Penn State dominated on both sides of the ball to close out the regular season with a 42-0 win over Michigan State on Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Nittany Lions outgained the Spartans 586 to 68 with a balanced offensive attack and smothering defense.
As Penn State racked up a season-high 286 rushing yards, running backs Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen turned in standout nights, with Singleton tallying 186 yards of total offense (118 rushing, 68 receiving) and a touchdown and Allen gaining 154 (137 rushing, 17 receiving) and a score. Quarterback Drew Allar, meanwhile, showed no sign of lingering effects from an injury suffered last week against Rutgers, going 17-26 for 292 yards and two touchdowns.
Penn State’s offense also got the explosive plays it had been missing for much of the season. Allar, Allen and Singleton each accounted for at least one play of 50 yards or more and as a team the Nittany Lions had 10 plays of 20 yards or more.
The Nittany Lion defense terrorized the Spartan offense and quarterback Katin Houser, notching seven sacks among 12 tackles for a loss, four hurries and an interception by Jaylen Reed while forcing 10 Michigan State punts. Penn State held the Spartans to -32 second-half yards, and for the game MSU had -20 rushing yards (31 yards sack-adjusted) and 88 passing.
Penn State finishes the regular season 10-2, its second consecutive season with double-digit wins and fifth in 10 years under James Franklin.
The Nittany Lions will await their bowl fate, with a New Year’s Six game a strong possibility. Bowl matchups will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 3.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Penn State drove into Michigan State territory on its opening possession as Drew Allar completed each of his first three passes for 10+ yards to three different receivers. With the Nittany Lions facing third and 7 from the MSU 25, however, Spartan linebacker Aaron Brule sacked Allar for a seven-yard loss. Alex Felkins’ connected on a 49-yard field goal to give Penn State a 3-0 lead five minutes into the game.
The Spartans looked poised to respond on their first possession. Keyed by a well-placed 30-yard throw by Kaitin Houser under pressure to Montorie Foster Jr., Michigan State moved to the Penn State 26. But on third down, Nittany Lion safety and Detroit native Jaylen Reed made a diving grab to intercept a Houser pass at the 9 yard line and end the Spartan threat.
Running back Kaytron Allen cut through a hole and ran for 50 yards into Michigan State territory on the second play of the ensuing drive, and Allar followed with 13-yard completion to Dante Cephas. Again, though, the drive stalled as a false start and three short gains brought out Felkins for another field goal attempt. This time, the kicker’s 40-yard try hit the upright and the score remained 3-0.
After a Michigan State three and out and the game’s first punt, Penn State once again moved quickly into Spartan territory. Nicholas Singleton took a short pass from Allar and raced 53 yards to the Spartan 21. A holding call set the Nittany Lions back, but Allar found tight end Theo Johnson for a 22-yard gain inside the 10 early in the second quarter. For the third straight time, however, Penn State’s drive petered out as Jordan Hall sacked Allar for a loss of eight on third down. Felkins drilled a 30-yard field goal to extend the Penn State lead to 6-0 with 12:11 remaining in the first half.
A Curtis Jacobs sack on third down forced another Michigan State punt, and the Penn State offense went to work again from its own 36. Singleton picked up 15 on a catch and run, then got around the edge for a 20-yard run as the Nittany Lions moved deep into Spartan territory. An 11-yard pass from Allar to tight end Khalil Dinkins got Penn State into the red zone, and a Singleton nine-yard run had Penn State with first and goal from the 1. After an Allen run lost a yard and a hurried pass fell incomplete, Allar found Allen wide open on the run for a two-yard touchdown throw. Penn State finally reached the end zone and took a 13-0 lead with 4:51 left in the second quarter.
Michigan State drove into Nittany Lion territory on its next possession as Houser hit Maliq Carr across the middle on third and 5, and the tight end broke tackles on his way to a 29-yard gain to the Penn State 25. It all fell apart for the Spartans from there, however, as the Nittany Lions turned up the pressure, forcing Alante Brown into an intentional grounding and a 14-yard loss on an attempted wide receiver pass. Kobe King and Dvon Ellies then blew up a Houser completion to Carr for a four-yard loss and the Spartans were forced to punt.
With under two minutes left, Penn State moved quickly to midfield on a 14-yard pass from Allar to Tyler Warren and a 28-yard Trey Potts run. But consecutive Allar passes went through his receivers hands and another Potts run wasn’t enough to move the chains. Riley Thompson’s first punt of the game gave Michigan State the ball back at its own 12 with under a minute remaining.
The Spartans couldn’t do anything with it, and a sack by Jacobs and Johnny Dixon ended the half with the Nittany Lions ahead 13-0.
Penn State outgained Michigan State 308 to 100 in the half and averaged more than eight yards per play. Allar passed for 180 yards, while Singleton gained 115 yards of total offense and Allen had 85.
The Nittany Lions momentum turned into dominance in the third quarter. Michigan State’s opening possession went backwards, with an Abdul Carter sack followed by an illegal touching penalty on the Spartans after Hakeem Beamon hurried a Houser throw. Carter was injured on the latter play and did not return to the game.
After a punt, Penn State started with excellent field position at its own 49 and took advantage. Allar followed a nine-yard pass to Cephas with a 22-yard strike to KeAndre Lambert-Smith at the Spartan 20. Both Allar and backup QB Beau Pribula were on the field for the next series of plays, with Pribula throwing twice. The first was a three-yard completion to Malick Meiga, the second an eight-yard toss to Warren for a touchdown. Allar connected with Lambert-Smith for a two-point conversion as Penn State took a 21-0 lead with 10:13 to go in the third.
Michigan State picked up a first down on its next possession, but a bad snap over Houser’s head resulted in a 21-yard loss and the Spartans punted again. After scrambling for a first down on Penn State’s ensuing drive, Allar launched a 60-yard bomb to Omari Evans, who hauled it in and stumbled down at the Michigan State 2. Two plays later, Pribula found the end zone on a keeper, and Penn State took a 28-0 lead that it carried into the fourth quarter.
An Adisa Isaac sack to open the final 15 minutes forced another Spartan punt, which Daequan Hardy returned 38 yards to the Michigan State 28. Allar followed a pair of Singleton runs with a 21-yard strike across the middle to Johnson for a touchdown and a 35-0 Penn State lead with 12:29 remaining in the game.
Penn State’s defense continue to smother the Spartans, with a Cam Miller sack on third down forcing another punt, and the Nittany Lion offense capitalized again. Allen ripped off a 40-yard run, and Singleton finished it off with a 14-yard carry for a touchdown to expand Penn State’s lead to 42-0 with 7:58 left.
That would be it for the scoring, as the Spartans lost four yards on their final possession and Penn State ran out the final minutes to secure its third shut out of the season. The Nittany Lions keep the Land-Grant Trophy and win at least 10 games for the second straight year.
