Lions will look to contain Tagovailoa
Nittany Lions look for 1st win of season
After opening with a 43-3 loss at Northwestern, Maryland found itself trailing Minnesota by 17 points in the fourth quarter last week at home.
The Terrapins put their faith in a sophomore quarterback making his second career start and watched Taulia Tagovailoa guide them to a 45-44 overtime victory and the biggest fourth-quarter comeback in school history.
Tagovailoa, younger brother of Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, accounted for five touchdowns and 453 yards of offense.
Penn State (0-2) will try to stop him and Maryland (1-1) Saturday (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network) at Beaver Stadium.
“I think he’s a dynamic runner and a dynamic passer,” Nittany Lions defensive tackle PJ Mustipher said of the younger Tagovailoa. “I think we saw that last week with the numbers he put up against Minnesota. He’s a very talented football player. We’re just going to have to do our jobs.”
The 5-11, 205-pound Tagovailoa completed 26-of-35 passes for 394 yards and three touchdowns and rushed eight times for 59 yards and two scores, including the
Terps’ touchdown in overtime.
He was a four-star prospect from Hawaii who played in five games as a reserve last season at Alabama before he transferred to Maryland to play for coach Mike Locksley, the former Crimson Tide offensive coordinator.
“They have a talented group of wide receivers around him, which helps,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “But I thought he played extremely well (against Minnesota). It was hard not to be impressed.
“You look at the completion percentage. You look at the decision-making. You look at his ability to make plays with his feet as well as extend plays in the pocket.”