Drew Allar threw for one touchdown and ran for another as No. 4 Penn State defeated Maryland 44-7 on Saturday, advancing to its first Big Ten championship game since 2016.
Nick Singleton rushed for two touchdowns, Beau Pribula ran for one touchdown and threw a scoring pass to Tyseer Denmark, and tight end Tyler Warren caught a touchdown pass. The Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten, No. 4 CFP) will play No. 1 Oregon for the Big Ten title in Indianapolis on Saturday, with a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff on the line.
Penn State’s path to the conference title game was made possible when Michigan beat No. 2 Ohio State 13-10 in Columbus, Ohio.
“We knew, but I didn’t say anything to the team,” Penn State coach James Franklin said about the Michigan victory. “Actually, I did the opposite, I said Maryland, Maryland, Maryland, Maryland.”
Fans at Beaver Stadium, on a cold and windy afternoon, went silent early after a poor start against struggling Maryland (4-8, 1-8). Maryland took advantage of a Singleton fumble, turning it into a 7-0 lead just two plays into the game. But Penn State recovered from the early mistakes and dominated the rest of the game.
The Nittany Lions scored touchdowns on four of their five possessions in the second quarter, and the defense forced four punts, a turnover on downs, and two interceptions before halftime to help secure the team’s fourth straight win over Maryland.
Singleton, Allar, and Pribula all scored on short runs following Maryland turnovers.
Tyler Warren, one of the top tight ends in college football, set a Big Ten record for receptions by a tight end in the first quarter. He also became Penn State’s all-time leader in touchdown catches by a tight end with his 17th, a 7-yard pass from Allar that gave Penn State a 31-7 lead at halftime.
“We needed to win and play well,” Franklin said. “A lot of eyes looking at these games, looking at the statistics. All those things are important. We’re fighting to keep this family together as long as we possibly can. Wins do that.”
Maryland crossed midfield only once in each half but was unable to capitalize. Penn State substituted backups for much of the second half.
Allar finished 17 of 26 for 171 yards, and Singleton had 104 offensive yards on 16 touches.
Maryland’s MJ Morris completed 14 of 24 passes for 112 yards, with three interceptions. Running back Roman Hemby gained 64 yards on 13 carries.
“Disappointing end to a long, long season,” Maryland coach Mike Locksley said. “Disappointed. Disappointed in the way this thing finished. Disappointed in our inability to get things going.”
