Nov. 21, 2008
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State concludes the regular season, hosting No. 15 Michigan State, with the winner claiming at least a share of the Big Ten Championship.
The clash for the Land Grant Trophy will kick at 3:30 p.m. in a sold out Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised by ABC to most of the nation, with coverage on ESPN in the rest of the nation. The Penn State Sports Network and www.GoPSUsports.com also will air the game.
Seventeen Nittany Lion seniors will be introduced before the game. The class will be looking for its 40th career victory. Since the start of the 2005 season, the Nittany Lions are 39-10 (79.6), good for a tie for No. 8 in the nation in winning percentage over the past three-plus seasons.
The Nittany Lions have won 26 of their last 28 games in Beaver Stadium, dating to a 37-13 win over Michigan State on Senior Day on Nov. 20, 2004.
Penn State is looking to become the sixth school to win 800 games all-time and to win at least 11 games in a season for the 14th time under Coach Joe Paterno.
The No. 8/7 Nittany (10-1, 6-1) Lions are coming off a 34-7 win over Indiana last week. The Spartans (9-2, 6-1) have been idle since a 21-7 win over Purdue on Nov. 8.
The Nittany Lions and Spartans first met in 1914 and the series is tied, 12-12-1. Penn State has played Michigan State more than any other Big Ten opponent, having met 10 times before joining the Big Ten Conference. With Penn State's entry into the Big Ten in 1993, the teams have played in the regular season finale the past 15 years, with the winner claiming the Land Grant Trophy. The teams have combined to score 937 points in their 15 conference clashes (62.4 ppg).
Penn State and Michigan State will bring their best combined record into the game since their annual meeting began in 1993. The squads are a combined 19-3 (86.4 pct.) and tied atop the Big Ten standings with 6-1 marks. The previous best combined record since 1993 was in 1999, when the teams were 17-4 and the Spartans prevailed, 35-28, in East Lansing.
Penn State controls its fate for the Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Bowl Championship Series. Should the Nittany Lions defeat Michigan State, Penn State would represent the conference in the Rose Bowl, if not ranked No. 1 or 2 in the final BCS standings, which will be announced Dec. 7.