The Penn State Nittany Lions and the Michigan State Spartans meet Saturday in college football action from Ford Field. Penn State is coming off a weekend matchup versus Rutgers. The 9-2 Nittany Lions would go on to win by three scores. As for Michigan State, they played Indiana in their last game. In that one the Spartans improved to 4-7 with a close victory. Here you can take a look at our Penn State vs Michigan State.
Penn State Nittany Lions
The Lions posted a nice 37.7 points per game average over their first 10 outings this year, which helped the team to eight wins during that stretch. Penn State posted 24 touchdowns, one interception and 206.1 yards per game from passing. On the ground, the Nittany Lions managed 172.3 yards per game, 4.2 yards per play and 21 more scores.
On Saturday versus Rutgers, the Nittany Lions faced an early deficit but quickly came around in an eventual blowout win 27-6. Drew Allar threw for just 79 yards on six completions. Most of the workload went to Beau Pribula (71 yards; TD) and Kaytron Allen (69 yards; 2 TDs) through 24 combined carries on the ground.
Penn State Nittany Lions Team Facts
- Penn State has won each of its last 20 games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Penn State has covered the spread in each of its last nine November games against non-AP-ranked teams.
- Penn State has won the first half in 11 of its last 14 games against conference opponents.
- Each of Penn State’s last five games as a favorite at neutral venues have gone OVER the total points line.
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Michigan State Spartans
Over on the Michigan State side, they were only able to win three of their first 10 games this season. The Spartans struggled on the scoreboard with just 16.7 points per game in that time. The pass generated 11 scores, 10 interceptions and 203.3 yards per game. Michigan State averaged just 3.3 yards per carry on the ground with 102.1 yards per game and seven TDs.
Matched up against Indiana, the Spartans capped off a 24-21 victory with 10 points in the fourth quarter for their fourth win of the season. Michigan State’s Katin Houser threw for 245 yards, three scores and two interceptions. Nathan Carter added 42 yards on 11 carries, and Maliq Carr caught nine balls for 100 yards and two TDs.
Michigan State Spartans Team Facts
- Michigan State has won five of its last six games against top-15 AP-ranked teams at neutral venues.
- Michigan State has failed to cover the spread in seven of its last eight games as an underdog against top-15 AP-ranked teams.
- Michigan State has won the first quarter in three of its last four games against conference opponents.
- Each of Michigan State’s last four November games as an underdog against top-15 AP-ranked teams have gone UNDER the total points line.
Matchup/League Facts
- Penn State rank 4th among FBS teams for points allowed per game this season (12.5).
- Penn State rank 15th among FBS teams for points per game this season (36.7).
ANDREW’S FREE PICK
I’ll probably just lean toward the Lions in this one. Penn State is coming off a weird offensive game against Rutgers, but it worked. The Nittany Lions posted 322 yards of offense (234 rushing) and just 16 first downs as the defense shined through. Penn State gave up just 229 yards (130 passing) on the other side with 13 first downs and three takeaways.
As for Michigan State, they had some blemishes in their game versus Indiana, but still got a nice victory. The Spartans went just 4-of-13 on third-down tries and had a couple of interceptions along the way. It’s going to be even harder to move the ball against Penn State here, and I don’t think Michigan State will keep up.