Maryland Football Could Use Special Teams To Fuel Upset Over Penn State

Often times in sports, the outcome of a game can be determined not just by overall talent alone, but by specific matchups. Penn State has more talent and has had a better season than Maryland to this point, but there’s one aspect of the game that the Nittany Lions will have to address if they want to avoid the upset: Special teams.

Penn State’s difficulties in the punting game have been well-documented, and the contrast was striking when compared to the Buckeyes’ kicking game last weekend. The Nittany Lions’ average starting point was at their own 16-yard line, while Chris Gulla and Daniel Pasquariello have been handing opponents great field position throughout the season.

The Terps, on the other hand, have received a lot of offense from their special teams unit, specifically William Likely. Even a bad team can hang around with anyone if they have a dynamic playmaker, and Likely is that kind of player.

The junior defensive back from Belle Glade, Fla. is a very good defensive player, registering seven interceptions in 32 career games, though that’s not why he’s receiving a lot of attention from the Penn State coaching staff. In his two-plus year career with the Terps, he has five special teams touchdowns. Four of those scores have come on punt returns, and the punting game is arguably Penn State’s biggest problem.

I’m not saying Maryland will beat Penn State on Saturday solely because of special teams, but it could be a major contributing factor in the outcome. The Terps aren’t completely without talent on their roster, and if Penn State can’t work out their glaring issues in the kicking department, we could see a surprising outcome.

Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten Football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.