Maryland football proved no match in State College after falling to fourth-ranked Penn State, 44-7.
Since Maryland’s road win in 2020, Penn State has outscored Maryland 157-36 over the last four matchups.
Maryland would capitalize quickly after DL Tommy Akingbesote forced a fumble on the first play from scrimmage. QB MJ Morris led the Terps’ offense with Billy Edwards Jr. ultimately sidelined after being ruled questionable heading into kickoff, though it was Morris and Champ Long running with the ones and twos during practice ahead of kickoff. And Morris opened the game by making the most of his first career start as a Terp after QB MJ Morris connecting with WR Kaden Prather for a 25-yard touchdown reception on the Terps’ first offensive play. The score marked the first time Maryland scored on its first offensive play of the game since Oct 5, 2019 at Rutgers.
That would prove to be the lone highlight of the day after Maryland finished with a season-low 198 yards of total offense and a season-high six sacks allowed. The last road loss against Penn State marked the last time that Maryland’s offense failed to generate at least 200 yards of offense.
Penn State responded to the Terps’ opening score with a 66-yard kickoff return that was enough to set up an eventual 49-yard field goal, but a 13-play drive on the subsequent drive gave the Nittany Lions a lead they never turned back from, flipping the score to 10-7.
Maryland went bold early by keeping its offense on the field facing a 4th-and-1 from inside their own 30 in the opening minutes of the second quarter, but the Nittany Lions won the battle in the trenches again to end the Terps’ drive and set their offense up with a short field. Three plays were all that was needed after Drew Allar ran in for a one-yard touchdown to cap off a three-play drive.
Maryland's poor tackling all game didn't help and Tyler Warren made them play after turning a near-disaster play into a 29-yard run, setting Penn State up outside of the redzone. Two plays later, backup QB Beau Pribula mitigated a dropped snap to punch in a five-yard rushing touchdown. The Nittany Lions found the endzone for the fourth time in the second quarter after QB Drew Allar found TE Tyler Warren in the back of the endzone. Maryland would have a chance to add before the break until MJ Morris tossed his second interception of the game, ending a drive just outside of the redzone and taking a 31-7 deficit into the locker room.
Champ Long checked in for a series in the fourth quarter, finishing 1-for-2 for ten yards, before Morris returned on the next possession. After being held under 100 yards of total offense through the first half, Maryland broke free late after RBs Nolan Ray and Roman Hemby found space to take the offense deep into Penn State territory. But the final offensive drive of the season ended in a ball through the hands of Shaleak Knotts into safety DeJuan Lane's hands, returning it 54 yards to set up one last Nittany Lion scoring drive. James Franklin made no secret of his intention to tack on a late score before doing so on the game's final play, cementing a 44-7 loss for Maryland football. The late score also led to a lengthier postgame exchange between head coaches Mike Locksley and James Franklin.
Penn State's 412 yards of total offense marked the fourth time this season that Maryland's defense allowed over 400 yards, including a 510-yard performance in the week five loss at Indiana.
Maryland closes the 2024 season with a 4-8 (1-8) record. It marks the program’s worst overall and conference record since Mike Locksley’s first season with the program when Maryland finished 3-9 (1-8) in 2019.