UNIVERSITY PARK — Penn State came into its game against Maryland on Saturday having outscored the Terps 163-6 over the past three meetings, including last year’s 59-0 beatdown in College Park.
Oh, the Nittany Lions also were favored by 27.5 points Saturday.
None of that mattered.
This was a different game altogether, and a game Penn State would like to forget.
Maryland rolled up 28 points in the first half, while PSU’s offense struggled, and wound up beating the Lions, 35-19, at Beaver Stadium.
Penn State is 0-3 for the first time since 2001, when it started 0-4. The Lions began the season ranked No. 7 in the country, so this has been a dramatic collapse.
SAD VALLEY. pic.twitter.com/MLvELL9lf7
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) November 7, 2020
Taulia Tagovailoa dissected Penn State’s defense for 246 yards passing and three TDs in the first half. Meanwhile, Sean Clifford had issues, completing only 6-of-20, and PSU’s defense could not keep the game close.
Maryland went up 21-0 before the Lions finally scored, then the Terps scored late in the half for a 28-7 margin.
On Penn State’s first possession of the second half, Clifford fumbled, with linebacker Chance Campbell scooping it up and scoring a 35-7 lead.
🚨 KEY RACE ALERT 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Bl4DOBAVd3
— Maryland Terrapins (@umterps) November 7, 2020
The Lions scored a couple of touchdowns in the first quarter after things were already decided.
Clifford set a school record with 57 pass attempts, completing only 27, and threw for 340 yards and three TDs. He also had two interceptions and one fumble.
Tagovailoa was 18-of-26 for 282 yards and three TDs for Maryland.
Penn State had been 40-2-1 all time against the Terps before suffering this loss.
Update: 5:30 p.m.
Maryland 35, Penn State 7: Chance Campbell scooped up a Sean Clifford fumble and returned it for a TD on PSU’s first possession of the second half.
Safety Nick Cross disguised himself perfectly behind the defensive line before sprinting in to sack Sean Clifford and force a fumble.
Chance Campbell continues his sensational season with a fumble recovery for a touchdown.pic.twitter.com/C3uD2usWrp
— Matt Levine (@MattLevine__) November 7, 2020
Update: 5:05 p.m.
Maryland 28, Penn State 7: The Terps got a gorgeous 34-yard TD pass from Taulia Tagovailoa to Dontay Demus Jr. for a 28-7 lead with 45 seconds left in the half. Demus beat Joey Porter Jr. on third-and-6, getting behind the defensive back, and he was wide open for Tagovailoa to hit on a nice throw while rolling to his right.
Taulia Tagovailoa. QB. #Maryland pic.twitter.com/hFRi6DaPg0
— Rick Ramirez (@Rick_Ramirex) November 7, 2020
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.At the half, Maryland has 335 yards of offense, while PSU has 144.
Tagovailoa had a tremendous first half, completing 14-of-19 for 246 yards and three TDs.
Sean Clifford is 6-of-20 for 78 yards and one score. He missed several open targets on some costly overthrows.
Update: 5 p.m.
Maryland 21, Penn State 7: The Lions finally got on the board with a 20-yard TD pass from Clifford to Jahan Dotson. It was a pretty throw and pretty grab in coverage with 6:32 left in the half.
Another angle of Jahan Dotson's (@H55ZY) leaping TD grab 🏈#WeAre https://t.co/Ou7tUUACTw pic.twitter.com/i5qzaflDbj
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) November 7, 2020
Maryland 21, Penn State 0: The Terps continued to stun PSU with a 34-yard TD run by Jake Funk with 11:49 left in the half.
Maryland 14, Penn State 0: On the same kind of crossing route, Maryland got a 62-yard TD pass from Tagovailoa to Jarrett, who outran the PSU secondary.
Update: 3:47p.m.
Maryland 7, Penn State 0: The Terps got this easy 42-yard TD toss and run from Taulia Tagovailoa to Rakim Jarrett on their first series, the first time they found the end zone against Penn State since 2016.
Just in: The @TerpsFootball offense hasn't slowed down since last Friday.
And @RakimJarrett has his first career TD. 👏 pic.twitter.com/AvZKm7Ze63
— Maryland On BTN (@MarylandOnBTN) November 7, 2020
Update: 2:35 p.m.
**Absolutely gorgeous day at Beaver Stadium.
Update: 12:30 p.m.
**The point spread has moved all the way up to PSU +27. That’s a big number against a Maryland team that might be able to move the ball pretty well. The Terps do have a lousy defense, though.
Update: Noon
**Penn State has outscored Maryland 163-6 over the past three meetings, including 59-0 last year.
Entering today's matchup, Maryland hasn't scored a touchdown against Penn State in 1,491 days. https://t.co/THqhtEmmrz
— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 7, 2020
