Penn State hits new low with resounding loss to Maryland

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — Picture a nearly-empty Beaver Stadium in the fast-fading light of a strangely warm November afternoon.

Nothing seemed as it should.

The previously non-competitive and even inept Maryland Terrapins were racing by the formerly Top 10 team known as Penn State.

And there was All-America tight end Pat Freiermuth taking a knee on the sideline, holding his helmet, looking down as if trying to figure out how to make sense of the scene.

Penn State coach James Franklin stands with quarterback Sean Clifford (14) during the playing of the alma mater after the team’s loss to Maryland at Beaver Stadium.

 (Photo: Rich Barnes, USA TODAY Sports)

His quarterback approached and leaned in, as if to offer some kind of encouragement. Some inspiration or even motivation.

Possibly even some answers?

But there would be none, shockingly enough, on this Saturday afternoon.

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The Nittany Lions would somehow be dominated in all aspects by a program that had rarely even kept this game close each year, no less sniffed victory.

Call Maryland 35, Penn State 19 what you want.

Undoubtedly, it was the worst overall performance for a James Franklin-coached team since he arrived here in 2014.

The Lions’ first 0-3 start in 19 years left those watching wondering where this team could even possibly head next.

Even though the Lions were stunned early by two quick scores, they still appeared perfectly capable of rallying against one of the most giving defenses in the Big Ten.

Most telling, though, is that things only deteriorated from the end of that first quarter.

Consider that the Lions entered this game dominating the series like no other over the decades, winning 40 times, losing twice and tying once. The Lions won the past three meetings by a combined, 163-6.

And they were favored by nearly four touchdowns on Saturday.

Sure, the Lions were stumbling so far this season, particularly after losing their star linebacker to the NFL and their top two running backs to injury.

But Maryland’s porous defense seemed like the perfect pick-me-up. The Lions owned the veteran, trusted quarterback in Sean Clifford. This would finally be the day their highly-regarded offensive line would own rights to what they wished to accomplish.

So it would have seemed.

Down 14-0, the landslide just rolled like quite never before here.

From coming up empty on their first drive inside the 10 yard line to allowing Maryland receivers to streak free and unemcumbered to Clifford regularly throwing over and under his targets, or simply not throwing quickly enough.

Cllifford all but completely malfunctioned halfway through, though Franklin continued to send him out in dire hopes of some positive results.

As his incomplete passes kept adding up, Penn State’s offense looked increasingly out of sorts — almost as if praying for someone, some thing, to rescue it. To give it some type of adrenaline to help pull it out of its worst funk since at least a four-game slide to end the 2015 season.

Even when the Lions finally did produce some dose of saving grace — yet another highlight touchdown grab by Jahan Dotson — they quickly gave it all back.

They allowed Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to dissect them in lightning fashion to end the half with a beautifully-executed, roll-out touchdown toss.

The halftime score was as shocking as it was inexcusable: Maryland 28, Penn State 7.

And so, maybe it was of no surprise when the landslide turned into an all-out avalanche moments into the second half.

Clifford scrambled to his right trying to desperately find a receiver, only to be sandwiched by two defenders and lose the football.

It was scooped up by linebacker Chance Campbell — the team’s star defender — who proceeded to trot into the end zone.

It got so bad that a Lions’ long, third-quarter drive somehow ended up in a 4th-down-and-31 situation.

And, of course, they promptly then missed the long field goal.

By that point, Clifford was 10-of-28 passing — and was inexplicably his team’s leading rusher with all of 29 yards.

He was sacked six times before the fourth quarter started.

Who could have imagined this game, no matter where or when it was played, would be such a hopeless cause for the Lions?

The fourth quarter began.

And Clifford kept throwing, more than 50 times in all.

The Lions, nonetheless, kept going nowhere — to who knows exactly what next week and beyond.

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