Courtesy of GoPSU Athletics

Nittany Lions move to 11-1 on the season and head to first Big Ten Championship game since 2016

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 4 Penn State football team (11-1, 8-1) defeated Maryland (4-8, 1-8), 44-7, on Senior Day in Happy Valley as the Nittany Lions punched their ticket to next week’s Big Ten Championship game.

Penn State wraps up regular-season conference play with an 8-1 record and will face No. 1 Oregon in the 2024 Discover Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis on Saturday, Dec. 7. Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. at Lucas Oil Stadium. The game will be broadcast on CBS.

Penn State reached 11 wins in a season for the 16th time in program history and 11 regular-season wins for the seventh time. The Nittany Lions have won 11 games in the regular season for the first time since 2008. The Nittany Lions concluded the regular season with five wins at home for the fourth year in a row (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024).

The Nittany Lions outgained the Terrapins, 412-194, and held Maryland scoreless outside of its first play from scrimmage. Linebacker Abdul Carter led Penn State with six tackles (3 solo), including two sacks. Penn State had three takeaways including two second-quarter interceptions by Audavion Collins and Tony Rojas, and a fourth-quarter interception by Dejuan Lane.

Offensively, quarterback Drew Allar finished the game 17-for-26 for 171 yards and one touchdown. Tyler Warren, the best tight end in college football, accounted for six receptions for 68 receiving yards, 32 rushing yards, and on a 7-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, he broke the record for the most receiving touchdowns made by a tight end in Penn State history with 17 touchdowns. Warren also surpassed Wisconsin’s Travis Beckum to set the Big Ten tight end record for single-season receptions. Nicholas Singleton posted 87 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Despite a fumble early in the first quarter, with the Terrapins captalizing for an early score, the Nittany Lions fought back with a 66-yard kick return by Singleton. Penn State’s drive concluded with a 49-yard field goal by Ryan Barker.

Finishing the first quarter strong, the Nittany Lions achieved multiple big first-down plays. Though the Terrapins held a 7-3 lead, Penn State attacked fast at the start of the second quarter. A successful fourth down, 1-yard rush by Allar kept the offensive drive alive, allowing for a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Singleton.

Carter’s tackle of Maryland’s Hemby resulted in a turnover on downs for Penn State on the Maryland 30-yard line. With a three-play, 35-second drive, the Nittany Lions struck again with a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Allar. The score put Penn State up 17-7 in the middle of the second quarter.

Warren’s 29-yard run and Singleton’s 18-yard gain led the Nittany Lions to another touchdown by Pribula. The 1-yard rush expanded Penn State’s lead to 24-7 in the second quarter.

An interception by Audavion Collins gave the Nittany Lions the ball back, later leading to a 7-yard touchdown pass from Allar to Warren in the final minutes of the second quarter. On the next Maryland drive, an interception by Tony Rojas put the Nittany Lions back on offense. The Nittany Lions’ 53-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Maryland’s Huskey, as the clock ticked down to halftime. Penn State led Maryland 31-7 at the end of the second quarter.

After a scoreless third quarter, the Nittany Lions increased their streak of unanswered points with an 18-yard rushing touchdown by Singleton at the start of the fourth quarter, pushing the lead to 38-7.

Under the two-minute warning in the second half, Dejuan Lane intercepted the ball and returned it 54-yards to give Penn State another chance to score. Pribula tossed a 15-yard touchdown to Tyseer Denmark to wrap up the game with a final score of 44-7.