Penn State Football: Getting to know Michigan State Spartans | 3 Key Players
Penn State football will face off with conference rival Michigan State this Saturday with the historic Land Grant trophy at stake.
It has been a wacky Big Ten football season to this point but no team epitomizes its topsy-turvy nature more then the Michigan State Spartans, even more so than Penn State Football.
The Spartans opened the season with a home loss to Rutgers, and then followed it up with a win over the rival Michigan Wolverines in a game they were three touchdown underdogs. Head coach Mel Tucker’s squad was outscored the next two weeks by Iowa and Indiana by a combined score of 73-7, only to come back in Week 6 and upset the then No. 8 ranked Northwestern Wildcats.
Michigan State will enter their matchup with Penn State this week fresh off a 52-12 drubbing they received at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes in Week 7.
The Spartans hold the worst point differential in the Big Ten at -105, as only Maryland, who has only played four games thus far, has scored fewer points than Michigan State’s 102.
Michigan State also ranks dead last in the conference in yards and points per game, with 319 ypg and 17 ppg respectively.
Ahead of Saturday’s clash for the land Grant trophy, here are three key Spartans to watch for.
Jalen Nailor- Wide Receiver
The Spartans offense has not been a bright spot this year but sophomore wide receiver Jalen Nailor is the most explosive threat for the Spartans.
Nailor leads the team with 415 receiving yards and is second on the team in receptions (20) and touchdowns (2). The sophomore is really the lone down field threat Sparty has, averaging an impressive 20.8 yards per reception which is good for second in the Big Ten and 12th in all of college football.
The California native showed everyone how he can change a game when he got behind the defense for a 75 yard touchdown strike in the upset win over Northwestern two weeks ago.
Quarterback Rocky Lombardi was injured in last week’s game against Ohio State, and head coach Mel Tucker has not announced if it will be Lombardi or Payton Thorne who will start against the Nittany Lions.
Regardless of who is behind center, Penn State’s secondary will have to be aware of where Nailor is at all times.
It should be a great matchup when Nailor is being shadowed by Penn State freshman cornerback Joey Porter Jr. who is fresh off Big Ten freshman of the week honors for his performance against Rutgers.
This is a game Penn State should handle business, but one big play could swing the momentum in the Spartans favor.