| 10 | 34 |
| Beaver Stadium | University Park, Pa. | 99,902 | |
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State football team fell to No. 10 Michigan State, 34-10, to end the regular season Saturday at Beaver Stadium. The Nittany Lions (6-6, 2-6 Big Ten) will now will await selection for its 45th bowl game in program history.
With the help of a game-high 13 tackles fromMike Hull, Penn State held Michigan State (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) to just 298 yards of total offense, 216.5 yards below the Spartans' season average of 514.5 yards.
Sam Fickenkicked his 23rd field goal of the season late in the second quarter, moving him into sole possession of the No. 1 spot in Penn State's single-season field goal made chart, breaking a tie withMatt Bahr(1978) andKevin Kelly(2006).
Prior to the game, Hull, Ficken and 15 of their fellow seniors were honored for their contributions to the program throughout their careers.
The Spartans scored on all three of their first-quarter drives, including a 90-yard kickoff return by R.J. Shelton to open the game. It was the first kickoff return for a touchdown by a PSU opponent since Nov. 3, 2007, vs. Purdue when Dorien Bryant ran the ball 98 yards for the score.
Penn State took the ensuing possession 41 yards, punctuated by a 17-yard pass from Hackenberg toDaeSean Hamilton, who finished the day with a game-high six receptions for 55 yards. After a pair of incomplete passes from the Michigan State 34-yard line, Ficken took the field to attempt a 51-yard field goal but had it come up short for his first miss that was not blocked of the season.
The Spartans' next two trips downfield ended with field goals by Michael Geiger, as the sophomore kicker converted on attempts from 36 and 39 yards, respectively, to give MSU a 13-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
The Penn State defense forced back-to-back 3-and-outs from Michigan State to start the second period. On the second Spartan drive, defensive tackleAnthony Zettelcame up with his 16th career sack after taking down Spartan QB Connor Cook.
Zettel came up big on Michigan State's third drive as well, intercepting Cook's pass on the MSU 43-yard line and returning it seven yards to set up the offense on MSU's 36. With the play, the West Branch, Mich., native became the first defensive lineman to have at least three interceptions in a season since at least 1982.
Penn State picked up a first down with the help of a 9-yard reception byJesse James. Following an incomplete pass, Hackenberg's next attempt was intercepted and the Spartans took their 13-3 lead into the half.
MSU increased its lead to 27-3 in the third quarter with a pair of touchdowns. Jeremy Langford rushed three yards for a TD at 7:24, capping off a seven-play, 63-yard drive. MSU added another just under three minutes later after forcing a fumble off a sack and recovering the ball at Penn State's 18. Cook took four plays before hitting Tony Lippett for a 10-yard TD.
Akeel Lynchproduced Penn State's lone touchdown run of the game late in the third quarter with a 3-yard rush at the end of the 10-play drive. Lynch now has four rushing TDs on the season.
In the fourth quarter, Michigan State's Langford capped off scoring for the Spartans with a 6-yard run that made it 34-10 with 2:49 to play. MSU ate up over 9 minutes of possession between two drives sandwiching a 3-and-out by Penn State before picking up its fourth touchdown of the game.
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