If the Spartans hope to muster any sort of offensive attack against Penn State, they'll have to find some way to handle one of the nation's best defensive fronts.
From end to end, the Nittany Lions' defensive line is stacked. But it's senior defensive end Michael Haynes who's making the biggest waves.
The 6-3, 268-pounder leads the Big Ten in sacks (13.5), tackles for loss (20 for 131 yards) and forced fumbles (7). Haynes needs just two sacks on Saturday to become No. 15 Penn State's all-time single season sack leader, breaking Larry Kubin's 1979 record of 15.
But with a defensive tackle like Jimmy Kennedy in the middle of the line, Haynes knows he can't take all the credit. Kennedy, a preseason All-American, is a semifinalist for the 33rd Rotary Lombardi Award, which is given to the nation's top lineman or linebacker.
"Us as a defense coming in, our goal was to be the best in the country," Haynes said. "We're almost there."
What makes the Nittany Lions (8-3 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) so dominant is their impressive run defense, which ranks 14th in the nation at 100.5 yards per game.
"My job in the run game is to hold the edge and keep contain," Haynes said. "Once I do that, Jimmy just comes up and makes the tackle."
That might seem like a simple philosophy, but it's worked all season. Penn State has allowed just three opponents to rush for more than 100 yards, with only Iowa's Fred Russell pilling up 100-plus yards on his own.
In fact, against Northwestern (3-8, 1-6) the Nittany Lions allowed just nine yards on 30 carries.
"This front four, I think, will be the best we've played all year," MSU junior right tackle Steve Stewart said. "It's going to be tough across the board."
When asked if he thought Penn State's front four is better than Iowa's, Stewart didn't hesitate to answer, "I think they're better."
When the Spartans (4-7, 2-5) played the Hawkeyes on Oct. 12, MSU was held to just 55 yards rushing and gave up four sacks.
But freshman tailback Jaren Hayes said the Spartans can't be concerned with the numbers.
"You can't go out there and play scared," he said. "If we go out there and play hard you never know. If we go in there confident we'll be all right."
But don't be misled, the Spartans will certainly have their eyes on a playmaker like Haynes.
"He plays both the run and the pass really well," said Morris Watts, MSU's interim head coach. "You've got a pretty good defense when you can dominate the front like these people have been able to do."
If MSU plays like it has the last two weeks the Spartans should have a chance. Since Watts took over, MSU has averaged 406 yards of total offense per game.
But Haynes and the Nittany Lions aren't worried.
"They still want to run the ball, then get the ball to (junior wide receiver Charles) Rogers," he said. "They haven't changed that.
"We definitely know coming into the game that we have to stop the run. After that, all we're going to do is tee-off on the pass."
For Haynes and the rest of Penn State's seniors, Saturday will be their last game in Beaver Stadium. So despite the fact that the Nittany Lions have already secured a bowl bid, they have plenty to play for.
Haynes, like any senior wants to win, but a good performance could net him the inaugural Ted Hendricks Defensive Tackle of the Year Award. He said being a finalist feels great, but that the Nittany Lions can't afford to start looking to a bowl game or personal achievements yet.
"It'd be kind of foolish for me to go out there and focus on winning some award," Haynes said. "That's how we lose a game. My No. 1 thing is to win.
"But I definitely think when everything is said and done I will look back on my senior year."
Eric McKinney can be reached at mckinn54@msu.edu.
