ALTOONA, Pa. -- There are lots of bigger fish to fry for the Penn State wrestling team this season, namely winning another national championship, but the Nittany Lions accomplished their first goal Sunday.
They won another Big Ten regular-season title, the ninth time they've done so under Cael Sanderson.
The No. 1 Lions crushed Maryland in the Big Ten finale, 44-3, at Rec Hall on Sunday. They dropped the first bout of the day at 125, then won the final nine matches to steamroll the Terps.
Penn State has won or shared the Big Ten regular-season title in these years: 2012 (shared), 2014 (shared), 2016 (shared), 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021 (shared), 2022, 2023.
Penn State (15-0, 8-0 Big Ten) is undefeated overall and posted a perfect record in the conference for the eighth time, the seventh during Sanderson's tenure.
Here's a recap of Sunday's blowout of Maryland at Rec Hall, from GoPSUSports.
The dual meet began at 125 where redshirt freshman Gary Steen took No. 15 Braxton Brown to the wire before losing a tough 1-0 decision. Roman Bravo-Young, ranked No. 1 at 133, put Penn State on top for good however with a rousing win at 133. Bravo-Young tallied 14 takedowns in a 28-13 technical fall over King Sandoval (6:45). Beau Bartlett, ranked No. 6 at 141, used a reversal and a takedown to post a 5-2 win over Kal Miller, giving Penn State an 8-3 lead.
Redshirt freshman Shayne Van Ness, ranked No. 13 at 149, continued Penn State's winning ways with a dominant victory over No. 18 Ethan Miller. Van Ness turned a big lead into a rout late in the third period, using a last second six-point move (and riding time) to notch a 19-4 technical fall at the 7:00 mark. True freshman Levi Haines, ranked No. 8 at 157, sent Penn State into the halftime locker room with even more momentum, picking up the first period pin over b Schork at 1:42. Haines' fall gave Penn State a 19-3 halftime lead.
Redshirt freshman Alex Facundo, ranked No. 9 at 165, opened up the second half with Penn State's second straight pin. Facundo turn a big lead into a third period fall, sticking Lucas Cordio at the 5:38 mark to put the Nittany Lions up 25-3. Carter Starocci, ranked No. 1 at 174, rolled up six takedowns, an escape and riding time to post a convincing 14-6 major over Dominic Solis. Junior Donovon Ball got the call at 184 and picked up a dominant win, notching four takedowns in a 10-3 win over Kevin Makosy.
Max Dean, ranked No. 3 at 197, won by forfeit at 197 to give the Nittany Lions a 38-3 lead. Seth Nevills got the nod at 285 and capped off a title clinching dual in fine fashion. Nevills took Jordan Gabriel down early in the first period and worked his way into a pinning position. Nevills worked for a few seconds and capped off the dual meet with a pin at the 1:56 mark. Penn State finished off an unbeaten Big Ten season with a 44-3 victory.
SANDERS STRUGGLES IN SUPER BOWL
Miles Sanders got the ball on the Eagles' first play of the game Sunday, and he appeared to have a tiny bit of running room had he busted forward. But Sanders kept trying to bounce outside looking for something bigger, and wound up taking a 1-yard loss as he fumbled the ball out of bounds.
Sanders didn't touch the ball again after that for a long time, as the Eagles' leading rusher gave way to Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott. Sanders did get some touches in the second half and finished with seven carries, but he totaled only 16 yards.
It was a disappointing showing, both in usage and production, for the NFL's fifth-leading rusher.
The biggest highlight Sanders had on the night was when he was shown on the sideline with a look of dismay and surprise when his defensive teammate, James Bradberry, was flagged for a late holding call that wound up sealing Philly's fate.
Sanders became just the third Penn State product to carry the ball as a running back in the Super Bowl, joining Franco Harris and Matt Suhey. Sanders was the first primary tailback to do so in the big game since Harris' glory days with the Steelers.
Sanders will now be a free agent this offseason, and where he will end up is anybody's guess. He could land a lucrative deal elsewhere based on his stats this season, or the Eagles could try to re-sign him.
Philly also could place the franchise tag on him.
BASKETBALL TEAM CRUMBLING
The Lions fell at Maryland on Saturday, 74-68, for their fourth loss in a row and fifth in six games.
The team's meltdown is nearly complete at 5-9 in the Big Ten. That's nearly, because there is still a sliver of hope for a miracle finish that could land Penn State in the NCAA Tournament.
There are only two paths to the tourney at this point:
1. Win the final six regular-season games and then at least one in the Big Ten Tournament. That would put Penn State at 12-10 overall in Big Ten games, and the late-season surge would be a big plus with the selection committee. If Penn State goes 5-1 to finish 10-10 during the regular season, that probably won't do it because there aren't really enough quality wins left on the schedule. Although, 10-10 and then maybe three wins in the conference tournament could get it done.
2. Go on a roll and win the Big Ten Tournament. That seems highly implausible, particularly since the Lions are a jumpshooting team and their legs wouldn't hold up playing 4-5 days in a row.
Penn State hosts Illinois on Tuesday at the Bryce Jordan Center. The Lions clobbered the Illini, 74-59, on the road back on Dec. 10 for a huge victory. At the time, that win showed Penn State's potential that made everybody so excited about the possibilities this season.
Those possibilities have since been crushed.
