UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 11/10 Penn State welcomes Michigan State on Saturday at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on FS1. The 2022 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.
SERIES HISTORY: Penn State meets Michigan State for the 37th time in program history. The Spartans have a slight edge in the series, 18-17-1. In snowy conditions, Penn State fell 30-27 last season in East Lansing. Sean Clifford threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns. Jahan Dotson caught eight passes for 137 yards and two scores, while Parker Washington had four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown. Daequan Hardy had a 17-yard pick-six in the third quarter.
FRANKLIN'S 100TH WIN: Penn State head coach James Franklin earned his 100th career win last Saturday against Rutgers. He became the 27th active FBS coach with 100 career wins. He is one of nine active coaches with at least 75% of their wins coming at one FBS school. Of the 17 coaches with 100 wins at the FBS level, Franklin is one of seven with all of their first 100 wins coming while coaching at a Power Five program and one of 10 active coaches with 100 wins as a Power Five coach. Franklin is the first African-American FBS head coach to reach 100 career wins.
FRESHMAN RB DUO: With Kaytron Allen's 117 rushing yards against Rutgers, Allen (748 rushing yards) and Nicholas Singleton (863 rushing yards) became the first freshman duo in Big Ten history to both rush for 700+ yards in a season. Since 2000, Allen and Singleton are one of four FBS true freshman duos over 700 yards in a season. They are Penn State's seventh 700+ rushing yards duo.
SCORING IN MULTIPLE WAYS: Penn State scored three non-offensive touchdowns at Rutgers with two fumble returns and a kickoff return for touchdowns. Ji'Ayir Brown (70 yards) and Kobe King (14 yards) scored on fumble returns, while Nicholas Singleton had a 100-yard kickoff return. PSU had three non-offensive touchdowns in a game for the first time since 1998 vs. Bowling Green and recorded touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams for the first time since 2017 against Indiana.
THE OPPOSITION: Michigan State is 5-6 overall and 3-5 in Big Ten play. The Spartans fell 39-31 in two overtimes against Indiana last Saturday. The Spartans tallied 540 total yards, including 242 on the ground. Payton Thorne threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, while Jalen Berger rushed for 119 yards and Elijah Collins collected 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 700 x 2: Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton became the first freshman duo in Big Ten history to each rush for 700+ yards in a season.
- 100th: Head Coach James Franklin earned his 100th career win in Penn State's 55-10 victory over Rutgers.
- 26: Twenty-six Penn State players have recorded at least a full tackle for loss this season.
- 3: Penn State had three non-offensive touchdowns against Rutgers, scoring on two fumble recoveries and a kickoff return.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN STATE
- This is Mel Tucker's third season as head coach at Michigan State after being hired in February 2020. He is 18-12 in his time with the Spartans.
- Michigan State is 5-6 this season, including a 3-5 mark in Big Ten play.
- The Spartans own wins over Western Michigan (35-13), Akron (52-0), Wisconsin (34-28, 2 OT), No. 16 Illinois (23-15) and Rutgers (27-21).
- Michigan State's offense ranks eighth in the Big Ten in scoring offense (25.2 ppg), ninth in total offense (362.0 ypg), fifth in passing offense (241.0) and 12th in rushing offense (121.0).
- QB Payton Thorne ranks third in the Big Ten in total passing yards (2,450) and fourth in passing touchdowns (18).
- WR Keon Coleman sits fifth in the conference in receiving yards per game (64.3), while WR Jayden Reed sits seventh (60.0).
- The Spartans' defense ranks 10th in the Big Ten in scoring defense (26.7 ppg), 12th in total defense (417.1 ypg), 13th in passing defense (236.8) and 11th in rushing defense (180.3).
- Michigan State owns three players who are Top 10 in the Big Ten in tackles per game: Cal Haladay ranks second (9.9), Kendell Brooks ranks fifth (9.3) and Ben VanSumeren ranks ninth (7.7).
- Haladay is also tied for the team lead with 10.5 tackles for loss.
- Brooks has forced three fumbles this season.
- P Bryce Baringer leads the country with a 48.4 punt average and has placed 20 of 45 punts inside the 20.
FRANKLIN EARNS 100TH CAREER WIN
- Penn State's win over Rutgers was the 100th career win for head coach James Franklin.
- Franklin owns a career record of 100-51, a .662 winning percentage, and a 76-36 mark, a .679 winning percentage, at Penn State.
- Franklin has led his team to a bowl game in 11 of his 12 seasons and has guided Penn State to three New Year's Six Bowls.
- Since 2016, Franklin's .721 winning percentage (62-24) ranks sixth among FBS coaches.
- Franklin became the 27th active FBS coach with 100 career wins.
- He joined 16 other active coaches with 100 wins at the FBS level.
- Of the active coaches with 100 career wins, Franklin is one of nine with at least 75% of their wins coming at one FBS school.
- Of the 17 current coaches with 100 career wins at the FBS level, Franklin is one of seven with all of their first 100 wins coming while coaching at a Power Five program.
- Eleven active coaches have 100 wins as a Power Five coach.
- Franklin is the first African-American FBS head coach to reach 100 career wins.
- Franklin earned his 100th win in his 151st career game. Only six of the 26 other current FBS coaches with 100 wins earned their 100th career win in less than 151 games while coaching only at the FBS level.
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 16-10 advantage in Land Grant Trophy games.
RUTGERS NOTES
- The Nittany Lions had three non-offensive touchdowns in a game (2 fumble returns, kickoff return) for the first time since 1998 vs. Bowling Green (2 interception returns, punt return).
- Penn State's kickoff return for a touchdown and two fumble recoveries for touchdowns marks the third occurrence of that happening in the FBS since 2000, joining USC (vs. UCLA, 2003) and Louisville (at Memphis, 2008).
- The Nittany Lions recorded touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams (1 kick return, 1 fumble return, 5 offensive) in a game for the first time since 2017 against Indiana (1 fumble return, 1 kick return, 4 offensive).
- With Kaytron Allen's 117 rushing yards on the day, Nicholas Singleton (863 rushing yards) and Allen (748 rushing yards) became the first freshman duo in Big Ten history to both rush for 700+ rushing yards in a season.
- With two defensive touchdowns, it marks the first time since 2005 (vs. Illinois) which Penn State has had multiple defensive touchdowns in a game.
- Penn State earned its second game with at least 15 tackles for loss this season (Indiana, 16; Rutgers, 15), the first time PSU has recorded 15+ tackle for loss multiple times in a season since 2018.