It was the most emphatic win of the season for the Spartans, who will play unbeaten Iowa for the conference title next weekend. The visiting Buckeyes never trailed in this Big Ten clash, the traditional regular season-ending contest between the archrival programs, and finished 11-1 overall and 7-1 in the conference.
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The College Football Playoff committee might be capable of a surprise.
Ohio State scored on six straight possessions and you wondered whether Meyer would’ve gone for two just like Woody had the Buckeyes scored on a seventh one late in the fourth quarter.
Injuries at linebacker and defensive back this season forced Penn State to play some young players in the back seven, which showed at times.
Undefeated Iowa (12-0, 8-0) and powerful Michigan State (11-1, 7-1) will be playing for the Big Ten championship-and a lot more when they meet at Lucas Oil Stadium Dec. 5.
“There was a couple times when I was kind of gassed, especially when they were driving the ball, especially those 10- or 15-play drives”, said Wormley, Michigan’s only defensive player made available to the media following the loss.
“Sitting out stunk”, Cook said.
It wasn’t close to the dominant performance the Spartans put forth against Ohio State a week earlier, but their defense did it in different ways against Penn State.
Margin of victory for Michigan State, making it the most lopsided game in its series with the Nittany Lions.
Ohio State took the Big Ten last season and went on to win the national title.
Smith held on to that flier and once the Buckeyes were back in the locker room after a 42-13 win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Smith took to Twitter once again to ask prospects now who they would trust their future with. He handed off to Allen and the Nittany Lions couldn’t stop the 296-pound lineman as he rumbled to the end zone.
You could call all that insane or simply say it’s not that insane at all.
Three games after its season looked over following an upset loss to Nebraska, Michigan State is headed to the Big Ten Championship Game.
“This is what we have sort of shot for, to win the East”, MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. After that we finally switched or mindset to: “We have to be dominant, in all aspects of the game, every game, every down, every play”.
To start the second half Michigan State marched 76 yards to the end zone on a drive capped off by a touchdown pass from Connor Cook to Aaron Burbridge.
Penn State moved the ball well in the first half but lost two crucial turnovers. To come back from the kick in the stomach we took a week ago.
Penn State senior tight end Kyle Carter fumbled after a 10-yard pass from Hackenberg.
Michigan State’s football team, like Iowa’s, isn’t too concerned with what the masses want. Saturday’s plan should have been considered weeks ago. The offensive line completely wore down the undermanned Penn State defense the rest of the way and the Spartans cruised to a blowout victory. And perhaps the most impressive sight of the day was Penn State’s fearsome pass rush unable to even get one clean hit on Cook all day long.
MI (9-3) found no rushing success of its own and quarterback Jake Rudock was knocked out of the game in the second half.
Then there was the prospect of facing Ohio State, who averaged 6.3 plays a drive, including a 16-play drive in the third quarter that ended with Barrett’s second touchdown, a 13-yard run.
Penn State answered with a huge 77-yard pass play fro Hackenberg to Saeed Blacknall to get the Lions in a goal-to-go situation.
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The Spartans led 20-10 at halftime, highlighted by Cox’s first career touchdown.
