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O T H E R M A T C H U P S THE LOWDOWNPenn State's kicking game has made major strides this season. PK Tyler Davis is second in the con- ference in scoring with 104 points, having converted 20 of 22 field goal attempts and 44 of 44 extra points. Last week at Rutgers, he hit 4 of 4 field goal tries in wet, windy field conditions. Michigan State senior PK Michael Geiger has converted 11 of 15 field goal attempts, with his longest being 52 yards. Nittany Lion freshman Blake Gillikin averages 41.4 yards per punt, while sophomore Jake Hartbarger averages 40.4 yards for Michigan State. Both teams have solid kickoff returners. Sanders averages 21.1 yards per attempt, with his longest being 48 yards, while Shelton has four career kickoff-return touchdowns for the Spartans. // EDGE Penn State SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWN Michigan State has dominated the series in recent years. Indeed, the Land Grant Trophy has resided in East Lansing since 2010, as the Spartans have won the past three games. Only one of those games – a 28-22 set- back in 2010 – was even close. // EDGEMichigan State THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN Mark Dantonio is in the midst of his losingest season at Michigan State. The Spartans qualified for postseason play in each of his first nine years in East Lansing, but they will be wrapping up the 2016 season in Beaver Stadium this weekend, win or lose. Nevertheless, he's had a great career at Michigan State and owns a 4-2 record vs. the Lions. Meanwhile, James Franklin is having by far his best season at Penn State. Last week he was named one of 16 semifinalists for the Maxwell Football Club's national Coach of the Year award. // EDGE Even COACHING STAFF 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 5 against Ohio State, and that will likely be the case against Penn State, too. Lewerke is out for the season with a bro- ken leg he suffered in October against Michigan. Shelton is the Spartans' leading receiver with 48 catches for 715 yards and five touchdowns. Senior TE Josiah Price has 32 catches for 324 yards and five TDs. Freshman WR Donnie Corley has 29 catches for 420 yards and three TDs. Penn State has nine interceptions, with backup MLB Brandon Smith having picked off a team-leading two passes. CB John Reid is the Lions' top cover man. Through 11 games, he has 33 tackles, including four tackles for loss, and he leads the secondary with seven pass breakups and eight passes defended. The Nittany Lions are third in the Big Ten with 32 sacks. Sickels and fellow DE Evan Schwan lead Penn State with six and 5.5 sacks, respectively. // KEY MATCHUP Chewins will try to keep Sickels out of the pocket, while Reid will match up against Shelton. // EDGE Penn State

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