Penn State at Michigan State 11/27/21 - College Football Picks & Predictions

The Penn State Nittany Lions will hope to end what has been a disappointing season on a positive note when they go on the road to Spartan Stadium to take on Michigan State. Michigan State has had a huge bounce-back season but lost two of their last three, including getting trounced by Ohio State 56-7 last week and dropping to 9-2 (6-2 conference). Penn State has struggled against the top Big Ten teams, including losses to Michigan, Ohio State, and Iowa, but bounced back with a 28-0 win over Rutgers last week to move to 7-4 (4-4 conference).

Michigan State is led by one of the best running backs in the nation in Kenneth Walker Jr., the offense is fourth in the Big Ten in total yards with 429.1 yards and 32.1 points per contest. Walker is one of the few non-quarterbacks in the conversation for the Heisman, he’s racked up 1,498 yards and 17 touchdowns averaging 6.4 yards per carry. Walker carried it just six times last week after falling behind early, racking up just 25 yards, by far his worst game of the season.

The Michigan State defense has had its issues, especially against the pass, and is one of the worst defenses in the Big Ten this season. The Spartans are allowing 463 yards per game, last in the Big Ten, and opponents have scored 25.5 points per game which ranks 10th in the Big Ten. Penn State isn’t the most dynamic passing attack they’ll have faced, but the secret is out on Michigan State, and it is to test the secondary.

Penn State has been solid offensively, especially when Sean Clifford is healthy which he wasn’t for the loss to Iowa and 9OT loss to Illinois. Clifford has completed 61.9% of his passes for 2,599 yards and 17 touchdowns but is questionable in this game again. Freshman Christian Veilleux came in and played well in his first action, going 15/24 for 235 yards and 3 touchdowns. It’s worth noting that he was not the guy who came to replace Clifford earlier in the year. 

This is a solid Penn State defense that leads the Big Ten in scoring defense allowing just 15.5 points per game, the Nittany Lions are fifth in total defense and have been solid against the run but haven’t faced anything like this Michigan State rushing attack. The Nittany Lions allowed just 184 yards in the shutout win over Rutgers and will need the defense to bring its A-game in a big spot here.