Penn State vs. Michigan State Position Grades

Nov 28, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) scrambles out of the pocket during the 1st half game of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

On Saturday, Penn State lost to Michigan State in what many expected to be a loss.  However, I”m not too sure many people expected a blowout loss, but that’s what it was to the tune of 55-16.

The offense moved the ball on the Spartans in the first half, more so than Ohio State could do the entire game last week against them.  However, the Nittany Lions couldn’t finish drives or keep from tripping over themselves with mistakes.  They were down 10 at the break and had out gained the Spartans by 68 yards.

By the time the second half rolled around, a better Michigan State team took the game over and scored 35 points.  The defense was completely over-matched and worn down by the end of it.  It was a night and day difference between a veteran, senior-laden team versus the youngest team in the conference.

Penn State finishes the year with three straight losses after not winning a game in November.  It will be an interesting few weeks leading up to the bowl game.  There is a lot of unrest within the fan base and many want change this off-season.  While it was a disappointing end to the regular season, let’s all hope the extra practices really helps this team and they come out with a fire in their eyes for the bowl game.

Let’s get to the position grades for this one.

Next: Quarterbacks