Michigan State Football: Is there some magic left to upset Penn State?

Does Michigan State football still have any magic left to pull off an upset of Penn State in Week 9? The Spartans could sure use it.

For the past two seasons, Michigan State has taken care of Penn State in “upset” fashion. A year ago, it was an unlikely win in Happy Valley by a Spartan team still searching for its identity and in 2017 it was a rain-delayed shootout where Brian Lewerke had a career game.

Michigan State has won four out of five in the rivalry and currently owns the coveted Land Grant Trophy — semi-joking. While it might not be the prettiest trophy in all of sports, it’s definitely majestic in its own right. And whoever owns it usually has a decent year. The 2016 season was the last year Penn State won and the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten and Michigan State went 3-9.

The Spartans are coming into this one with a 4-3 record after two straight double-digit losses to Ohio State and Wisconsin on the road and Penn State is 7-0 following a home win over Michigan.

While no one is truly expecting Michigan State to come in and win this one, can the Spartans pull off a little magic yet again over the Nittany Lions and improve to 5-3 and get back on the right track?

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 26
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Spartan Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

For Michigan State’s offense, getting Lewerke going early on is important. He’s coming off one of the worst games of his career at Wisconsin where the offense didn’t manufacture anything. He needs to get that confidence back and score on the first drive to set the tone for this one. Even moving the ball and finishing with three points on the opening drive will work wonders.

On defense, tackling is key. This defense has struggled in three straight games and you know the senior leaders are frustrated — they’ve even said so. It’s time to get back to the basics, don’t go for the strip until the ball-carrier is wrapped up and going nowhere and plug running lanes. This defense is far too good to let teams score 30-plus on a regular basis and that stops this week.

Betting Odds

Courtesy of The Action Network

Line: Penn State -5.5
Over/Under: 43.5

Prediction

Coming off a bye, Michigan State is going to have a little extra energy. You could tell against Wisconsin that there was just nothing left in the tank and this game is going to be a jumpstart to the second half of the season that the Spartans need. No, it’s not necessarily a Big Ten East elimination game (since MSU is essentially out of it) but it’s one of those “must-win” games for Michigan State if it wants to avoid a letdown season. A win here goes a long way and Matt Coghlin gets another chance to send the Nittany Lions home with a tough loss in the final seconds with a field goal.

Final Score: Penn State 21, Michigan State 24