Penn State Football: Grading Nittany Lions vs. Michigan State
By Dylan Burd
Penn State defeated Michigan State 28-7 in rainy, wet conditions at Spartan Stadium to move to 8-0 on the season for the first time since 2008.
Penn State football did what no one across the country thought they could do this season. They’re 8-0 and got through the brutal three-game schedule of at Iowa, vs. Michigan, and at Michigan State with wins the last three weeks.
The Nittany Lions were a popular upset pick going into Michigan State after the Spartans spoiled their season the last two years, beating them 27-24 in 2017 and 21-17 in 2018. However, Penn State prevailed with what was a dominant 28-7 victory.
The Nittany Lion defense returned to their elite form, as they forced four turnovers and only allowed a total of 265 yards and seven points. The offense got off to a fast start, as they have several times this year, scoring 21 points in the first half despite the lousy weather conditions. The Penn State offense also had a total of 302 yards in the game.
With the Oklahoma loss to Kansas State 48-41, Penn State moved up to No. 5 in new the AP Poll. The Nittany Lions will be on their second bye week of the season next week before heading to Minneapolis to face 8-0 Minnesota, where Penn State is an early favorite by 4.5 points.
It’s truly unbelievable the gauntlet of a schedule Penn State has this season. In recent years, it felt like Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State were the only real threats, but this season, Minnesota and Iowa can be put in that category also.
Even though Penn State just got through three tough games in a row, they still have two undefeated opponents left on their schedule. In prior years, 11-1 was always good enough to make the College Football Playoffs.
This year, that looks like it won’t be the case. The Nittany Lions are going to likely need to run the table in order to get in. Penn State hasn’t played games this meaningful this late in the regular season since 2016, so buckle up, we’re in for a great last month.
Let’s get to positional grades from the Michigan State game.