How Penn State's victory over Maryland secured its bid for the Big Ten Championship

STATE COLLEGE — Few, if any, Penn State players had any idea what a win over Maryland meant before they took the field. Anyone watching from a distance noticed it right from the start of the game.

Penn State is participating in the Big Ten Championship Game for the first time since 2016. Its 44-7 victory over Maryland – helped by Michigan’s upset victory over No. 2 Ohio State – moved Penn State to second place in the standings and a shot at its first Big Ten title in eight years.

But almost none of the Nittany Lions realized they had secured a spot in the Big Ten Championship until after the game. Many of them were too tied to Maryland to notice — or care.

“We were actually preparing for the game, so I didn’t really get to see it,” Jaylen Reed said. “I think there were 40 seconds left and the score was 13-10. Michigan just kicked the field goal. I watched the last drive and that’s all I saw.”

Circumstances aside, Penn State’s victory was worthy of its reward. Three sacks in the first quarter might have stood out if Penn State hadn’t tallied six sacks by the end of the game. Maryland quarterback MJ Morris lost more yards on sacks than his team netted throughout the third quarter.

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The Lions forced seven punts. Aside from a Maryland touchdown 14 seconds into the game on a lost fumble – a turnover that the Lions’ defense paid back fivefold – Penn State allowed Abdul Carter to outplay the Terrapins’ offense and collect two sacks of his own – bringing his total to 10 this year increased.

However, Carter still wants improvement, not just for himself but for the development of the defense as a whole. The Lions’ spot is all but assured, but the junior doesn’t want a win over a team that finished the year in five straight games to inspire overconfidence.

“We just have to continue to find ways to get better,” Carter said. “Obviously we played well tonight, but there were also areas where we can improve and get better. We have to get it done tomorrow and just be better prepared.”

Maryland is not Oregon. That goes without saying. Carter knows it and so does the rest of Penn State. Oregon is the No. 1 team in the country for a reason — a close win over Ohio State is the crux of its contention.

This win might lose some of its luster after the Buckeyes lost to a mediocre Michigan, but Oregon still has an undefeated record and has crushed nearly every Big Ten opponent that came its way. Penn State has also had big wins, but still fell short with a loss to Ohio State in Week 8.

“This is the most competitive Big 10 ever,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “When you play as many games as we do now in college football and the type of opponents we play, you have to find other ways to get it done. It may not always be pretty, but I also think there is beauty in it, right?”

Penn State looked good on Saturday. Good enough — and lucky enough — to reach the Big Ten Championship Game that has eluded him for so long. But winning that league title is a different story, and so is beating the current No. 1 team in the country.

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