Blue White Illustrated

NATE BAUER RECORD 10-1 Everything about this game suggests a truly daunting test for Penn State to close out the year. Everything is on the line, and the Spartans will want to play spoiler. Given their recent performances, though, I'm not betting against the Lions. This is a group that has earned its status among the nation's best. PENN STATE 34, MICHIGAN STATE 21 PHIL GROSZ RECORD 9-2 Against Northwestern, whose offense re- sembles Penn State's, the Spartans gave up 54 points and close to 500 yards. Michigan State ranks 10th in the Big Ten in run defense and is last in sacks. That's a prescription for disaster against Penn State's balanced RPO offense. PENN STATE 28, MICHIGAN STATE 14 MATT HERB RECORD 8-3 Penn State may be catching the Spartans at the wrong time, but it is catching them at the right place. The Nittany Lions have been terrific at home this year, and Beaver Stadium should be rocking on Saturday. PENN STATE 27, MICHIGAN STATE 20 TIM OWEN RECORD 9-2 With the stakes as high as they've ever been, this is new territory for a young Penn State team. Meanwhile, Michigan State is the defending Big Ten champion and has been here before. This really could go either way. PENN STATE 28, MICHIGAN STATE 24 RYAN SNYDER RECORD 9-2 Many believe that Michigan State will give Penn State a tough game, but I doubt the Spartans will be as motivated against PSU as they were against Ohio State on senior day. McSorley should have a big day against a poor MSU secondary. PENN STATE 41, MICHIGAN STATE 17 N O V E M B E R 2 3 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 3 BWI'S FORECAST the way social media is, the way the fans are, the reaction in the stadium, things like that. They'll be aware of it," Franklin said. "We've just got to go out and play well on Saturday and focus on Michigan State. ABer the game is over, then we'll find out what the next step in our journey is. Whatever that step is, we'll embrace it and be appreciative of it. We'll start preparing for whoever that next oppo- nent is, whatever that next opportunity is." Michigan State's future is a lot more straightforward. ABer facing Penn State this weekend, the Spartans will return home and begin their off-season. This will be the first year in Dantonio's decade as head coach in which his team has missed out on postseason play, and he is eager to ensure that the recent difficulties don't recur, insisting that the prepara- tions for 2017 will begin on Monday. "It's different, there is no question about that," he said. "That's not some- thing that we have had to go through, but it's something maybe that this program needs right now. We need to take a hard look at ourselves, our personnel, every- thing about us, and we'll work through all the different parameters of it. "Recruiting starts on Monday, actually Sunday, so we have two weeks out in that capacity. Then we've got some time to sort of sit back and start to look at what happened. So we will trace those things and go from there. But we'll fix it. We've got a great core of football players back, a lot of guys who played a lot of football, guys who are just beginning their foot- ball careers, whether they're redshirt freshmen, true freshmen or true sopho- mores. We have a large group of players in that group." Indeed, many of Michigan State's prob- lems can be traced to an overabundance of youth, as well as a rash of injuries. The Spartans have used different starting lineups on both offense and defense in every game this season. Twenty players have made their first start this year, and four others are in full-time starting roles for the first time. The quarterback posi- tion has been one of those unsettled spots, with redshirt junior Damion Terry and redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke splitting time with O'Connor. Lewerke, who started two games at midseason, is out for the year with a broken leg. But Terry, an Erie Cathedral Prep graduate, is likely to see substantial action in his re- turn to his home state. Because of its disappointing record, Michigan State's objectives on Saturday aren't as tangible as Penn State's. There are no postseason scenarios to mull or pollsters to impress. But Dantonio is not treating it as a low-stakes game. Flashing back to last year, when the Spartans won 12 games but ended with a 38-0 loss to Alabama in the CFP semifinals, he said that the season finale can set a tone that echoes through the off-season. "I think that makes a big difference in every football season," he said. "How you end that season really sets you up. I think last year, even though we had gone 12-1 [before] playing in that playoff game, it stung when we didn't win, as opposed to the four years previously when we won our bowl games. "Certainly, our older players have a fu- ture in front of them, some in football, some not, and our younger players have a future in front of them, so it propels them into the future. It's our last football game, so we want to end on a positive note." Penn State does, too. But for the Lions, the regular-season finale isn't really going to be the end. It may, in fact, be only the beginning. Seventeen Penn State seniors will be honored Saturday prior to their final home game. The honorees are: Brandon Bell, Gordon Bentley, Tom Devenney, Derek Dowrey, Brian Gaia, Evan Galim- berti, Gregg Garrity, Malik Golden, Zach Ladonis, Wendy Laurent, Paris Palmer, Irvine Paye, Evan Schwan, Jordan Smith, Von Walker, Nyeem Wartman-White and Tyler Yazujian. Those players have helped the Lions go 30-19 during a four-year period in which the program dealt with the harshest con- sequences of the NCAA sanctions. "I think Penn State will remember these guys forever," coach James Franklin said. Nittany Lions set to bid farewell to senior class

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