Maryland defeated Penn State 20-19 on Saturday, but it would be stretching things to call this matchup a rivalry.
Penn State led the series 35-2-1 going into Saturday's game, and the teams hadn't played each other since Oct. 2, 1993, when Penn State won 70-7. Before Saturday, Maryland's last victory in the series was Nov. 4, 1961, when the Terrapins won 21-17.
Still, Saturday's game seemed a bit chippy.
Maryland's captains refused to shake hands with Penn State's captains when they met for the coin toss before the game. In addition, players from both teams were involved in a brief scuffle before the game. Maryland wide receiver Stefon Diggs also drew a 15-yard penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct before the game even started.
So why all the bad blood for a series that has been inactive for 21 years and has been so one-sided since the teams first played in 1917?
It goes back to last summer when Penn State Coach James Franklin, making a trip to Baltimore, told a crowd of Penn State fans that he considered Maryland "in-state" and said other schools in the region might as well be shut down because "they don't have a chance."
Maryland Coach Randy Edsall responded by saying the Terrapins were more about "substance."
Throw in the fact that the campuses are within a 3 1/2-hour drive of each other, they share similar recruiting territory, and that Franklin was once the coach-in-waiting at Maryland before going to Vanderbilt, and there appears to be a chance for some real animosity to build up.
"Let the rivalry begin," Edsall said. "There should be a trophy for this game. It's a bordering state. Let's have some fun."
Protect the digits
Cleveland Browns backup quarterback Johnny Manziel broke the cardinal rule of Twitter.
Never give out your phone number.
Just before 6 p.m. Friday night, Manziel sent out a message that included a 10-digit phone number with an area code that includes San Antonio and Kerrville, Texas, where he is from.
The tweet was deleted soon after it appeared, but the number was retweeted more than 300 times in less than 30 seconds. Manziel became the butt of jokes on Twitter, and a little more than an hour after the number was posted the mailbox for that number was full.
Headlines
From the satirical website fark.com:
• "New York Yankees officially reinstate Alex Rodriguez, as he now falls under the league's '12 strikes and you're out' policy."
• "The Michigan Wolverines football program has become so bad, they gave $3 million to the athletic director to leave it."
• "Rex Ryan names Madison Bumgarner as Jets starting quarterback."
• Daylight savings ends this weekend. Remember to set your clocks back, check your smoke detector batteries, and move Derek Rose to injured reserve on your fantasy roster."
Sports quiz
When was the only tie in the Penn State-Maryland football series?
Answer
The teams tied 13-13 on Nov. 11, 1989.
Sports on 11/02/2014