Michigan State vs Penn State football preview

Spartans look to gain share of Big Ten title

On Jan. 1, the Michigan St. Spartans are going to be playing in a bowl game. The question is where are they going to be playing?

If they had it their way, they would be going to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988. But in all likelihood, they will likely be heading to Florida to be playing in the Outback Bowl in Tampa.

Going into their season finale at Penn St., the Spartans (9-2) are in the Rose Bowl race. They, Penn St. (10-1) and Ohio St. (9-2) are all tied with 6-1 records. However, Michigan St. can only get to Pasadena, Calif. by the following:

1. Beat Penn St.
2. Count on Michigan winning at Ohio St.

Each scenario seems to be next to improbable but not impossible. The Spartans will know their Rose Bowl hopes before they play the Nittany Lions because Ohio St. and Michigan play their game first. They can at least share the conference championship.

“Really, this game is bigger than anything and is going to affect so many people that watch Spartan football, including the alumni and all the students here,’’ senior defensive tackle Justin Kershaw said. “We are playing for something special, and we need to keep preparing.’’

To be sure, the Spartans will not fear this game, even though they have lost their last seven times in Beaver Stadium.

Pre-season prognostications believed the Spartans could be in the race. And they have done because of a special season by senior running back Javon Ringer. He leads the nation in rushing yards (1,548), carries (353), touchdowns (20) and scoring (120 points) and is a semifinalist for the Doak Walker and Maxwell Awards.

Penn St. may still be dealing with some hangover affects from its loss at Iowa two weeks ago. It knocked the Nittany Lions out of the national title chase, but a win puts them in the Rose Bowl.

They have averaged nearly 40 points per game and have had a very solid season from quarterback Daryll Clark who has thrown for 1,978 yards and only four interceptions. Running back Evan Royster has rushed for 1,123 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Plus, the Penn St. defense is stingy as ever, allowing only 258 yards per game and just 101 on the ground.

So the Spartans, who will watch 16 seniors play their final regular season game in the green and white, probably figure that they are going to have get something out of senior quarterback Brian Hoyer.

If Ringer finds its tough, Hoyer needs to step up. He’s had a very inconsistent season as he completed less than 50 percent of his passes this year.

“It would definitely be something special,’’ Hoyer said. “To get a Big Ten championship knowing where we’ve been, what we’ve gone through, and where we’ve come from this would be huge especially for the senior class.’’

The Spartans can stay with the Nittany Lions. They’ve had the bye and should be fresh. But it is at Happy Valley, which is a very difficult place to play.

Roses aren’t likely in the forecast, but Spartans fans will welcome 2009 by watching their Spartans on television. And that isn’t all that bad.

Prediction: Penn St. 23, Michigan St. 16

MSU Notable:

• The teams play for the Land-Grant Trophy. It honors the two universities unique places in history as the two pioneer land-grand schools in the nation. Each institution was founded in 1855. Michigan St. opened Feb. 12. Penn St. opened Feb. 22.
• With 9 wins, Michigan St. has won at least nine games for the 10 th time in school history and just the third since 1966. The 6-1 conference start is also the best since the 1987 team started 6-0-1.
• Ringer is now second on MSU’s all-time rushing list with 4,309 yards.

> Find more Big Ten football news online at Big Ten Fans!