McSorley Helps Penn State Rout Maryland 38-3

Follow KDKA-TV: Facebook | Twitter

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - Trace McSorley completed 12 of 22 passes for 230 yards and had a hand in three touchdowns to help No. 15 Penn State rout Maryland 38-3 on Saturday.

McSorley added 64 rushing yards on 11 carries for the Nittany Lions (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten, No. 12 CFP). He threw a 34-yard bullet through freezing rain to KJ Hamler on the game's first play, sprinted downfield to throw a block that opened Miles Sanders up for a 35-yard run on the next, then skipped into the end zone from 3 yards out to cap the quick opening drive.

McSorley added another touchdown run two possessions later when he scrambled through a pair of defenders up the middle for 20 yards and a 14-3 lead.

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 24: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions looks to pass against the Maryland Terrapins during the first half at Beaver Stadium on November 24, 2018 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Ricky Slade added 8- and 1-yard touchdown runs and tight end Pat Freiermuth caught a 5-yard touchdown pass from McSorley in the fourth quarter.

Sanders finished with 128 yards on 14 carries, Hamler caught three passes for 90 yards and Jake Pinegar added a 25-yard field goal for the Nittany Lions who won their third straight.

Tyrrell Pigrome completed 14 of 23 passes for 185 yards but was sacked five times for the Terrapins (5-7, 3-6). They will miss out on a bowl trip for the third time since joining the Big Ten.

Maryland kicker Joseph Petrino booted a 26-yard field goal to break the shutout.

THE TAKEAWAY

Maryland: A year that began with the death of offensive lineman Jordan McNair following a team workout in the spring ends on a 4-game losing streak for the Terrapins who'll miss out on a bowl game for a second straight season. The program will have to make a call on interim coach Matt Canada, but Maryland has a nice class of freshman to give whoever takes over a young core to build around.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions spent much of this season trying to iron wrinkles out on offense with a new coordinator and a few fresh skill players. Their defense, meanwhile, spent the last three weeks of the season blossoming. After giving up 42 points to No. 4 Michigan in Ann Arbor on Nov. 3, Penn State allowed just 10, seven and three over its last three games. Much of that success can be traced to a front seven that helped produce 43 sacks on the season.

UP NEXT:

Maryland: Season over.

Penn State: Await bowl selection.

(© Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.