Upset Alert

Hey, what can I say? It was a great win against a team we definitely do not love. The score was awesome: five-one, one-five. The Beau and Drew “Philly Special mixed with a Chiefs shovel pass” was awesome. A perfectly enjoyable mid-60s fall afternoon in College Park, dismantling the Terrapins. Upset alert, denied.

This is the offense we’ve been waiting for. It was our Nittany Lions who put the first points on the board. KeAndre Lambert-Smith played another solid game catching eight passes for 95 yards. Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren each had four receptions and a touchdown. Dante Cephas showed up to make a couple of spectacular catches and Katron Allen bulldozed into the endzone. 

For their part, the defense returned to their usual suffocating MO with six sacks, four turnovers, and a turnover on downs. They also held Maryland to a stunning minus-49 yards rushing. Zane Durant recovered a fumble and Adisa Isaac forced one. Abdul Carter led the team with six tackles, including a sack. After the game, Carter was asked if he thought this was his best game of the season. "Well," Carter said, "the season's not over yet."

Rounding out a day of complimentary football, Alex Felkins hit all three of his field goal attempts. Nick Singleton broke away on a kickoff return into Maryland territory.

What a joy and a relief to watch Penn State control this game from start to finish. We began with a defensive stand. We put the first points on the board. We finally saw some explosive plays. Theo Johnson said. “It’s something about the energy when you really impose your will on a team for 60 minutes that just gives you a different type of confidence going into your next week of preparation.”

As Coach Franklin said in his post-game remarks, “I'd like to be happy for 15 minutes and then get on to the next opponent.” Next week is the only thing anybody wants to talk about. Will the Penn State team we saw today be enough to win against Michigan? Who’s on upset alert now?

Go State! Beat the Wolverines!