The last time Michigan State beat Penn State in Beaver Stadium the year was 1965.
It was so long ago that Joe Paterno wasn’t even the Nittany Lions’ head coach.
Finally, for Sparty, the wait is over.
The Spartans snapped an eight-game losing streak in Beaver Stadium on Saturday by beating Penn State 28-22 before an announced crowd of 102,649 — which in reality was about 20,000 smaller due to cold temperatures and gusty wins and numerous PSU losses. (Check out our photo gallery to the right.)
The finish did get a little heated.
With a little over a minute remaining in the game, Matt McGloin was intercepted iin the end zone by MSU’s Trenton Robinson, who fumbled the ball on his return. Derek Moye recovered the ball at the four-yard line.
On the very next play, McGloin threw a four-yard scoring strike to Moye. A two-point try to Joe Suhey, and Michigan State won, 28-22.
Sparty almost put the game on ice early, scoring two touchdowns on his first three possessions. At halftime, Michigan State led 14-3, as all Penn State could muster was a 34-yard field goal by Collin Wagner.
Touchdowns by Evan Royster on a 10-yard run and a 25-yard pass from Matt McGloin to Joe Suhey were not enough as Penn State amounted a bit of a fourth quarter rally.
MSU was led by running back Edwin Baker, who scored from seven yards out in the first quarter, and wide receiver B.J. Cunningham, who caught scoring passes of eight and 24 yards from Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousin. The final Michigan State TD came on a third-scoring pass from wide receiver Keith Nichol to tight Charlie Gantt.
Michigan State advances to 11-1 and 7-1 in the Big Ten, winning at least a share of the Big Ten title. Penn State falls to 7-5 overall, and 4-4 in conference play.
Baker led Michigan in rushing with 118 yards on 28 carries, while Cousins was 17 of 22 passing for 152 yards and the two touchdowns.
Royster ran for 85 yards on 17 carries, while McGloin had his second game throwing for more than 300 yards. He completed 23 of 43 for 312 yards (216 in the second half), with an interception and two touchdowns.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER GAME RECAP
FOURTH QUARTER
On a drive that started in the third quarter on its own 26, Penn State moved quickly down the field through the air. McGloin threw to Justin Brown for 16 yards, then came back to tight end Kevin Haplea for 14 yards.
McGloin capped off the six-play, 74-yard drive with a 25-yard pass to Suhey, who circled out of the backfield and along the right side for a touchdown. Wagner’s PAT cut Michigan State’s lead to 21-10.
And, just like that — in 159 seconds, to be exact — Penn State was back in the game. And, for the first time since the first quarter, the Beaver Stadium crowd was back in the game, too.
And, just like, the crowd was out of it — and the Nittany Lions, too.
After starting its drive on the 32 following the ensuing kick-off, Michigan State reached into coach Mark Dantonio’s bag of tricks and pulled out a reverse, and then a double pass/lateral. A late hit by the Penn State defense and some tough running by Baker set up another trick play for a score.
From the 3, MSU’s Nichol took the snap from center, faked left and rolled right. He found Gantt wide open in the end zone for a three-yard scoring play. Nichol was part of a gadget play earlier in the drive, tossing the ball to Keshawn Martin, who then lateraled it back halfway across the field.
The drive lasted 5:19 and gave MSU a commanding 28-10 lead following Dan Conroy’s PAT.
Penn State came back.
The Nittany Lions drove 72 yards in 10 plays and 2:39 to score on Royster’s 10-yards scoring, which came on the heels of a four-yard by Royster. McGloin threw passes of 45 yards to Justin Brown and nine yards to Graham Zug on the drive.
On a two-point conversion attempt, McGloin lofted the ball incomplete through the end zone as PSU cut Michigan State’s lead to 28-16. McGloin’s four-yard TD toss to Moye rounded out the scoring.
THIRD QUARTER
Penn State came out throwing to open the second half.
On the Lions’ first play of the half from their own 24, McGloin rolled left and hit Brown in the left flat for 26 yards. But the Lions then fell flat, punctuated by a failed third and 1 reverse by Devon Smith. He was thrown for a nine-yard loss by MSU defensive end Colin Neely.
A woeful 30-yard punt by Penn State’s Alex Butterworth set up the Spartans at their own 20-yard line. But three plays lost three yards and they returned the ball to Penn State on a 52-yard punt by Aaron Bates. A 12-yard return by Smith gave Penn State the ball at its own 43-yard line with 10:47 left in the third quarter.
Penn State’s offense stalled. Again. Butterworth punted. Again. (That’s five if you are counting.)
Michigan State took over at its own 26, with 9:17 left in the quarter.
And the Spartans did start taking over. Cousins threw a 21-yard strike to Ganntt, who was running down through a seam in the Lion defense. A penalty pushed MSU back, setting up a third and 11 from its 46.
Then the alarm clock went off for senior Ollie Ogbu — the defensive tackle and co-captain broke up a MSU screen pass for a two-yard loss. It was the third straight Spartan drive Penn State stopped after giving up two TDs in Sparty’s first three possessions.
After getting the ball back, the Penn State offense lost three yards on four plays. So…Butterworth punted — again, No. 6, if you are counting — to give the Spartans the ball on their own 48.
Sparty’s offense went to work and 187 seconds later Michigan State led, 21-7.
With a good degree of precision, Cousins guided the Spartans 52 yards downfield in just six plays to score a touchdown on a 24-yard pass to Cunningham. Conroy’s PAT gave the Spartans a 21-3 lead.
A key play on the drive came on third and 11, when Cousins found tight end Brian Linthicum for 13 yards and a first down that continued the drive.
Third quarter score: Michigan State 21, Penn State 3.
SECOND QUARTER
Penn State’s second drive of the game, begun in the first quarter, stalled early in the second quarter. Butterworth’s punt landed in the end zone for a touchback, as MSU took over at the 20 with 14:46 left in the half.
MSU’s Baker, already a 1,000-yard rusher in 2010, opened the drive with two runs for 20 yards, followed by a sack of Cousins by Nate Stupar and Jack Crawford. A 35-yard reverse by Martin put Sparty in position for another score.
With 10:29 left in the first half, Cousins flipped an 8-yard TD pass to a wide-open B.J. Cunningham for Michigan State’s second touchdown. Conroy’s PAT made it 14-3.
Penn State’s next drive yielded 15 yards, but stopped at its own 41. A deep out pass from McGloin went right through Brett Brackett’s hands — a senior moment that would have went for 30 yards and a first down. Butterworth’s punt handed the ball to Michigan State at its own 29.
The Nittany Lions finally held the Spartans’ offense, which was forced to punt from its own 45-yard line on a fourth and 2. But Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still ran into MSU punter Aaron Bates. The penalty gave MSU a first down, but the Lions held again.
Penn State took over at its own 14-yard line with 2:42 left in the half. Eleven plays carried the Penn State offense to the MSU 38, where the Lions’ drive stalled with 49 seconds. Amid a chorus of boos — Penn State fans thinking the Lions should go for it on fourth and 10 — Butterworth flubbed a punt that rolled to the Michigan State 15.
On the drive, McGloin threw eight passes — two completions, five incompletions and a pass interference penalty against Michigan State. McGloin’s final three passes of the drive were all incomplete.
Second quarter score: Michigan State 14, Penn State 3.
FIRST QUARTER
Michigan State took control from the very start of the game. The Spartans started their opening drive on their own 29-yard line.
On their very first play from scrimmage, Baker ran for 15 yards and a first down. He later added a 14-yard run to put Sparty in the red zone. Baker capped the drive with a 7-yard run around left end. The play was initially under review, but the score was confirmed.
With Conroy’s PAT, the Spartans led 7-0. The scoring drive was 71 yards in nine plays and lasted 4:50.
Penn State, led by seniors Royster and Brackett, bounced right back.
The Lions began their drive at the 18-yard line, and on the very first play from scrimmage McGloin hit Brackett for a 25-yard gain. A pair of Royster runs totaling 19 yards set up a 25-yard pass from McGloin to Devon Smith.
But the drive stalled and the Nittany Lions turned to another senior, State College’s Collin Wagner, whose 34-yard field goal pulled the Lions within 7-3. PSU’s drive went 65 yards on eight plays and lasted 4:17.
Michigan State ran the ensuing kick-off back to the 36-yard line, but a pair of failed passes in the middle of the Penn State zone defense failed and Penn State’s defense forced MSU to punt.
Penn State took over at the 20-yard line with 4:25 left in the first quarter. On the second play from scrimmage, Royster carried for 11 yards and a first down, followed by another 11-yard run by Royster. Back-to-back passes — first to the left sideline, then to the right — from McGloin to Moye netted 19 yards. The Nittany Lions were penalized twice on the drive, which stalled at the 46.
End of first quarter: Michigan State 7, Penn State 3
PRE-GAME
When the game started, the temperature was 33 degrees, but according to AccuWeather’s ‘RealFeel’ index, it was a bitter 16 degrees, with winds coming directly from the west at 21 mph.
From the looks of the Beaver Stadium stands, about 25,000 people decided to stay home and watch the game on television.
A total of 18 Nittany Lions were honored before the game. Most were graduating seniors, but some — like redshirt sophomore kicker David Soldner — are leaving the program with eligibility remaining. The group of seniors leaves with a (pre-game) record of 38-12 over the past four seasons, and 47-16 over the past five years.
The senior group was 24-4 in Beaver Stadium heading into the game, and includes a 13-6 victory at Ohio State in 2008 and a 19-17 Capitol Bowl victory over LSU on Jan. 1, 2010, as their signature wins. A victory over Michigan State would add to that list.
