Iceland12
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Penn State’s dominance in time of possession (it held the ball for 35 of the 60 minutes) was attributed to both Maryland’s offensive struggles and the defense’s inability to contain the Nittany Lions in key late-down situations, including on several third downs in the decisive second quarter, when Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley scrambled three times to move the chains.
That helped set up the zone-read for sophomore running back Saquon Barkley, who ran untouched for a 45-yard touchdown just before halftime. That play ended a three-play, 70-yard drive that took just 26 seconds. Barkley’s 45-yard scoring run – which bewildered Durkin – also encapsulated Maryland’s difficulty to adjust for the first time this season. “They caught us,” said Buh, who had called for a blitz on the play but wasn’t prepared for McSorley to check out on the call and hand to Barkley on a draw. Buh wanted to check out of the blitz or call a timeout before the play snapped. The process was too slow.
“That would be one of the plays we would love to have back as a defense,” Buh said.
The focus this week is strengthening lines of communication and speeding up the response to Minnesota’s offense, which took a hit with Tuesday’s announcement by Coach Tracy Claeys that senior quarterback Mitch Leidner would miss Saturday’s game with a concussion. That paves the way for former walk-on Conor Rhoda to make his first career start against the Terrapins, who rank seventh in the Big Ten in total defense (365 yards per game)...
The preparation for Rhoda has not required an overhaul of the game plan — Minnesota is last in the Big Ten in passing but fifth in rushing (203 yards per game) and sixth in scoring (30.4) – and Buh understands that stopping the run is the foremost priority in a pivotal non-division game. That is why he reintroduced the “Terp Drill” this week, stoking one-on-one battles using a simple drill that is more befitting for training camp than a midseason practice. Anything to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment in Happy Valley.
“We know we got beat. We just can’t sit back and think about one game,” sophomore buck linebacker Melvin Keihn said. “We have to be able to bounce back, and that’s what we’ve been doing this week.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...back-against-minnesota-backup-qb-conor-rhoda/
That helped set up the zone-read for sophomore running back Saquon Barkley, who ran untouched for a 45-yard touchdown just before halftime. That play ended a three-play, 70-yard drive that took just 26 seconds. Barkley’s 45-yard scoring run – which bewildered Durkin – also encapsulated Maryland’s difficulty to adjust for the first time this season. “They caught us,” said Buh, who had called for a blitz on the play but wasn’t prepared for McSorley to check out on the call and hand to Barkley on a draw. Buh wanted to check out of the blitz or call a timeout before the play snapped. The process was too slow.
“That would be one of the plays we would love to have back as a defense,” Buh said.
The focus this week is strengthening lines of communication and speeding up the response to Minnesota’s offense, which took a hit with Tuesday’s announcement by Coach Tracy Claeys that senior quarterback Mitch Leidner would miss Saturday’s game with a concussion. That paves the way for former walk-on Conor Rhoda to make his first career start against the Terrapins, who rank seventh in the Big Ten in total defense (365 yards per game)...
The preparation for Rhoda has not required an overhaul of the game plan — Minnesota is last in the Big Ten in passing but fifth in rushing (203 yards per game) and sixth in scoring (30.4) – and Buh understands that stopping the run is the foremost priority in a pivotal non-division game. That is why he reintroduced the “Terp Drill” this week, stoking one-on-one battles using a simple drill that is more befitting for training camp than a midseason practice. Anything to avoid a repeat of the embarrassment in Happy Valley.
“We know we got beat. We just can’t sit back and think about one game,” sophomore buck linebacker Melvin Keihn said. “We have to be able to bounce back, and that’s what we’ve been doing this week.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...back-against-minnesota-backup-qb-conor-rhoda/
