No. 6 Penn State football (8-0, 5-0 Big Ten) made easy work of Michigan State (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) 28-7 on a rainy afternoon in East Lansing.

Pat Freiermuth exploded for three touchdowns on the day and led the Nittany Lions with 60 receiving yards. After a big-time first-half performance for Ricky Rahne’s offense, the Spartans just couldn’t keep pace with Penn State on a rainy afternoon, as they didn’t score their sole touchdown of the game until the third quarter.

How It Happened

Penn State had a scare to start Saturday’s game when KJ Hamler fumbled on his return of the opening kickoff, but Drew Hartlaub fell on it for the Nittany Lions. Sean Clifford and Co. went three-and-out on their first drive.

Michigan State also went three-and-out on its opening drive, and Ricky Rahne’s unit found their groove when they got the ball back. Penn State went on an eight-play, 62-yard drive that was capped off by a beautiful Clifford touch pass that somehow floated over the Spartan secondary into the hands of Pat Freiermuth. The Nittany Lions took a 7-0 lead with 6:54 remaining in the first quarter.

Penn State’s defense was impressive during the first quarter, as it held the Spartans to just 34 yards of offense and two first down conversions in the period.

The Nittany Lion offense, meanwhile, looked strong. Clifford opened up the second quarter with yet another touchdown pass to Freiermuth, who pushed his way through several tackle attempts on his way to the end zone. Jake Pinegar missed his first extra point of the season, though, and Penn State took a 13-0 lead with 14:30 remaining in the first half.

Michigan State’s offense got some momentum going about halfway through the second quarter. Brian Lewerke led the Spartans on 15-play, 59-yard drive into Penn State territory, but Matt Coghlin’s 46-yard field goal attempt was blocked by Shaka Toney.

Penn State’s offense didn’t waste its opportunity. The unit drove 54 yards down the field in just eight plays and capped it off with a 27-yard touchdown reception to a wide-open KJ Hamler. Clifford rushed in untouched for the two-point conversion, and Penn State took a 21-0 lead. The Spartans failed to score on their final drive, and the Nittany Lions carried their lead into the locker room.

The Nittany Lions picked up right where they left off to open the second half. Blake Gillikin sent a punt sailing down to Michigan State’s own five-yard line that was muffed and recovered by Dan Chisena. Penn State scored on the ensuing play on a six-yard Freiermuth reception — his third score of the day — and took a 28-0 lead with 10:10 remaining in the third quarter.

The Spartans’ offense finally woke up when Lewerke found Cody White open for a 49-yard reception. They scored two plays later on a four-yard Anthony Williams rush and shrunk Penn State’s lead to 28-7 with 7:34 left in the quarter.

Clifford threw an ugly interception to close out the Nittany Lions’ next drive, but Maquis Wilson covered for the quarterback by picking off Lewerke on the very next play.

Brent Pry’s defense didn’t take its foot off the gas in the fourth quarter. Jayson Oweh sacked Lewerke and forced a fumble on the same play that landed in the arms of Ellis Brooks to give Penn State the ball with about 13:00 remaining in the game. The Nittany Lions failed to score off the turnover.

Jaquan Brisker had an interception late in the game to give Penn State the ball in Michigan State territory to finish things up. The Nittany Lions left Spartan Stadium with a 28-7 victory.

Takeaways

• Have a day, Pat Freiermuth. The Spartans could do nothing to stop the 6’5″ sophomore, as he led the Nittany Lions with 60 receiving yards on five grabs, along with a whopping three touchdowns on the day.
• Aside from Jake Pinegar’s missed extra point, Penn State’s special teams served as a weapon all day. Blake Gillikin finished the afternoon averaging 44.2 yards per punt and pinned the Spartans inside their own 20-yard line on five of his eight attempts. The senior also helped to force a muffed punt inside Michigan State’s own ten-yard line that gave Penn State its first score of the second half.
• Any word of Brent Pry’s defense struggling after a mediocre game against Michigan was shut down with today’s performance. The Nittany Lions allowed 265 total yards of offense to the Spartans but didn’t allow them to score their sole touchdown of the game until the third quarter. The unit also finished with three forced turnovers and five tackles for loss.

What’s Next

Penn State will head home for its second bye week of the season. After that, the Nittany Lions will take on Minnesota at TCF Bank Stadium on Saturday, November 9. Kickoff time is still to be determined.