Michigan State Football: Will Spartans keep momentum vs. Penn State in 2019?
By Stephen Robb
Penn State comes to East Lansing on Oct. 26 for a Big Ten showdown. Can Michigan State football get the better of the Nittany Lions yet again?
James Franklin lost much of his offense to the NFL draft in April. There’s no more Miles Sanders or Trace McSorely walking through the door. Plus, fifth-year senior quarterback Tommy Stevens transferred to Mississippi State.
Instead, the Nittany Lions will have Sean Clifford under center and the dynamic sophomore receiver KJ Hamler. Clifford has been recognized for arm strength and his deep-ball accuracy.
A guy you did not hear much from last season due to injuries slowing him down is redshirt freshman receiver Justin Shorter — he’s big at 6-4 and 235 pounds. If the Spartans put Josiah Scott on Hamler then Shorter will be a massive target for Clifford. Freshman receiver Daniel George is another big receiver for Penn State — his 2018 season was highlighted by a 95-yard reception against Kent State.
It’ll be interesting to watch this Penn State team this season. They struggled early last season after losing Saquon Barkley. Who will it be in the backfield now with no Sanders? Will the Nittany Lions be fine going with sophomore Ricky Slade?
The Spartan defense will be a tough test for them. They’ll need to stop the run and make Clifford try to beat them with his arm. Many pundits are high on Clifford, however, he needs a running game in order to go deep.
Next. MSU football: Projected 2-deep depth chart for 2019. dark
This game will be decided by the deep ball. This is a tough prediction because I’m unsure what Penn State will truly look like. I can make a case for MSU losing this game given the gauntlet of a schedule they would have gone through to this point.
Prediction: Penn State 24, Michigan State 27