STATE UNIVERSITY – Penn State is eliminated Maryland 44-7 on Saturday to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game after finishing the regular season 11-1. Head coach James Franklin’s team overcame a slow start and ultimately defeated the Terrpains with 44 unanswered points in the final 45 minutes of the game.

“We just had to find a way to beat Maryland and get better,” Franklin said. “Other than the opening drives, I thought we did it today. We played a lot of our guys, which I think is very valuable, our threes and fours against their starters, which they maintained throughout the game. Our three and four were able to get in there and did a really good job, which is important for their development.”

Now the game is over. The testimony is there. How did the Lions do? Here is our overview.

Penn State grade on offense: B

Yes, Penn State actually finished with 412 yards of offense. But this effort from Andy Kotelnicki’s squad felt a little disjointed the entire time, starting with a first play that he fumbled past Nicholas Singleton. The Lions were 5 of 15 on third down but were nearly perfect on fourth down. Singleton had two rushing touchdowns and the team can live with 5.2 yards per play. But the struggles of inconsistency that this offense faces will catch up with it sooner or later, one would assume. However, it’s not for nothing that they’re one of only a few teams to have won 11, so we won’t hold that against them too much overall.

Nittany Lions grade for defense: A

Maryland scored a touchdown on its second play from scrimmage. After that it only crossed midfield once more. The Penn State pass rush dominated. Abdul Carter had six tackles (two for loss) and two sacks. The Nittany Lions defense had two interceptions. Maryland had less than 200 yards of offense and just 72 rushing yards. And the visitors were a lazy 2 of 12 on third down. Other than the early mishap, Tom Allen’s unit was more or less perfect.

Penn State special teams grade: B

Singleton had his longest kick return of the season with a 66-yarder in the first quarter. Ryan Barker was made a 49-yard shot, but a 53-yard attempt was blocked. The team still hasn’t gotten much out of the punt return game, but that’s to be expected at this point. All in all, it was a nice day for Justin Lustig’s team with no major mistakes.

Nittany Lions coaching grade: A-

Yes, we know there are a lot of rumors about how the Lions started on offense and that they conceded a point on their first defensive attack. But after Penn State settled in in the second quarter, the expected economic downturn largely occurred. Most of our concerns lie with Kotelnicki and the offense, as described above. Otherwise, we have little to complain about after this game, and the Lions gained valuable experience from the backups.

Penn State’s overall grade for the Maryland game: A-

Penn State did what it had to do on Saturday: get out of the regular season with a decisive win. It did just that, even if the offensive waters were choppy at times, and the Lions punched their ticket to the Big Ten title game.