The MSU football team has virtually nothing to play for in the last week of conference play.
The Spartans (4-7 overall, 2-5 Big Ten) sit alone in eighth place in the Big Ten standings, and their final push for a bowl bid was thwarted last week in a zany 45-42 loss to Purdue (5-6, 3-4) at Spartan Stadium.
But senior offensive guard Paul Harker said in addition to playing for pride, ending the season with a win is enough incentive to play hard.
"This is the last game we'll play together with these guys," he said. "It's the last game we'll play under this particular coaching staff, so I think we have just as much motivation to go out there and to give it our all."
MSU concludes a tumultuous season on the road against No. 15 Penn State at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Beaver Stadium.
Compared to MSU, the Nittany Lions (8-3, 4-3) seem to have an advantage in terms of motivation. Penn State looks to solidify fourth place in the conference with a victory, and running back Larry Johnson is gunning for 2,000 yards rushing, and it's the last home game for the seniors in Happy Valley.
From watching film, interim head coach Morris Watts said he is impressed with the Nittany Lions.
"You can't quite figure out why they're not at the top of the heap," Watts said. "When you see how well they've played and the talent level that they have, they could easily be at the top."
Penn State's three losses - two in overtime - have come by a combined 16 points to No. 2 Ohio State, No. 5 Iowa and No. 12 Michigan. Conversely, four of the Spartans' seven defeats have come by more than 21 points.
A look at recent history between the two teams doesn't favor the Green and White.
MSU leads the all-time series 10-8-1. But since the Nittany Lions joined the conference in 1993, they have won seven of nine meetings, including a perfect 4-0 at home.
In the last two meetings at Beaver Stadium, Penn State triumphed 51-28 in 1998 and 42-23 in 2000. The Spartans know that has nothing to do with this year, however, it seems to be on their minds.
"We don't want to go down there and have what happened to us two years ago happen," sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell said. "It just depends what team shows up on both sides. I would think we can go out there and give it all we got."
Senior strong safety Thomas Wright said a win would be a perfect finish to the season and his Spartan career.
"Last time in Happy Valley we got demolished," he said. "That would be the highlight of my season if I could go down there and at least come out with a win."
For the Spartans to pull the upset, they'll need to stop Johnson, who has averaged 223.4 rushing yards per game and emerged as a Heisman candidate in the last five contests. This season he has 1,736 yards - 264 yards shy of 2,000.
Johnson's chances at reaching the milestone aren't improbable considering he has eclipsed that mark twice this season - a school-record 327 yards last week against Indiana and 279 yards No. 2 against Illinois.
MSU's defense, which has allowed 197.8 rushing yards per game, anticipates Penn State will make an effort to get Johnson to the 2,000-yard mark.
"We're going to do everything we can to stop him from getting it," sophomore linebacker Ronald Stanley said. "I think it would be a big plus for our defense coming into next year."
