4-6.

Your eyes are not deceiving you, folks. Penn State won its first Big Ten contest of 2025 and retained possession of the Land-Grant Trophy with its 28-10 win over Michigan State on Saturday. It’s been a rough season for fans, players, and coaches alike, but the Nittany Lions grinded their way back into the win column and kept their bowl eligibility hopes alive against the Spartans.

Here’s how every position group performed at Spartan Stadium.

Quarterbacks: A-

Terry Smith said Ethan Grunkemeyer didn’t have the prettiest game, but he didn’t need to. Wind gusts zipped over 30 mph at Spartan Stadium, leading Penn State to keep it on the ground for the majority of the game. The redshirt freshman quarterback made it count when he did let it loose.

Grunkemeyer completed eight of 13 passes for 127 yards and two touchdowns. He uncorked a 75-yard deep shot to Devonte Ross midway through the second quarter, tapping into the vertical passing game that Smith has emphasized since he took over. That one-play touchdown drive handed the Nittany Lions the lead, and they never looked back.

Grunkemeyer’s second touchdown pass was to Ross again. He flipped it to the transfer wide receiver, who sprinted around the edge and into the end zone for the fourth-quarter score.

It was Grunkemeyer’s first game without an interception since taking over as the starting quarterback.

Running Backs: A+

Kaytron Allen.

Allen can’t stop having superhuman performances. The senior running back dazzled on the ground once again, totaling 181 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries. He channeled his inner Tyler Warren and took a direct snap to the end zone in the first quarter to put Penn State on the board.

He stayed consistent, pounding the rock throughout the game for small, positive gains. It wasn’t until his final two rushes that Allen finally broke completely free from the Spartan defense. He rattled off 42 yards on a 2nd-and-8 late in the fourth quarter before putting the dagger in with a 26-yard touchdown on the next play. His stellar performance put him only 138 yards away from tying Evan Royster’s all-time Penn State career rushing yards record.

On the other hand, Nick Singleton put in a solid performance after having his best of the season against Indiana a week ago. Singleton amassed 56 yards on 15 carries for a 3.7 average. His longest run came on a 14-yarder in the third quarter.

Wide Receivers: B-

Despite Ross’ two-touchdown performance on two receptions, Grunkemeyer targeted Trebor Peña the most out of the receiving unit, a sentiment echoed from last week’s performance against Indiana. Peña caught four passes for 38 yards and has emerged as Grunkemeyer’s favorite option heading into the final two weeks of the season.

The wide receiver production stops there. Grunkemeyer only passed 13 times, but his two other completions went to Allen. Grunkemeyer targeted Kyron Hudson once in the second quarter to no avail. Koby Howard did not get any targets despite getting some run throughout the game.

The main takeaway is Ross’ ability to wriggle free and be the deep threat that he’s shown flashes of being. If Penn State can maintain and grow on that newfound connection between Grunkemeyer and Ross down the field, it will play a big role as the Nittany Lions fight for a bowl game.

Tight Ends: C-

Neither Khalil Dinkins, Luke Reynolds, nor Andrew Rappleyea recorded a stat against the Spartans on Saturday. It’s the second game this season that Penn State’s tight ends have not produced anything through the air.

It’s not for a lack of trying, either. Grunkemeyer targeted Reynolds twice, who dropped one pass and had the other broken up.

Rappleyea had a key block to open the gap on Allen’s opening wildcat touchdown and on Ross’ second touchdown of the day.

Offensive Line: B

Outside of Allen’s spectacular day on the ground, the Penn State offensive line didn’t have its cleanest game. Grunkemeyer looked uncomfortable in the pocket at times. He was forced to scramble eight times, his most since taking over as Penn State’s QB1.

Michigan State sacked Grunkemeyer twice and totaled five tackles-for-loss. The Spartans also managed two quarterback hurries.

The entire starting unit of Nolan Rucci, Anthony Donkoh, Nick Dawkins, Vega Ioane, and Drew Shelton came out together for postgame media. Their vibes were high.

Front Seven: A

The guys up front ate.

Penn State dominated Michigan State at the line of scrimmage, tearing up the Spartans’ offensive line for five sacks, eight tackles-for-loss, and six quarterback hurries. The love was shared, too, with five different Nittany Lions contributing towards sacks. Dani Dennis-Sutton led the way with two.

There really isn’t anything else to say. Penn State got the ball rolling with defensive pressure against Indiana and perfected its game plan to get pressure home against Michigan State.

The front seven also didn’t allow Michigan State’s opening-play 57-yard rushing touchdown to affect it down the stretch. Penn State has been dominated up front and in the rushing game throughout the season, most notably against UCLA and Iowa. Jim Knowles made the adjustment,s and the results have shown in Penn State’s last two games.

Secondary: A-

Penn State’s monstrous defensive performance up front translated to the back end fairly easily. Michigan State really couldn’t generate anything downfield, with most of its chunk plays coming through screen passes or intermediate runs by Elijah Tau-Tolliver. The Spartans did manage a 32-yard pass early in the second quarter, but the explosive plays ended there.

The Nittany Lions held Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic to 17-for-27 passing and 128 yards. Part of Penn State’s success against Indiana was bringing pressure down from the second level around the edge, and Knowles kept that going against the Spartans.

Zion Tracy and freshman Daryus Dixson sandwiched Milivojevic late in the fourth quarter and forced a fumble on the redshirt freshman signal caller. Tracy was credited with the sack, and Dixson recovered the fumble.

King Mack led the way in the secondary with six total tackles, half a sack, and one tackle-for-loss. Penn State did register an interception after King’s pick off Fernando Mendoza a week ago.

The defense as a whole held Michigan State scoreless in the second half. The Spartans didn’t score after their field goal to go up 10-7 with 8:40 left in the second frame.

Special Teams: A

Gabe Nwosu had another phenomenal outing. He punted four times for 184 yards for an average of 46 yards per punt. He had a long of 68 and pinned Michigan State once inside its own 20-yard line. He could’ve taken the field more, but Penn State went for it on fourth down four separate times.

Peña served as Penn State’s primary punt returner. He fielded three balls for 14 yards. Singleton returned one kickoff for 21 yards.

Ryan Barker was 100% on extra points and did not attempt a field goal.