PENN STATE CONCLUDES REGULAR SEASON AT MICHIGAN STATE SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27TH 3:30 KICK-OFF

By PSUGreg On November 27, 2021 · Leave a Comment

PENN STATE CONCLUDES REGULAR SEASON AT MICHIGAN STATE
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 27^TH 3:30 KICK-OFF
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• OPENING KICK: Penn State travels to No. 12/13/7 Michigan State for its final regular season game of the 2021 campaign. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.. The 2021 season is presented by PSECU.

• SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions will meet Michigan State for the 36th time in the series. The series is even at 17-17-1, but Penn State has won the last two matchups. In 2020, the Nittany Lions earned a 39-24 win in Beaver Stadium. Sean Clifford threw for two touchdowns, both to Parker Washington, and rushed for another. Jahan Dotson caught eight passes for 108 yards and scored on an 81-yard punt return. The Nittany Lion defense registered 10 tackles for loss and four sacks, while Jaquan Brisker collected nine tackles and an interception.

• SECOND SHUTOUT: Penn State notched its second shutout of the season last Saturday, holding Rutgers scoreless. The Scarlet Knights punted on 10 of its first 11 drives with the other drive ending the first half and its final three drives ending in a turnover on downs, an interception and the end of the game. Rutgers crossed the 50-yard line on only one drive. The Nittany Lions also shutout Indiana this season, marking the first time Penn State has shutout two conference opponents since joining the Big Ten in 1993.

• LIVING IN THE BACKFIELD: Arnold Ebiketie continued his incredible season with five tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss and a strip-sack against Rutgers. Ebiketie has at least one tackle for loss in seven-straight games this season. Ebiketie leads the Big Ten with 16.0 tackles for loss and ranks second among Power Five defensive linemen. He’s also third in the Big Ten in sacks (9.5) and third among Power Five defensive linemen in total tackles (58). Among Ebiketie’s 16.0 tackles for loss, 13.5 have come against Big Ten opponents (eight games) and 8.5 of 9.5 sacks have come against conference foes.

• THE OPPOSITION: Michigan State is 9-2 this season, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play. Last Saturday, the Spartans fell 56-7 at Ohio State. On the season, Michigan State is third in the Big Ten in scoring offense (32.1 ppg) and fourth in total offense (463.4). RB Kenneth Walker III paces the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,498), rushing yards per game (136.2) and rushing touchdowns (17). On defense, the Spartans are allowing 25.6 points (11th in the Big Ten) and 463.4 total yards (14th). S Xavier Henderson leads the team with 89 tackles and 10.0 tackles for loss.

HEAD COACH MEL TUCKER

• This is Mel Tucker’s second season as head coach at Michigan State after being hired in February 2020. He is 11-7 in his time with the Spartans.
• Tucker’s coaching career began as a graduate assistant at Michigan State under Nick Saban in 1997.
• In 2019, Tucker was the head coach at Colorado, his first year as a head coach. • From 2016-18, Tucker was the defensive coordinator and secondary coach at Georgia. He helped the Bulldogs to a 32-9 record and three consecutive seasons among the FBS Top 20 in total defense.
• Tucker’s previous Big Ten coaching experience came as the defensive backs coach at Ohio State from 2001-04. He held the title of co-defensive coordinator in 2004.
• Tucker played cornerback and safety at Wisconsin, graduating in 1995. He helped the Badgers to a Big Ten Championship and a Rose Bowl win in 1993.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
• Michigan State is 9-2 this season, including a 6-2 mark in Big Ten play. • The Spartans own two wins over AP Top 25 teams this season, No. 24 Miami (38-17) and No. 6 Michigan (37-33). • Michigan State’s offense ranks third in the Big Ten in scoring (32.1 ppg), fourth in total yards (429.1), sixth in passing offense (243.3) and sixth in rushing offense (185.8).
• RB Kenneth Walker III paces the Big Ten in rushing yards (1,498), rushing yards per game (136.2), good for second nationally in both categories, and rushing touchdowns (17). He’s also eighth in the nation in yards per carry (6.43).
• WR Jayden Reed sits fifth in the Big Ten in receiving yards (857) and fourth in receiving touchdowns (7).
• MIchigan State’s defense sits 11th in the Big Ten in scoring defense (25.5), 14th in total defense (463.4), 14th in passing defense (339.9) and fifth in rushing defense (123.5).
• S Xavier Henderson ranks eighth in the Big Ten in tackles per game (8.1). Henderson also leads MSU with 10 tackles for loss.
• DE Jacub Panasiuk paces the Spartans’ defensive line with 8.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.
• DE Jeff Pietrowski has 7.0 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and a teamhigh three forced fumbles.

RUTGERS NOTES

The Penn State football team closed out its home schedule with a 28-0 win over Big Ten foe Rutgers at Beaver Stadium on Saturday.
After quarterback Sean Clifford left the game in the first quarter, true freshman Christian Veilleux saw his first action as a Nittany Lion. Veilleux shined in his debut, completing 15 of 24 passes for 235 yards and three touchdowns.
Three different receivers found the end zone on the day for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. In his final contest at Beaver Stadium, senior Jahan Dotson had three catches for 52 yards with an 8-yard touchdown. Freshman Malick Meiga recorded his first collegiate touchdown, connecting with Veilleux on a 67-yard score in the third quarter.
The Penn State defense shut down the Rutgers offense throughout the afternoon, holding the Scarlett Knights to just 165 yards. Jaquan Brisker led the unit with seven tackles. Senior captain Jonathan Sutherland capped off the victory with his first career interception in his final game at Beaver Stadium.
Prior to the game, Penn State honored 32 seniors in a pre-game ceremony. Those honored included S Jaquan Brisker, LB Ellis Brooks, RB Journey Brown, CB Tariq Castro-Fields, K Rafael Checa, LB Max Chizmar, QB Sean Clifford, WR Jahan Dotson, DE Arnold Ebiketie, WR Winston Eubanks, WR Henry Fessler, DL Fred Hansard, S Drew Hartlaub, K Vlad Hilling, OL Des Holmes, K Bradley King, OL Will Knutsson, OL Kaleb Konigus, RB John Lovett, LB Jesse Luketa, Jordan Miner, OL Mike Miranda, DT PJ Mustipher, P/K Jordan Stout, WR Cam Sullivan-Brown, S Johnathan Sutherland, DT Derrick Tangelo, DE Dan Vasey, WR Justin Weller, OL Anthony Whigan, WR Ben Wilson, OL Eric Wilson.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The contest remained scoreless for the first 29 minutes of play before Christian Veilleux connected with Jahan Dotson on an 8-yard touchdown pass to put Penn State up 7-0. It was the first touchdown pass of Veilleux’s career.
Penn State held Rutgers to just 72 yards of total offense in the first half.
The Nittany Lions extended the lead with 3:32 in the third when Veilleux found Parker Washington in the end zone on a 17-yard score.
Later in the third, Veileux would find redshirt freshman Malick Meiga on a 67-yard catch and run for the score. It was the first touchdown of Meiga’s career.
Keyvone Lee would extend the Penn State lead to 28-0 midway through the fourth, scoring on a 7-yard run.
The Penn State defense would force the game’s first turnover with 6:20 remaining when senior captain Jonathan Sutherland picked off a Gavin Wimsatt pass.
• Penn State has won each of the last 15 matchups against the Scarlet Knights, including an 8-0 mark since Rutgers joined the Big Ten.
• The Nittany Lions recorded their second shutout of the season, having previous held Indiana scoreless.
• The result marked the first time Penn State has shut out two conference opponents in a single season since joining the Big Ten for football in 1993.
• Penn State only allowed Rutgers’ offense to cross the 50-yard line on one drive, which ended in a turnover on downs in the red zone in the fourth quarter.
• Penn State has held Rutgers to less than 10 points in all eight meetings since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten Conference in 2014, including two shutouts (2016, 2021).

DEFENSIVE LINE NOTES

• DE Arnold Ebiketie joined the Nittany Lions after a four-year stint at Temple (2017-20).
• 13.5 of Ebiketie’s Big Ten-leading 16.0 tackles for loss and 8.5 of his 9.5 sacks have come against Big Ten opponents (eight games).
• The Silver Spring, Md. native ranks second in the Big Ten in tackles for loss per game (1.5; 7th nationally) and third in sacks per game (0.86; 14th).
• He is second among Power Five defensive linemen in tackles for loss and third in total tackles.
• The defensive end was named a Midseason All-America First Team honoree by The Athletic and was on the Ted Hendricks Award Watch List.
• He had an impressive Penn State debut with seven solo tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, while also adding a blocked field goal against Wisconsin.
• Ebiketie’s sack came at a crucial moment of the game, with the Badgers facing 2nd-and-10 at the PSU 25. Ebiketie recorded a 7-yard sack and forced an intentional grounding penalty.
• The redshirt senior recorded a solo sack against Indiana and blocked his second field goal of the season, a 30-yard attempt.
• Ebiketie is the first Penn State player with two blocked field goals in a season since Scott Paxson in 2004.
• Born in Yaounde, Cameroon, Ebiketie tied a career best with 3.5 tackles for loss at Iowa and had nine tackles.
• In the Illinois contest, Ebiketie recorded a season-high 10 tackles, matching his career best and the most by a Penn State defensive end since Yetur Gross-Matos recorded 10 at Indiana in 2018, while also adding 1.5 sacks.
• Ebiketie had 1.5 tackles for loss and a strip-sack vs. Rutgers.
• Ebiketie forced a fumble on a strip-sack in the fourth quarter against Michigan. It was his fourth career forced fumble and first at Penn State.
• Ebiketie also recorded a solo sack against the Wolverines in the second quarter, extending his streak of games with a tackle for loss to six.

SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES

• The Nittany Lions lead the country in kick return defense (11) and are sixth in punt return defense (2.63, 1st in the Big Ten).
• Penn State brought back starters at kicker, punter, long snapper, holder and punt returner in 2021.
• Redshirt senior Jordan Stout has served as Penn State’s kicker, for both field goals and extra points, punter and kickoff specialist in all 11 games this season.
• Stout is a Ray Guy Award semifinalist, and has been named the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week twice this season and Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week four times.
• He owns Penn State’s best career punt average (44.71), leading by 1.58 yards per punt.
• The redshirt senior also holds Penn State’s highest season punt average (46.47). • Stout, San Diego State’s Matt Araiza, Texas’ Cameron Dicker and UConn’s Joe McFadden are the only FBS players handling kickoff, field goal and punt duties for their team this season.
• Among the four, Stout leads the group in net punting average (44.93), touchbacks (48) and kickoffs returned (1).
• Stout is second among the four in opponent drive start average (27.80 yard-line), 50+ yard punts (24) and punts inside the 20 (31).
• Led by Stout, Penn State ranks second in the country in net punting (44.93).
• He is ninth in the country, and second in the Big Ten, with a 46.47 punt average.
• Stout has averaged at least 50.0 yards per punt in five games this season and 24 of his 59 punts this season have been 50 or more yards.

• Stout has 27 career punts of 50+ yards.
• Stout has landed 31 punts inside the 20, including a career-high six against Illinois and Rutgers, 15 inside the 10 and five inside the 5.
• Stout knocked five punts inside the 10 against Rutgers and six of his eight punts inside the 20. He hit two punts of 50+ yards.
• With Stout handling kickoff and punting duties, Rutgers average drive start for the entire game was it’s own 18-yard line. The Scarlet Knights best drive start was their own 33.
• Stout landed all four punts against Michigan inside the 20 and hit two 50+ yard punts to earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Stout also completed an 18-yard pass to Curtis Jacobs on a fake punt.
• Stout converted three field goals against the Wolverines, including a 52-yard kick in the second quarter, to tie his career high for field goals made in a game.
• At Ohio State, Stout hit a pair of 55-yard punts, landing one inside the 20, while also hitting a 47-yard field goal at Ohio State to close out the first half.
• He was named the Ray Guy Award National Punter of the Week after his performance against Illinois, where he hit four punts of 50+ yards and dropped six inside the 20.
• Stout also converted a career-high-tying three field goal attempts against the Illini. • Against Indiana, Stout averaged 46.3 yards on six punts. He hit 51 and 50 yard punts and landed four inside the 20, including one inside the 10.
• Stout also hit a 50-yard field goal against the Hoosiers, as he earned Big Ten Co-Special Teams Player of the Week.
• Against Auburn, Stout averaged 50.0 yards per punt with two over 50 yards and one downed inside the 20.
• In the Ball State win, Stout hit three field goals against the Cardinals, inducing a 45-yarder.
• Stout earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career after averaging 53.9 yards on seven punt attempts against Wisconsin. Stout hit five punts of 50-plus yards, including a 76-yarder.

• His 53.9 punt average ranks second-best in a game at Penn State behind only Ralph Giacomarro (54.75; 1981 at Syracuse).
• The 76-yard punt is the longest of Stout’s career and tied for third-longest in program history.
• Stout’s 91.4 touchback percentage (53 of 58) on kickoffs this season is the highest in the FBS among kickers with 40 or more kickoffs.
• Since 1997, Stout ranks third at Penn State in career kickoff average (62.1; 11,670 yards on 183 kickoffs) behind only Anthony Fera (66.4; 2010-11) and Robbie Gould (64.0; 2002- 04).
• Since the kickoff yard-line was moved back to the 35 in 2011, Stout has the highest average among Penn State kickers.
• Stout sits second all-time at Penn State in 50-yard field goals (5), behind only Chris Bahr (6; 1973-75).
• Eleven of Stout’s 20 career field goals are longer than 40 yards