Know Your 2018 Penn State Football Enemy: Michigan State Spartans

Game six of the 2018 season will see Penn State football will try avenge the 2017 loss to Michigan State.

Penn State football had its College Football Playoff aspirations  crushed by Michigan State in East Lansing last season when the Spartans topped Penn State 27-24. It was the Nittany Lions’ second and final loss of the season, and came only a week after Ohio State devastated Penn State in Columbus 39-38.

The 2017 Penn State-Michigan State showdown was certainly a bizarre one, as a rain delay that lasted over three hours altered the momentum of game. The Nittany Lions led 14-7 after the first quarter before Michigan State scored 14 unanswered points to go up 21-14. Penn State followed that up with 10 unanswered points of their own before Michigan State kicked two fourth quarter field goals, the final one with time expiring.

It was the second straight horrible game for Penn State’s NFL-bound secondary, as Michigan State’s quarterback Brian Lewerke threw for 400 yards and two touchdowns, 181 of the yards going to wide receiver Felton Davis III.

Fortunately for the Spartans, Lewerke and Davis III will both be back in 2018. In fact, Michigan State will have 21 starters from 2017 coming back to school in 2018.

The Spartans went 9-3 during the regular season and ended with a 42-17 Holiday Bowl win over Washington State. Now, with at least a year of experience under the belts of 95 percent of its starting lineup, Michigan State will have its eyes set on a Big Ten Championship, and even more importantly, the College Football Playoff.

If Penn State wants to win this game vs. Michigan State in 2018, their pass defense is going to be most important. Redshirt Junior Brian Lewerke is among the best quarterbacks in the conference, and if he throws for 400 yards again I don’t like the Nittany Lions’ chances. Of course with this year’s game taking place at Beaver Stadium, Penn State’s defense will have 107,000 fans helping them out.

Another crucial key to this game is the pass rush. Michigan State will have the entire starting offensive line back, so expect them to be an impressive group. Someone on Penn State’s defensive line or at the linebacker position is going to need to step up to put some pressure on Lewerke. I expect freshman linebacker Micah Parsons and sophomore defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos to have a huge impact on the pass rush in 2018.

While the Michigan State’s passing game is the biggest cause of concern for Penn State, the Spartans also return starting running back L.J Scott. Scott is going into his senior season, and has 25 career rushing touchdowns.

While their offense raised some eyebrows, Michigan State’s defense was also extremely impressive in 2017, as they only held Penn State to 24 points (the Nittany Lions averaged 41.1 points per game last season). The Spartans were 9th in the FBS in yards allowed per game, with 298. They were 23rd in the FBS in points allowed per game (20.3).

While Michigan State boasted good numbers defensively, the area they could have used improvement was pass defense. The Spartans were 31st in the FBS in passing yards allowed per game (196.5), while they were 5th in the FBS in rushing yards allowed (101.3).

The passing game will undoubtably be a strength for Penn State, as Trace McSorely enters his senior year as clearly the best quarterback in the Big Ten, and a top-five quarterback in the country. I expect Penn State Offensive Coordinator Ricky Rahne to exploit Michigan State’s weakness here.

Mark D’Antonio and Michigan State have won three of the last four matchups against James Franklin and Penn State. With both teams likely to be ranked within the top-12 to begin the 2018 college football season, Penn State vs. Michigan State will be a highly-anticipated game, as it will help determine who win the Big Ten East.