Penn State held a 14-7 lead before lightning stalled the game against Michigan State. Here are three takeaways from the loss in East Lansing.
Penn State and Michigan State began their showdown for the Land Grant Trophy with a noon kickoff in East Lansing. Lightning strikes forced a long delay in the second quarter. Because of the delay, the game went well into the evening after a stoppage of nearly three and a half hours.
The showdown featured two teams trying to get back into the thick of the Big Ten East race after painful losses in Week 9. Penn State stumbled at Ohio State in a fall-from-ahead defeat, while Michigan State lost in triple overtime at Northwestern. In the process, both teams fell behind the Buckeyes in the division standings.
The stop-and-start day resulted in uneven performances on both sides, as the teams went into halftime tied at 14. In the end, three turnovers doomed the Nittany Lions. Michigan State came back for a 27-24 win at home with a field goal on the final play of the game.
Coupled with Ohio State’s upset loss at Iowa, Michigan State now controls its own fate in the Big Ten East. Meanwhile, Penn State is effectively out of the conference race. Here are three other takeaways from the weather-elongated contest at Spartan Stadium on Saturday.