DETROIT - No. 11 Penn State (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) dominated Michigan State (4-8, 2-7 Big Ten) in the Land Grant Trophy game, out-gaining the Spartans 586 to 53 en route to a 42-0 shutout victory.
It was the combination of outstanding offense and stifling defense that led the Nittany Lions to the win in their first Black Friday matchup since the 1982 season. Penn State produced 10 20-plus yard plays on offense and held Michigan State to -35 rushing yards on defense in the outstanding complimentary win.
Quarterback Drew Allar led the Nittany Lion offense in its dominant performance, going 17-26 for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Allar tossed two 50-plus yard passes as the Penn State offense ran circles around the Spartans. In relief of Allar, Beau Pribula recorded both a rushing and a passing touchdown in the game.
Penn State's running back duo shined against the Spartans. Kaytron Allen posted a career-best 137 rushing yards on just 15 carries, a 9.1 yards-per-carry average. Allen recorded two 40-plus-yard runs in his career day and added a receiving touchdown to his final line. Nicholas Singleton toted the ball 18 times, gaining 118 yards on the ground, including a 14-yard touchdown run. The Shillington, Pa. native also led Penn State's receiving corps with 68 yards through the air, including a career-long 53-yard reception in the first quarter. Both Allen and Singleton finished with 100-plus rushing yards, marking the first time a Penn State rushing tandem both eclipsed the century mark in the same game since Will Levis (108) and Journey Brown (103) did it in 2019.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions recorded their third shutout win of the season, punishing the Spartans behind the line of scrimmage to do so. Penn State recorded 12 tackles for loss in the game, including seven sacks, yielding -35 rushing yards to the Spartans in the game. Adisa Isaac led the Nittany Lions with seven total tackles, including sack number 7.5 this season. Manny Diaz' unit allowed just 53 total yards of offense and five first downs to Michigan State.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Nittany Lions got on the board on their opening drive on a 49-yard field goal by Alex Felkins. Allar threw for 38 of Penn State's 43 yards in its opening drive as he led the Nittany Lions down the field for the opening score.
Penn State got the ball right back on Jaylen Reed's second career interception. Reed picked off Michigan State quarterback Katin Houser at the Penn State nine-yard line, ending the Spartans' first drive of the game and giving Allar and the Nittany Lion offense the ball back. Penn State moved 68 yards down the field, thanks to a 50-yard scamper by Allen, but a missed field goal kept them from adding to their scoring total.
A 53-yard catch-and-run by Singleton had the Nittany Lions rolling on their next drive, as they went 71 yards on the eight-play trip down the field and tacked on another field goal to take a 6-0 advantage at the 12:11 mark of the second quarter.
Penn State scored its first touchdown on the day on its next drive as Allar found Allen on a two-yard touchdown pass with 4:51 to play in the opening half. The Nittany Lions drove 64 yards on 10 plays before Allar threw his 21st touchdown pass of the season to put the Nittany Lions up 13-0. Penn State would take its 13-point lead into the locker room at halftime.
An eight-yard touchdown pass by Pribula to Tyler Warren extended the Penn State lead at the 10:13 mark of the third quarter. The Nittany Lions converted a two-point conversion with a pass from Allar to Lambert-Smith to go up 21-0 on the Spartans.
Penn State scored once again, this time on a drive sparked by a 60-yard pass from Allar to Omari Evans. Evans was tripped up at the Michigan State two-yard line on his long reception, but a rushing touchdown by Pribula capped off the Nittany Lions' six-play, 74-yard scoring drive. Penn State established its 28-0 advantage at the 4:13 mark of the third quarter.
Early in the fourth quarter, Allar tacked on another touchdown to his line, this time a 21-yard strike to Theo Johnson with 12:29 left to play. On the heels of a 38-yard punt return by Daequan Hardy, the Nittany Lions needed to go just 28 yards to find the end zone.
A 14-yard rushing score by Singleton put Penn State up 42-0 with 7:58 to play. The Nittany Lions would hold on and complete the shutout, 42-0.
The 2023 Penn State football season is presented by PSECU.
