rd-and-4, which put the Nittany Lions on the Terps’ five-yard line. Two plays later, Singleton scored to give Penn State a 10-7 lead with 12:53 left in the second quarter.

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Hemby gained three yards, then another three to set up 3rd-and-4. Hemby was short, but Maryland stayed on the field. Maryland didn’t convert, and Penn State took over at the 30-yard line.

Allar fired a 23-yard pass to Khalil Dinkins. Two plays later, Allar scored on a tush-push to make it 17-7 with 10:11 remaining in the quarter.

Maryland went three-and-out, and Penn State took over at its own 41-yard line. Singleton ripped a nine-yard gain. Allar fumbled the snap, but he completed a pass to Warren who gained 29 yards. Singleton had a three-yard then exploded for an 18-yard run, and Pribula dashed into the end zone for a touchdown to extend Penn State’s lead to 17 points with 6:48 left in the first half.

Morris fired a nine-yard pass to Braeden Wisloski, and then Hemby ripped a 14-yard run. However, Audavion Collins picked off Morris at Maryland’s 46-yard line. A 24-yard reception by Evans was followed up with a seven-yard Warren touchdown reception two plays later to give Penn State a 31-7 lead with 1:46 to go.

The Terps got deep into Penn State territory, but Tony Rojas picked Morris off at the nine-yard line. The drive resulted in Barker’s unsuccessful field goal attempt, which was blocked to end the half.

Penn State forced a punt on Maryland’s drive to open the second half. Allar opened Penn State’s drive with an eight-yard pass to Warren, then Allen ripped a 10-yard run. Two more keepers by Allar resulted in a first down, and he completed a 17-yard pass to Evans to reach Maryland’s 45-yard line. The drive stalled, and the Nittany Lions punted.

Champ Long fired a 10-yard pass to Preston Howard. After Ray was stuffed, he threw an incompletion, Then, he was sacked by Dani Dennis-Sutton to force a punt.

Penn State drove down the field in a six-play drive which heavily involved Singleton. He had a 17-yard run, then exploded for an 18-yard touchdown to give the Nittany Lions a 38-7 lead with 14:14 left in the fourth quarter.

Felton and Hemby combined for a first down, but Maryland’s drive stalled. Like the Terps, the Nittany Lions also struggled. They went three-and-out, and Maryland regained possession at the 39-yard line.

The Nittany Lions gradually put their second and third-stringers in as the clock wound down. Dejuan Lane picked off Morris for a third time, and Beau Pribula completed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Tyseer Denmark on the game’s final play to give Penn State a 44-7 win.

Takeaways

• For the first time since 2016, Penn State is going to the Big Ten Championship Game. All the Nittany Lions had to do was take care of business against a subpar Maryland team, but this season showed “winnable” games can’t be taken for granted. Staying focused in those games is difficult but crucial, and everyone in Penn State’s program deserves credit for doing so this season.
• Penn State’s secondary was lights-out after giving up an opening score. The group had an interception and locked down elite wideout Tai Felton, who had just 27 yards. He was first in the Big Ten and fourth in America with 1,097 receiving yards entering the game.
• Singleton played a pivotal role in the game. His two touchdowns and 87 yards were his third-most of the season. It’s a good sign, as James Franklin previously said he intended to work Singleton back into a traditional running back role.
• Like always, Warren balled out. His 68 receiving yards paired with a touchdown were the most of any player on the field, and he’s undoubtedly a huge reason why Penn State finished 11-1 for the first time since 2008.

What’s Next

Penn State plays Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game at 8 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. The game will be televised on CBS.