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Penn State Finishes Regular Season with 35-16 Win over Michigan State
No. 11 Penn State football (10-2, Big Ten 7-2) defeated Michigan State (5-7, Big Ten 3-6) 35-16 in the regular season finale on Saturday at Beaver Stadium.
The result secured the Nittany Lions’ first 10-win season since 2019 and eliminated the Spartans from bowl eligibility.
After recognizing 22 seniors on Senior Day, Penn State overcame a late Spartan push and took care of business in front of a lively Beaver Stadium crowd. Sixth-year senior Sean Clifford led the offense with 202 passing yards and four touchdowns. The defense largely swallowed up Michigan State’s attack, forcing three turnovers and only allowing 25 yards on the ground.
How It Happened
On the third play of the game, Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne threw a backward pass that fell to the grass. Hearing no whistle, the Nittany Lion defense covered the loose football and stole possession. Starting quarterback Sean Clifford and the offense didn’t capitalize after a pair of Kaytron Allen rushes and an incomplete pass. Redshirt senior Jake Pinegar 37-yard field goal attempt was no good, marking his first miss since the team’s September matchup with Central Michigan.
Although Michigan State moved the chains on second down, the Spartans’ responding drive was cut short by two consecutive tackles for loss, including Adisa Isaac’s fourth sack on the year. The Nittany Lions’ subsequent drive followed a similar trajectory, ending with a punt three plays after picking up a first down. Another two consecutive tackles for loss against Michigan State forced a third straight punt.
Penn State opened up its next drive with four consecutive runs by Nick Singleton, who racked up 52 yards on his quartet of attempts. After seven plays for modest gains (and a defensive holding flag), Clifford found tight end Theo Johnson wide open in the end zone for the game’s first score. With Pinegar’s extra point, Penn State led 7-0 with under a minute remaining in the first quarter.
After a quick first down to begin the second quarter, Michigan State’s offense stalled. A blitz from Ji’Ayir Brown forced a near interception to Abdul Carter and ushered the punt crew on.
Singleton secured a pair of first downs for the Nittany Lions, one on a 16-yard reception and the other on a 5-yard carry. At the Spartans’ 48-yard line, Clifford threw to KeAndre Lambert-Smith on a backwards pass. Instead of running though, Lambert-Smith threw a bomb to Johnson for a 48-yard touchdown. Pinegar’s extra point increased Penn State’s advantage to 14-0 with 11 and a half minutes left in the second quarter.
The Spartans began a patient drive at their own 25-yard line, pushing all the way to Penn State’s 39. Michigan State’s offense began to sputter, culminating in a Carter tackle for loss and a fourth-down pass breakup Dominic DeLuca for a turnover on downs. Nine carries between Singleton and Allen, as well as 2-of-3 passing from Clifford, resulted in a 28-yard field goal attempt. Pinegar’s attempt went wide, marking his second miss of the game – as many as he had on the season coming into the contest.
Taking over with under 90 game seconds remaining, three penalties and a fourth-down conversion allowed the Spartans to extend their ensuing drive. Michigan State pushed to Penn State’s 34-yard line, where Thorne spiked the ball with one second remaining. The extra time allowed for a 51-yard field goal by Jake Stone, cutting the deficit to 14-3 heading into halftime.
Penn State’s offense failed to make much headway to open the second hald. After picking up a first down, a Singleton run went backwards and Clifford took a second-down sack, bringing Barney Amor out to punt. Michigan State responded with a three-and-out.
The Nittany Lions struggled to take advantage of their quick return to offense. But on an Amor punt Brown forced a fumble and Tyler Warren recovered to give the Nittany Lions a red zone possession. After a short pass to Allen, Clifford found Warren for a 14-yard touchdown in the end zone’s back corner. James Franklin’s squad led 21-3 with five and a half minutes left in the third quarter.
On the ensuing drive, a second-down dime from Thorne picked up 25 yards to put the Spartans in striking distance. Five of Michigan State’s next seven plays went for positive yardage, including a 10-yard rush and a 17-yard pass. The drive was punctuated by a 9-yard touchdown pass to Maliq Carr, who pulled down a spectacular one-handed reception. A successful extra point brought the contest to 21-10 with a minute and a half remaining in the third.
Clifford answered with an 11-yard completion to Lambert-Smith on first down, but a pair of short Singleton rushes gave way to another sack and Amor punt. Michigan State responded with a plodding drive, extended by two automatic first down penalties against the Nittany Lions and two long third-down conversions. After reaching the 2-yard line, Thorne tucked the ball and ran in for the touchdown. The Spartans’ two-point conversion failed, but they still cut the lead to 21-16 with under 11 minutes in the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions put together a consistent drive, highlighted by two passes eclipsing 10 yards to Lambert-Smith and Brenton Strange. An offsides penalty at the 25-yard line put Penn State in the red zone again and the offense took advantage. On fourth down, Clifford hit Singleton on a poorly defended screen pass and the freshman went 12 yards for the score. Pinegar’s extra point made it 28-16 with four and a half minutes remaining in the game.
Three plays into Michigan State’s next drive, Thorne threw an interception to Kalen King – the Nittany Lion’s second on the year. It took Penn State just one play to make the Spartans pay, as Clifford found Lambert-Smith in the end zone for a 35-yard touchdown pass. After the extra point, Penn State led 35-16 with under four minutes left in the game.
After a quick three-and-out for Michigan State, Singleton ran twice before a designed run for Clifford finished the game with a Penn State victory.
Takeaways
- As usual, Manny Diaz’s defense took care of business. Led by Ji’Ayir Brown (who forced a special teams fumble and logged multiple hits on Thorne) and Abdul Carter (who totaled seven tackles and two sacks), the Nittany Lions recorded two sacks and three turnovers. Michigan State could only muster 25 yards rushing, as the offense was largely neutralized.
- The tight end room was remarkably productive, as sophomores Theo Johnson and Tyler Warren caught three of the Nittany Lions’ touchdowns. Johnson snagged three catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns, while Warren and redshirt junior Brenton Strange each had two receptions for 17 yards.
- Sixth-year senior Sean Clifford was cheered during the pregame Senior Day proceedings before entering an efficient day. The starting quarterback finished 19-of-24, recording 202 yards and a quartet of touchdowns.
- Despite entering the game with only two misses on the year, redshirt senior kicker Jake Pinegar missed two field goal attempts in the first half. Elsewhere, Pinegar was a perfect 5-of-5 on extra points.
- After a successful start, Penn State’s running backs seemed to falter on the ground. In the third quarter, Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen only combined for four yards. A fourth-quarter touchdown catch from Singleton improved the stat sheet and put the game out of reach, but the clear period of ineffectiveness left the second half feeling a bit sour.
What’s Next
With Saturday’s win, Penn State’s regular season comes to an end. The Nittany Lions became bowl eligible after their White Out win against Minnesota, but their bowl destination will not be announced until Dec. 4 during the selection show.
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