Spartans hoping to upset Penn State in season finale

Q: Are you going to try to block out the Ohio State-Michigan game somehow, try to play not knowing what happened? Penn State is 10-2 with a victory against Ohio State, heading to Indianapolis to play No. 5 Wisconsin.

Last year, the Spartans went into their regular-season finale with Penn State needing a win to wrap up a berth in the Big Ten championship game.

The Wolverines (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) now sit atop the Big Ten standings in the East Division, but the Buckeyes (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) aren’t too far away.

The Nittany Lions, known to be a second-half team, reaffirmed that calling card against the Spartans.

MI had a chance to take advantage of Ohio State after Buckeyes kicker Tyler Durbin missed two crucial field goals in the first and fourth quarters.

They have been crushed by injuries, are rotating two subpar quarterbacks and playing too many youngsters.

Most telling statistic: McSorley averaged 16.1 yards per passing attempt.

After losing 11 yards on their next possession, the Nittany Lions punted to Michigan State.

This turnaround for Penn State is one of the more remarkable stories of the season. For the second time that night, McSorley found a streaking Godwin.

Location: Beaver Stadium; State College, PA. For the season, Penn State is being outrebounded 202-159 with 6-8 rookie Mike Watkins leading the way with 33 boards to go with 15 blocked shots. Those two accomplishments combined, some have speculated, would be enough to get the Lions into the CFP, even though they have one more loss overall than the Buckeyes. They have a mission to finish that’s four and five years in the making. He hasn’t scored a touchdown since October 8, however.

MSU got the ball after stopping Penn State first and was led on the field by junior quarterback Damion Terry, a native of Pennsylvania. Michigan State strung together a 12-play, 76-yard drive that ended in a 28-yard Michael Geiger field goal. The Sugar Bowl gets the highest ranked SEC team after Alabama and you can’t make a good argument for any of them.

Thus, Michigan-State is not expected to be shown on the video board but will be available in the suites and concourses prior to the Senior Day introductions.

Barkley never has been happier with his choice to attend Penn State. Price needs two catches to become just the third tight end in Michigan State history with 100 in a career.

If the last spot in the Final Four comes down between the Nittany Lions and Ohio State, all indications are the Buckeyes would be selected. They are 7-3-1 against the spread on the year, covering in six straight games. We reserve the right to edit a comment that is quoted or excerpted in an article. But on second-and-7 from the Nittany Lions’ 21, Terry kept the ball on an option run around the right side.

After a lackluster first quarter, Wisconsin kicked it into maximum overdrive on its way to a blowout win over Purdue.

McSorley finished the half going 7-9 for 111 yards, and Barkley had only nine yards on nine carries, but one touchdown. The network will have 175 staffers in Columbus for the broadcast, 50 cameras – including pylon and super slow motion – and reporters on both sidelines (Sam Ponder for Ohio State, Tom Rinaldi for Michigan).

Known for staying on the field long after practice to work on individual blocking drills, Chewins can see how the experience he and the other young players are absorbing this season will pay off for the next three or four years.