Maryland’s ego is bruised. Friday night’s loss to Penn State could be dubbed an embarrassment. The Terrapins thought they had arrived after kicking around Howard 79-0 and then steamrolling then No. 21 Syracuse 63-20.
Even after a hiccup against Temple, Maryland still had a respectable bandwagon that suggested they had arrived. They could possibly compete with a giant such as Penn State.
A sellout crowd at Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium, and a black out campaign had Maryland believing their arrival was set against Penn State. Instead, they got a harsh reality check. Penn State destroyed them from the start of the game, 59-0.
The defense that had held opponents to 40 points through the first three games, was steamrolled.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford threw for 398 yards and three touchdowns. He added a rushing touchdown. And when he was taken out with the game no longer in doubt, his backup Will Levis scored two more touchdowns on the ground.
Meanwhile, Maryland quarterback Josh Jackson struggled for a second straight game. He threw for meager 65 yards along with two interceptions. Penn State’s defense honed in on running back Anthony McFarland, holding him to 24 yards rushing. The Terrapins were outgained 619 yards to 128.
The Maryland supporters dressed in all black were drowned by the Penn State supporters dressed in all white. At some point during the onslaught, the black shirts disappeared and cheers for the Nittany Lions rang loud.
And now, Maryland is shaken. A loss to Penn State was fine. A close loss. A respectable loss. Friday night was not either, it was stark reminder that they are still not ready to stomp with the big dawgs of the Big Ten East.
To shine a light, Penn State has outscored Maryland 163-6 in their last three meetings.
Mike Locksley’s arrival as head coach certainly has Maryland looking on the way up long-term, but right now, they’re still a fifth wheel. The evidence Friday showed they are lagging behind Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State by a green mile.
Sure, Maryland can pull off an upset once in a while or compete in a close game like they did last season against Ohio State. But, the gap is too wide to close overnight, and not just from an arrival of a coach. Even if he is as good and popular as Locksley.
Maryland is 3-18 against Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State since joining the Big Ten in 2014. Two of those wins occurred in their first year in the conference.
Closing that gap won’t happened overnight. But losing by 59 points shows the gap is still too steep. Maryland will have to pick up and move on momentarily, a trip to Rutgers is on the horizon next Saturday.
A win is possible. It’s possible at Purdue the following week. Indiana too and at Minnesota. Maryland is good enough. Yet, their season, their existence in the Big Ten will be defined by games like Friday night against Penn State.
In 18 of 21 meetings against the powers of the Big Ten East, that definition says Maryland is not ready to contend in the Big Ten. With Michigan, Ohio State and Michigan State in three of the final four games, all that matters for Maryland is the outcomes of those games. And evidence shows it’s not going to get better anytime soon.
