Penn State Football vs. Michigan State: Preview, predictions, live stream
By Dana Becker
Fresh off a crushing loss to Ohio State, Penn State football hits the road for another Top-25 matchup, this time taking on Michigan State.
The Nittany Lions (7-1, 4-1 Big Ten) saw their national title hopes take a serious hit last Saturday, as the Buckeyes rallied behind J.T. Barrett for a 39-38 victory. At the same time, the Spartans (6-2, 4-2) dropped their second game of the season in triple-overtime to Northwestern on the road.
Both teams are ranked in the initial College Football Playoff poll, with Penn State coming in at No. 7 and Michigan State at No. 24. The Nittany Lions remain a contender to reach both the Big Ten title game and CFP semifinals, but they will need to be perfect the rest of the way and get some help from the rest of the conference as they are behind Ohio State.
James Franklin and PSU will need to avoid any lingering hangover from the loss to the Buckeyes. They jumped out quickly, as Heisman candidate Saquon Barkley returned the opening kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown. Barkley, though, was held to a season-low 44 yards, averaging just 2.1 yards per carry – also a low mark for the year.
Trace McSorley threw for just 192 yards, as Penn State ran for only 91 in the defeat.
Michigan State was unable to ride the arm of Brian Lewerke, as Northwestern scored a 39-31 victory. Lewerke was 39 of 57 passing for 445 yards and four touchdowns, but threw an ill-advised pass in the third extra session that was intercepted by the Wildcat defense in the end zone, ending the contest.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Penn State at Michigan State game:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Spartan Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go
Keys to Victory
Penn State’s secondary will be tested for the second straight week, as the Nittany Lions were shredded by Barrett. Michigan State’s Lewerke had his first career 400-yard passing game, throwing for 445 and a career-high four touchdowns vs. Northwestern.
Lewerke has completed at least 50 percent of his throws in all eight games this year, and has also reached the 250-yard mark three times. He is completing 61 percent of his throws for 1,807 yards with 14 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
The Spartans will try to get the ball to Cody White, Darrell Stewart Jr. and Felton Davis III in space to exploit Penn State.
For the Nittany Lions, getting Barkley back on track is key. Barkley ran for just 44 yards on 21 carries, his third game under 100 in his last four. When the talented junior has been on, Penn State has looked like one of the top teams in the country.
It will also be interesting to see how Barkley responds, as he was held to just 14 yards on 12 carries last year in a 45-12 victory for Penn State over Michigan State. That came about because McSorley threw for 376 yards and four scores.
Prediction
The troubles Barkley had last week vs. Ohio State and last year vs. these same Spartans should be enough to motivate him to get going. The Nittany Lions need more from Barkley, as he continues to showcase his return skills on a week-to-week basis. And for as good as McSorley is, he’s that much better when Barkley is running strong.
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Michigan State, meanwhile, needs to find a run game of its own. Lewerke is still learning, and if LJ Scott can get on track again, the Spartans will have a great shot at remaining in the Big Ten chase.
Final Score: Penn State 27, Michigan State 24