Michigans Report Penn State To  the…….

November 23, 2023 Emmy Other Teams 0

 Michigans Report Penn State To  the…….

Penn State linebacker Abdul Carter (11) rushes past Michigan State offensive tackle Brandon Baldwin (53) during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 26, 2022, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Barry Reeger)AP

Six months after Michigan State announced it was moving its final home game up a day and to Detroit, the regular-season finale is here.

The Spartans (4-7, 2-6 Big Ten) face No. 11 Penn State (9-2, 6-2) on Friday (7:30 p.m., NBC) at Ford Field with the Land Grant Trophy on the line.

Here are five things to watch in the game and a final score prediction:

Fight to the finish

The Spartans endured their head coach being suspended and fired for cause in September, players departing for the transfer portal and six straight losses. But they didn’t fold, continued to fight and have won two of their last three under interim coach Harlon Barnett, including a late comeback last week at Indiana.

Barring a major upset against Penn State and earning a bowl bid at 5-7 if there aren’t enough teams to fill all the spots, Friday night will be the last game for this team. The Spartans want to get Barnett a win in what will likely be his final outing leading his alma mater while the Nittany Lions are looking to land a New Year’s Six bowl bid.

Michigan State has one of the nation’s toughest schedules and this will be the latest game against a ranked opponent. The Spartans are 0-3 against top-10 teams this season and were outscored by a combined margin of 128-10 in losses against Washington, Michigan and Ohio State – all unbeaten squads in the hunt for a spot in the College Football Playoff. We’ll see if Michigan State can change the narrative and put together a competitive performance against the Nittany Lions, whose losses were by single digits against the Buckeyes and Wolverines.
Michigan State has already faced two teams ranked in the top five in the nation in total defense in Michigan and Ohio State.
The Wolverines beat the Spartans 49-0 for the most lopsided loss in the 100-year history of Spartan Stadium and Michigan State managed only a field goal in a 38-3 at Ohio State. The Spartans had only 182 yards of total offense in both games.

Penn State is No. 2 in the country in total defense (238.7) and fourth in scoring defense (12.5) and hasn’t given up more than 24 points in a game all season. The Nittany Lions have NFL talent at all three levels of defense, including ends Adisa Isaac (13.5 tackles for a loss and 6.5 sacks) and Chop Robinson (four sacks) and cornerback Kalen King, a Detroit native who earned All-American honors last season.

 

 

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