Penn State takes to the road for the final time this season in a true Big Ten road environment. The Nittany Lions close out the regular season away from Happy Valley against Michigan State in Detroit on the Friday after Thanksgiving, but this week sees Penn State in an opposing Big Ten stadium for the final time this season. Penn State visits border rival Maryland with both teams looking to clean some things up a bit.
While Penn State has some questions to still address on offense, the Terrapins are simply looking to snap a three-game losing streak. Doing so against this Penn State defense could make that a difficult task.
This week we are happy to introduce our newest member of the team, Charlie Strella. And with his addition to the team, we have one more person going on the record each week for the remainder of the football season.
Here are our staff picks for this week’s Penn State game at Maryland.
Brad Wakai, Contributor
Penn State survived a scare last weekend against Indiana. That doesn’t give a lot of confidence heading into Maryland who has a potent offense and wants to beat the Nittany Lions badly. I think last Saturday was a wake-up call and they come in focused.
Final score: Penn State 30, Maryland 21
Season record: 7-1
Season record ATS: 7-1
Kevin McGuire, Editor
From the start of the season, I have said this week’s game at Maryland was going to be one of the trickier games on the schedule, and I believed it was one where Penn State would easily be on upset alert. After watching this season’s developments, I feel extremely confident in saying Penn State’s defense won’t be the ones who lose this game, but the Penn State offense simply has to perform better to avoid letting Maryland sniff an upset bid. Maryland trying to snap a three-game losing streak with passing game more potent than Indiana’s could make for some tense moments. But Penn State breathes a sigh of relief at the end of this one as the run game gains momentum.
Final score: Penn State 33, Maryland 23
Season record: 8-0
Season record ATS: 2-6
Charlie Strella, Contributor
At home against Indiana a week ago, Drew Allar and the Penn State offense couldn’t gain any separation until Allar hit KeAndre Lambert-Smith for a 57-yard touchdown with under two minutes to play. The Terps represent the Nittany Lions’ final true road game of the season, and the defense will likely be looking to bounce back after a rough outing. Taulia Tagovailoa leads a more dynamic Maryland offense than Indiana, so expecting a large-margin win for the Nittany Lions might be a stretch. I do not see a realistic scenario where James Franklin and company lose this game, especially with a defense that wants to prove a point.
Final score: Penn State 32, Maryland 20
Season record: N/A
Season record ATS: N/A