Click here to view the mobile version VOLUME 77 ISSUE 8 Penn State vs. Maryland November 3, 2014 The Letter Ninety-seven years is a long time Follow us on to wait for a win. Twitter and That’s how long Maryland alumni Check out the new and fans had to wait for the Football Letter Terrapins to defeat the Nittany Blog Lions in Pennsylvania. The two border rivals have met in State College 22 times since the PSU 367 319 MARYLAND0701320 series was inaugurated in 1917 with a 57–0 victory by Penn State on New Beaver Field—built on the northwest corner of campus in 1909—before the Nittany Lion Inn, CONTENTS Recreation Hall or the Lion Shrine ever existed. The Letter State’s gridders won four more times on that field, before the all-steel Notes from the Cuff stands were dismantled into 700 pieces after the 1959 season and moved Other Sports one mile to the east end of campus, where they were reassembled as the News of Note nucleus of the then 46,000-seat Beaver Stadium. Game Photos Statistics After 16 more Penn State wins in the stadium that has since grown to a capacity of 106,572, the Terrapins finally galloped past the Lions in the last minute Saturday for a 20–19 triumph in front of a crowd of 103,969 PAST ISSUES and an ESPN2 television audience. View past issues The Terps have won the same number of times in Maryland, where Penn State holds a series margin of 14–1–1. That Terrapin victory came in 1961—so long ago that this reporter was still a senior undergraduate who arose before dawn and drove to College Park, Maryland, to be among the 34,000 at Byrd Stadium for the pre-television era kickoff at 1 p.m. and cover the game for The Daily Collegian. The man who led Maryland to that exciting 21–17 triumph was an outstanding quarterback from Dauphin, Pa., named Dick Shiner. Saturday FAN ZONE it was an outstanding quarterback from Cranberry Township, Pa., recruited by James Franklin leading Coach Randy Edsall’s Terrapins to the Football Schedule one-point victory over Coach Franklin’s team led by a Palmyra, Va., Team Roster quarterback recruited by Bill O’Brien. GoPSUSports.com Radio/TV Listings Franklin was offensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Maryland Big Ten Football TV under Ralph Friedgen, when he recruited C.J. Brown—who has since Schedule moved into the record books as one of the Terps’ best running and Big Ten Standings passing QBs. Big Ten Schedule and Results When Friedgen was fired after the Penn Staters in the Pros 2010 season, new Maryland Athletic Director Kevin Anderson brought Edsall from UConn, and For advertising info, Franklin moved on to become a contact: Angelo Scialfa very successful head coach for 609-259-1910 three years at Vanderbilt. Last [email protected] January, he was hired by Penn State, where sophomore Christian Hackenberg is well on his way to owning most of the Nittany Lions’ passing records. In Saturday’s tight defensive struggle, during which Penn State led for 38 minutes, the Lions could not hold on in the final minute and suffered their fourth straight loss, after four straight wins to open the season. State has not won a game since Sept. 20—six weeks ago. In five Big Ten games to date, the Lions have scored only six touchdowns and 11 field goals. That’s already two more field goals than in all 12 games last year, but the offense is averaging only 13.6 points in Big Ten games. Saturday it was C.J. Brown, unrelated running back Wes Brown and speedy wideout Stephon Diggs who paced the new Big Ten Terrapins to their historic win, sealed by a 43-yard field goal by Brad Craddock with just 51 seconds left in the game. That was the 20th consecutive three- point conversion by Craddock, including all 14 of his attempts this year. “I’m just so happy for our young men,” said Coach Edsall, who called this the biggest win in his time at Maryland. “You don’t know what this means to our program … and recruiting,” said the man who competes every day against Franklin in trying to nab top-level high school players from Maryland and Pennsylvania. “Let the rivalry begin now,” added Edsall. “There should be a trophy for this game. It’s a bordering state. Let’s have some fun. Let’s really make it competitive.” The game was indeed competitive right down to the second field goal booted by Craddock, who had nailed a 25-yarder earlier in the fourth quarter to take the first bite out of Penn State’s nine-point lead at the end of three periods. And if, as some people contend, it takes a little confrontation and fire to turn an annual opponent into a team’s most bitter rival, the Maryland players provided that at the outset Saturday. As the Nittany Lions made their traditional entry out of the south tunnel and dashed in front of their benches on the east side of the stadium, the Terrapins made a simultaneous entry from the visitors’ northwest tunnel and dashed across the field, bumping into and confronting several Penn State players. Since most of the Maryland players were not even born when the Terps last entered Beaver Stadium in 1992, it might be excusable if they thought their benches were on the east side, where visitors are seated in most stadiums so they have to look into the sun. But at Penn State, Coaches Rip Engle, Joe Paterno, Tom Bradley, Bill O’Brien and James Franklin have for 54 years allowed the visitors to sit on the shady west side. However, at the ceremonial coin toss in the center of the field, the Maryland captains refused to shake hands with the Penn State captains. And the referee assessed a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Lions, who had won the coin toss and initially chosen to defer their choice until the second half, changed their choice to receive to take advantage of the 15-yard penalty on Maryland. In addition to perhaps setting the stage for a “real rivalry,” it allowed Penn State to start at one of its most advantageous field positions of the season, when Grant Haley returned Craddock’s 60-yard kick-off 14 yards to the PS-34. Though the opening drive eventually stalled at the MD-30, Sam Ficken tallied the contest’s first points on a 47-yard field goal. After the game, Coach Edsall apologized to the Penn State fans, team and university. “That is not who we are. Our emotions got the best of us, and we have got to be above that,” he said. He noted that Athletic Director Anderson talked to the Penn State athletic director and president as well. Eventually though, the Terrapins’ emotions carried them to the one-point last-minute victory and Edsall explained, “Our kids wanted to make a statement … They did the things necessary to get a win.” In the battle that went back and forth for more than 59 minutes, Penn State’s defense, ranked No. 3 in the nation, held the visitors to just 194 yards of total offense—slightly more than half of their season average of 373.9. Meanwhile, the Maryland defense allowed the Lions only 219 yards—the fewest compiled against the Terps in nine games this fall. They had entered Beaver Stadium next to last in the conference in total defense, having allowed more than 500 yards in four of their first eight contests. But five of Penn State’s 18 possessions ended with negative yardage and 13 gained less than 20 yards each. The offense committed four turnovers—three fumbles and an interception. Maryland turned the ball over twice on fumbles. Maryland punter Nathan Renfro averaged 44.3 yards on 11 punts. State’s Dan Pasquariello averaged 36.8 on eight boots—a loss of seven-and-a- half yards on each exchange of punts. The visitor’s average starting point on its 18 possessions was the MD-34. The home team’s average drive started at the PS-26—again, an eight-yard difference. The Terrapins’ two touchdown drives started at the PS-43, after a 24- yard Pasquariello punt, and at the PS-24, after Grant Haley coughed up a fumble on a 23-yard kickoff return. Their first field goal drive started at their own 45-yard line and was their longest advance of 48 yards, until the Lions stopped them at the PS-7. After that, Craddock split the uprights with a 25-yarder. Their game- winning three-point drive started at the PS-42, after Stephon Diggs returned Pasquariello’s 37-yard punt 15 yards. Five plays netted only 17 yards, but that was enough for Craddock, who booted the 43-yard winner. Penn State’s opening drive covered 36 yards on nine plays, before Ficken kicked his 47-yard field goal. After Maryland tallied its first touchdown to take a 7–3 lead, a 13-play 49-yard Lion drive from the PS-43 stalled at the MD-8, before Ficken booted a 25-yarder. The Lions’ next possession began at the MD-45, after their defense stuffed the Terps for minus 18 yards on three plays, thanks in part to the first of Deion Barnes’ two sacks of C.J. Brown. The offense could gain only 16 yards on seven plays, so Ficken booted a 46-yarder to give the home team a 9–7 halftime lead—with all Penn State’s points coming off his strong right foot.