What they're saying about Penn State football's loss to Michigan State
Penn State Nittany Lions football closed its regular season with a 30-27 defeat on the road to Michigan State on Saturday.
Here’s what they’re saying about the loss:
Nate Bauer, BWI, Penn State slow defensive start too steep to climb in Michigan State loss
“One of the most stout units in the program’s recent history, the Nittany Lions entered their game with Michigan State with four previous losses. But in keeping every opponent under 26 points scored offensively, deep holes had not been an issue on the 2021 season.
Michigan State upended that.
Immediately marching down the snowy Spartan Stadium field Saturday afternoon, Michigan State scored on its first possession. Traversing 76 yards on just eight plays, the Spartans’ running back Kenneth Walker cashed in with a 2-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
After a quick three-and-out for the Nittany Lions, the next possession for the hosts looked much the same.
This time, a 35-yard carry for Walker was the first of four chunk plays for the Spartans. Needing to escape from their goal line, a 99-yard, 10-play drive was capped when quarterback Payton Thorne hooked up with Tre Mosley for another touchdown.
With more than 21 minutes left in the half, the Nittany Lions had surrendered more first-quarter points than in any other game this season.
“That’s not like us to give up 14 points in the first quarter,” safety Ji’Ayir Brown said. “It was a very slow start. We didn’t execute. Guys have to come out fast, we have to come out more aggressive and we have to execute more on plays.”
David Eckert, BWI, Penn State football: James Franklin explains timeout before missed field goal in Michigan State loss
“In the aftermath of Penn State’s 30-27 loss to Michigan State in East Lansing, it’s difficult to look past the obvious missed opportunities the Nittany Lions had to put points on the board in such a tight contest.
The most glaring of those came with 56 seconds remaining in the first half.
Penn State kicker Jordan Stout missed a 27-yard field goal that would have tied the game as the two teams entered their respective locker rooms at the half-time interval.
Some questioned Penn State head coach James Franklin’s use of a timeout before Stout’s kick. Did he unintentionally “ice” his own kicker in snowy, cold conditions inside Spartan Stadium?
Franklin was asked about his decision postgame.
“We were just trying to burn as much time off the clock as possible, so after we kick the field goal we leave them with the least amount of time as possible,” Franklin said.
Stout’s kick was pushed wide of the right upright. The initial snap was slightly high, but holder Rafael Checa did well to bring it down in time for Stout to put his leg through it.
Still, the execution of the field goal unit as a whole was far from flawless.
Stout also missed an extra point in this game after Penn State nickel corner Daequan Hardy intercepted Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne and returned it for a touchdown.
In total, Penn State’s kicking game left four points off the board when those four points could have swung this game in the Nittany Lions’ favor.”
Greg Pickel, BWI, Penn State offense picks wrong game for balance; why didn’t it pass more?: One Big Thing
“Penn State attempted the fewest passes of any Big Ten opponent that played the nation’s worst pass defense this season on Saturday.
That decision, in part, led to a 30-27 loss at Michigan State inside of Spartan Stadium.
The Lions (7-5) attempted 34 passes compared to 26 runs on a snowy, and at times windy, day here. If that was the reason for not attacking the biggest weakness Michigan State had, then so be it. That was not pointed to, however, following the game.
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“We were trying to mix the run game all day long, try to help our offensive linemen in protection, but obviously we weren’t able to run the ball consistently enough like we needed to,” Penn State coach James Franklin said
“We felt like we needed to mix the run game in the entire game.”
In the end, it led to far too many situations where an attack that averaged 13.6 yards per completion compared to 2.3 yards per carry relied entirely too much on something it hasn’t done well all season. That’s running the ball, of course. Michigan State invited the Lions to try and force their ground game to work with light boxes, especially in the second half. It didn’t run well enough.
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Before a late drive that pulled Penn State to within three, it actually had 24 runs compared to 23 passes. So, pull out that final possession, where the Lions were down 10, and it’s clear that balance was the goal.
It is unclear why.
Michigan State entered the game with the No. 130 pass defense out of 130 FBS teams. It actually held the Lions, who finished with 313 yards through the air, under their season average of 339.9 passing yards allowed.
Almost every Spartans opponent has decided to throw at will. Western Kentucky tops the list with 65 attempts. Four opponents threw it more than 50 times against head coach Mel Tucker’s team. Only two programs it has faced besides Penn State have threw it less than 40 times, and Nebraska was the lowest of all Big Ten foes at 36.”
Bob Flounders, PennLive, Penn State rapid reaction: No. 12 Michigan State 30, Nittany Lions 27
“There is no denying Stout is one of the best punters in the nation. But he has been erratic on field-goal attempts and even point-after tries. Stout missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt in the final minute of the first half and his extra-point try after Hardy’s touchdown hit the left upright and was no good. Stout has missed seven field-goal attempts and two extra-point tries.”
Ben Jones, StateCollege.com, Penn State football: In the big picture little details make big difference
“The margins are small. Whatever your qualms might be about Penn State’s year or the general trajectory of the past two [or more seasons] it would be unfair to say the Nittany Lions are wildly off track in the realm of being competitive at the level they would like to be. They might not be as good as you would like, but they’re not far from it. Contrary to popular belief, no, they aren’t bad.“
Connor Muldowney, Fansided, Michigan State Football: 3 takeaways from huge win over Penn State
“Michigan State had the right game plan and did everything it needed to in order to hold on for a big win over a tough Penn State team that’s probably better than its 7-5 record. The Spartans weren’t afraid to throw the ball despite the heavy snowfall and did a solid job through the air and they mixed in the run well.”
Chris Solari, Detroit Free Press, Michigan State football overcomes myriad of illnesses, injuries to win home finale
“Payton Thorne looked to his left and smiled at Kenneth Walker III.
Michigan State football’s Heisman Trophy candidate just ploughed through Penn State’s defense for 138 yards, tying his career high with 30 carries and absorbing one hit after another.
All while playing sick.
“This guy right here sucked it up pretty good,” Thorne said of Walker, who also scored in the 13th-ranked Spartans’ 30-27 win over Penn State. “He was hurting yesterday, and I’m sure he’s still not feeling great.”
