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The Penn State Football Report Card After a Big Win Over Michigan State

The Nittany Lions finally got their first Big Ten win of the season behind a career game from Kaytron Allen.
Mark Wogenrich|
Penn State Nittany Lions lineman Anthony Donkoh carries the Land Grant Trophy after a win over the Michigan State Spartans.
Penn State Nittany Lions lineman Anthony Donkoh carries the Land Grant Trophy after a win over the Michigan State Spartans. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Penn State hasn't celebrated like that since the Fiesta Bowl on New Year's Eve. Then again, the Nittany Lions haven't had much to celebrate in 2025.

Penn State was 3-7 since its win over Boise State in the College Football Playoff, including a six-game losing streak this season. So even a victory over a fellow winless team in the Big Ten prompted joy — and catharsis.

"Tonight, we celebrate," Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith said after the Nittany Lions' 28-10 win over Michigan State on Saturday. Beating a fellow 0-6 conference team doesn't normally elicit such joy. But in a season bereft of joy, the Nittany Lions will take any opportunity they can to empty a Gatorade jug on the coach's head.

Penn State played a pretty good game in beating a withering team, so the grades won't be perfect. However, the Nittany Lions made enough plays in key situations to end the game on their terms for the first time this season. To the report card:

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OFFENSE: B

Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen carries the ball against the Michigan State Spartans.
Penn State Nittany Lions running back Kaytron Allen carries the ball against the Michigan State Spartans. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Without Kaytron Allen, and an upgraded offensive line performance in front of him, this could have been a Penn State trainwreck. The Nittany Lions opened with a drive that lost 4 yards, blew two fourth-down attempts, punted three times and had just 58 yards rushing in the first half.

Then they put things together in the fourth quarter, overwhelming Michigan State with a 13-play touchdown drive that was all run plays (Ethan Grunkemeyer's touchdown flip to Devonte Ross was a pass by technicality). Allen (25 carries for a career-high 181 yards) ran with power, patience and attitude. He converted multiple first downs, ran around and through Spartans and finally broke their will with 68 yards on his last two carries.

Grunkemeyer made a beautiful throw to Ross for a 75-yard touchdown pass in the first half, but Penn State didn't bother throwing after that. More specifically, Grunkemeyer wisely pulled a few passing attempts because no one was open and tucked for some key gains. Penn State's offense has been anything but the rocket ship it expected to be this season. But on Saturday it finally ended a win by imposing its will.

DEFENSE: B+

Defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton is rebuilding his draft stock as the season ends. He overwhelmed Michigan State's line with two sacks and a blocked punt (his third of the season), illustrating that he can be a relentless rusher when he wants. Dennis-Sutton likely prevented a touchdown with one sack, as Michigan State had a receiver wide open downfield.

After giving up a 57-yard touchdown run on Michigan State's first offensive snap, Penn State held the Spartans to 3.5 yards per play. Michigan State converted just one third down, faced an average third-down distance of 8.7 yards and went 1-for-7 on passing attempts of 15+ yards. Coordinator Jim Knowles again brought consistent, relentless pressure, leading to five sacks and six quarterback hurries. Zion Tracy's sack-fumble was the fourth-quarter exclamation point.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A

Dennis-Sutton tied Penn State's single-season record for blocked punts with three, joining Jack Ham and Andre Collins atop the list. Punter Gabe Nwosu was superb, busting a season-long 68-yarder and averaging 46 yards per attempt. The Nittany Lions also covered punts well, allowing just 12 yards on two returns.

COACHING: B

Smith has been urging offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki for weeks to throw the ball downfield. But when Allen and Singleton found their groove in the fourth quarter, Kotelnicki wisely held off from reaching for his trick-play sheet. The furthest he went were the unbalanced formations that worked and the flip pass to Ross, which also worked.

Sure, there were some quibbles, notably on third down, where Penn State went 2-for-10. And Smith leaned too far into his aggressive plan by skipping a 40-yard field-goal attempt for a 4th-and-2 play that went really sideways. Otherwise, Smith and his staff pushed the right buttons this week, fed Allen, kept up the defensive pressure and put away the win.

OVERALL: B+

Penn State still played a better game in a loss to No. 2 Indiana, but following that with a win was important, even against a struggling Michigan State team. The Nittany Lions not only ended their losing streak but also had a memorable game-ball moment with Smith.

It was interesting that, after the win, Smith said that the Nittany Lions are "playing for our life to make a bowl game." Smith doesn't seem to want this opportunity to end.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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