Live Blog: Penn State football vs. Michigan State
Penn State Nittany Lions football closes out its regular season with a visit to Michigan State on Saturday afternoon.
The Nittany Lions are looking to collect their eighth win of the season, while the Spartans are on the hunt for win No. 10.
Follow along with the Blue White Illustrated Live Blog as we provide pregame updates, play-by-play, highlights and analysis.
Fourth Quarter
FINAL: Michigan State 30, Penn State 27.
The Nittany Lions finish the regular season 7-5.
0:43 TOUCHDOWN, Penn State: Clifford finds Washington for a 15-yard score with 43 seconds to go. Lions will need to convert an onside kick. It’s 30-27.
4:02 Penn State’s defense makes a fourth-down stop with 4:02 left. Lions ball at their 23, down 10
5:02 FUMBLE: John Lovett fumbles the kickoff. Spartans have it.
5:10 TOUCHDOWN, Michigan State: Jayden Reed with a 20-yard TD reception from Thorne on fourth-and-15.
8:29 FUMBLE: Keyvone Lee fumbles and the Spartans recover near midfield.
9:30 Penn State’s defense gets off the field with the help of a Jayden Reed drop on third down. MSU to punt up 3.
12:43 Keyvone Lee gets nowhere on fourth-and-2 in the red zone and the Spartans take over on downs.
Third Quarter
END 3: Michigan State 23, Penn State 20.
2:14 TOUCHDOWN. Michigan State: MSU capitalizes on a Joey Porter Jr. pass interference penalty and Thorne punches it in from a yard out. The PAT is no good. Michigan State 23, Penn State 20.
11:07: TOUCHDOWN, Penn State: Daequan Hardy intercepts Thorne and returns it 27 yards to the house. Stout misses the PAT. Penn State leads 20-17.
11:56: Penn State’s first drive of the half ventures into MSU territory but stalls as Clifford is sacked. Stout punts to the MSU 7.
Second Quarter
HALFTIME: Michigan State 17, Penn State 14.
0:56 Stout’s 27-yard field goal is no good after PSU’s offense stalls inside the MSU 10.
5:59: FIELD GOAL, Michigan State: Penn State’s defense holds in the red zone as the Spartans connect on a chip shot FG through the snow. 17-14 MSU
12:11 TOUCHDOWN, Penn State: It’s Jahan Dotson again. This time it’s a 30-yard TD reception from Clifford. 14-14 after the PAT.
12:50 The Nittany Lion defense forces a second consecutive three-and-out as Curtis Jacobs levels Payton Thorne.
14:03 Penn State’s drive stalls near midfield. Facing fourth-and-1 the Nittany Lions elect to punt again, and Stout’s punt is downed inside the 10.
First Quarter
END 1: Michigan State 14, Penn State 7.
1:50 Penn State gets its first stop of the day as it holds Michigan State to a three-and-out.
3:37: TOUCHDOWN, Penn State: Clifford finds Dotson for a 27-yard score on a perfect throw to split two defenders. Big response from the Lions.
6:09: TOUCHDOWN, Michigan State: MSU completes a 99-yard drive with a touchdown pass from Payton Thorne to Tre Mosley. 14-0 Spartans after the PAT.
10:10 Penn State goes 3-and-out after Keyvone Lee comes up short on third-and-2.
11:22: TOUCHDOWN, Michigan State: The Spartans finish off their opening drive with a TD from Kenneth Walker. A 40-yard pass from Payton Thorne to Maliq Carr set it up. The Spartans lead 7-0 after the PAT.
Pregame
Penn State has won the toss and elected to defer. Michigan State will receive to start the game.
3:00: Penn State tackle Rasheed Walker is listed on PSU’s travel roster but isn’t seen on the field warming up. A situation to monitor there.
2:57: MSU Heisman candidate running back Kenneth Walker III is in uniform.
2:52: Key MSU wideout Jalen Nailor is in street clothes. Fellow wideout Jayden Reed, who was also a doubt, is warming up, however.
2:49: John Lovett is warming up with Penn State’s running backs. He missed last week’s game with the flu.
2:18: Weather will be a factor this afternoon. It’s been snowing in the East Lansing area this afternoon and there should be more to come.
2:13: Mike Miranda, who did not play last week against Rutgers, is back for this game, it appears. Sean Clifford is taking snaps from him in warmups.
2:00 p.m: Something to watch for today on the Michigan State side of things: The Spartans are reportedly dealing with a flu outbreak similar to what the Nittany Lions endured last week against Rutgers. The betting line moved heavily in Penn State’s favor on Friday and Saturday, with the sportsbooks now listing the Nittany Lions as 5.5-point favorites. Michigan State opened as a one-point favorite last Sunday.
Pregame reads from the BWI Staff:
Penn State-Michigan State predictions: Will Lions end regular season with a win?
Penn State-Michigan State game day: Kick time, TV info, latest spread, stat leaders, more
Opportunity aligns for Penn State in regular-season finale: 3-2-1
Path to Victory: Three things Penn State must do to beat Michigan State
Penn State-Michigan State storylines, keys in the Big Ten big money matchup, more: Fifth quarter
PSU depth chart projections: What will it look like against Michigan State?
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. Whether or not he plays Saturday against Penn State will be key.
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.
