Ethan Grunkemeyer and Devonte Ross connected for two touchdown passes, Kaytron Allen ran for two scores, and visiting Penn State posted a much-needed 28-10 victory over Michigan State on Saturday in East Lansing, Mich.
In a matchup of teams that entered on six-game losing streaks, Penn State (4-6, 1-6) emerged to notch its first Big Ten win of the season. The Nittany Lions suffered an agonizing, last-second loss to No. 2 Indiana last weekend but were able to bounce back in this one.
Grunkemeyer (8-of-13 for 127 yards) wasn’t asked to do much, as the Nittany Lions ran the ball 50 times and relied on their defense. Allen had 25 rushes for 181 yards, while Nicholas Singleton chipped in 56 yards on 15 carries.
Alessio Milivojevic went 17-of-27 for 128 yards for Michigan State (3-7, 0-7). Elijah Tau-Tolliver was the leading rusher and receiver for the Spartans with six carries for 79 yards and eight catches for 73 yards.
Michigan State threw the first punch, as Tau-Tolliver rushed through the right side of the defense for a 57-yard touchdown on the Spartans’ first play from scrimmage.
Penn State bounced right back, as Grunkemeyer’s 25-yard pass to Trebor Pena set up Allen’s 8-yard rushing touchdown two plays later.
Late in the first quarter, the Nittany Lions stopped the Spartans on fourth down. However, Michigan State returned the favor on the ensuing Penn State possession.
Midway through the second quarter, Martin Connington’s 24-yard field goal gave the hosts a 10-7 lead. But on the next play from scrimmage, Grunkemeyer launched a bomb to a wide-open Ross for a 75-yard score.
Neither team dented the scoreboard during a third quarter in which the longest play for either team was 14 yards.
Penn State also didn’t have any big plays during its first of two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions only reached third down once on the 13-play march — and that was on the final play, a 4-yard TD pass from Grunkemeyer to Ross with 4:32 left.
On the ensuing possession, Zion Tracy sacked Milivojevic and Daryus Dixson recovered a fumble on the play. Shortly thereafter, Allen unleashed runs of 42 and 26 yards to get Penn State back into the end zone with 2:07 remaining.
