After spending an entire season slogging through literal and figurative muck, Penn State arrived on high ground Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.

Like the brave souls among the announced crowd of 98,442, the band of brothers on the field kept coming. Like the cars on icy I-80 prior to the final home date of the season, the Lions slipped and slid during Big Ten play. But true diehards don’t give up and they don’t turn back. They keep coming, slow and steady.

In a 38-3 thrashing of Maryland, Penn State found traction in the freezing rain of a nasty, late November day in State College. The Lions played by far their most complete game of the season.

It would be easy, after the fact, to mock Maryland and dismiss the significance of Penn State’s dominance. I’m not buying it.

The Terrapins, a week earlier, came within an errant pass in overtime of stunning East Division champ Ohio State, which then went on to embarrass Michigan. Entering the game at 5-6, they were playing for bowl eligibility and for an interim coach, Matt Canada, who by all accounts the players dearly like. Heading into the game, few if any fans or pundits was predicting a Penn State rout. Personally, I was just as curious about which PSU team would show up as to which Maryland team would.

For fickle fans spoiled by the past two seasons, Penn State (9-3) is playing out the string. But for quarterback Trace McSorley and his fellow seniors, Saturday mattered. For fifth-year head coach James Franklin’s program, Saturday mattered — and the bowl game to come matters.

Outside perception and program momentum matter. Saturday’s performance ensures Penn State will enter the 2019 opener against Idaho as a ranked team for a 34th straight game. Win its bowl game, and PSU will have three consecutive 10-win seasons and very likely a third straight Top 10 final ranking.

In a season of fits and starts, such a finish would be huge.

Let’s face it: Some of this year’s victories, like bland food, have been sustaining but less than satisfying.

Credit: Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports

But Saturday, the Nittany Lions rewarded their most steadfast fans, those who drove over treacherous mountain passes, waited out the traffic snarls exacerbated by multiple closed grass parking lots, and tailgated in the freezing rain. It didn’t look like 98,000-plus, but those who did make it in person were treated to a post-Thanksgiving feast:

  • McSorley saved his best for last, going 6-for-6 in the second half to finish 12-of-22 for 230 yards, his best yardage total since the Week 5 loss to Ohio State. He added 64 yards on 11 carries, leaving him 84 yards from breaking Michael Robinson’s single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback (806 yards, 2005).
  • The offensive line, with Connor McGovern shifted to center in place of an injured Michal Menet, led the way for a 310-yard team rushing day. Miles Sanders (14-128), true freshman Ricky Slade (11-64) and McSorley all flourished.
  • The mostly young defense, which started the season playing on its heels, continued its maturation. The Lions boosted their B1G-leading totals with 5 sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss. It’s hard to overstate how far coordinator Brent Pry’s unit has come over the course of 13 weeks. It held Maryland’s vaunted rushing attack to 74 yards and held a third straight B1G opponent to under 270 total yards.

Playing for diminished goals in miserable weather, the Nittany Lions showed up big time. Playing through treacherous conditions both literal and figurative, this year’s squad has cleared a path for brighter days ahead.