Penn State ends season of high expectations and end-of-year change against Michigan State on Black Friday
High stakes in Penn State-Michigan State matchup
Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge preview No. 12 Penn State's matchup vs. Michigan State in Week 13, especially the Nittany Lions' QB situation moving forward and what the Spartans have to prove in their season finale.
Just one game remains in Penn State’s 2023 regular season: its first Black Friday matchup since 1982.
Coming off a 27-6 win over Rutgers on Saturday, the Nittany Lions will head to Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, to wrap up their regular season the day after Thanksgiving.
At 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Penn State will take on Michigan State on NBC and Peacock, competing for the Land Grant Trophy — an annual award created in 1993 given to the victor of the Nittany Lions vs. Spartans matchup.
The tall, oddly-shaped wooden trophy includes a list of previous winners down one side, two small shelves holding statues that represent each school – Penn State’s Nittany Lion Shrine and Michigan State’s Spartan Statue – and photos of each university’s campus.
The award is a nod to the pair of Big Ten schools being two of the first land-grant institutions in the United States.
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Ahead of the Penn State-Michigan State matchup at Ford Field, Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge discuss the background of the infamous Land Grant Trophy.
Friday’s conference matchup will be just one in a weekend full of games at Ford Field; the Detroit Lions will play in their traditional Thanksgiving game on Thursday and the Michigan high school football state championships will be held in the stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
“(I’d like to see guys) playing hard and playing fast like it’s one of the biggest games of the year,” Penn State cornerback Kalen King said on Tuesday.
King, who grew up in Detroit, also spoke about returning to the Motor City.
“This game means a lot, just to close it out in my hometown,” King said.
The Black Friday contest will be Penn State’s third primetime game of the season.
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“We’ve got a very different week with playing on Friday night,” Penn State coach James Franklin said after the team’s win on Saturday.
As they end the regular season against a 4-7 Spartans team, the Nittany Lions once again trail Ohio State and Michigan in the Big Ten and are trending toward consecutive 10-2 regular seasons.
There's undoubtedly nothing bad about winning 10 games. But for some time, Penn State fans have been hopeful for a breakthrough season that establishes the team among the best-of-the-best in college football.
Tight end Tyler Warren said on Tuesday that back-to-back 10-win seasons can’t be taken for granted.
“It’s hard to win football games,” Warren said.
Defensive end Chop Robinson also spoke about the team’s winning expectations.
“10 wins, of course that’s not the standard for us,” Robinson said on Tuesday. “We want 12 of course, but we gotta go with it.”
Penn State’s defense alone should be enough to handle the Spartans.
Under defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, Penn State allows the fewest rushing yards per game in the Big Ten (79.2) and hasn’t allowed more than 24 points in 16 straight games.
“(Diaz has) really just taken the defense to a different level from a consistency standpoint,” Franklin said on Monday.
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Offensively though, there’s still a lot to figure out.
After a 24-15 loss to Michigan on Nov. 11, the Nittany Lions fired offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich. And in last week’s win, starting quarterback Drew Allar left the game in the third quarter with an injury.
He was replaced by redshirt freshman Beau Pribula, who finished with 71 rushing yards and has been used almost entirely as a running quarterback this season.
Amid his annual Thanksgiving food questions to reporters in his Monday press conference (this year polling preferences of collard greens vs. string beans, cornbread vs. dinner rolls and leftovers vs. dinner), Franklin spoke about Allar’s availability for Friday’s game.
“We expect Drew to go. Just like we planned on last week, I still think both of those guys (Allar and Pribula) will have roles — not dinner rolls, but roles,” Franklin said.
No matter who’s throwing the ball against Michigan State, the Nittany Lions have some work to do in their passing game.
On Saturday against Rutgers, they had just 88 yards in the air, and over the last two games, the team has just seven receptions from wide receivers.
“We obviously want to get those guys some more targets,” Franklin said on Monday about his wide receiver group.
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There’s been plenty of good in Penn State's offense this season — such as a run game that averages nearly 180 yards per game and Allar having just one interception over 324 attempts — but it hasn’t been quite enough in the biggest games.
Off the field, Franklin has a lot to figure out as the season wraps up as well.
On top of the Yurcich firing, Diaz is expected to be a coveted candidate for head coaching positions elsewhere this offseason.
There’s a solid chance that Penn State enters 2024 with two new coordinators — and replacing Diaz, a highly-respected coach within the program, would be tough.
“We gotta do everything we possibly can to retain him,” Franklin said on Monday.
Robinson, King and safety Jaylen Reed all emphasized the impact Diaz has made on and off the field in their Tuesday media availabilities.
“(Diaz) is a great mentor, he’s a great person, a great coach (and) a great father to his kids,” Reed said.
Between an injured starting quarterback, a tandem of interim offensive coordinators, a current coaching search and prep for a likely-expensive attempt to retain Diaz, Franklin has a lot on his plate — and not just Thanksgiving dinner — as he leads his team into a primetime road game on a short week.
Friday could also be the final game in blue and white for projected NFL draft picks like King, Robinson and offensive lineman Olu Fashanu.
After 2,044 yards, 21 passing touchdowns and just one interception in 11 games over his sophomore season so far, another game under Allar’s belt is also key for next season.
“The exciting thing to me is I think there’s a ton of room for improvement with him and with us,” Franklin said of Allar on Monday.
The Nittany Lions will undoubtedly be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the upcoming expanded College Football Playoff in 2024.
But before then, Penn State will be looking to close the regular season on a positive note before some potentially significant offseason changes.
How to watch Penn State vs Michigan State:
When: Friday, November 24
Where: Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan
Time: 7:30 PM ET (coverage begins at 7pm ET)
TV Channel: NBC
Live Stream: Peacock
About the Author
Daniel Mader is a senior at Penn State University majoring in digital/print journalism, pursuing a career in sports beat writing. He is also currently a women’s basketball and sports features reporter for The Daily Collegian. Daniel has a strong passion for both writing and sports, and he was a sports editorial intern for LNP/Lancaster Online this past summer in his hometown: Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
