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COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Penn State’s overwhelmingly dominant first half came mostly without one of its best defensive players.

Sophomore linebacker Micah Parsons took a late run at Terrapins quarterback Joshua Jackson in the first quarter and hit him up high after he released a pass.

Refs immediately flagged Parsons, last season’s leading tackler, and the automatic instant replay to review targeting calls took little time to confirm.

Parsons’ classmate and roommate, Jesse Luketa, took the bulk of the snaps at the weak-side spot in his place.

Sent to the locker room while the rest of the team was still playing, Parsons weighed in during the second quarter on Twitter.

“My boys taking care of business regardless!!” Parsons wrote. The Lions led 35-0 at the time and went into halftime up 38-0.

Infirmary report

• One quarter later, Maryland also had a player ejected.

Lions starting wideout Justin Shorter made a tough catch over the middle in the second quarter, his first of the game. But as he was falling to the ground, he took a shot to the side of the helmet by Terps safety Deon Jones.

No flag was originally thrown on the play, but the replay booth ultimately stepped in and assessed a targeting penalty to Jones, tossing him from the game.

Shorter did not return in the first half.

• After missing the Lions’ last game against Pitt, Maryland native Daniel George got to make the trip back to his home state.

The second-team wideout was injured in Week 2 against Buffalo and was in street clothes the following week with his hand/wrist in a cast.

Freshman watch

For its first road game of the season, Penn State brought 12 true freshmen on its travel roster — CB Keaton Ellis, CB Marquis Wilson, CB Joey Porter, LB Lance Dixon, LB Brandon Smith, QB Michael Johnson Jr., DE Adisa Isaac, RB Noah Cain, RB Devyn Ford, OL Caedan Wallace, TE Brenton Strange and DT Dvon Ellies.

Of note was that the Lions brought Johnson along as the No. 3 quarterback ahead of fellow rookie Ta’Quan Roberson. Both are headed for a redshirt barring any serious injury problems at the position.

Another new recruit

Hours before their fourth game on the schedule, the Lions landed their fourth recruit since the season began.

Virginia defensive back Elijah Gaines became the latest to join Penn State’s 2020 class, which is now up to 26 members.

A three-star prospect who checks in as the nation’s No. 41 safety in the 247Sports Composite rankings, Gaines is listed at 6-foot-2, 193 pounds.

An official visit to Beaver Stadium for the Pitt game two weeks ago helped sway Gaines away from his other finalists, Virginia and North Carolina. He also claimed scholarship offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Virginia Tech and Wisconsin, among others.

It’s the second time in the past three recruiting cycles that Penn State has landed a player from Episcopal High School in Alexandria, and the other was also a safety. Jonathan Sutherland signed in the 2017 class and was voted a captain on special teams this season as a redshirt sophomore.

Episcopal is a boarding school that has players from all over — Sutherland is a Canadian native who grew up in Ottawa and Gaines is originally from New York City.

Since September began, the Lions have received commitments from New Jersey offensive lineman Devin Willock, New York offensive lineman Ibrahim Traore and Aliquippa defensive lineman/linebacker Zuriah Fisher. That came after an August that saw a pair of four-star Florida running backs, Caziah Holmes and Keyvone Lee, come on board.

Gaines is the third player rated as a safety in the class along with four-star Michigan athlete Enzo Jennings and Lackawanna College sophomore Ji’Ayir Brown.

Virginia high schools continue to be key in building the Lions’ roster as Gaines joins tight end Tyler Warren and defensive back Joseph Johnson in the class.

Penn State managed to sign Virginia’s top-rated prospect in each of the last two cycles in running back Ricky Slade (2018) and linebacker Brandon Smith (2019). Medically retired offensive lineman Nana Asiedu was ranked No. 3 in 2018 and running back Devyn Ford was No. 2 in 2019.

The top Virginia recruit for 2020 is another running back in Chris Tyree, who is headed to Notre Dame. But Penn State is a finalist for the state’s No. 4 prospect, wideout KeAndre Lambert, who is set to announce his choice next Friday.

Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) took over for Micah Parsons at the weak-side spot after Parsons was ejected for targeting in the first quarter against Maryland on Friday night.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/web1_AP19271040549105.jpg.optimal.jpgPenn State linebacker Jesse Luketa (40) took over for Micah Parsons at the weak-side spot after Parsons was ejected for targeting in the first quarter against Maryland on Friday night. Nick Wass | AP photo

By Derek Levarse

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