Skip to main content
Penn State

It's Penn State-Michigan State week: Time, TV info, early storylines, more

Screen Shot 2021-11-15 at 6.02.01 PMby: BWI Staff11/22/23
penn-state-michigan-state-week-newsletter
Head coach James Franklin is aiming to finish off his 10th regular season at Penn State with a victory. (Steve Manuel/The Football Letter)

By Greg Pickel

Penn State is ready for the final week of the regular season. A 10th win is on the line when the Nittany Lions invade Ford Field in Detroit later this week to take on Michigan State. Both teams are coming off of victories last Saturday. The Lions beat Rutgers 27-6 on Senior Day.

“Overall, pleased with the step that we took today against a really good Rutgers team and looking forward to next week,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “I think you guys know we’ve got a short week. So, we’ve got a very different week with playing on Friday night.”

The Spartans, meanwhile, topped Indiana 24-21 on the road.

“Great win by our guys,” MSU interim head coach Harlon Barnett said. “They finished, kept competing and applied what we have been talking about. You guys have been hearing me say, ‘finish, finish, finish,’ and that’s what we did. I’m really proud of our guys. They played really well and kept fighting.”

Get ready for kickoff with our early game preview below.

How to watch Penn State-Michigan State

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET. NBC will televise the game. And, Peacock will stream it. Want to watch? Live stream on Fubo! with this limited-time offer: $40 off Fubo’s Pro, Elite and Premier plans by clicking here!)

NBC’s top broadcast team of Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (color commentator) and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter) will be on the call.

What is the point spread?

Penn State will be a double-digit favorite for the second week in a row. The Lions are picked to win by 19.5 points. And, the betting points total over/under is 42.5.

What’s up with Michigan State?

The Spartans roared back to earn a badly needed win over the Hoosiers. They are now 4-7. But, the team has lost seven of its last eight games. Their season was derailed after the firing of Mel Tucker earlier this year. Bennett is the interim but not the long term answer. And, the team is apparently dealing with availability issues from a roster perspective.

“We were an NFL team out there today,” Bennett said. “There were 45 guys on scholarship that were available to play. We got it done. We have a great coaching staff, and our guys did a great job. Whoever is available is who we are going to play with. Nobody is making excuses, it’s what we do. Nobody was complaining, it was, “let’s go play.” 

Maliq Carr and Montorie Foster Jr. are the top receiving targets for quarterback Katin Houser, who has a bit of an interception problem. The team’s bell cow running back is Nate Carter, who is the primary and almost exclusive ball carrier. The team has some playmakers on both sides of the ball but not nearly enough to intimidate the Penn State defense.

Weather report

Conditions will be perfect since Ford Field is in indoor stadium, of course. However, for those traveling, no rain is expected and temps will be in the mid-40s with partially sunny skies.

Early Penn State-Michigan State storylines

–Will Drew Allar be back at full strength this week? Franklin has said that PSU anticipates the sophomore quarterback will be able to play. But in the wake of Allar’s injury against Rutgers, we may see more of backup Beau Pribula than we’ve seen to date.

–Are the Spartans willing to put up a fight? Or are they banged up and ready to put this disappointing season behind them?

–Can the Lions have more success through the air on offense? That component of the attack wasn’t needed but also clearly missing in last weekend’s win.

You may also like