Michigan/Michigan State

Penn State is 7-0. It hasn’t been always perfect in those seven wins, especially on offense, but the record speaks for itself. 

The Nittany Lions passed their biggest test yet, holding off Michigan 28-21 in front of the fourth-largest crowd in Beaver Stadium history. 

To get to 8-0, Penn State will have to beat a Michigan State team that has dashed its College Football Playoff hopes in each of the past two seasons. 

As always in this series, let’s take a quick look back at Penn State’s White Out triumph over the Wolverines before looking ahead to another crucial encounter with the Spartans in East Lansing.

Looking Back

Star of The Game: KJ Hamler 

Hamler is Penn State’s most important player on offense, and on Saturday he demonstrated why. The redshirt sophomore tormented the Michigan defense with six catches for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He also had a 100-yard kick return touchdown called back for holding at the start of the third quarter. 

A 53-yard touchdown from Sean Clifford to Hamler to put Penn State up by 14 with 13 minutes to go was made possible by the latter’s ability to burn past the Wolverines’ secondary. Hamler iced the game late in the fourth quarter with a tough three-yard run for a first down, taking a hit to the helmet in the process. Where would this offense be without him? 

Moment of Magic: The defense’s goal line stand

On the Wolverines’ final possession of the game, it looked like the Penn State defense (on the field for 82 total snaps on the night) had lost all its steam. Michigan marched to the red zone with less than four minutes to go, looking to tie the game at 28. 

Having held for the first three downs, Penn State’s defense got the final stop it needed on fourth down, when safety Lamont Wade did just enough in coverage to force a drop from Ronnie Bell in the end zone. The White Out crowd exploded. The scoring threat was over. The defense had made its stand.

Looking Ahead

Michigan State controls the series

The battle for The Land Grant Trophy has been pretty one-sided as of late. Michigan State has won five of the past six matchups with Penn State, including heartbreaking losses for the Nittany each of the past two seasons. 

Blowout losses for Sparty 

The 2019 season hasn’t gone to plan for Sparty. Michigan State began the year ranked No. 18 in the country, but a woeful offense has seen the Spartans drop its three toughest games so far. 

In Week 3, Mark Dantonio’s team dropped an ugly 10-7 decision at home to Arizona State. Then, a 34-10 loss in Columbus to Ohio State was followed by a 38-0 beatdown at the hands of Wisconsin. 

Brian Lewerke’s late heroics 

In 2017, Lewerke drove the Michigan State offense down the field for a game-winning field goal, dashing Penn State’s hopes for a potential College Football Playoff berth. 

A year later in Beaver Stadium he led the Spartans on an eight-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to pull ahead 21-17 with 19 seconds left on the clock. The drive was capped off with his 25-yard touchdown pass to Felton Davis. 

He will be looking to make it three wins from three against Penn State on Saturday.