Maryland @ Penn State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 25, 2017 ) Penn State 66, Maryland 3

Trace McSorley is the winningest quarterback in Penn State history and in the argument for the best player the program has ever had. McSorley hopes to go out in style in his Beaver Stadium finale when he leads the 14th-ranked Nittany Lions into their last home game of the year Saturday against Maryland in a Big Ten clash.

"I haven't really envisioned it or thought too much about it," McSorley told reporters of Senior Day in State College. "I think just kind of the best way that I think you can handle it is just when those emotions kind of happen, just let yourself experience that for a couple seconds here and there, ten, 15 seconds, whatever it might be, and then be able to refocus." Penn State rebounded from an embarrassing 42-7 loss at Michigan to defeat Wisconsin and Rutgers the last two weeks, allowing a total of 17 points. The Terrapins had a chance to gain bowl eligibility last week vanish in a painful overtime loss to Ohio State, failing on a do-or-die two-point conversion try to finish the 52-51 decision. They have dropped three in a row and one more defeat would clinch the program's fourth consecutive sub-.500 campaign.

TV: 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC. LINE: Penn State -13.5

ABOUT MARYLAND (5-6, 3-5 Big Ten): Redshirt sophomore quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome came off the bench two weeks ago in a loss at Indiana and started against the Buckeyes, throwing for 181 yards and one touchdown but missing his target on the fateful two-point try. "Every single game that you win or lose if you play quarterback and it's a close game, you're going to be talked about," interim coach Matt Canada told reporters of Pigrome. "Either you made a big-time play to win the game or you didn't make a big-time play and you lost the game. That's part of it. It's the greatest position in all of sports. He understands that." The painful end overshadowed a monster performance by freshman running back Anthony McFarland, who ran for 298 yards - seven short of the school record - on just 21 carries.

ABOUT PENN STATE (8-3, 5-3): McSorley's numbers have dropped off as he wrestles with a knee injury, but he managed two TD passes in the win over Rutgers for the first time since Sept. 29. He already owns virtually every significant quarterback record for the Nittany Lions but enters this one needing 80 yards on the ground to become the top rushing quarterback in school history and three completions to pass Christian Hackenberg (693) atop that list. Junior Miles Sanders has 247 rushing yards over the last two weeks and freshman KJ Hamler remains the top target with five catches in each of the those games.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Hamler had six TDs over the first six games but has not found the end zone in the five games since.

2. McFarland has 508 rushing yards over the last two games after five straight contests in which he failed to reach 100.

3. Penn State has a 38-2-1 advantage, including a 66-3 rout at Maryland last season in which McSorley accounted for three TDs (one rushing) and backup QB Tommy Stevens had three scores on the ground.

PREDICTION: Penn State 35, Maryland 17