No. 6 Penn State football (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) will take on Michigan State (4-3, 2-2 Big Ten) in East Lansing on Saturday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions are coming off a crucial 28-21 victory over Michigan on Saturday night that improved their record to 7-0 on the year. Although the Spartans may not be ranked, this week’s game could prove to be a similarly tough test for James Franklin’s program. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on ABC as Penn State tries to snap a two-game losing skid against Michigan State.

The Spartans will wrap up what’s undoubtedly their toughest three-game stretch of the year on Saturday afternoon. They’ve lost two consecutive games to No. 3 Ohio State and then-No. 8 Wisconsin by final scores of 34-10 and 38-0, respectively, on the road. This week will be Michigan State’s first match-up against a ranked opponent at home, but the team did lose to Arizona State 10-7 in week three when Herm Edwards’ side was unranked.

The Team

Head coach Mark Dantonio is seven games into his 13th season as Michigan State’s head football coach. He’s amassed a record of 111-54 as the Spartans’ head coach, including six 10-win seasons since 2010 and a College Football Playoff appearance in 2015.

Michigan State has posted a 67-36 mark in Big Ten play during Dantonio’s tenure, and the team is 6-3 against Penn State since its current head coach took charge of the program. The Spartans have beaten Penn State in the past two years and three of the last four seasons. Matt Coghlin made a 34-yard field goal as time expired at Spartan Stadium in 2017 before Felton Davis scored the go-ahead touchdown with 19 seconds left at Beaver Stadium last year. Penn State’s last victory over Dantonio’s program clinched the 2016 Big Ten East division title at Beaver Stadium.

Like many teams in the Big Ten, the Spartans hang their hat on defense. However, the team also has a veteran in senior quarterback Brian Lewerke leading its offense.

Offense

Michigan State’s offense has scored just 23.9 points per game this year — a mark that ranks 12th out of the Big Ten’s 14 squads and 96th in the nation. The Spartans have posted 357.4 yards of offense per game, which is 100th in FBS football and 11th in the conference.

Brian Lewerke is back for his third season leading the Spartans’ offense. Lewerke has played exceptionally well against the Nittany Lions in the past two years. He dotted up the Penn State secondary for 400 yards in 2017 before putting up 259 yards last season at Beaver Stadium. This year, Lewerke has completed 57.5% of his passes and posted 1,596 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions

Wide receiver Felton Davis, who combined for 281 yards and three touchdowns against Penn State in 2017 and 2018, is no longer with the program and is currently rostered by the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. Davis was a Penn State killer in every sense of the term. He most notably caught the 25-yard go-ahead score that dashed Penn State’s conference and national title aspirations last year with 19 seconds left in week six of the 2018 season.

Michigan State’s top wide receiver is now senior Darrell Stewart, who leads the team with 46 grabs, 683 yards, and four touchdowns. He’s caught a pass in 31 consecutive games — including 13 straight with at least three grabs. Stewart will be flanked in the starting lineup by Cody White, a junior with 27 receptions for 333 yards and two scores.

Elijah Collins has the unenviable task of replacing star running back LJ Scott, and he’s undoubtedly the Spartans’ best option in the run game. He leads the team with 512 yards and three rushing scores on 98 carries so far this year. Other than Brian Lewerke’s 214 yards, Michigan State’s next-best running back — Connor Heyward — has just 83 yards on 24 carries this year.

At tight end, Michigan State has two listed starters: Matt Dotson and Matt Seybert. Dotson has secured just 11 passes for 96 yards and a score, and Seybert has 15 grabs for 185 yards and three touchdowns.

Defense & Special Teams

Meanwhile, Michigan State’s defense ranks eighth in the Big Ten and 22nd in the nation with a mark of 314.3 yard allowed per game.

Any conversation about the Spartans’ defense should start and end with star lineman Kenny Willekes. The midseason All-American has posted 7.5 tackles-for-loss and four sacks so far this year, but his start to the season may be a bit disappointing by his standards. Willekes finished last year with 20.5 TFLs and eight sacks, and he’s been usurped on the stat sheet by a pair of his teammates.

Middle linebacker Joe Bachie is having a monster of a 2019 season for the Spartans. Bachie leads the team with 65 tackles and ranks second behind Willekes with 3.5 sacks. He’s also second on the team behind fellow linebacker Antjuan Simmons’ nine tackles for a loss with 8.5 of his own.

Simmons is second behind Bachie with 50 stops this year, and he’s also chipped in a sack-and-a-half so far this season. Michigan State’s front seven is loaded with talent, and its rush defense ranks fifth in the Big Ten by allowing 117.7 yards per game so far this year. Defensive tackles Raequan Williams and Jacub Panasiuk are also players to watch with 6.5 combined sacks this year.

Elsewhere, the Spartans’ pass defense has done a great job of generating turnovers so far this year. Safety Josiah Scott has intercepted two passes this year, and free safety David Dowell also has a pick this year. All three of the team’s starting linebackers — Bachie, Simmons, and Tyriq Thompson — have intercepted a pass this year.

On special teams, Matt Coghlin is back with the team for his third year as the Spartans’ placekicker. He’s 11-for-17 on field-goal tries this year with his longest conversion coming from 47 yards out. Coghlin is 44-for-58 in his career with Michigan State, and he’s hit just one game-winning field goal in his career. Jake Hartbarger handles punting duties for the Spartans, and his career-long kick is 74 (!!) yards.