For one of Penn State footballโs oldest players, Saturdayโs 44-7 win over Maryland meant a little more, and it wasnโt 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 Marylandโs football program being called into question, and, ultimately, the firing of head coach D.J. Durkin.
โTHATโS JUST HOW I FEELโ
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Dvon J-Thomas
J-Thomas, who was two grade classes below McNair and described him as โmy big brother,โ initially said he โdidnโt really respect Maryland.โ
He then apologized, saying he shouldnโt have used that phrasing but went onto explain how what happened to McNair affected him and how he sees the University of Maryland.
โMy big brother died in Maryland,โ J-Thomas said. โSo, 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.โ
J-THOMAS ISNโT ALONE
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now: Dani Dennis-Sutton
About three hours after the game ended, DE Dani Dennis-Sutton took to social media.
โWhat happened to the whole โYou were, We areโ thing?โ Dennis-Sutton posted.
What happened to the whole โYou were, We areโ thing?
— Dani Dennis-Sutton (@thedanidennis) December 1, 2024
Most PSU fans should know exactly what Dennis-Suttonโ who had three tackles and a sack against the Terpsโ is talking about. For those that donโt, hereโs a refresher. When Maryland pounded PSU 35-19 in the pandemic-themed 2020 season, the schoolโs 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. Thatโs 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.
