2026 PSU at Maryland

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General Pre-Game Information

• Game Twelve of 2026 season—This is the final road game on Penn State’s Big Ten schedule and the regular season finale for both schools. Penn State (0-0, 0-0) comes into this contest riding a 4-game win streak over Maryland in a series that it has largely dominated with 44 wins and a tie in the 48 games that the two have played. The Lions are 15-1 in games played at the Terps home fields in College Park, Maryland dating to 1943. The Maryland Terrapins (0-0, 0-0) are coming off their final road trip of the season to USC.

• Last PSU Game played (Sat., Nov. 21): Penn State X Rutgers X at Beaver Stadium

• Current Rankings: CFP Poll-TBA / AP Poll-TBA / US LBM Coaches Poll-TBA

• Maryland 2025 Record: 4-8 overall, 1-8 in Big Ten (3-4 at home)/closed season with 8-game losing streak—Head Coach: Mike Locksley (8th season)—Locksley (2019-present) is 1-5 vs. PSU as the head coach at Maryland (1-6 including his stint as Terps interim head coach in 2015 after firing of Randy Edsall/a 31-30 Terps loss at M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore)—He was a Maryland assistant coach (RBs 1997-2002, OC 2012-2015)—He also served as head coach at New Mexico and as OC at both Illinois & Alabama—Locksley is 2-3 in games vs. PSU while an assistant/OC with Maryland (1-0) & Illinois (1-3)—Locksley was initially hired at Maryland in 1997 by then Terps head coach and future Penn State LB coach Ron Vanderlinden, and he spent time on the Terps staff with future Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin (2000-2002)—Despite the PSU coaching change, Locksley and Franklin will still collide this fall when Maryland hosts Virginia Tech on Sept. 19

• 49th meeting with Maryland all-time (18th meeting in College Park/12th meeting as Big Ten members): Penn State is 44-3-1 all-time vs. Maryland (25-2 at home/20-2 at Beaver Stadium/19-1-1 away including 4 games played at neutral NFL sites in Baltimore/9-2 in Big Ten games since Maryland joined in 2014)—The series dates back to 1917 and a 57-0 Penn State victory over the then “Old Liners” at New Beaver Field. The series did not resume until 1937 with the first of 5 straight wins by State (4 at home) through 1944. The series then went idle until the opening of Beaver Stadium in 1960 and ran virtually uninterrupted through the 1993 season with PSU delivering 29 wins in the 31 contests played in this era. The 1993 game was a 70-7 beatdown of the Terps at then Byrd Stadium. The series went dormant again until the Terps joined the Big Ten in 2014 and delivered their second win ever against the Nittany Lions, 20-19 (Maryland’s first ever victory in State College). PSU is riding a 7-game win streak in games played against the Terps in the state of Maryland dating to the 1989 tie at Baltimore’s Memorial Stadium (13-13). Penn State has not lost a game to the Terrapins in Maryland since 1961 (21-17 at Byrd Stadium in College Park—Maryland’s lone home win in this series). Both PSU losses to Maryland as Big Ten members have come at Beaver Stadium (2014 & 2020). Penn State and Maryland have not met as ranked teams since 1978 when #2 PSU defeated #5 Maryland, 27-3 at Beaver Stadium in a regionally televised showdown on ABC.

• Last Penn State Game vs. Maryland (2024 at Beaver Stadium/last regular season game played prior to major stadium renovation): PSU coaches had the knowledge that Ohio State had lost to Michigan 13-10, and that PSU would go to the 2024 Big Ten Championship game against Oregon with a win over the Terps. #4 Penn State won 44-7, but the game did not start well for the Lions. On 1st and 10 at the 25 (after receiving the opening kick), Nick Singleton RB rushed for no gain and had the ball ripped loose, the fumble was recovered by Maryland which turned around and threw a 25-yard TD pass on its first play for the 7-0 lead. PSU immediately regained control as Singleton took the ensuing kick at his 2-yard line and raced 66 yards to the Terps 32-yard line which opened the door for 44 unanswered Penn State points. Singleton rushed 13 times for 87 yards and 2 TDs. The Nittany Lion defense delivered 6 sacks (2 by Abdul Carter) and 3 INTs (Tony Rojas, Audavion Collins, Dejuan Lane). The end of the game put the friendship between coaches James Franklin and Mike Locksley to the test. Freshman Dejuan Lane makes the pick and returns it 54 yards to the Terps 13. From there, PSU closes out the game (and upsets Lockley by appearing the run up the score) with a Beau Pribula 15-yard TD pass to true Freshman Tyseer Denmark WR. It was Denmark’s first catch of the game and his first career TD catch. PSU opts not to attempt the PAT kick, and the final score is 44-7. This win gave Penn State an 11-win season for the 20th time since 1968. And may have cost the Franklin family a Christmas card from the Locksleys.

• Last PSU Game vs. Maryland at SECU Stadium (2023): This was the first PSU game played in College Park since Maryland’s Stadium was re-named for new sponsor SECU in 2022. In 2023, PSU was a 51-15 winner over Maryland in the 4th and final meeting with Terps QB Taulia Tagovailoa who had a strong passing day (29 of 39 for 286 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT/with 17 straight completions to open the game). But the Penn State defense collected 6 sacks by 6 different players (12 TFLs total), 2 INTs (Dom DeLuca/Tony Rojas), and 2 forced fumble recoveries. The Lions held the Terps to minus 49 yards on the ground on 16 attempts. Maryland RB Roman Hemby rushed 5 times for zero yards (only backup QB Billy Edwards had positive rushing—1 carry for 4 yards). Drew Allar QB meantime was 25 of 34 for 240 yards passing with 4 TDs, 0 INTs en route to the 36-point blowout win. In the four games played at Maryland’s home stadium in the Franklin/Big Ten era, Penn State was 4-0 with wins of 66-3, 59-0, 31-14, and 51-15. That’s a combined score of 207 to 32 (an average of 51 to 8). PSU has not lost in College Park since 1961 and is 15-1 all-time at the current Byrd/Maryland/SECU Stadium which opened in 1950.

• Memorable PSU moments from the 2019 “Blackout” game at Maryland that backfired into a mini-Whiteout: The University of Maryland gave the students the day off from classes, so they would have no reason not to be on time for the primetime kickoff of the Penn State game which had been billed as the “FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS BLACKOUT GAME”. Terps fans were encouraged to wear black and black t-shirts were actually handed out to folks as they entered then Capital One Field at Maryland Stadium. The student section filled to the brim and completely blacked out as hoped, but it would be completely empty before the third quarter began. Penn state arrived unbeaten at 3-0 for the Big Ten opener but had struggled against Pitt two weeks earlier at home, and they were known to be displeased with the idea of a Friday night game even with a bye week to prepare. The Terps were coming off a 3-point road loss at Temple which you could call a “trap game” that caught them looking ahead at this one. But the “Black Out” quickly backfired. PSU scored on its first offensive play after a Jan Johnson INT ended Maryland’s first possession. And State would have two TDs in the bank after running a total of 4 plays that included a memorable KJ Hamler TD catch and dash. Sean Clifford found KJ crossing the middle and Hamler broke a tackle and outran 5 defenders for 58 yards and the score. Hamler ran right into the student endzone as an in-your-face gesture to the kids who had been shouting rude comments at him during pregame warmups. Penn State rolled up 5 TDs and a field goal before halftime for the 38-0 lead, and Terps fans began to hit the exits. The Maryland students literally abandoned their endzone and it was taken over by Penn State students who began to turn the “Black Out” into a Whiteout, of sorts, and all caught on TV cameras by FS1. It had to be disheartening for the Terps players to emerge from the Gossett Team House locker-room to see their opposite endzone’s “painted M” visible—the ultimate indicator that their rare sellout didn’t last. The final score was 59-0. Penn State’s biggest in-conference shutout win ever, and one of the ugliest Terps losses in a series full of ugly Terps losses. Maryland would go on to lose 7 of its next 8, and a promising 2019 season was blacked out.

• For more memorable moments from a Penn State-Maryland game, click on the following link…

  LINK TO PSU-MARYLAND 1974

• 1st Xpm ET kick for PSU in 2026 season.

  TV/Radio Information

• TV Game Announcers: TBA

• First game televised on X since

• This is the xx game this season to be televised on a traditional or non-traditional TV Network

• Penn State Radio Network Announcers: Steve Jones (PBP), Jack Ham (Analyst), & Brian Tripp (Sidelines). Jones & Ham are in their 27th season in the booth together. Ham, a member of both the CHOF (1990) and Pro Football Hall of Fame (1988), played linebacker at Penn State (1968-70). Jones (Class of 1980) & Tripp (Class of 2011) are also Penn State grads.