COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Trace McSorley threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as No. 10 Penn State closed out its regular season Saturday afternoon with a 66-3 rout of Maryland.
McSorley threw touchdown passes of two and nine yards to tight end Mike Gesicki, and ran five yards for a score, all in the first half.
In all, McSorley clicked on 22 of 33 passes for 237 yards, while running seven times for 36, as PSU improved to 10-2.
Backup quarterback Tommy Stevens also rushed 12 times for 113 yards and three scores and threw a TD pass to reserve tight end Tom Pancoast.
In addition, Saquon Barkley ran 16 times for 77 yards and two TDs.
Henry Darmstadter kicked a 42-yard field goal in the third quarter for Maryland, which finished 4-8.
• McSorley, identified at one point as “McFlurry” by the press box announcer, put it up 29 times in the first half alone, completing 19 for 205 yards and both his touchdowns. The first was a two-yard shovel pass to Gesicki, the second a nine-yard toss to the tight end, who made a one-handed catch in the corner of the end zone. McSorley also ran for a first-half TD.
• McSorley has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 27 straight games. His 11 rushing scores this season equal a school record for QBs set by Michael Robinson in 2005. He also joined Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett as the only players in Big Ten history with at least 25 touchdown passes and 10 rushing TDs in the same season. Barrett did so in 2014.
• The Lions scored on five of their eight first-half possessions, all but the last of them resulting in touchdowns, and outgained the Terps, 299-179, in the half. PSU, up 31-0 after the first two quarters, had one negative-yardage play in the half, a 10-yard loss on a sack 34 snaps into the game. At that point the Lions led 28-0.
• One of the mysteries of Penn State’s season has been the way in which Stevens, a multi-purpose threat, has been used. Besides serving as McSorley’s backup, he has appeared at running back and receiver, and has been productive in every role. He did not play, however, in the losses to Ohio State and Michigan, when the offense was in need of a jolt, and while there was speculation about an injury, reporters also spotted him dunking a football over the crossbar at the end of one practice.
Stevens — who also did not play against Iowa, Indiana and Rutgers — reappeared last week against Nebraska. And on Saturday, he capped the Lions’ first possession with a 21-yard touchdown run, lining up at running back, taking a handoff, starting right, faking a pitch to Barkley as he headed in the opposite direction and then continuing to the end zone.
• Stevens replaced McSorley at QB with 5:46 left in the third quarter. He finished the day 3 of 7 for 11 yards through the air, with his TD a four-yarder to Pancoast. Stevens also caught one pass for four yards.
• Maryland attempted a trick play on its third offensive snap, on which wide receiver D.J. Moore took a lateral and looked to throw. The Lions diagnosed the play, but as he was being hauled down Moore completed a backwards over-the-head flip to Jahrvis Davenport, albeit for a loss of six.
• Safety Troy Apke did not play the first half while serving a suspension for a targeting penalty incurred last week against Nebraska. Nick Scott started in his place, and Ayron Monroe also saw time. Apke returned in the second half.
• Defensive end Ryan Buchholz (Great Valley) and offensive tackle Ryan Bates (Archbishop Wood) returned, each after missing the previous three games with undisclosed leg injuries suffered in the Oct. 28 loss to Ohio State. Buchholz was part of the defensive line rotation, while Bates, who normally plays left tackle, manned the right side in garbage time.
• Wide receiver/special teams star Irv Charles was also back, after being held out of the Nebraska game for undisclosed reasons. Linebacker Manny Bowen sat out his third straight game after violating a team rule, according to coach James Franklin.
• Lions center Connor McGovern suffered a leg injury in the second quarter and was replaced by Zach Simpson. McGovern returned, however, in the second half.