- OPENING KICK: No. 6 Penn State looks to extend its winning streak and reclaim the Land Grant Trophy when it visits Spartan Stadium Saturday to face Michigan State. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. on ABC.
- TOP 10: Penn State is one of 10 remaining undefeated teams in FBS. The Nittany Lions are 7-0 for the first time since 2017 and the fifth time in their Big Ten era (since 1993).
- TOP SIX: Penn State rose to No. 6 in both the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Polls, marking the Nittany Lions' highest ranking since reaching No. 2 in Weeks 8 & 9 in 2017.
- WEEKLY AWARDS: The Big Ten has honored a Nittany Lion with a weekly award in three out of the past four weeks. Wide receiver KJ Hamler is the most recent honoree, being named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after totaling 108 yards receiving and two touchdowns against No. 16 Michigan. Punter Blake Gillikin was the Special Teams Player of the Week following the No. 17/18 Iowa game and quarterback Sean Clifford earned offensive honors following the Maryland game.
- THIS DEFENSE: Penn State (10.0 ppg) ranks third nationally in scoring defense. The Nittany Lions rank fourth in the Big Ten and 12th in FBS in total defense (282.1 ypg), led by a stingy rushing defense allowing just 66.3 yards per game (4th FBS) and an FBS-best 1.90 yards per rush. Penn State has 28 sacks through seven games to average four sacks per game (4th in FBS). The pass rush is led by Yetur Gross-Matos and Shaka Toney (5.5 total, 0.79 spg), who rank tied for 27th in FBS. The Nittany Lions also rank fourth in the country with 8.9 tackles for loss per game.
- THE OPPOSITION: Michigan State is 4-3 and 2-2 in Big Ten play. The Spartans are coming off a bye week that was preceded by a pair of losses to top-10 ranked teams Ohio State and Wisconsin. Michigan State has been led by its defense, which ranks 22nd in FBS allowing 314.3 yards per game. The unit has been particularly strong against the run, allowing 117.7 yards per game to rank fifth in the Big Ten, but also has seven interceptions on the year to rank fourth. On offense, wide receiver Darrell Stewart leads the Big Ten with 6.6 receptions per game and 97.6 receiving yards per game.
HEAD COACH MARK DANTONIO
- This is Mark Dantonio's 16th season as a collegiate head coach and 13th at Michigan State. He was the head coach at Cincinnati from 2004-06, before accepting the same position with the Spartans.
- Dantonio became Michigan State's winningest coach in program history with his 110th win at the helm in September.
- 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).
- As a player, Dantonio was a three-year letterman as a defensive back at South Carolina (1976-78).
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
- Michigan State is 4-3 overall and 2-2 in Big Ten play. The Spartans own a conference wins over Northwestern and Indiana, but dropped their last two games against then-No. 4 Ohio State and then-No. 8 Wisconsin.
NITTANY LIONS FROM MICHIGAN
- LB Lance Dixon – West Bloomfield/West Bloomfield
- CB Donovan Johnson - Detroit/Cass Tech
- WR KJ Hamler - Pontiac/IMG Academy (Fla.)
PENN STATE-MICHIGAN STATE CONNECTIONS
- PSU sophomore QB Sean Clifford and Michigan State junior TE Noah Davis played together at St . Xavier in Cincinnati.
- PSU sophomore DT Aeneas Hawkins and Michigan State juniors K Matt Coghlin and TE Matt Dotson played together at Archbishop Moeller in Cincinnati.
- PSU sophomore CB Donovan Johnson and Michigan State junior OT Jordan Reid and sophomore CB Kalon Gervin played together at Cass Technical School in Michigan.
- PSU sophomore WR KJ Hamler and Michigan State sophomore DE Jack Camper played together at IMG Academy. PSU freshmen RB Noah Cain and CB Makai Self also attended IMG.
- PSU freshman LB Lance Dixon and Michigan State freshman WR Tre Mosley played together at West Bloomfield in Michigan.
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 14-9 advantage in Land Grant Trophy games.
PSU ON ABC
- Penn State is appearing on ABC for its fourth time this season and 185th time all-time, the most of any other network.
- Penn State is 108-75-1 all-time playing on ABC.
HAMLER HONORED
- WR KJ Hamler was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and to the Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll for his performance against Michigan.
- On offense, Hamler totaled six receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns, including a 53-yard touchdown reception for the eventual game-winning score. He then iced the game with a 4-yard rush on third-and-3 in the game's closing minutes.
- Hamler is the second Nittany Lion to be named the conference's Offensive Player of the Week. QB Sean Clifford earned the honor after the Maryland game.
- Hamler is the third Nittany Lion to earn a Big Ten weekly honor, as P Blake Gillikin was named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after the Iowa game.
- Hamler totaled 186 all-purpose yards to earn Hornung recognition, adding 6 rushing, 65 kick return and 7 punt return yards to his 108-yard receiving effort.
MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICANS
- Two Nittany Lion defenders drew midseason All-America recognition.
- DE Yetur Gross-Matos was named midseason All-America by the Associated Press and Sporting News.
- LB Jan Johnson was named Pro Football Focus Midseason All-America Team honorable hention.
COMPLEMENTARY FOOTBALL
- Penn State (3rd, 10.0 ppg allowed; t-10th, 40.0 ppg scored), Clemson (8th, 12.0 ppg allowed; t-10th, 40.0 ppg scored) Ohio State (2nd, 8.0 ppg allowed; 3rd, 49.7 ppg scored) are the only three teams to rank in the Top 10 nationally in both scoring defense and offense.
- The Nittany Lions have played complementary football over the last three-plus years (2016-19) and it shows in the national landscape.
- Over the last three-plus years the Penn State offense is:
- 10th in FBS in points per possession (2.32).
- Fifth in FBS in points per play (1.81).
- Eighth in FBS in scoring offense (38.10).
- Ninth in FBS in scoring percentage (42.76).
- 10th in FBS in touchdown percentage (34.47).
- Seventh in FBS in turnover percentage (11.87).
- Over the last three-plus years the Penn State defense is:
- Fifth in FBS in plays per point (4.42).
- Fifth in FBS in three-and-out percentage (28.55).
- Seventh in FBS in yards per play (4.73).
- Sixth in FBS in points per possession (1.22).
- 10th in FBS in second half points allowed (8.96).
- Sixth in FBS in scoring percentage (23.87).
- Eighth in FBS in touchdown percentage (16.77).
- Fifth in FBS in punt percentage (48.39).
- 10th in FBS in scoring defense (18.11).
- Eighth in FBS in percent of drives not crossing the 50-yard line (60.31).
- Sixth in FBS in percent of non-scoring drives (76.61).
- Seventh in FBS in percent of drives of 25 yards or less (58.71).
- Eighth in FBS in percent of drive of six plays or less (60.75).
WINNING WAYS
- Penn State is 7-0 to start the season for the first time since 2017 and the fifth time since joining the Big Ten.
- Penn State is 38-9 over the past four seasons (2016-19), which is the fifth-best record in FBS.
- Dating back to 2015, Penn State has won 29 of its last 32 home games.
- Penn State's 45 wins over the last five years (2015-19) rank tied for ninth in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 55; Wisconsin, 48).
- Penn State's 134 wins over the last 15 years (2005-19) rank tied for 12th in FBS and third in the Big Ten (Ohio State, 165; Wisconsin, 146).
- Penn State has clinched its 15th consecutive winning season. The Nittany Lions join Oklahoma and LSU as the only teams with a winning season each of the last 15 years. Boise State and Wisconsin can also join the list this year.
- Over the last 14 seasons, Penn State has totaled at least nine wins in nine seasons, including the last three seasons.
- Head coach James Franklin has guided his teams to a winning record each of the last eight seasons (2 at Vanderbilt, 6 at Penn State).
CONTROLLING THE GAME
- Penn State has held the lead for 82.8 percent of its plays (985-1,190) this season and has had at least a three-point lead for 78.9 percent of its plays (952-1,190), both of which rank sixth in FBS.
- The Nittany Lions have held a lead for 74.0 percent of their plays over the last three seasons (2017-19) to rank third in FBS, behind only Alabama and Clemson.
- Over a four-year span (2016-19), Penn State has held the lead for 65.1 percent of the plays, which is seventh among FBS schools.
- By comparison, from 2013-15, Penn State led for 42.8 percent (2,760 of 6,453) of its plays, to rank 69th in FBS.
STRONG STARTS
- Penn State was the only FBS team to reach Week 7 without allowing a first-quarter point this season. Iowa snapped its streak with a field goal.
- Penn State has only allowed three points in the opening stanza all season, an average of 0.43 points allowed in the first quarter.
- Penn State and Wisconsin are the only teams to not allow a first-quarter touchdown this season.
- Penn State is outscoring opponents 76-3 in the first quarter.
- The Nittany Lions' 21 first quarter points vs. Purdue were the most in an opening stanza since scoring 21 vs. Kent State in the first quarter last season.
- The 21 first quarter points were also the most in a Big Ten game since notching 28 vs. Indiana in the opening stanza of 2017.
SOLID IN THE MIDDLE
- Penn State is not leaving early for halftime or returning late, boasting a plus-3.9 scoring differential in the middle eight minutes of the game to rank tied for 22nd in FBS.
- Penn State owns a plus-4.0 scoring differential in the first four minutes of the second half, which ranks tied for second in FBS.
- Penn State has not allowed a point in the first four minutes of the second half this season.
BLACKLEDGE ON ABC BROADCAST TEAM
- Former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge will be calling Saturday's game.
- Blackledge led Penn State to an 11-1 record and its first National Championship with a 27-23 victory over previously unbeaten Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. He earned the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback in 1982, was sixth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and concluded his collegiate career with 26 school records.
- A three-year starter, Blackledge directed the Nittany Lions to a 29-4 record, including 13 comeback victories, from 1980-82, including two Fiesta Bowl wins and one Sugar Bowl victory.
- Blackledge began his national broadcasting career in 1994 with ABC Sports, serving as a studio and game analyst. He then served as a game analyst for ESPN (1997-98) before joining CBS in 1999. He returned to ESPN/ABC in 2006.
- Blackledge received the University's prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009.
- Blackledge earned a B.A. in speech communication in 1983, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a 3.80 grade point average. A first-team Academic All-American, he also was presented the Eric Walker Award, given to the Penn State senior who has most "enhanced the esteem and recognition of the University." In 1997, Blackledge was inducted into the prestigious Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
GREEN LIGHT IN THE RED ZONE
- Dating back to 2017, Penn State has scored on 104 of its last 110 red zone trips, including 84 touchdowns.
- This season, Penn State is 26-for-27 in the red zone with 22 touchdowns.
- Penn State is fourth in red zone scoring over the last three years (2017-19) with a scoring rate of 90.97 percent.
THIRD DOWN IMPROVEMENT
- Penn State ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 29th in FBS with a 42.2 third down conversion percentage after converting 31-of-60 third downs (52%) in its last four games.
- Penn State went 7-for-30 (23%) on third down in its first three games to rank 127th nationally in Week 4.
- passing Productivity
- Since at least 2000, QB Sean Clifford (16 passing TDs, 1,742 yards passing) is the only Penn State quarterback to throw for at least 15 touchdowns and 1,500 yards in the first seven games of the season.
- With 16 touchdown passes this season, Clifford ranks in a tie for 17th place with Christian Hackenberg (16, 2015) for touchdown passes in a season at Penn State.
- Clifford is the third Penn State quarterback to have three games with 250 or more passing yards and three or more passing touchdowns in a season, joining Trace McSorley (2017, 4 games) and Christian Hackenberg (2013, 3 games) as the only Lions to do so.
- With five 200-yard passing games this season, Clifford is tied for 17th all-time at Penn State with John Hufnagel (1972), Chuck Fusina (1977), Doug Strang (1983), Zack Mills (2001, 2002) and Matt McGloin (2010).
- Clifford threw for 398 yards at Maryland, ranking third in Penn State single-game history, behind Christian Hackenberg (454; vs. UCF, 2014) and Zack Mills (299, vs. Iowa, 2002).
- Clifford became the first Penn State quarterback to open a season with six touchdown passes in the first two games since Daryll Clark did the same in 2009.
EFFICIENT AND CONSISTENT
- QB Sean Clifford's 15.02 passing yards per completion rank seventh in FBS and second in the Big Ten behind Minnesota's Tanner Morgan (16.07).
- Clifford's 9.77 yards per pass attempt rank 11th in FBS and second in the Big Ten behind Minnesota's Tanner Morgan (10.68).
- Clifford's 248.9 passing yards per game rank 32nd in FBS and second in the Big Ten behind Iowa's Nate Stanley (253.0).
- Clifford ranks eighth in FBS and third in the Big Ten with a 169.1 passing efficiency rating.
- Clifford's 27 completions of 20 or more yards rank tied for 20th in FBS.
- Clifford's 14 completions of 30 or more yards rank tied for 13th in FBS.
- Clifford's 10 completions of 40 or more yards rank tied for fifth in FBS.
- Clifford's six completions of 50 or more yards rank tied for fifth in FBS.
- Clifford threw for at least 200 yards in the first five games of the year.
PRODUCTION FROM LINEBACKER U
- Micah Parsons leads the team with 45 tackles, while Cam Brown (38) is third and Jan Johnson (27) is sixth.
- Parsons, who led Penn State with 83 tackles as a true freshman last season, has 128 tackles for his career.
- Parsons is third on the team with 6.0 tackles for loss.
- Parsons made 14 tackles against Michigan, tying his career high set last year vs. Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl.
- The 14 tackles by Parsons marked his third game with at least 10 tackles
- Brown tied his career high for the third time with 10 tackles against Michigan. He was also key in Penn State's win over Pitt, forcing a pair of throw-aways with his pressure on the quarterback as the Panthers ultimately came up empty despite first-and-goal at the 1 in the fourth quarter.
- Johnson made his first fumble recovery at Iowa, grabbed his second career interception on the first drive of the Maryland game (his other interception was also on a Friday night when he had a pick at Illinois last season) and recorded his first full sack and first career forced fumble against Pitt. The effort against Pitt also included six tackles and earned him a place on the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week.
WADE MAKING AN IMPACT
- S Lamont Wade has 25 tackles over the last three games, leading Penn State with 11 against Purdue and tying for the team lead with seven at Iowa. He also had seven against Michigan.
- Wade is third on the team with 36 tackles.
- Wade had 11 tackles in the first four games of the season.
- Wade had a career-high two pass breakups against Michigan, including a key breakup on Michigan's last fourth down attempt late in the fourth quarter.
NOT GOING ANYWHERE ON THE GROUND
- Penn State is allowing just 66.3 yards rushing per game to rank fourth in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
- Penn State is allowing just 1.90 yards per rush to lead FBS.
- Penn State has held five of seven opponents this season to less than 100 yards rushing.
- Penn State is one of four teams (San Diego State, Utah, Wisconsin) to have held opponents to 70 or fewer rushing yards in five games this season.
- Penn State held Purdue to minus-19 yards rushing, the fewest rushing yards allowed by a Nittany Lion defense since holding Maryland to minus-32 in 1978.
- The minus-19 yards rushing allowed is the second-lowest rushing yards allowed in an FBS game this season, trailing the minus-73 yards allowed by Michigan State against Tulsa in the season opener.
- The minus-19 yards rushing is the fewest allowed by Penn State in a Big Ten game. The previous low was minus-12 yards rushing allowed to Purdue in 1998.
- The minus-19 yards rushing allowed is the fifth-fewest rushing yards allowed by Penn State since 1947.
- The minus-19 yards rushing allowed are the seventh-fewest given up by a Big Ten team since 2000.
- Three of the five lowest rushing yard allowed totals under Franklin have been established this season, with minus-19 yards allowed to Purdue, 4 yards allowed to Idaho and 24 yards allowed to Pitt.
TOTAL DEFENSE
- Penn State ranks 12th in FBS and fourth in the Big Ten allowing just 282.1 yards per game.
- Penn State has held three opponents under 150 yards of total offense this season (145, Idaho; 128, Maryland; 104, Purdue). It's the first time since at least 1971 that the Nittany Lions have held three opponents to less than 150 yards in a season.
- Penn State, Indiana and Wisconsin are the only three teams in FBS to have three games with less than 150 yards of total offense allowed this season. Since 2000, Michigan (2015) and Ohio State (2007) are the only other Big Ten teams to accomplish the feat.
- The Nittany Lions are the first team in FBS to have held three opponents to 150 total yards or less in a single season since Boston College did so against four opponents in 2016.
- The 104 yards allowed by Penn State against Purdue are the second-fewest given up by the Lions in a Big Ten game and the fewest since giving up 87 to Rutgers in 2016.
MORE DEFENSIVE FEATS
- Penn State limited Purdue to eight first downs, the third time this season that the Nittany Lions have held a team to 10 or fewer first downs (5 vs. Idaho; 10 at Maryland)
- The eight first downs given up against Purdue is tied for the fifth-fewest allowed by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game (8 vs. Iowa in 1996; 8 vs. Iowa in 2007).
- The eight first downs allowed is the second-lowest allowed by Penn State in a Big Ten contest under head coach James Franklin (5 at Rutgers; 2016) and is tied for the third fewest overall allowed under Franklin.
- The 68 passing yards allowed at Maryland are tied for the seventh-fewest given up by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game.