Penn State Football: 3 overreactions to win over Michigan State in Week 9

Penn State football moved to 8-0 against Michigan State on Saturday afternoon. Here are three reactions to the Lions’ victory.

Penn State traveled to rain soaked East Lansing Saturday afternoon and walked away 28-7 victors. The Nittany Lions now head into their second off week with an unblemished 8-0 record.

Penn State jumped out to a 21-0 lead and Michigan State had no answer. The Lions would have an unproductive second half offensively but the Spartans never were really in the game. On a sloppy day, that’s really all Penn State could wish for is to get out with a win to keep their undefeated record in tact as they head into the final month of the season.

With the first set of College Football Playoff rankings to be released in another week, the Lions look to make a claim in the top 5. Here are three reactions to the win over Michigan State.

3. Nittany Lion offense needs to play complete games

For the second week in a row, Penn State jumped out to a big lead followed by a stretch of short and empty drives. Again it did not cost them a game but if the Lions aspire to compete for a Big Ten championship and a spot in the playoff, they cannot fall asleep for long stretches.

Last week against Michigan, the Lions jumped out a 21-0 lead. The Wolverines came storming back in the second half and nearly tied the game if not for a dropped pass in the end zone. This week against Michigan State, the Lions built a 28-0 lead before taking off the rest of the game. The Spartans never threatened due to their anemic offense, but against a better team this could cost the Nittany Lions.

Penn State needs to clean up their offense and not let up. They have a tough slate down the stretch in November where they will need to be firing on all cylinders for four quarters.