Three defining moments from Penn State's loss to Michigan State
Penn State Nittany Lions football suffered its fifth loss of the season on the road to No. 12 Michigan State on Saturday, 30-27.
Let’s dive into the three defining moments.
1. Michigan State’s fourth down heroics strike key blow
Michigan State faced fourth-and-15 from the Penn State 20-yard line late in the fourth quarter with a 3-point lead.
The Spartans chose to take their chances and go for it in the snow. They’d struggled in the kicking game all afternoon with their depth chart depleted at that position.
Wideout Jayden Reed rewarded Mel Tucker’s gamble with what proved to be the game-sealing play.
He rose up over Penn State defensive back Johnny Dixon in the corner of the end zone and came down with a phenomenal catch.
The Spartans touchdown came after Nittany Lion running back Keyvone Lee fumbled and turned the ball over for Penn State for the first time on the day.
Michigan State made the most of its opportunity, extending its lead back to two scores for the first time since the first quarter.
Penn State compounded its problems on the ensuing kickoff, when John Lovett fumbled and Michigan State recovered. The Nittany Lions never truly posed a threat thereafter.
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2. Penn State fails in short yardage again
The Nittany Lions ventured deep into Michigan State territory early in the fourth quarter, looking to take the lead.
Facing fourth-and-1 from the Michigan State 16-yard line, the Nittany Lions dialed up an inside run for Lee, who had produced well up until this point in the game.
Lee danced in the backfield, and the Penn State offensive line got torn to shreds as he was stuffed.
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The Nittany Lions failed to convert, and didn’t get back into Michigan State territory until a desperation drive in the final moments.
3. No field position, no problem for Spartans
James Franklin made a pair of early decisions to punt facing fourth-and-short near midfield.
The first of those choices looked good after an excellent Jordan Stout punt pinned the Spartans at their own 1-yard line, but the Michigan State offense had other ideas.
Star running back Kenneth Walker III rushed for 35 yards on the first play of that drive, and added another 15 on the second play.
Before long, the Spartans were in the red zone, where Payton Thorne connected with Tre Mosley for a nine-yard touchdown pass.
The great drive for Michigan State erased the field position play Franklin had tried to make, as the Spartans put points on the board to make it a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
The Nittany Lions clawed their way back in front in the third quarter, but every point was crucial in this game, and Michigan State’s ability to turn a poor situation into seven points proved key.
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Bonus: Penn State’s Jordan Stout’s missed field goal and extra point
It’s hard not to think about what could have been had Jordan Stout not failed to connect on a short field goal late in the second quarter and another extra point in the third.
Those four points, theoretically, could have proven decisive in Penn State’s favor given how the rest of the game played out.
