Hosting the No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions on Friday, the 2-1 Maryland Terrapins finally have a chance to put the disappointment of their September 14 loss to Temple behind them.

Separated by roughly four hours, Maryland and Penn State are natural geographic rivals. The on-field results, however, have been one-sided since the Terps joined the B1G in 2014.

Since defeating Penn State on November 1, 2014, Maryland has dropped four in a row to the Nittany Lions by an average of 30.7 points.

According to Josh Stirn with Inside MD Sports, head coach Mike Locksley acknowledged that the two schools may seem like natural divisional rivals. However, he admitted that the Terrapins haven’t done enough competitively to create a rivalry:

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“We’ve got some work to do for us to be able to call it a rivalry,” Locksley said.

“You can’t wish and make a game a rivalry. The only way it gets to that point is by competing and having success. So, I wouldn’t say that it’s a rivalry yet because we haven’t been consistent enough or have won enough for us to even get to that point.”

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Locksley’s self-assessment is strikingly accurate. The Terrapins have won just two of the 42 all-time meetings between the two programs.

Not limited to the current players on the team, Locksley also pointed out the impact this game can have on recruiting battles.

“Obviously with their location and being a school that comes here in the DMV for recruiting, I do feel as though we both compete for the same kind of players.

“And I do think there’s something to be said when the team that executes the best and plays the best and wins the game, usually has the bragging rights.”

While they may pursue many of the same players, James Franklin’s staff has had much more success on the recruiting trail. According to the 247Sports Composite, Penn State’s 2019 class ranked 12th in America, while Maryland was 47th.

Friday’s action will kick at 8:00 PM ET and will be televised on FS1. A twist on Penn State’s notorious “white-out,” Maryland students and fans will be executing a “blackout” for the game.