The Penn State Nittany Lions will officially end the 2023 regular season with a 10-2 record. Their final game was against the Michigan State Spartans, and the Nittany Lions won 42-0. This game was filled with a ton of explosive plays and a strong defense. Here is a look back at the win and what could be next for Penn State.
Penn State’s Explosive Offense
It may have taken until the final regular season game, but the week 13 matchup may have been the most explosive game by the Nittany Lions offense. This is in regard to both the passing game and the run game. It felt like the offense that fans expected to have all season. The offense also ran a couple of plays with both Drew Allar and Beau Pribula on the field.
Penn State QB Beau Pribula (9) – Paul Burdick / StateCollege.com
Allar had a strong game, finally slinging the ball downfield. In the game, Allar completed 17 passes out of 26 attempts for 292 yards and two touchdowns, according to ESPN. His longest passing plays in the game were a 53-yard play to Nicholas Singleton and a 60-yard play to Omari Evans. Even Theo Johnson had a 22-yard reception. Pribula only attempted two passes but completed both, one being for a touchdown. This can go down as the most entertaining passing offense of the season for Penn State.
Even the run game had explosive plays. Something about the second half of the season has been great for Kaytron Allen. He had 15 carries for 137 yards. His longest run of the game was for 50 yards. He also had three receptions for 17 yards and one touchdown. Singleton also had a strong game with 18 carries for 118 yards and one rushing touchdown. It may have been the final game of the regular season, but the Penn State Nittany Lions will have a bowl game to show off this offense again.
Penn State LB Curtis Jacobs (23) and CB Johnny Dixon (3) – Joe Hermitt
Dominant Defense
The Penn State defense absolutely dominated against the Michigan State offense. A shut-out is just what this team needed to potentially earn a New Year’s Six bowl game. The defense limited the Spartans’ passing game to 88 yards and the team as a whole ended up with -35 yards on the ground, according to ESPN. Michigan State running back, Nathan Carter, ended the game with 39 rushing yards. Between poor snaps and the Nittany Lions sacking their quarterback, Michigan State struggled to move the ball.
Jaylen Reed had an interception in the first quarter of the game that truly set the tone for this matchup. Michigan State’s offense had a couple of strong plays, but the defense made sure the Spartans could not capitalize off of them. While rarely blitzing the quarterback, Penn State ended up with seven sacks. They also had six tackles for loss. The Manny Diaz defense continues to shine and may be the reason Penn State earns a better bowl game.
Penn State LBs Curtis Jacobs (23) and Abdul Carter (11) – Joe Hermitt
What to Watch for Now
Now the Penn State Nittany Lions just need to wait. They must wait for the College Football Playoff Rankings to be released, and then they can see what their bowl game is. They should still be able to earn a New Year’s Six game, but which is unknown. Their opponent is also yet to be determined of course.
The season is now over with another 10-2 record. The way the Nittany Lions played does bring some hope, but there are needed positions on the offensive side of the ball that they must figure out ahead of the 2024 season. This is a young team, but the transfer portal opens very soon. It will be interesting to see who enters and eventually, who joins the team. Hopefully, for them, any changes that occur in the offseason will help them defeat bigger teams, especially with all the changes in the Big Ten conference.
