Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from easy win over Maryland

It wasn’t exactly a fierce rivalry game, but Penn State football treated it as such, beating Maryland with ease to end the regular season.

No one was expecting to tune into a good, old-fashioned shootout when Maryland traveled to Penn State in the final week of the regular season, but with how the Nittany Lions have played lately, no one expected a cakewalk, either.

However, James Franklin and the Nittany Lions made easy work of the Terrapins in Happy Valley, 38-3.

The Nittany Lions relied heavily upon the arm of Trace McSorley who finished his final game in Beaver Stadium on a high note.

What’d we learn from the Nittany Lions win over Maryland to close the season?

3. Defense ended season strong

It may not have been the best defensive season for Penn State, but the Nittany Lions sure finished the year on a high note, holding the Terrapins to just three points and just over 200 total yards.

Sure, the Terrapins have an anemic offense, but they still have some quality pieces — including a running back who torched Ohio State for over 200 yards a week ago. Penn State held Anthony McFarland in check as he rushed six times for 12 yards and the entire offense finished with only 74 yards on the ground — averaging 2.1 yards per carry.

Tyrrell Pigrome did a better job under center than Kasim Hill had for most of the season, yet he still couldn’t get anything going downhill for the Terrapins. He finished the day with 185 yards but couldn’t reach the end zone.

Penn State’s defense needed an effort like this after a rough season, allowing just 10 points in its final two games.