Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N S T A T E V S . M I C H I G A N S T A T E | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 136.3 YPG, 4.1 YPC // MICHIGAN STATE RUN DEFENSE117.8 YPG, 3.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNEntering their regular-season finale, the Nittany Lions are fielding the least-productive rushing at- tack in the Big Ten. It is essentially a one-man show headined by freshman RB Saquon Barkley, who ranks as the league's fourth-leading rusher with 904 yards on 198 carries (6.1 yards per carry). As a team, Penn State has only 15 rushing TDs, seven of which have been scored by Barkley. The Lions are likely going to have problems against a Michigan State defense that ranks fifth in the Big Ten against the run and has given up only 14 rushing touchdowns. Redshirt junior MLB Riley Bullough is the Spartans' leading tackler with 83 stops, including 6.5 tackles for loss and four sacks. Senior OLB Darien Harris is their second-leading tackler with 71 stops and 5.5 tackles for loss. In addition, junior CB Demetrious Cox (58 tackles) and redshirt sophomore SS Montae Nicholson (60 tackles) do an excellent job in run support. Senior DE Shilique Calhoun and senior DT Malik McDowell are the big-play spe- cialists on the Spartans' defense, having combined for 22 tackles for loss. Michigan State did a superb job against Ohio State last week, holding the Buckeyes to 86 rushing yards. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State guards Brian Gaia and Angelo Mangiro will do battle with Bullough, Harris and McDowell. // EDGEMichigan State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 201.0 YPG, 13.3 YPC // MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE 225.1 YPG, 12.4 YPC THE LOWDOWNOne of the biggest disappointments of Penn State's season has been the performance of its passing game. The Nittany Lions are 12th in the Big Ten, with junior QB Christian Hackenberg having completed 162 of 306 pass attempts (52.9 percent) for 2,129 yards. Hackenberg's 14-3 touchdown-interception ratio is impressive, but his completion percentage and per-game passing average of 193.5 yards do not rank among the league leaders. Sophomore WR Chris Godwin is Penn State's leading receiver with 52 catches for 859 yards. Godwin is averaging 16.5 yards per catch and has three TD receptions. Redshirt sophomore WR DaeSean Hamilton is the Lions' sec- ond-leading receiver with 32 catches for 431 yards and five TDs. In addition, Barkley has shown the potential to be- come a genuine receiving threat coming out of the backfield, having caught 12 passes for 159 yards. Michigan State is only ranked ninth in the Big Ten in pass defense, partly due to injuries. Cox and Nicholson have been the leaders in the secondary, having combined for five interceptions. Calhoun is Michigan State's leading pass rusher with 8.5 sacks for 58 yards in losses. As a team, the Spartans have 30 sacks through 11 games. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State RT Andrew Nelson will be looking to keep Calhoun away from Hackenberg, while Godwin will be going up against redshirt junior CB Darian Hicks. // EDGEEven PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE MICHIGAN STATE RUNNING GAME 157.0 YPG, 3.9 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE146.3 YPG, 3.7 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Spartans do not have an overpowering ground game. Heading into their matchup against Penn State, they rank ninth in the Big Ten in rushing offense. Freshman RB L.J. Scott leads way with 577 yards on 107 carries (5.4 ypc) and nine rushing TDs, while senior Gerald Holmes has 457 yards and redshirt freshman Madre London has 409. Scott and Holmes have combined for 16 of Michigan State's 20 rushing touchdowns. If senior QB Connor Cook is not in the lineup, redshirt junior Tyler O'Connor and redshirt sophomore Damion Terry are threats to run the read option. Michigan State ran for an impressive 203 yards on 51 attempts against Ohio State and threw just one pass in the second half. Penn State ranks eighth in the Big Ten in rushing defense. Sophomore ILB Jason Cabinda is the team's leading tackler with 79 stops, including four tackles for loss, while sophomore FS Marcus Allen is second with 69 tackles. Redshirt junior DT Austin Johnson is third with 68 tackles and 13 tackles for loss. Senior DE Carl Nassib leads the country with 19.5 tackles for loss, but he played only briefly last week against Michigan due to an injury he suffered two weeks earlier at Northwestern. Even with Nassib ailing, Penn State leads the nation with 97 tackles for loss. // KEY MATCHUP If he's healthy, Nassib will go up against Michigan State RT Kodi Kieler, while the Spartans' guards – sophomore Brian Allen and senior Donavon Clark – will square off against Johnson and fellow defensive tackle Anthony Zettel. // EDGEPenn State MICHIGAN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MICHIGAN PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N M I C H I G A N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE RUN DEFENSE N O V E M B E R 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 MICHIGAN STATE PASSING GAME 239.1 YPG, 13.8 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE167.8 YPG, 10.1 YPC THE LOWDOWNIf Cook is healthy and able to play against Penn State, the Spartans will have a definite edge here. An experienced senior, he has completed 175 of 311 passes for 2,483 yards, with 21 touchdowns and just four intercep- tions. Cook ranks third in the Big Ten, averaging 248.2 passing yards per game, and as a team, Michigan State is fifth in the league. If he can't play, it will be a different story. O'Connor and Terry, both of whom played against Ohio

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