By: Pasquale Tartaro, GoPSUSports.com
COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Penn State wide receiver Jahan Dotson caught 11 passes for a school-record 242 yards and three touchdowns to propel the Nittany Lions past the Terrapins 31-14.
"It was a special night all around," Dotson said. "We got the 'W,' that's what we came here for. It was good to get back on a win streak."
"I'm super proud of not only Jahan Dotson on the football field, but the type of man he is, how his parents raised him, the type of student he is," head coach James Franklin said. "He's the perfect representation of what we want to be at Penn State, so I'm not surprised at all."
Penn State's previous single-game reception yardage mark was set by Deon Butler against Northwestern in 2006. Dotson also became just the fourth player in school history with 200 yards in a game.
Dotson exploited a gap in the Maryland secondary to 38-yard touchdown and give the Nittany Lions a 7-0 lead with 7:55 remaining in the first quarter.
Midway through the second quarter, the senior playmaker had accounted for nearly half of Penn State's 160 total yards.
In the third quarter, Dotson moved into a tie for second in program history with Allen Robinson for 100-yard receiving games (10) when he made a leaping touchdown catch to put Penn State ahead 14-6.
Dotson always had an answer for the Terrapins, who ended a sharp drive to start the fourth quarter with a touchdown pass to the tight end Corey Dyches.
Two plays after Maryland's offense had converted a two-point conversion to knot up the score at 14, No. 5 found the end zone again.
After being sacked on first down, quarterback Sean Clifford hung in the pocket and delivered a strike over the middle to a streaking Dotson. The senior caught the ball in stride and bursted down the field to outrun the back end of Maryland's defense.
"I feel like once you start making a couple plays, you kind of get hot, kind of get in the zone," Dotson said. "But I feel like... every time I get the ball I feel like I can take it the distance."
The career-long 86-yard catch and run, which gave the Nittany Lions a 21-14 lead early in the fourth quarter, also marked Dotson's sixth touchdown reception of 60 yards or more.
Through nine games, the Pennsylvania native has proven to be one of the most reliable targets in the country.
Dotson added a 45-yard catch on Penn State's next possession to set up a short 24-yard field goal by Jordan Stout to extend Penn State's lead to 10.
The record-breaking night came in front of Dotson's family, who was in attendance for Penn State's sixth win of the season.
"Having such a big support system...It motivates me, just to be the best person I am every single day," Dotson said. "Not only on the football field, but just in life."
