Path to Victory: Three things Penn State must do to beat Michigan State

On3 imageby:David Eckert11/26/21

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Penn State Nittany Lions football travels to East Lansing this Saturday to take on No. 12 Michigan State.

Penn State is looking for its second ranked win on the road this season.

Here are three things the Nittany Lions must do to come away with a victory:

1. Limit Kenneth Walker III

Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III is the first name circled on the roster when Michigan State is up for discussion, and with good reason.

Walker leads Power Five running backs with 1,498 yards this season. He’s efficient, too, averaging 6.4 yards per carry. In 11 games, he’s found the end zone 18 times total.

Striving to shut him down completely might be an unrealistic target for the Nittany Lions to set. He’s surpassed the 100-yard rushing mark eight times this season. In two of the games he failed to reach that threshold, Walker carried the ball fewer than 10 times.

What Penn State must prevent, though, is the kind of game-breaking performance Walker has produced several times this season to carry the Spartans to wins on his back.

He rushed for 264 yards in the opener against Northwestern. He put up 233 yards against Rutgers. Walker scored five times and rushed for 197 yards against Michigan.

The Nittany Lions don’t have to be perfect, but they do need to keep a lid on Walker’s production. He’s reportedly carrying an ankle injury, but Walker will still be a considerable test for the likes of Derrick Tangelo, Coziah Izzard and Dvon Ellies on the Penn State front.

2. Pick on the weak Michigan State secondary

No team in the Big Ten allows more passing yardage per game than Michigan State.

The Spartans surrender 339.9 passing yards on average, more then 60 yards more than their nearest competition — Maryland.

They’re coming off a game in which they allowed 449 yards through the air to Ohio State, and much of that came in the first half.

The Nittany Lions have depended on moving the ball through the air all season. Their running game has shown some signs of life lately, but by far the most efficient offensive avenue for Penn State has come via the passing attack.

Protecting the quarterback well enough to carve open the Michigan State secondary could prove challenging — the Spartans average 3.09 sacks per game, trailing only Ohio State in the Big Ten.

But, if the Penn State offensive line can hold up, Jahan Dotson should feast.

3. Dominate on special teams

It may seem trivial, but in a game this tight — Penn State is a 1.5-point favorite as of Friday morning per Vegas Insider’s Consensus — special teams can prove to be the deciding factor.

The Spartans have the fourth-worst special teams unit in Power Five football, according to their Pro Football Focus grade. Penn State, comparatively, ranks in the top 20.

If the Nittany Lions can lean on Jordan Stout’s leg and win the drive start battle, they’ll give themselves an excellent chance to come out on top on Saturday.

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