No. 8 Penn State returns to action following a bye week and will take on Michigan State in its Homecoming and annual Stripe Out game Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. Television coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. on BTN.
The Nittany Lions look to return the Land Grant Trophy to its shelves. Penn State took possession of the trophy in 2016 with a 45-12 victory which also clinched the Big Ten East Division title, but its fellow pioneering land-grant institution reclaimed it with a last-second field goal last season.
In their last outing, the Nittany Lions' 16-game home winning streak came to an end with a heartbreaking, one-point loss to Ohio State, so they will look to start a new one with the help of the Homecoming crowd. Penn State has won its last three Homecoming games and 11 of its last 13.
The ground game has led Penn State's offense this season, averaging 261.2 yards per contest to rank second in the Big Ten and 12th in FBS. Both running back Miles Sanders and quarterback Trace McSorley are top-10 rushers in the Big Ten, with McSorley rushing for 175 yards against Ohio State as part of a school-record 461-yard total offense effort. Michigan State presents an intriguing match-up though, as it leads the nation in rushing defense allowing just 33.8 yards per game this year, and its defense ranks fourth overall in the Big Ten. However, the Spartans are surrendering a league-worst 305.2 yards per game through the air, and McSorley's two best regular-season, single-game passing yard totals came against Michigan State in 2017 (381 yds.) and 2016 (376 yds).
The Spartans also benefit from strong quarterback play though with Brian Lewerke, who ranks second in the Big Ten in passing yardage with 265.2 yards per game. Lewerke completed 33-of-56 pass attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in last year's win over Penn State.
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO
- This is Mark Dantonio's 15th season as a collegiate head coach and 12th at Michigan State. He was the head coach at Cincinnati from 2004-06, before accepting the same position with the Spartans.
- Dantonio won his 100th game as a head coach at Michigan State in the 2017 Holiday Bowl. He is now just one of eight active FBS coaches to own at least 100 victories at his current school.
- Dantonio is a two-time Big Ten Coach of the Year (2011, 2013), and he is the only active Big Ten coach to win multiple Big Ten Championships (2010, 2013, 2015), claim a victory in the Rose Bowl (2014) and coach in the College Football Playoff (2015).
- Dantonio also coached at Michigan State from 1995-2000, serving as the defensive coordinator all six years, and adding the title of associate head coach for the 2000 season.
- As a player, Dantonio was a three-year letterman as a defensive back at South Carolina (1976-78).
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
- Michigan State is 3-2 overall and 1-1 in Big Ten play. The Spartans own a conference win over Indiana, but Northwestern spoiled their Homecoming game last week with a 29-19 win.
- Michigan State leads FBS by a wide margin in rushing defense, yielding just 33.8 yards per game on the ground (San Diego State is second at 61.8 yards rushing per game), and the Spartans held Northwestern to just 8 yards rushing last week. However, Michigan State is allowing 305.2 yards passing per game, which ranks last in the Big Ten and in seventh from the bottom nationally. Overall, the defense ranks 28th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten allowing 339.0 yards per game.
- The Spartans have taken advantage of teams that have become too greedy in the air, intercepting nine passes to rank second in the Big Ten and seventh in the FBS.
- Quarterback Brian Lewerke ranks second in the Big Ten averaging 265.6 passing yards per game.
- Senior running back LJ Scott, who has led the Spartans in rushing each of the past three seasons, has not played since sustaining an injury in the second game of the season.
WINNER CLAIMS LAND GRANT TROPHY
- When the Penn State-Michigan State series was renewed with the Nittany Lions' entrance into the Big Ten in 1993, the Land Grant Trophy was established to go to the winner in what was each school's annual season finale from 1993-2010 and 2014-16.
- The Land Grant Trophy honors Penn State's and Michigan State's unique places in history as the two pioneer land-grant institutions in the United States.
- Each school was founded in 1855, Michigan State on Feb. 12 and Penn State on Feb. 22. The schools were the prototypes after which the land-grant system was patterned.
- Each institution brought to American education the new dimensions of service and outreach in addition to education and research.
- The Land Grant Trophy joins the Governor's Victory Bell, presented to the Penn State-Minnesota victor, as the other trophy the Nittany Lions play for in Big Ten competition.
- Penn State holds a 14-8 advantage in Land Grant Trophy games.
SUCCESS ON HOMECOMING
- The Nittany Lions own a 71-22-5 record in 98 games in front of the alumni crowd since their 14-7 victory over Dartmouth in the first Homecoming game on Oct. 9, 1920.
- Last season, the Nittany Lions defeated Rutgers, 35-6, for their third-straight Homecoming win.
- Penn State has won six out of its last seven Homecoming tilts, defeating Rutgers (2017), Maryland (2016), Indiana (2015), Michigan (2013), Northwestern (2012) and Purdue (2011).
- The Nittany Lions have claimed 11 of their last 13 contests in front of the alumni crowd.
- This is the fourth time Penn State will square off against Michigan State in a Homecoming game. The Nittany Lions lost to the Spartans in 1946 (19-16), tied them in 1948 (14-14) and lost in 1951 (32-21).
COMING OFF A BYE
- Penn State has a 17-14 record after a bye week since starting Big Ten competition in 1993.
- Penn State has won its last two games following a bye week, including a thrilling win over No. 2 Ohio State in 2016 and a Penn State White Out rout of Michigan last season.
BLUE OR WHITE?
- Penn State will host its fourth annual "Stripe Out" game, as fans attending Beaver Stadium are coordinated to wear blue or white clothing in alternating sections to create a stripe effect.
- Penn State is undefeated in its three previous Stripe Out games, defeating Rutgers, 28-3, in the inaugural game (Sept. 19, 2015), Temple, 34-27, in 2016 and Nebraska, 56-44, last season.
- Visit PennStateStripeOut.com to find out which color to wear in which section. It will be a student section white out.
PENN STATE-MICHIGAN STATE CONNECTIONS
- PSU redshirt freshman QB and Michigan State sophomore TE Noah Davis played together at St . Xavier in Ohio.
- PSU redshirt freshman CB and Michigan State freshman CB Kalon Gervin played together at Cass Technical School in Michigan.
- PSU sophomore OL and Michigan State freshman LB Jesslord Boateng played together at Dublin Coffman in Ohio.
- PSU redshirt freshman WR and Michigan State redshirt freshman DE Jack Camper played together at IMG Academy.
NITTANY LIONS FROM MICHIGAN
- CB – Detroit Mich./Cass Tech
- WR – Pontiac, Mich./IMG Academy (Fla.)
PENN STATE IN THE POLLS
- Penn State is ranked No. 8 in both the Amway Coachesand Associated Press polls for its highest of the season and highest since Week 10 of the 2017 season when it was ranked No. 7 in both polls.
- Penn State's 31-straight weeks in the AP Top 25 is the eighth-longest active streak in FBS.
- Penn State has been ranked in the last 11 CFP rankings, dating back to its first-ever appearance in the first poll of the 2016 season.
HEARTBREAKERS
- The Nittany Lions' last four losses have been by a total of eight points (2016 USC – 3 points, 2017 Ohio State – 1 point, 2017 Michigan State – 3 points, 2018 Ohio State – 1 point), which is the smallest margin of defeat over four losses in program history.
- The losses to USC and Michigan State came on field goals as time expired, while Ohio State took leads with 1:48 remaining (2017) and 2:03 remaining (2018).
- Penn State last lost a game by more than three points on Sept. 24, 2016 at Michigan (49-10).
HAMLER & MCSORLEY DRAW ACCOLADES
- Prior to the bye week, WR garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Week accolades following his performance against No. 4 Ohio State. It is his first career weekly honor for Hamler from the Big Ten.
- Additionally, for the second time this season (Pitt), Hamler was named to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll. The Paul Hornung Award is presented to the most versatile player in major college football.
- Hamler had a career-high 138 receiving yards on a personal-best four receptions. He also had an electrifying 93-yard touchdown catch, his fourth receiving score in five games.
- Hamler's 93-yard touchdown grab is the second-longest play from scrimmage in Penn State history.
- Hamler also had 57 yards on punt (10 yards) and kick (47 yards) returns for a career-high 195 all-purpose yards.
- QB was also recognized for his efforts against Ohio State, as he was selected as the Rose Bowl Big Ten Player of the Week and one of the Reese's Senior Bowl Seniors of the Week.
- McSorley was 16-for-32 for 286 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 25 carries for 175 yards. He finished the game with 461 yards of total offense to set the Penn State game record. McSorley also had a career-high 175 rushing yards, which is the second-most by a quarterback in a game in Penn State history, behind Eugene "Shorty" Miller's 250 yards against Carnegie Tech in 1913.
- Both McSorley and Hamler were named to the Pro Football Focus Big Ten Team of the Week.
MILESTONE WATCH
- Trace McSorley is 582 yards shy of 9,000 career passing yards.
- ... 99 completions shy of 700 career completions.
- ... 8 attempts shy of 1,000 career pass attempts.
- ... 273 yards shy of 10,000 career yards of total offense.
- ... 7 TDs shy of 100 career touchdowns responsible for.
- Tommy Stevens is 124 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
- Miles Sanders is 87 yards shy of 1,000 career rushing yards.
- Juwan Johnson is 27 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.
MILESTONES ACHIEVED
- Trace McSorley surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards with 54 yards against Kent State.
- ... 9,000 career yards of total offense with 283 against Kent State.
- ... 8,000 career passing yards with 160 against Illinois.
- ... 600 career completions with 16 against Ohio State.
- Miles Sanders surpassed 500 career rushing yards with an 118-yard effort against Pitt.
- DeAndre Thompkins surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards with 101 against Kent State.
- ... surpassed 500 career punt return yards with a 29-yard return against App State.
STREAKING
- The Nittany Lions have scored 20 or more points in a school-record 28 consecutive games, which is the second-longest active streak in the FBS and the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. It trails the 46-game stretch by Ohio State (2012-15).
- QB has thrown a touchdown pass in 33 consecutive games, dating to the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl, extending his school record. It is the longest active streak in FBS and the fifth-longest in Autonomy Five history.
- Penn State has rushed for 200 yards in eight consecutive games, dating back to last season's Nebraska game on November 18, 2018. It's the longest streak since an eight-game streak in 1973.
- Penn State has scored first in its last eight games.
- The Lions have made 177 consecutive extra points.
- Penn State has scored on 25-straight trips into the red zone, scoring touchdowns on 23 of those trips.
- Penn State has won its last eight games against Big Ten West Division opponents.
- Penn State has won its last 21 games against unranked opponents.
MCSORLEY MORE THAN FOOTBALL
- QB is up for two prestigious awards that factor in off the field accomplishments: the Campbell Trophy and Senior CLASS Award.
- McSorley is among the 179 semifinalists for the 2018 William V. Campbell Trophy®. The award recognizes an individual as the absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation.
- Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the awards must be a senior or graduate student in their final year of playing eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first team player or significant contributor and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship.
- McSorley is among 30 candidates eligible for the Senior CLASS award. A student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I FBS senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
- An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
SECOND-HALF TEAM
- Penn State leads FBS in scoring offense in the second half, averaging 31.0 points. Georgia Tech is second averaging 24.17 points.
- Penn State also leads FBS in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging 19.40 points. Houston is second averaging 14.6 points.
- For the season, Penn State is outscoring opponents155-55 in the second half. The plus-20.0 points per game margin in the second half leads FBS, as does its plus-11.2 advantage in the fourth quarter.
- Penn State's plus-8.8 scoring differential in the third quarter ranks third in FBS. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
MCSORLEY MAKES HIS MARK
- QB owns Penn State career records for 300-yard passing games (10), 200-yard passing games (25), rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (24), passing touchdowns (69), total offense (9,727) and touchdowns responsible for (93).
- With 160 yards against the Illini, McSorley surpassed 8,000 passing for his career. He is the second Penn State player (Christian Hackenberg) and 22nd player in Big Ten history with 8,000 career passing yards.
- McSorley has 992 career passing attempts to rank third on Penn State's career list. He passed Matt McGloin (894; 2009-12) for the position against Pittsburgh. Next on the list is Zack Mills with 1,082 attempts (2001-04).
TOTAL EFFORT FOR MCSORLEY
- McSorley finished the Ohio State game with 461 yards of total offense (286 passing, 175 rushing), setting the Penn State record for total offense in a game. The previous school mark was 456 yards by Christian Hackenberg (454 passing, 2 rushing) vs. UCF in Dublin in 2014.
- The 461 yards of total offense by McSorley give him 9,727 yards of total offense for his career, moving him into 11th place in the Big Ten annals. He trails Juice Williams of Illinois (10,594) for 10th place.
- McSorley had a career-high 175 rushing yards against Ohio State, surpassing his previous high of 92 yards the previous week at Illinois.
- The 175 yards rushing by McSorley are the most by a Penn State quarterback since Eugene "Shorty" Miller had 250 against Carnegie Tech in 1913.
- McSorley's 175 yards on the ground give him 410 this season, which is good for the third on Penn State's single-season list for rushing yards by a quarterback. He trails his own mark of 491 yards rushing from last season for second place.
- McSorley's 25 rushing attempts against Ohio State were a career high. His previous high was 19 against Ohio State in 2016.
- McSorley's 51-yard rush in the first quarter of the Ohio State game was a career long. His previous longest run was a 36-yard scamper against Pitt in 2017.
- McSorley has 1,309 career rushing yards, which ranks 34th in program history and second among quarterbacks.
- McSorley's 286 yards passing against Ohio State give him 25 200-yard passing games for his career, extending his Penn State record.
- McSorley's 93-yard touchdown pass to KJ Hamler in the second quarter was a career long and the second- longest play from scrimmage in Penn State history.
- McSorley's six rushing touchdowns this season rank second in the Big Ten, tied with running back .
- McSorley tied the Penn State record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 11 rushing scores in 2017 to equal the mark of 11 set by Michael Robinson in 2005. He already has six through five games in 2018.
MOVING THE BALL
- Penn State is averaging 510.0 yards per game on offense to rank 14th in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
- Penn State is the first FBS team to record two 90-plus yard plays from scrimmage this season.
- Penn State leads the Big Ten in "big play" (15 or more yards) percentage (18.33% of plays; 7th in FBS), 12 or more-yard run percentage (17.05% of plays; 3rd in FBS) and yards per play (7.08 yds per play; 11th in FBS). (Per Coaches by the Numbers
- Penn State ranks tied for eighth in FBS with eight scoring drives of less than one minute.
- The Nittany Lions had 1,234 yards of total offense over the Kent State (643) and Illinois (591) games, which is the highest two-game total since posting 1,266 against Temple (605) an Rutgers (661) in 1995.
- Penn State's 591 yards of total offense at Illinois rank fifth in program history in Big Ten games and are the fourth-best outing of 's tenure.
- Penn State had 31 first downs against the Illini, the second-highest total under Franklin and the fourth-best total in the program's Big Ten history.
- Penn State's 643 total yards of offense against Kent State were the most by the Nittany Lions since having 661 yards of total offense at Rutgers in 1995.
GREEN LIGHT IN THE RED ZONE
- Penn State is one of nine FBS teams that has scored on each trip to the red zone this season.
- Penn State has scored on 25-straight trips into the red zone, including 23 touchdowns.
- Penn State has scored on 51 of its last 52 red zone trips, including 46 touchdowns.
- Penn State's 92.86 percent scoring rate score over the last two seasons is ninth in FBS.
- Penn State leads FBS in red zone touchdown rate over the last two years, reaching the end zone on 82.14 percent of red zone trips.
PILING UP THE POINTS
- Penn State is averaging 49.6 points per game to lead the Big Ten and rank fifth in FBS in scoring.
- Penn State owns the lowest plays per point ratio in the Big Ten at 1.45, which ranks sixth in FBS. (Per Coaches by the Numbers).
- Penn State ranks eighth in FBS in points per possession (2.88) and second in the Big Ten, trailing Ohio State. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
- Penn State scored 63 points in consecutive games (Kent State; Illinois) for the third time in program history (1917 & 1894).
- Penn State has scored on 25-straight trips into the red zone, including 23 touchdowns.
- At Illinois, the Nittany Lions scored 60 or more points for the third time in six games.
- The Nittany Lions are the fourth Big Ten team to score 60 or more points in consecutive games in the last 100 years, joining 2016 Ohio State, 1996 Ohio State and 1971 Michigan. (Per @BTNStatsGuys)
- The Nittany Lions scored at least 50 points for the seventh time since 2016.
- Penn State scored 40 points for the 15th time since 2016. By comparison, from 2008 through 2015, the Nittany Lions had 18 40-point outings.
- Penn State has scored 30 or more points 22 times in the last 25 games.
- The Nittany Lions have scored 20 or more points in a school-record 28 consecutive games, which is the second-longest streak in Big Ten history. It trails the 46-game stretch by Ohio State (2012-15).
- Penn State's streak of 28-straight games with at least 20 points is the second-longest active streak, trailing only Alabama.
- The Nittany Lions have 248 points scored in the first five games of the season, which is the most to start a season since 1994 (258 points).
- Penn State's 222 points in the first four games were the most in a four-game stretch in program history.
- The 35 points scored in the fourth quarter at Illinois are the most in a quarter since Penn State had 36 tallies in the second quarter against Louisville in 1997.
- The 63 points scored at Illinois are tied for the second-most by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game with the 1994 Ohio State and 2005 Illinois games. The program record for points in a Big Ten contest is 66 at Maryland last season.
QB ON THE RUN
- QB rushed for a career-high 175 yards against Ohio State, the second-most yards gained on the ground by a quarterback in school history. He also had a career-long 51-yard rush.
- McSorley's average of 6.21 yards per carry this season leads the team and ranks fourth in the Big Ten.
- McSorley has 410 yards rushing on the season, which is just 81 yards less than what he totaled in all of 2017. His 410 yards ranks as the third-most rushing yards by a Penn State quarterback in a single season, trailing only his 491 yards in 2017 and Michael Robinson's record of 806 set in 2005.
LIMITED ACCESS
- Penn State ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 34th in FBS in scoring defense, allowing 21.0 points per game.
- Penn State's 1.14 points per possession ranks 11th in FBS and second in the Big Ten behind Michigan. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
- Penn State became the first team to hold Ohio State scoreless in the opening stanza this season. The Buckeyes had scored at least 10 points in the first quarter in each of the first four games of the season.
- Penn State is the first team to hold Ohio State under 100 yards of offense in a half since Oklahoma did it last year in the first half of their 2017 meeting.
- Penn State allowed just seven second-half points at Illinois and shutout Pitt and Kent State in the second half.
- Penn State allowed just 221 total yards to Kent State, the sixth-fewest yards allowed under , tied with 221 yards allowed at Indiana in 2014.
- The 221 total yards allowed vs. Kent State are the fewest since allowing 200 vs. Rutgers in 2017.
- The Nittany Lions allowed just 41 yards rushing by Kent State, the lowest value since giving up 39 at Rutgers in 2016.
- Penn State held Pitt to just six points, marking the fewest points allowed by Penn State since holding Maryland to three points in the 2017 regular season finale.
STEPPING UP ON D
- Penn State's top six tacklers this season do not include any returning starters from last season.
- In his first start at middle linebacker in the opener against App State, had a career-high 11 tackles, including four solo.He leads the team with 29 tackles.
- S , had a career-best eight tackles in his first start against App State and has 27 tackles.
- Along with making his second-career start at safety, recorded a career-best nine tackles in the opener at App State. He has 25 tackles for the season to rank third.
- LB (24) made a season-high seven tackles and a career-high 2.0 tackles for loss against Kent State and ranks fourth on the team with 24 tackles.
- True freshman LB , whohad a career-high seven tackles at Pitt, has racked up 23 tackles to rank fifth on the team.
- CB (20) rounds out the group.
CAUSING CHAOS BEHIND THE LINE
- Penn State ranks 14th in FBS and third in the Big Ten with 3.20 sacks per game, and ninth in FBS and tops in the Big Ten with 8.8 tackles for loss per game.
- Penn State is continuing to bring a balanced pass rush, as 13 different Nittany Lions have contributed to the team's 14 sacks for the season.
- DE leads the team with 3.0 sacks, 10th in the Big Ten with 0.6 per game, while his team-best 6.0 tackles for loss rank fourth in the Big Ten.
- The Nittany Lions totaled 42 sacks in 13 games in 2017. Following totals of 46 sacks in 2015 and 40 sacks in 2016, Penn State posted back-to-back-to-back 40-sack seasons for the first time since it posted three-consecutive 40-sack seasons in 2005 (41), 2006 (40) and 2007 (46).