Fewer snaps for Michigan State's offense hinders strong defensive effort against Penn State
Michigan State's defense had a valiant effort agains Penn State, but wore down late.
The Michigan State defense held Penn State to only two touchdowns entering the fourth quarter, but ultimately lost to the Nittany Lions by a final score of 28-10 in Spartan Stadium on senior day on Saturday.
MSU head coach Jonathan Smith applauded the gritty effort his defense put forth.
“(I was) proud of some defensive effort, fourth down stops,” Smith said. “I thought they kept us in it throughout the night. (We) gave up the 75-yarder that was a bust, but outside of that I thought they really battled to keep us within striking distance throughout the night, and then it got away from us at the end.”
The 75-yard touchdown Smith referenced was a second-quarter pass from Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer to wide receiver Devonte Ross. Smith explained the quick strike was the result of miscommunication and a coverage bust in the Spartan defensive backfield.
Up to that point, MSU held the Nittany Lion offense to 94 total yards on four drives, including twp three-and-outs and a fourth-down stand, resulting a turnover on downs.
Redshirt junior defensive lineman, Alex VanSumeren described the mindset of his teammates for the majority of the game.
“We felt — speaking for the defense — we were all good out there,” VanSumeren said. “We were getting stops early — three and outs. You
know, we were stopping the run. We were kind of getting in a good groove, it felt like, and there was no doubt that we were in the game. Our confidence was great.”
