Bearcats hope to avoid letdown vs. Nittany Lions

Maryland (5-5, 2-5) at No. 19 Nebraska (8-2, 5-2), 11 a.m., ESPNews: Maryland is “enjoying” its welcome-to-the-Big Ten schedule with MI (a 59-3 loss), Ohio State (a 62-3 loss) and Nebraska back-to-back-to-back. Suffice it to say that nobody from the conference took the field to congratulate him.

A record-breaking season for the women’s soccer team came to an end on November 11 with a 6-0 loss to Penn State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Right now, Rutgers and Penn State are programs headed in opposite directions.

So for Penn State fans it appears the bullet has been dodged, and perhaps more importantly, Penn State’s best player looks to be available for the Nittany Lions’ biggest game of the year.

The crowd at the Penn State-Rutgers game disappeared by the end of the contest as the score and weather both turned ugly.

Whether that plan works against arguably the Big Ten’s worst team will be learned tonight.

For a decade from 2005-14, Rutgers seniors ended their careers being carried off the field on the shoulders of teammates after their last practice before a bowl game.

And Juwan Johnson blocked a Rutgers punt in the third quarter to set the Nittany Lions up for their first touchdown of the game. They must win at Iowa on Friday and Wisconsin must lose to Minnesota on Saturday for Nebraska to go to the conference championship game. Even though the senior guard has 24 points combined in his last two games, he has only made 9-of-28 field goal tries in that time.

Rutgers, with the wind in its face in the second quarter, didn’t bother to attempt a pass. Penn State’s passing game wasn’t completely scrapped, but at times, it looked as if it should have been. They would tally three more in the half to gain the 6-0 win. One frrom Rutgers’ first series of the second half and two from Rutgers’ offense in the first half.

Penn State put up 549 yards of total offense, including 339 on the ground.

That wasn’t the year to sing the praises of the Big Ten since Penn State felt jobbed at MI, where time was added to the clock in what eventually turned into a last-second back-breaking loss.

The Cavaliers out-shot the Nittany Lions 20-to-4 on the afternoon.

“The defense has been better every week”, Penn State linebacker Jason Cadinda said. In those four games, the Knights were outgained 2,258 yards to a meager 382.

But Trace McSorley and Saquon Barkley found just enough offense working behind a patched-together offensive line and Penn State’s growing defense hammered the Knights from beginning to end. There are further implications down the line regarding the College Football Playoff, but Penn State is keeping things in perspective ahead of what could be a huge weekend for their program. Troy Caupain and redshirt freshman Tre Scott each scored 10. Barkley barreled in from the 1 three plays later for his 16th touchdown this season.

Andre Robinson finished off that drive with a 2-yard TD run, and after a bad snap botched the PAT, it was 25-0 with 2:01 to go in the third.

With one game to go in the season, it would take an all-time performance from Maryland next week to sink Rutgers deeper into the hole of frustration it finds itself in.

But don’t expect the No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions to overlook their opponent Saturday.