Trace McSorley had to do most of his damage on the ground, but the senior quarterback prevailed in his final home game, leading No. 12 Penn State to a 38-3 win over Maryland on Saturday in icy rain at University Park, Pa.

Penn State (9-3, 6-3 Big Ten) won its third game in a row and fifth in the last six outings. McSorley rushed for two touchdowns among his 64 yards on the ground and also completed 12 of 22 passes for 230 yards and another score. McSorley and the Penn State seniors improved to 38-14 over the last four years and likely landed a spot in a New Year's Day bowl.

Maryland (5-7, 3-6) finished one victory shy of bowl eligibility, capping a disappointing finish that saw the Terrapins drop their final four games. The Penn State defense put the clamps on freshman running back Anthony McFarland, who had rushed for 508 yards in the previous two games. He was held to 12 yards on six rushes Saturday on the wet field.

The Nittany Lions outrushed Maryland 310 yards to 74.

Penn State led 17-3 at the half. McSorley hit KJ Hamler for 34 yards on the game's first play, and Miles Sanders bulled 35 yards on the second play. Two plays later, McSorley scored from 3 yards at 13:24.

He added a 20-yard scoring run at 1:58 of the first quarter to make it 14-3.

The Nittany Lions went 86 yards in nine plays in the third quarter, with Ricky Slade scoring from 8 yards to make it 24-3 at the 9:10 mark. Sanders led Penn State on the ground with 14 carries for 128 yards.

Maryland's Tyrrell Pigrome, making his third career start and second straight this season, completed 14 of 23 passes for a career-high 185 yards.

The loss brings the curtain down on a tumultuous Terrapin season after sophomore lineman Jordan McNair died in June after suffering a heatstroke at a team workout. Coach DJ Durkin was put on administrative leave and ultimately fired in October. The strength and conditioning coach and two trainers were also let go.

Matt Canada has served as interim coach since August, and his status and that of the rest of the staff has yet to be determined.

Penn State has won nine or more games the last three seasons and improved to 39-2-1 all-time versus Maryland, including four straight wins in the now annual series.

--Field Level Media