Penn State 42, Michigan State 0: An Exclamation Point for the Lions
Penn State punctuated another 10-win regular season with a thorough routing of Michigan State on Friday in Detroit, putting together its most dynamic Big Ten game of the season. The Nittany Lions turned Drew Allar loose, got two 100-yard rushing games for the first time this season and unsheathed their explosive-play offense in a 42-0 victory over the Spartans at Ford Field.
Penn State rolled up a season-high 586 yards of offense and scored touchdowns on four second-half possessions. Meanwhile, Manny Diaz's potentially final defense at Penn State was a boa constrictor, giving up a season-low 53 yards of offense and making seven sacks.
Penn State finished its fifth 10-2 regular season in eight years under head coach James Franklin, who also improved to 20-0 against teams other than Michigan and Ohio State over the past two seasons. Now, a likely New Year's 6 bowl bid awaits. Until then, the breakdown of a bright night on Black Friday.
The Turning Point
After spending last week's second half trying to stretch out his right arm and shoulder, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar looked like he would need more than a short week to recover. Then he does this.
This 60-yard pass to Omari Evans, Allar's second-longest completion of the season, simultaneously represented the offense's immense promise and biggest what-if. Had Penn State been able to stretch the field more earlier this season, who knows how that would have impacted games against Ohio State and Michigan?
Allar showed no signs of being limited following the injury. He threw for 292 yards and two scores, his second-highest passing total of the season. Quite a bookend, too, since Allar began the year with a hugely promising 325 yards and three scores against West Virginia.
Welcome back, explosive offense
Through 11 games, Penn State had two offensive plays of 40+ yards. The Lions produced four in this game alone, restoring the big-play offense that Franklin has defined as a primary goal as Penn State's coach.
Kaytron Allen (15 carries for a career-high 137 yards) delivered his two longest plays, carries of 50 and 40 yards. Fellow running back Nicholas Singleton rushed for a season-high 118 yards and made a 53-yard catch. And, of course, Evans made the big play.
In all, Penn State had 10 plays of 20+ yards or more. That was one-third of its total through 11 games.
Penn State's defense strikes big
It seemed unlikely that Penn State could match its defensive performance against Iowa, which it held to 76 total yards. Yet the Lions were even better, shutting out Michigan State and holding it to 53 yards of offense. The exclamation point was a Keon Wylie sack on the Spartans' final play. The Lions finished with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss. The Spartans finished with an astonishing minus-35 yards rushing (sacks included).
Michigan State had seven offensive series in the second half. Six were three-and-outs, as the Spartans managed one first down. Adisa Isaac played a monster game (seven tackles, 1.5 for loss), and Abdul Carter had two sacks before leaving the game with an injury.
Penn State's early missed opportunities
The Nittany Lions compiled 197 yards of offense on their first three drives, produced as many 50-yard plays as they have all season and totaled an impressive 86 yards after catch. And they scored six points.
The keys: two penalties (including a rare holding on left tackle Olu Fashanu) and missed blitz pickups that led to sacks on a pair of third-and-longs. Penn State settled for three field-goal attempts on those drives. Alex Felkins made two, including a 49-yarder, but also hit an upright.
Didn't matter, though, as the Lions outscored Michigan State 29-0 in the second half. They even converted the first successful two-point play in two years.
Injury Report
Tough injury day for the Nittany Lions, who lost four starters at times. Penn State's defense lost a key player in linebacker Abdul Carter, who left the game following a third-and long on Michigan State's first series of the second half. Carter had blitzed for the second of his two sacks on the previous play. Edge rusher Chop Robinson began the second half on the sideline after getting stepped on late in the first half but did return.
The Lions also lost both left guards, JB Nelson and Vega Ioane, to injuries. Nick Dawkins replaced Ioane, who replaced Nelson. Ioane did return. In addition, receiver Harrison Wallace III did not play for the third consecutive game following the upper-body injury he sustained against Indiana.
Up Next
Penn State awaits its bowl destination. The New Year's 6 bowl games will be announced Dec. 3.
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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.
