Penn State – Michigan State Final Score: 3 Key Takeaways from the Spartans

“We’ll regroup and come back with the same drive and aspirations in the next game”. But to hear Calhoun talk, the humbling loss refocused a team – and particularly a defense – that had lost its edge, in addition to some key starters to injuries. “This is one of the best groups of kids I’ve ever been around”. Last season, Barrett suffered a season-ending dislocated ankle in the second half after rushing for 86 yards and two touchdowns and passing for 176 yards and a touchdown against the Wolverines.

That game will likely decide more than the Big Ten champion.

“We’re evaluating every single day”, said Franklin.

The Spartans (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten), who upset Ohio State 17-14 a week earlier and won East Division’s head-to-head tiebreaker, will face No. 4 Iowa in Indianapolis on Saturday night.

Smith held on to that flier and once the Buckeyes were back in the locker room after a 42-13 win over the Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Smith took to Twitter once again to ask prospects now who they would trust their future with.

Either way, the Big Ten – national punching bags for too many years (and not always fairly) – is now three deep in the Big Ten East alone with Michigan State (11-1, 7-1), Ohio State (11-1, 7-1) and Michigan (9-3, 6-2).

But more to the point, college football teams won’t suspend college football players for disagreeing with them publicly because it’s not in their interest.

“We knew if we were gonna win it”, Dantonio said, “it wasn’t gonna be given to us”. “We had to play faster”.

“We kind of came into this game saying the offensive line and Zeke (Elliott) were going to win it and that’s what we did”.

“Obviously sitting out stunk”, said Cook, one of 23 MSU seniors honored before the kickoff of their final game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday.

“It’s a dream come true to be a dominant collegiate athlete”, Elliott said.

Penn State is getting closer, but they’re still not there just yet. The chemistry we have with each other has carried us. It’s about the players that played before us.

A week after his snit fit, Elliott got the ball on Ohio State’s first play against MI, and by halftime he had 10 carries for 99 yards and the Buckeyes had thrown only six passes. MI allowed 171 rushing yards in the first two quarters, including a touchdown each from Barrett and Elliott.

“I do remember that”, Meyer said. “We have talent all over the field, we just haven’t put it together”, he said.

Now you are going to say that if the Spartans hadn’t blown a late lead to Nebraska or if the Buckeyes had taken care of business against Michigan State last week, then things also would have changed.

Ohio State gave Ezekiel Elliott the dang ball, and he destroyed MI.

In his return, Cook didn’t always look 100 percent, but he completed 19 of 26 passes for 248 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions, methodically taking apart Penn State’s worn-down defense. As a team, the Wolverines rushed for only 57 yards on 25 carries (2.3 avg). The Buckeyes’ attack closely matched the 2013 game against MI, when Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde combined for 46 carries, 393 yards and four TDs.

“We’re not making any excuses; we didn’t win the game”, Harbaugh said.