For one of Penn State football’s oldest players, Saturday’s 44-7 win over Maryland meant a little more, and it wasn’t just because a win got Penn State in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Dvon J-Thomas is a Maryland native, growing up in Burtonsville and playing his high school football at the McDonough School in Owings Mills.
One of his high school teammates was Jordan McNair.
McNair, an offensive lineman, was going into his second season at Maryland when, in June 2018, he died of heatstroke suffered during an offseason workout. This led to the culture of Maryland’s football program being called into question, and, ultimately, the firing of head coach D.J. Durkin.
‘THAT’S JUST HOW I FEEL’
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Dvon J-Thomas
J-Thomas, who was two grade classes below McNair and described him as “my big brother,” initially said he “didn’t really respect Maryland.”
He then apologized, saying he shouldn’t have used that phrasing but went onto explain how what happened to McNair affected him and how he sees the University of Maryland.
“My big brother died in Maryland,” J-Thomas said. “So, like me personally, my relationship with Maryland in terms of who they are and how I view them, I don’t really respect that program. So Jordan McNair, he ended up dying on the field. Yeah, and I mean, I understand it’s, you know, lots of years removed, but that’s just how I feel. You know, he taught me a lot when I was a young kid. And now, every time I see Maryland (or) I think of Maryland, that’s kind of the first thing that pops into my mind, you know, because he was a beloved individual, not only for me, but for the community. You know, he was a, he was a really good guy.”
J-THOMAS ISN’T ALONE
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Dani Dennis-Sutton
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.About three hours after the game ended, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton took to social media.
“What happened to the whole “You were, We are” thing?” Dennis-Sutton posted.
What happened to the whole “You were, We are” thing?
— Dani Dennis-Sutton (@thedanidennis) December 1, 2024
Most PSU fans should know exactly what Dennis-Sutton— who had three tackles and a sack against the Terps— is talking about. For those that don’t, here’s a refresher. When Maryland pounded PSU 35-19 in the pandemic-themed 2020 season, the school’s social media team made a now infamous graphic.
SAD VALLEY. pic.twitter.com/MLvELL9lf7
— Maryland Football (@TerpsFootball) November 7, 2020
PSU and Maryland have played four times since that tweet. Penn State has won each game, by scores of 33-14, 30-0, 51-15 and 44-7. That’s a combined 158-36 and an average margin of victory of 30.5.
Dennis-Sutton also played at McDonough, playing his high school ball from 2018-21. So it was after McNair had departed. But he was teammates with J-Thomas briefly in high school and has been for three years in college.
Penn State is going to the Big Ten Title game. It will face Oregon at 8 on FOX from Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
