Michigan State game breakdown
Chris Masse analyzes the matchups at Michigan State
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Penn State
Offense: PSU took the training wheels off Ethan Grunkemeyer, and he took off against one of the country's stingier defenses. Continued
downfield success can work wonders for loosening the load on Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton. And in a sight for sore eyes, Lions even had a receiver nearly reach 100 yards with Trebor Pena going for 99.
Defense: The good news is the defense harassed one of the country's best offenses and made it look average at best for most of the game. The bad news is it could not close the deal -- again. Just like against Oregon and Iowa and UCLA to a degree, the defense came up short when the game was on its shoulders. Still, it was an encouraging performance going forward.
Special teams: For the first time since the opener, the return game gave a bit of a spark with Singleton taking a kickoff 33 yards. It's not much, but it's a whole lot better than recent games. Ryan Barker has missed just one kick this year and that came on a block. He's 27-of-31 on field goal tries since winning the starting job early last season.
Coaching/intangibles: Terry Smith came about as close as one can to matching James Franklin's victory total against top-five ranked opponents in his third game. Alas, the stench of Franklin's failures is hard to wash away. Still, the Lions played with a fight which seemed lacking since the Oregon game and gives Penn State fans something missing for a while -- hope.
Michigan State
Offense: Alessio Milivojevic played his best collegiate game last week, throwing for 311 yards and a touchdown. He paid a price, though, and was sacked seven times. Spartans scored 31 or more points in three of first four games but have not reached 30 since. They have especially struggled running the ball, ranking 14th in the Big Ten, although Elijah Tau-Tolliver ran for 127 last week.
Defense: Spartans are allowing the most points per game (31.4) of any Big Ten team. Minnesota became the first conference team in six games to not score 31 against Michigan State. Worse yet for Spartans, they are equally bad at both defending the run and pass. They have just three interceptions and have forced six turnovers in nine games. Linebacker Jordan Hall has 70 tackles.
Special teams: For the first time in a while, Penn State is not going against one of the Big Ten's best kickers. Martin Connington has missed four of 13 field goal tries and has limited range, going 1-of-4 from 40 yards or longer. Punter Ryan Eckley, however, is leading Big Ten in yards per kick at 49.7. He also is placing them well, dropping 12 of 33 inside the 20-yard line.
Coaching/intangibles: Jonathan Smith revived a dormant Oregon State program, but it took a few years to get things going there. Time will tell how it plays out in East Lansing, but he's started slow there as well, going 8-13 in his first two seasons. More disappointing is the lack of Big Ten success. The Spartans are 0-6 this season and 3-12 the past two.
Advantages: Offense, defense and special teams for PSU, coaching/intangibles for MSU.
Masse’s prediction record: 7-2
Masse’s prediction: Someone snaps a six-game losing streak and stays bowl eligible. That PSU would be in this position entering the season seemed incomprehensible. The Lions looked more like the team they were supposed to be last week, so they are the pick, albeit not a confident one. Penn State 27, Michigan State 20