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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 187.9 YPG, 4.6 YPC // MICHIGAN STATE RUN DEFENSE266.1 YPG, 4.6 YPC THE LOWDOWNAs the season has progressed, Penn State's running game has improved on an almost weekly basis. The Nittany Lions are coming off a game against Rutgers in which they rushed for 339 yards on 49 attempts for an average of 6.9 yards per carry. Saquon Barkley enters Saturday's game against the Spartans as the Big Ten leader with 1,205 yards on 216 carries (5.6 ypc) and a conference-best 14 rushing TDs. QB Trace McSorley is the Lions' second-leading rusher with 359 yards on 124 carries and six rushing TDs. As a team, the Lions have rushed for 28 touchdowns. Michigan State has had difficulty stopping opponents on the ground, although it has made strides in recent weeks. The Spartans rank 10th in the Big Ten in run defense, a substantial decline from the 2015 season in which they allowed only 116 yards per game to rank 11th in the FBS. Their leading tackler this season is junior OLB Chris Frey with 90 stops. Senior MLB Riley Bullough is their second-leading tackler with 63 stops, including 6.5 tackles for loss. The top tackler in the secondary is SS Montae Nicholson with 65 stops. Junior DT Malik McDow- ell leads the Spartans with seven tackles for loss, but he missed the Illinois and Ohio State games with an ankle in- jury and may not play against Penn State. McDowell is considered a potential first-round draB pick, even if he opts to forgo his senior season. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State C Brian Gaia will take on redshirt junior NT Raequan Williams, while guards Connor McGovern and Steven Gonzalez will battle Bullough and Frey. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 238.7 YPG, 15.6 YPC // MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE 189.8 YPG, 11.6 YPC THE LOWDOWN This confrontation will pit strength against strength. Penn State's passing game ranks fourth in the Big Ten, while Michigan State's pass defense is third. McSorley is enjoying an excellent season, having completed 167 of 304 passes for 2,600 yards, with 17 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He has a solid 141.0 pass-effi- ciency rating, and his average of 15.57 yards per completion ranks second in the country. The Nittany Lions' lead- ing pass-catcher is WR Chris Godwin with 42 receptions for 627 yards and seven touchdowns. TE Mike Gesicki is having a spectacular season with 42 catches for 546 yards and two TDs. Michigan State's secondary is led by Darian Hicks. The senior cornerback has two of the team's eight interceptions and leads the secondary with eight pass breakups and 10 passes defended. Senior FS Demetrious Cox is the Spartans' fiBh-leading tackler with 55 stops. Up front, Williams leads the defense with two sacks. As a team, Michigan State ranks last in the Big Ten with only 10 sacks, but three of those sacks came last week against Ohio State, so McSorley is likely to face some heat. // KEY MATCHUP Godwin will look to get open against Hicks, while Gesicki will do battle downfield with Nicholson. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. MICHIGAN STATE PASS DEFENSE MICHIGAN STATE RUNNING GAME 178.5 YPG, 4.6 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE149.6 YPG, 3.9 YPC THE LOWDOWN During the first half of the season, Michigan State's running game was a disappointment. However, the situation has improved substantially in recent weeks, as sophomore RB L.J. Scott turned in impressive per- formances against both Rutgers and Ohio State. In the Spartans' narrow loss to the Buckeyes last week, Scott gained 160 yards on only 19 carries. He is the team's leading rusher with 935 yards on 168 carries (5.6 ypc) and six touchdowns. Redshirt junior RB Gerald Holmes is next with 408 yards on 85 carries and five TDs. Michigan State also likes to run the jet sweep, with senior WR R.J. Shelton usually getting the ball. Shelton has 106 yards on 15 carries (7.1 ypc). Penn State is coming off an outstanding defensive performance in which it held Rutgers to 39 rushing yards on 33 carries (1.2 ypc). FS Marcus Allen is the team's leading tackler with 83 stops, including 5.5 tackles for loss. SS Malik Golden is next with 57 tackles and 4.5 TFL. The next four players on Penn State's tackling chart are all linebackers, a contingent headed by OLB Brandon Bell with 56 stops. // KEY MATCHUP Michigan State redshirt freshman LT Cole Chewins will try to control DE Garrett Sickels, while guards Brian Allen and Brandon Clemons will battle MLB Jason Cabinda and Bell. // EDGE Even MICHIGAN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE MICHIGAN STATE 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 3 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 MICHIGAN STATE PASSING GAME 221.3 YPG, 13.1 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE197.5 YPG, 10.0 YPC THE LOWDOWNMichigan State ranks sixth in the Big Ten in passing, but its quarterback play has been inconsistent. Three players – fiBh-year senior Tyler O'Connor, redshirt freshman Brian Lewerke and redshirt junior Damion Terry – have seen time at the position, and O'Connor and Lewerke have both started games. O'Connor has com- pleted 137 of 229 passes (59.8 percent) for 1,852 yards, with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while Terry has completed 15 of 34 passes (44.1 percent) for 152 yards, with one TD and one interception. Both saw extensive action

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