Penn State-Michigan State game day: Kick time, TV info, latest spread, stat leaders, more
Penn State will play its final regular season game of the year today.
The Nittany Lions are in East Lansing for a showdown with Michigan State. It’s Senior Day for the Spartans. They hope to send the home fans home with a win. Head coach James Franklin’s team aims to head to the postseason after back-to-back victories.
Below, you will find everything you need to know so that you are ready for kickoff.
Penn State-Michigan State start time and TV info
Kickoff is set for 3:30 on ABC (channel finder). The broadcast crew includes play-by-play announcer Sean McDonough, color commentator and Penn State alum Todd Blackledge, and sideline reporter Molly McGrath. It’s the third time this year that McDonough and McGrath will see the Lions. Blackledge was replaced by Dan Orlovsky when the other two called PSU-Michigan.
The Penn State Sports Network will have the radio stream with Steve Jones, Jack Ham, and Brian Tripp. It can be found on affiliates across Pennsylvania, at GoPSUsports.com, and on Sirius/XM/Internet channels 83/386/976.
What’s the spread?
Per VegasInsider, the consensus spread is Penn State -4 prior to kickoff. It opened Penn State minus-one but has bounced back and forth.
Tale of the coaching tape
James Franklin is 67-32 at Penn State and is set to coach his 100th game in blue and white. He is 3-4 against Michigan State and 91-47 overall.
Mel Tucker is 16-14 over three seasons as a head coach, which includes an 11-7 record during his time with the Spartans. He is 0-1 against the Nittany Lions.
Penn State stat leaders
Passing: Sean Clifford has completed 224 of 362 passes (61.88%) for 2,599 yards, 17 touchdowns, and six interceptions.
Rushing: Keyvone Lee has 416 yards on 89 carries through 10 games and two touchdowns.
Receiving: Jahan Dotson’s 83 catches for 1,045 yards and 10 touchdowns are tops on the team in all three categories.
Defense: Middle linebacker Ellis Brooks is first with 91 tackles. End Arnold Ebiketie has a team-high 17 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks. Safety Ji’Ayir Brown leads with four interceptions.
Special teams: Jordan Stout is 16 for 22 on field goal tries, has boomed 53 of 58 kickoffs for touchbacks, and averages 46.47 yards per punt, nearly half of which have landed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.
Michigan State stat leaders
Passing: Payton Thorne has completed 187 of 309 passes for 2,618 yards and 22 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
Rushing: Kenneth Walker III carried 233 times for 1,498 yards and 17 touchdowns over 11 games. He is reportedly dealing with an ankle injury.
Receiving: Jayden Reed is also dealing with an injury. He’s still the team’s top receiver with 47 catches for 857 yards and seven touchdowns.
Defense: Safety Xavier Henderson leads the team with 89 tackles (10 for loss). Defensive linemen Jacub Panasiuk and Jeff Pietrowski both have 5.5 sacks. Nine players have one interception.
Special teams: Punter Bryce Baringer averages 49.42 per punt and has 25 50-plus yard boots. Matt Coughlin is 10 of 16 on field goal tries and has kicked 41 of 63 kickoffs for touchbacks.
Penn State-Michigan State Staff picks
Nate Bauer: Penn State 24, Michigan State 23
Greg Pickel: Michigan State 27, Penn State 24
David Eckert: Penn State 31, Michigan State 24
Matt Herb: Michigan State 27, Penn State 20
Ryan Snyder: Penn State 28, Michigan State 17
This week’s other games of note
We’ll be keeping an eye on these games throughout the day (all times eastern):
Ohio State at Michigan, Noon (FOX)
Alabama at Auburn, 3:30 (CBS)
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State, 7:30 (ABC)
Best of BWI’s Penn State-Michigan State pregame reading
Penn State preps for season-ending showdown: Notebook
Penn State coach James Franklin speaks for first time on new 10-year contract: Everything he said
Parents of recruits react to Penn State extending James Franklin’s contract
Penn State-Michigan State matchups: What to expect from the Nittany Lions, Spartans
