Penn State football: Odds, weather, injuries and key matchup vs Michigan State
The Penn State football team will travel to East Lansing and take on the Michigan State Spartans to further their undefeated season and playoff push.
The No. 6 Penn State football team is coming off an important home win against Michigan, and will now travel to East Lansing, Mi. for a date with the struggling Spartans. This has all the earmarks of a trap game for the Nittany Lions, and head coach James Franklin will surely be coaching against the letdown after a big win.
Penn State Football Game info, per GoPSUSports.com:
Kickoff: Saturday, October 26, 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Spartan Stadium (74,005), East Lansing, Mi.
2019 Records: Penn State 7-0 (4-0 B1G), Michigan State 3=4-3 (2-2 B1G)
History: Michigan State leads, 17-15-1
TV: ABC – Sean McDonough (PxP), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Holly Rowe (sidelines)
Video Stream: FuboTV
Satellite: SiriusXM: 81/81/81
Twitter: #PSUvsMSU
Good seats are still available at StubHub.com
Penn State Football: Odds and betting lines vs Michigan State
Moving to 7-0 on the season after beating Michigan, Penn State is nearly a one-touchdown favorite on the road against an upset-minded Michigan State team. The current line sits at 6.5 points, with the over/under currently at 44 points, courtesy of The Action Network.
The Spartans, who are normally sound defensively, have given up 34 and 38 points in their last two losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin respectively. This will be MSU’s third straight game against a Top 10 opponent. Look for Penn State to really stretch the field against a defense that has shown to be susceptible to a good pass attack in recent weeks.
Penn State Football: Gameday weather forecast vs Michigan State
The Nittany Lions and Spartans will have a cool, overcast fall day in which to play. The temperature at kickoff will be in the high 40s to low 50s, with a high of 53F. There will be partly cloudy skies early in the day, followed by increasing clouds with a 40 percent chance of showers developing in the afternoon and evening.
If you’re planning on tailgating in East Lansing, bring some foul weather gear and warm clothes. Winds aren’t expected to be a factor inside the stadium.
Penn State Football: Injury report vs Michigan State
Per USA Today, Penn State will be coming into this game pretty healthy. The only two significant injuries currently on the report are DE Shaka Toney, who left the game against Michigan with a knee injury, and WR Cam Sullivan-Brown who sat out the Michigan game with an unspecified injury. Both are listed as questionable for the Michigan State game.
If Toney is unable to go, it will mean losing one of the Nittany Lions primary pass rush weapons. With the Spartans struggling to even make first downs, it will be up to Yetur Gross-Matos to lead the defensive line to get pressure on the quarterback if Toney is forced to sit.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, the Spartans are quite literally the walking wounded. With five key players already out for the season, Michigan State has six other players listed as questionable for this game, including DE Jacub Panasiuk, TE Trenton Gillison, OL Blake Bueter, RB Connor Heyward, CB Shakur Brown, and OT AJ Arcuri.
Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio doesn’t comment on the depth chart prior to the game, so any number of those players (some of whom have sat out for several weeks) could be in the lineup on Saturday.
Penn State football: Matchup to watch against Michigan State
The big matchup – and one Mark Dantonio has probably been working to scheme against – is Penn State wideout KJ Hamler going against a Spartans secondary that has been torched in some recent outings.
Hamler, along with tight end Pat Freiermuth, could be the key to really forcing the Michigan State linebackers to drop back. If they’re unable to load up the box it can open up some gaps for freshman running back Noah Cain, who is leading the team with 329 yards, a 5.31 yards per carry average, and a team-high six rushing touchdowns.
Success in the red zone with Hamler, Freiermuth, and Cain against a defense who gives up a red zone score 76.19 percent of the time will be huge for the Nittany Lions. If they can capitalize on every scoring opportunity, the middling Michigan State offense will have no chance to keep up.
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Despite all the numbers, it’s worth noting that James Franklin is only 1-4 all-time against Michigan State, and has never coached a win inside Spartan Stadium. The Nittany Lions need to change history and avoid the dreaded trap game against and opponent they should handily beat.