Penn State-Michigan State start time announced: What time and TV channel will it be on?
Penn State will close out its regular season with a visit from Michigan State. The Spartans visit on Senior Day at Beaver Stadium. We now know when the game will start in addition to what channel it will air on.
FOX Sports One will televise the contest, which will start at 4 p.m. ET, both schools and the Big Ten Conference announced Saturday night.
Head coach James Franklin’s team is 9-2 after blasting Rutgers 55-10 on Saturday at SHI Stadium in Piscataway, N.J. It was a weird contest that saw the Lions start slow but eventually pull away by halftime as its defense started frustrating the Scarlet Knights routinely.
“Probably the thing I’m most proud of, with the staff and the players is, as you guys know, we don’t report injuries, but we’ve had a lot of moving parts,” Lions coach James Franklin said. “The coaches have handled it the right way, and not allowed it to become an excuse. The players have handled it the right way.
“I also think we have some depth, and we got some young talented players that have been able to come in and step in and allow that to not be an issue for us as well. So you know, I’m proud of them, but overall good when on the road. You look at college football, and you know, winning is hard to do. We’re fortunate to be one of those this week.”
Penn State will be a large favorite over the Spartans. But, a pointspread has not yet been posted.
What’s up with Michigan State?
Michigan State is 5-6 after losing to Indiana 39-31 in double overtime. Head coach Mel Tucker’s team must now upset the Lions to make the postseason. Penn State already has bowl eligibility secured, of course, but the destination is to-be-determined.
The Spartans had won their previous two contests prior to Saturday’s setback.
“Obviously, very disappointed not being able to close this game out,” Tucker said. “We got outplayed in the second half. You can point to any aspect of the team – offense, defense or special teams – where we had opportunities to execute and didn’t do it for 60 minutes.”
Added Spartans’ quarterback Payton Thorne:
“Obviously it’s not a very exciting time in the locker room,” quarterback Payton Thorne said. “It’s silent. Guys are a little bit in disbelief of the way the game ended. It stings.”
Who will Penn State honor on Senior Day?
This is a huge question entering the week. Some players, like quarterback Sean Clifford, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher, and safety Ji’Ayir Brown, are obvious candidates. But, it will be interesting to see which players who have eligibility remaining, either the free year because of the coronavirus pandemic or just another year besides that, will be honored. The list of participants for the pregame ceremony is out on Monday.
