The subpar 2024 Terrapin Football season has come to an end as Maryland tacked on another loss against Penn State on Saturday afternoon.
The Terps traveled to the #4 ranked Nittany Lions with hopes of bringing one last surge of life into a struggling Maryland team and fanbase. The Terps started surprisingly hot. They opened the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown from MJ Morris to Kaden Prather after Penn State fumbled the opening snap. This would be Maryland’s only offensive surge of the game.
The Terps still led 7-3 heading into the second quarter, but hope for Maryland fans soon dwindled. The Nittany Lions casually tacked on 28 points in the second quarter alone, all from touchdowns. Penn State’s defense was an unstoppable force as well, as they forced the Terps into two interceptions and a turnover on downs, also solely in the second quarter.
The score remained 7-31 through a dry third quarter, but the Nittany Lions picked up the pace again to end the game. Penn State added two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the final one being a controversial play as the clock ran out that brought the score to 7-44. With that last-second touchdown or not, there was seemingly no way the Terps would come out of Beaver Stadium with one last win.
Penn State dominated on all levels. The Nittany Lions recorded 412 total yards, compared to the Terrapins’ 194. Penn State also went ⅘ on 4th down attempts, while also stopping Maryland both times they tried to go for it. Even though the Terrapins and the Nittany Lions have had a long-standing East Coast rivalry, Penn State leads the all-time series 43-3-1, going back to 1917. Maryland’s last win against Penn State came in 2020, and their next win could be close to never at this rate. The Nittany Lions are now set to play in the Big Ten Championship Game against #1 Oregon in Indianapolis on Saturday, December 7.
The Terps finished the 2024 season with a record of 4-8, going 1-8 in the Big Ten. Maryland will finish 17th in the Big Ten standings, only one game ahead of a 0-8 Purdue. Being ineligible for a bowl game, this Terrapin team has a long offseason ahead to work on a magnitude of things to hopefully lead to a better year in 2025.
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