UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State travels to No. 12/13/7 Michigan State for its final regular season game of the 2021 campaign. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ABC. The 2021 season is presented by PSECU.
SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions will meet Michigan State for the 36th time in the series. The series is even at 17-17-1, but Penn State has won the last two matchups. In 2020, the Nittany Lions earned a 39-24 win in Beaver Stadium. Sean Clifford threw for two touchdowns, both to Parker Washington, and rushed for another. Jahan Dotson caught eight passes for 108 yards and scored on an 81-yard punt return. The Nittany Lion defense registered 10 tackles for loss and four sacks, while Jaquan Brisker collected nine tackles and an interception.
SECOND SHUTOUT: Penn State notched its second shutout of the season last Saturday, holding Rutgers scoreless. The Scarlet Knights punted on 10 of its first 11 drives with the other drive ending the first half and its final three drives ending in a turnover on downs, an interception and the end of the game. Rutgers crossed the 50-yard line on only one drive. The Nittany Lions also shutout Indiana this season, marking the first time Penn State has shutout two conference opponents since joining the Big Ten in 1993.
LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD: Arnold Ebiketie continued his incredible season with five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a strip-sack against Rutgers. Ebiketie has at least one tackle for loss in seven-straight games this season. Ebiketie leads the Big Ten with 16.0 tackles for loss and ranks second among Power Five defensive linemen. He's also third in the Big Ten in sacks (9.5) and third among Power Five defensive linemen in total tackles (58). Among Ebiketie's 16.0 tackles for loss, 13.5 have come against Big Ten opponents (eight games) and 8.5 of 9.5 sacks have come against conference foes.
THE OPPOSITION: Michigan State is 9-2 this season, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play. Last Saturday, the Spartans fell 56-7 at Ohio State. On the season, Michigan State is third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (32.1 ppg) and fourth in total offense (463.4). RB Kenneth Walker III paces the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,498), rushing yards per game (136.2) and rushing touchdowns (17). On defense, the Spartans are allowing 25.6 points (11th in the Big Ten) and 463.4 total yards (14th). S Xavier Henderson leads the team with 89 tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
- Michigan State is 9-2 this season, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play.
- This is Mel Tucker's second season as head coach at Michigan State after being hired in February 2020. He is 11-7 in his time with the Spartans.
- The Spartans own two wins over AP Top 25 teams this season, No. 24 Miami (38-17) and No. 6 Michigan (37-33).
- Michigan State's offense ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring (32.1 ppg), fourth in total yards (429.1), sixth in passing offense (243.3) and sixth in rushing offense (185.8).
- RB Kenneth Walker III paces the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,498), rushing yards per game (136.2), good for second nationally in both categories, and rushing touchdowns (17). He's also eighth in the nation in yards per carry (6.43).
- WR Jayden Reed sits fifth in the Big Ten in receiving yards (857) and fourth in receiving touchdowns (7).
- MIchigan State's defense sits 11th in the Big Ten in scoring defense (25.5), 14th in total defense (463.4), 14th in passing defense (339.9) and fifth in rushing defense (123.5).
- S Xavier Henderson ranks eighth in the Big Ten in tackles per game (8.1). Henderson also leads MSU with 10 tackles for loss.
- DE Jacub Panasiuk paces the Spartans' defensive line with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
- DE Jeff Pietrowski has 7.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a team-high three forced fumbles.
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 16-9 advantage in Land Grant Trophy games.
FINALISTS AND SEMIFINALISTS
- Multiple Nittany Lions have been recognized as finalists or semifinalists for national awards.
- WR Jahan Dotson is a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award.
- Dotson is also a semifinalist for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award as the only receiver among the semifinalists.
- S Jaquan Brisker is a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award and Jim Thorpe Award.
- QB Sean Clifford is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and Senior CLASS Award. He's also a semifinalist for the Wuerffel Trophy.
- K/P Jordan Stout is a Ray Guy Award semifinalist.
- DT PJ Mustipher is a Lombardi Award Semifinalist.
- LB Brandon Smith is a Butkus Award Semifinalist.
- Head Coach James Franklin is a semifinalist for the Dodd Trophy.
RUTGERS NOTES
- Penn State has won each of the last 15 matchups against the Scarlet Knights, including an 8-0 mark since Rutgers joined the Big Ten.
- The Nittany Lions recorded their second shutout of the season, having previous held Indiana scoreless.
- The result marked the first time Penn State has shut out two conference opponents in a single season since joining the Big Ten for football in 1993.
- Penn State only allowed Rutgers' offense to cross the 50-yard line on one drive, which ended in a turnover on downs in the red zone in the fourth quarter.
- Penn State has held Rutgers to less than 10 points in all eight meetings since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014, including two shutouts (2016, 2021).
- In eight meetings as Big Ten Conference foes, Penn State's defense has held Rutgers to a 4.9 scoring average.
- The Nittany Lions recorded their second shutout of the season, having previous held Indiana scoreless. The last time that Penn State had two shutouts in a season was in 2017, when the Nittany Lions defeated Akron 52-0 and Georgia State 56-0.
- The result marked the first time Penn State has shut out two conference opponents in a single season since joining the Big Ten for football in 1993.
- Penn State averaged 106,799 fans in seven home games this season, the seventh-highest average in program history and best season average since 2009.
- QB Christian Veilleux completed 15-of-24 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first Penn State true freshman QB to throw a TD since Christian Hackenberg at Wisconsin Nov. 30, 2013.
- WR Jahan Dotson's 52 receiving yards on the day gave him 1,045 for the season, marking the sixth time (fourth player) a Nittany Lion receiver had at least 1,000 receiving yards in a season.
- Dotson's touchdown grab in the second quarter gave him 23 career receiving touchdowns, putting him in sole possession of third place all-time at Penn State. Dotson's touchdown catch was also his 10th receiving touchdown of the season, moving him into a tie for fifth with Joe Jurevicius (10; 1997).
- WR Malick Meiga reached the end zone for the first time in his career, on a 67-yard strike from Veilleux in the third quarter. It was Penn State's seventh scoring play of 40+ yards this season.
- DE Arnold Ebiketie recorded 1.5 tackles for loss, giving him at least one tackle for loss in seven-straight games.
- S Jonathan Sutherland grabbed the first interception of his career in the fourth quarter.
- K/P Jordan Stout landed five punts inside the 10 and six inside the 20, while hitting two 50+ yard punts.