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Curtis Jacobs is one of the 14 players from Maryland on the Penn State football roster who will have family and friends in attendance Saturday at College Park, Md.
Jacobs and the others, though, are more focused on regaining their mojo than celebrating their homecoming.
“It’s always a great opportunity to go home and play in front of my family,” Jacobs said Wednesday. “But to be honest, it’s just another game on the schedule. I can’t prepare for it any differently than I prepare for other games.”
Saturday’s Big Ten game at 3:30 p.m. (TV-FOX) between the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions (4-1 Big Ten, 7-1) and Maryland (2-3, 5-3) might carry extra meaning for Jacobs.
A fourth-year outside linebacker from Glen Burnie, Md., he didn’t play against the Terrapins last year because of an undisclosed leg injury. This could be his final game against Maryland.
He made five solo tackles two years ago in Penn State’s 31-14 win at Maryland. This year, he leads the Lions with 33 tackles and has 3.5 stops for loss, one sack, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
“I just evaluate myself pretty well based on how I do my job on a daily basis, on a play-by-play basis,” Jacobs said. “I feel like I’ve done a really good job of that. I also try to evaluate it through how I bring my teammates along with me, and I think I’ve been really good with that coming down the stretch.”
Jacobs is one of five Penn State starters from Maryland, including offensive tackle Olu Fashanu, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton, defensive tackle Dvon Ellies and safety KJ Winston.
Defensive end Chop Robinson, who played his freshman year for the Terps, had started the first seven games before he suffered an undisclosed injury at Ohio State and missed last week’s win over Indiana. Dennis-Sutton started in Robinson’s place last week and had a sack and forced fumble that wound up as a safety that sealed it.
“Dani put himself in position to be a big-time guy through his preparation every day in the summer,” Jacobs said. “I feel like he’s one of the best guys when it comes to that. Great routine. Great student of the game. I feel like he’s ready to take that next step to be an elite guy on this defense.”
Dennis-Sutton, Jacobs and the other Maryland guys are making an impact. Winston has 24 tackles, two pass breakups and two fumble recoveries in his first season as a starter. Ellies has been solid in the middle of the defense.
Fashanu is considered one of the top offensive tackles in the country and Wednesday was named one of the 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award, presented to the nation’s outstanding lineman.
In addition among Nittany Lions from Maryland, defensive tackle Coziah Izzard and safety Zakee Wheatley see regular playing time. Gabe Nwosu is the Lions’ kickoff specialist who has booted 31 of his 49 kicks for touchbacks.
Although Wheatley got beat on a 90-yard touchdown pass by Indiana last week, he made two goal-line stops two weeks ago at Ohio State.
“I’ve always been told I’ve had a knack for the ball,” Wheatley said. “Honestly, I just go out there and play naturally, play as myself and it just happens to get me closer to the ball, which I’m blessed for.
“But it’s nothing I really do in particular. I just go out there, read the quarterback’s eyes and just flow.”
Penn State has beaten Maryland by an aggregate score of 156-17 in front of thousands of Lions fans on its last three trips to SECU Stadium. Jacobs and the others would like to see that success continue.
“I’m really excited being from a city 20 minutes down the road,” said Ellies, a fifth-year senior. “It’s going to be very exciting. My whole family is looking forward to it. It’s going to be one for the books.”
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