Penn State wants to continue Senior Day success
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Senior Day has enjoyed a long history at Penn State, and the Nittany Lions have been remarkably successful sending those players away from their last game at Beaver Stadium with a smile.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - Senior Day has enjoyed a long history at Penn State, and the Nittany Lions have been remarkably successful sending those players away from their last game at Beaver Stadium with a smile.
The focus this season, however, is a little different. Sure, the Nittany Lions would like their seniors to go out with a win Saturday against Michigan State and at the same time spoil the Spartans' chance at a berth in the Rose Bowl.
But most important for the seniors is what the history book will show. Having a good memory of the final game is fine, but they want the record to be as good as possible, and show future generations how they rallied from a bad start in 2010.
"It's something about having eight wins feeling a lot better than having seven wins," said guard Stefen Wisniewski, one of 18 seniors - 13 of whom are starters or regulars - to bow out Saturday.
"With eight, we have a chance to get to nine [in a bowl game], and nine wins isn't a bad season at all. So we're really trying to kind of fight to keep our season from being average and try to get in that above-average kind of range."
Nine wins seemed like a fantasy last month when the Lions looked awful in losing at home to Illinois and slipped to 3-3. But they have won four of their last five, finding an offensive spark in quarterback Matt McGloin and showing more consistency on defense.
As a result, Penn State (7-4, 4-3 Big Ten) has a chance to finish right behind the Big Ten's dominant trio of Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan State with a victory and maybe even ahead of once-promising Iowa if the Hawkeyes lose to Minnesota.
It won't be easy. The Spartans (10-1, 6-1) have come out of nowhere to challenge for the conference championship, which would be their first since 1990. They have been equally adept as front-runners and in coming from behind, which they did last week when they rallied from a 28-13, fourth-quarter deficit to beat Purdue.
"I think they've proven [they are good] by some of the wins they've had, the way they've handled a couple of situations where they had tremendous adversity and came back," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "We're playing a really good football team."
The Nittany Lions will get their final chance to beat a highly ranked team. They have lost at Alabama, at Iowa, and at Ohio State, but this time they are at home, even if a packed house of 107,000 is unlikely because of the holiday weekend.
And don't call them spoilers.
"We're not considering this game as a way to spoil their season," McGloin said. "We want to play well against a top-10 team. We think we've improved over the last few weeks. We're just trying to get to eight wins and get to a Jan. 1 bowl."
The Nittany Lions have won on 19 of their last 20 Senior Days, and that has included a good run against Michigan State.
They own eight consecutive wins over the Spartans at home since joining the Big Ten in 1993. In fact, Michigan State's last win over the Lions came in 1965, the year before Paterno took over as head coach.
In the last two seasons, Penn State has posted a pair of lopsided victories - 42-14 with 512 yards of total offense last season, and 49-18 with 557 total yards two years ago at Beaver Stadium.
But Spartans coach Mark Dantonio isn't worrying about that or the ramifications of a three-way tie for first in the Big Ten at the end of Saturday's action that could keep Michigan State from going to a BCS bowl.
"All we can do is control what's in front of us, and what we can control is Saturday," he said.
Nittany notes. A victory would give Paterno his 100th win in the Big Ten. . . . Linebacker Michael Mauti (shoulder) is probable for the game, and center Doug Klopacz (ankle) may play. . . . Senior starters to be introduced before the game include Klopacz, Wisniewski, wide receiver Brett Brackett, linebackers Chris Colasanti and Bani Gbadyu, safety Andrew Dailey, defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu, tailback Evan Royster, and kicker Collin Wagner. Offensive tackle Lou Eliades, another senior starter, suffered a season-ending knee injury last month.
Michigan State at Penn State
Saturday at 12:01 p.m., Beaver Stadium, State College, Pa.
TV/Radio: ESPN2; WNTP-AM (990), WNPV-AM (1440).
Records: Michigan State, 10-1 overall, 6-1 Big Ten Conference, ranked No. 10 in BCS ratings and No. 11 in Associated Press poll; Penn State, 7-4, 4-3.
Coaches: Michigan State, Mark Dantonio (fourth season, 32-18); Penn State, Joe Paterno (45th season, 401-133-3).
Series: Penn State leads the series, 14-12-1, including a 42-14 win last season in East Lansing, Mich. The Nittany Lions have won eight consecutive games over the Spartans at Beaver Stadium.
Michigan State outlook: The Spartans have been one of the nation's most surprising teams and have kept the heat on Ohio State and Wisconsin in the Big Ten race to the Rose Bowl. They have perfected the art of winning close games, as they did last week when they scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally from a 15-point deficit and beat Purdue. Junior Kirk Cousins leads the conference's active players in completion percentage (66.8). Sophomore Edwin Baker has rushed for 1,069 yards (fourth in the Big Ten) and 12 touchdowns. All-American linebacker Greg Jones sparks a defense that has played better in Big Ten games than it did against nonconference opponents. Dan Conroy has made 14 of 15 field-goal attempts for the best percentage (93.3) in the Big Ten.
Rose Bowl scenerios: If Wisconsin beats Northwestern and Ohio State beats Michigan, Wisconsin wins the Big Ten title and goes to the Rose Bowl. If Wisconsin wins and Michigan State beats Penn State, Michigan State goes to the Rose Bowl. If Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State all win, the team ranked highest by the BCS on Sunday will win the Big Ten title. Currently, Wisconsin is No. 7, Ohio State is No. 8, and Michigan State is No. 10.
Penn State outlook: The Nittany Lions have posted impressive offensive numbers in winning four of their last five, averaging 32.8 points and 416.4 total yards over that stretch. They also have converted 18 of 20 red-zone opportunities with 16 touchdowns. Matt McGloin threw for a career-high 315 yards (his first career 300-yard game) in last week's win over Indiana. Evan Royster is 169 yards away from his third consecutive 1,000-yard season but may not get the necessary carries, with Stephfon Green and Silas Redd having played well last week. The defense may get Michael Mauti back at linebacker.
- Joe Juliano
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