The Penn State Nittany Lions (7-5, 4-4) fell to the fifth-ranked Michigan State Spartans on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing. With the win, the Spartans took home the Land-Grant Trophy and claimed the division title.
Fast Facts: Penn State’s Chris Godwin hauled in two touchdowns in the loss; Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook threw three in the win.
Saquon Barkley finished the regular season with 1,007 rushing yards, a Penn State freshman record.
In the past two years, Penn State has gone 0-6 against Big Ten rivals Michigan State, Ohio State, and Michigan, outscored 204-89.
Recap: Penn State made costly mistakes from the get-go. On the Lions’ first drive, Michigan State’s Arjen Colquhoun intercepted a pass from Hackenberg in the endzone. The Spartans used the opportunity and scored a touchdown on a 29-yard pass from Cook to R.J. Shelton on their first drive, but the extra point attempt from kicker Michael Geiger was no good. MSU took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter.
Penn State cut the lead in half in the opening moments of the second quarter with a 19-yard field goal from Tyler Davis.
The Spartans went up on the next two plays. Gerald Holmes picked up the go-ahead touchdown with a 6-yard run. With 2:36 remaining in the half, Demetrious Cox recovered a Penn State fumble and returned the ball 77 yards for a touchdown to bump the Spartan lead to 20-3.
Godwin reeled in an 8-yard pass from Hackenberg with 35 seconds remaining to slash the score to 20-10 to end the half.
Michigan State went on to score two more touchdowns in the third, the only scores of the quarter. Cook connected with Aaron Burbridge on a 29-yard bullet; Geiger was good for the extra point. Cook later tossed a 6-yarder to Josiah Price with 3:31 remaining to stretch the lead to 34-10.
Godwin sparked an offensive movement for the Lions just nine seconds into the fourth quarter with a five-yard catch from Hackenberg. The excitement was short-lived, however, when the Spartans’ L.J. Scott dashed six yards around the Penn State defense to bring the score to 41-16 with 11:18 remaining.
With just under 10 minutes remaining in the game, Malik McDowell intercepted a pass that was swatted away and then bounced off of defensive lineman Shilique Calhoun and returned it 13-yards for a touchdown. Jack Allen would finalize the score at 55-16 with a nine-yard run just eight seconds later.
From the Coaches: Penn State head coach James Franklin acknowledged that turnovers were especially problematic for the Lions: ”They were able to dictate the game to us, especially with their offense.” He added, ”Then the turnovers with our offense put the team into a difficult position.”
Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio noted his team’s ability to move the ball. ”I think that we’re playing our best football down the stretch.” He later said: ”If you compare us with last year’s Big Ten champion, that’s what they were able to do.”
Next Week: Penn State will receive their bowl game destination on December 6.
Photo Credit: GoPSUSports.com
