Penn State’s blinding defense leaves Terps stuck in neutral

Nittany Lions have allowed 30 points in four games

Maryland’s explosive offense and overall speed led to blowout wins over Howard and Syracuse and a brief stay in the Top 25.

But that was before Friday night. Shortly after the Big Ten opener began at Maryland Stadium, it was apparent that Penn State’s defense was much faster. The Nittany Lions made the Terrapins look like, well, turtles.

Penn State routed Maryland 59-0, its fourth consecutive win in the series by at least 24 points. The Lions smothered Anthony McFarland, a 1,000yard rusher as a freshman last year, for the second straight time and kept the Terps out of the end zone for the third consecutive meeting.

Maryland didn’t reach 100 total yards until late in the third quarter against Penn State’s reserves. Remember that this was a team that had been averaging 53.0 points and 537.7 total yards a game.

“We played at a high level defensively,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “That team’s been putting up a bunch of points with challenging schemes and challenging personnel. Our defense is playing with a lot of confidence.”

Penn State has limited opponents to 30 points; only Wisconsin has allowed fewer points (29) in the Football Bowl Subdivision.

This is the first Nittany Lions team since 1996 and just the fifth since World War II to hold opponents to 13 points or less in its first four games. Before Saturday, they were one of eight teams in the nation to not allow a point in the first quarter this season.

“I was very confident going to bed (Thursday) night that the staff and the players had maximized the bye week the way we should have,” Franklin said. “We were fresh. We were excited. We were prepared.”

Several days before the

NICK WASS – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Penn State linebacker Jan Johnson, right, runs with the ball after he intercepted it during the first half of the Nittany Lions’ blowout of Maryland Friday night.