DETROIT – With plenty of uncertainty ahead for Michigan State, there is one bit of clarity – this tumultuous season is over.
The Spartans (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) closed a wild fall with a 42-0 loss against No. 11 Penn State (10-2, 7-2) on Friday night at Ford Field in Detroit. It was their fourth game against a team ranked in the top 15 this season and the fourth blowout after previously being outscored by a combined margin of 128-10 by Washington, Michigan and Ohio State. The Spartans were shut out twice this season and scored in single digits three times.
The Nittany Lions brought a top-five defense to Detroit and completely shut down Michigan State’s offense. Penn State finished with 586 yards of total offense to just 53 for MSU. That’s the lowest total in a game for the Spartans in program history.
Although the Spartans had a bend-but-don’t-break defense early, the explosive plays added up and the Nittany Lions pulled away to close a dominant performance. Harlon Barnett finished with a record of 2-8 as interim head coach after Michigan State’s Mel Tucker was suspended and fired for cause in September.
Katin Houser was under constant pressure and sacked five times by the Nittany Lions before being pulled midway through the fourth quarter. The redshirt freshman finished 11-for-19 passing for 87 yards and an interception. Nathan Carter led the Spartans in rushing with eight carries for 39 yards while tight end Maliq Carr had four catches for 34 yards.
Penn State’s Drew Allar completed 17 of 26 passes for 292 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions while backup Beau Pribula had a touchdown pass and a score on the ground. Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singelton combined for 33 carries and 255 yards and each had a touchdown – Singelton on the ground and Allen through the air.
While the Nittany Lions are making a push to appear in a New Year’s Six bowl, Michigan State will miss the postseason for the second straight year. What next season’s Spartans look like is uncertain as athletic director Alan Haller is two months into a coaching search that should wrap up very soon.
Shortly before Friday’s game kicked off, Nicole Auerbach reported on NBC that Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith has become Michigan State’s top target to take over the program and a deal could be wrapped up as soon as this weekend. Smith is in his sixth season coaching his alma mater and was the 2022 Pac-12 Coach of the Year.
Moving the game from Spartan Stadium to Ford Field led to a solid showing from fans and a loud atmosphere early. Penn State got the ball to start the game and a sack by Aaron Brule on third down forced a 49-yard field goal by Alex Felkins for the 3-0 lead.
Michigan State put together a solid drive to start with Houser moving the team down the field with his arm and was just outside the red zone before he was intercepted by Jaylen Reed. A 50-yard run by Allen – the longest of the season for the Nittany Lions – helped set up another scoring chance but the Spartans got off the field again and Felkins banged a 40-yard field goal attempt off the right upright.
Penn State’s third possession of the game resulted in their first trip inside the red zone but a third-down sack by Jordan Hall forced a third field goal attempt. Felkins connected from 30 yards out to give Penn State a 6-0 lead with 12:11 left in the first half.
The Nittany Lions finally found the end zone on their fourth possession as Allar threw a 2-yard touchdown to Allen with 4:51 left in the second quarter. Penn State outgained Michigan State 308 to 85 in the first half but had only a 13-0 lead at halftime.
It didn’t take long for that lead to expand as backup quarterback Beau Pribula threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Warren and Penn State added the 2-point conversion for a 21-0 advantage less than five minutes into the second half.
While Michigan State’s offense remained stuck, Penn State added another explosive play as Aller connected with Omari Evans for a 60-yard gain. That set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Pribula to extend the lead to 28 points and the Nittany Lions added two more touchdowns down the stretch to complete the blowout victory and retain the Land Grant Trophy.
