Penn State pass rush against MSU pass protection
It doesn't matter who starts at quarterback for the Spartans — neither Drew Stanton nor Brian Hoyer will be effective if they don't have time to throw. Last week, Minnesota's Willie VanDeSteeg sacked MSU quarterbacks four times.
This week, the Spartans run into one of the Big Ten's best pass rushes. Penn State is second in the conference with 33 sacks in 11 games, and they have two defensive linemen — Jay Alford and Ed Johnson — who have at least five sacks on the season.
MSU will be starting the same offensive line it did against Minnesota, and it'll need to improve if the MSU quarterbacks and wide receivers have any chance of getting into a rhythm.
MSU kicker against Penn State kicker
It's supposed to rain today and Sunday in the State College, Pa. So, maybe that rain sneaks its way into Saturday and somehow the game becomes a sloppy affair in which field position and special teams will decide the outcome. If that happens, both teams have solid kickers to fall back on.
For MSU, it's freshman Brett Swenson, who has been the bright spot during the dim season. He's 13-of-15 on field goals and a perfect 32-of-32 on extra points. Penn State's Kevin Kelly has been less accurate than Swenson, going 19-27 through 11 games. But those 19 field goals are tied for the second most in all of NCAA Division I-A football.
MSU running backs against Penn State linebackers
Paul Posluszny, Dan Connor and Sean Lee compose one of the best linebacking corps in the country. Posluszny, winner of the 2005 Bednarik and Butkus Awards, has 100 total tackles on the season, while Connor has 96 and Lee has 81.
It's called "Linebacker U" for a reason.
It'll be tough for MSU's running backs to find many seams to run through, especially with the Spartans' constantly changing offensive line that has been decimated by injuries. Sophomore running back Javon Ringer is coming back from a severe knee sprain, and junior running back Jehuu Caulcrick fell short on several fourth-down situations during MSU's loss to Minnesota.
MSU against history
The Spartans haven't won in Happy Valley in a long, long time — 1965 to be exact. Things aren't looking much better this year. Penn State is fighting for a better bowl game, while MSU is fighting for … well … nothing, really.
In 2002, MSU played at Penn State under similar conditions. They had a lame-duck coach and no bowl hopes. The Nittany Lions wasted no time in putting the Green and White out of their misery, as running back Larry Johnson rushed for 279 yards and four touchdowns — in the first half.
