“The game versus Penn State, I think that's a program game,” head coach Mark Dantonio said on Tuesday. “Chance to win (game) No. 10.”

Penciling in a double digit number in the win column has become the “benchmark” for Dantonio’s Spartans as of late, and Saturday’s matchup against Penn State (6-5 overall, 2-5 Big Ten) will serve as MSU’s first opportunity of reaching that tenth victory. Kickoff between the two Land Grant Trophy rivals is set for 3:30 p.m. and will air either on ABC or ESPN2, depending on location.

The two teams enter the matchup coming from different ends of the spectrum. MSU has won its last two games by an average margin of 32 points per game, while after opening the season 4-0, Penn State has lost five of its last seven including a 16-14 disappointing loss last week at Illinois.

With Ohio State winning last week, MSU has been eliminated from the East Division race but that hasn’t changed the mindset for the players. Like Dantonio, senior free safety Kurtis Drummond is considering this game a program game because it would push MSU to another 10 win season.

“This game is a program game for us,” Drummond said. “For us to reach 10 wins again means a lot for us and it would be a great feeling.”

Solid front seven

The task of reaching No. 10 this week won’t be a walk in the park, however, because of an impressive Nittany Lion defense.

Penn State ranks first in the nation in rushing defense, averaging only 81.7 yards against per game. Overall as a unit, the Nittany Lion defense only surrenders 267.2 yards and 16.2 points per game, which rank No. 3 and No. 4 in all of college football.

“If you look at them statistically, they’re really, really good and you can see why,” co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach Dave Warner said. “There’s no weakness, they have a lot of really good football players and there’s a couple of guys that stand out, but I think across the board they’re all very good.”

Remembering the 2010 trip

Not a lot of the guys who were on the 2010 Big Ten Championship team are around anymore, but the few that are still remember the game — whether they were there at Beaver Stadium or watching from home.

Senior wide receiver Tony Lippett said he is the only player left on the MSU roster that made the trip out to Penn State in 2010. He remembered how cold it was that day and how lively Beaver Stadium was, but most importantly remembered how it was a launching point for the program.

“It just set our standards higher,” Lippett said. “I mean, I know it was one of our goals to win a Big Ten Championship and the next goal was to win a Big Ten Championship and go to the Rose Bowl and it just kept us hungry.”

Senior running back Jeremy Langford wasn’t lucky enough to make the trip to University Park, Pa. in 2010 but still felt like he was part of the event. Langford said he watched the game at home and just remembers how much the victory and championship meant to Dantonio.

“I was young but I knew it was something that we hadn’t done in a long time and it was very important to Coach D, and he emphasized that a lot in practice,” Langford said. “... Me watching the game it felt like I was there when we won on that last onside kick.”

Penn State ties

Saturday’s matchup against Penn State will have a little bit more on the line for at least seven Spartans who call Pennsylvania home.

The road trip out east will be a homecoming for seven MSU players, including sophomore defensive back Demetrious Cox. The Jeannette, Pa. native is expected to get some action at cornerback this week and it’ll be in front of a large personal fan section.

When asked how many tickets Cox will need, he responded saying his dad is getting a bus together to bring down from his hometown of Jeannette that’ll be carrying 18 to 22 friends and family.

Like Cox, sophomore running back Delton Williams has Pennsylvania ties and will have his share of family members making the trip to Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Williams, originally from Erie, Pa., said his ties to the state range from his hometown to the Nittany Lions.

Williams was recruited by Penn State but had his offer revoked after getting into “a little trouble” during his junior season. He eventually worked his way back to earning a scholarship offer from the Nittany Lions, but MSU’s interest throughout the entire process was his reasoning for choosing the Spartans over his home state team.

“The Spartans were there the whole time so I felt like they never gave up on me,” Williams said. “I’m coming from PA so (when) they took my offer away from me, I’m like, ‘well (MSU) is showing me more character than my hometown’ and so I think I can trust them more than I can trust Penn State.”