November 21st, 2015 at 7:44 PM ^
Anything can happen. Penn state has a good defense and as we've seen today, games get wild with good defenses
November 21st, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
they have a chance. good weather. hackenberg could exploit their secondary. but i am focusing on beating osu. 10-2 would be amazing
November 21st, 2015 at 7:45 PM ^
but don't kid yourself—it's a minuscule chance. MSU will have to turn the ball over six times for PSU to even be close in the 4th quarter.
Dantonio's a very good coach with a strong staff. I don't see them blowing this at home against a team with obvious weaknesses like PSU.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:00 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 11:14 PM ^
so tell us how you feel about him?
November 21st, 2015 at 7:46 PM ^
If Cook doesn't play, definitely. OSU has looked iffy all year. Losing at home to a Cookless Sparty team confirms they were overrated.
Will MSU have trouble getting up for them?
Does Hackenberg even want to play this game?
I think line opens at Sparty -6 accounting for Cook's unknown status.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:47 PM ^
Stranger things have happened, though this year they've mostly been in MSU's favor.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:49 PM ^
win over osu will make this year an enormous success. worry about penn state later
November 21st, 2015 at 7:47 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 7:48 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 9:48 PM ^
I noticed that as well.
It's funny how some things work out like that.
November 21st, 2015 at 11:08 PM ^
Funny, considering how enraged I was at the time.
I still think a large group of people deserve to be stood against a wall and shot with paintballs over this ridiculous, crappy, randomly enforced targeting rule.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:49 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^
Well, it may very well trend downwards after the site has updated, but the estimated chances of a PSU win next week stand at 20% on Massey Ratings right now. Granted, football is a weird sport sometimes and maybe Hackenburg finds some rhythm and exploits MSU's secondary, but it isn't terribly likely. Even less likely now, I bet.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^
The football gods are fickle. PSU has a chance. I believe.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:50 PM ^
well what were the odds of MSU beating OSU without Cook? If Cook doesn't play, then theres a chance as long as Penn State is willing to throw the fucking ball
November 21st, 2015 at 7:52 PM ^
Sure. If Cook remains hurt, then it's not like MSU set the world on fire offensively, and PSU's defense is good enough to beat a team like MSU. It's highly unlikely, but MSU has been incredibly lucky all year; at some point that can swing the other way. They already lost to an inferior team in Nebraska, who says it can't happen again.
That said, I doubt it highly. Iowa might be able to beat them, but not this piss-poor PSU offense.
November 21st, 2015 at 9:30 PM ^
Luck went against them against Nebraska so that's done with. I agree with Iowa though, they have a much better shot against MSU.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:53 PM ^
Only if by next week penn state gets a new and better:
- coach,
- qb, and
- and OL.
Then they have a chance!
November 21st, 2015 at 9:28 PM ^
A better QB? Who exactly would you have them get? If Hackenburg played on a better team he would be a top 10 NFL draft pick. There's maybe only two guys in college ball who can pick apart a defense like Hack can, when given time. He's the perfect QB to take down MSU's weak secondary.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:56 PM ^
If they watch the Neb. - MSU game film and go deep, they have a chance. Or if they take the OSU route, don't watch any film and run into the D-line again and again, they don't.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:55 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 7:57 PM ^
Dude PSU won by 1 vs MD on the road. Maryland!!!!!!!!
Get real.
MSU has superior lines and at this point I'd take O'Connor over Hack. He is broken. Its on the road for a team re-energized for playoff push vs a team playing for nothing.
November 22nd, 2015 at 5:15 AM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 7:58 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^
If their OL can hold up, then yes. For some reason, OSU did not use Elliott much. I don't know why. PSU should just run the ball and control the clock. PSU DL is better than OSU's DL, based on what I saw today. If Cook is not playing and PSU stack up the box and the REFS from Nebraska game show up to PSU game, then yes, they have a good chance.
Hack is still a good QB. The only guy in the conference who can match up to Cook is Hack. May be he will play the best game of his life in the last game. Who knows. If he does, then I think PSU can win.
But I would give it 20% chance.
Weird things happen in College Football. PSU still have many good athletes. So, there is a chance.
November 21st, 2015 at 9:28 PM ^
Entering this week Hackenberg was 8th in the B1G in QBR. So there's quite a few QBs better than him. But yes, it will take the game of his life as well as the o-line's game of its collective life to win.
November 21st, 2015 at 7:59 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 8:01 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 8:03 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 8:04 PM ^
PSU has no chance. It seems pretty clear that Dantonio was in on the deal that Tressel made with the devil back in the day. It's the only thing that explains all of this.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:05 PM ^
well as they say, any given Saturday.... PSU's OL needs to give Hackenberg enough time to throw downfield. If that happens, PSU has a great chance. If Hackenberg is on his back all game, it'll be up to the PSU RBs to make things happen against a stout MSU dline, and well I don't like their chances at that point.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:10 PM ^
November 21st, 2015 at 8:12 PM ^
NO!!!
November 21st, 2015 at 8:12 PM ^
NO!!!
November 21st, 2015 at 8:14 PM ^
Defensively, PSU and MSU are similar. Very strong lines, ok back 7s. Offensively, MSU has a better line but PSU has the better QB and RB at least if Cook isn't close to 100%. This game should be a pretty even match.
If Cook is back to being Cook, MSU has the edge.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:40 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 8:15 PM ^
in the season finale as a 24-point underdog. Wisconsin had an Orange Bowl bid guaranteed if they won, but PSU came in and won convincingly.
Of course, that was a Bill O'Brien coached team. Franklin is not O'Brien.
One thing that will be in common: I was in Madison in 2013, and I'll be in East Lansing in 2015. I'll try to bring some good luck!
November 21st, 2015 at 8:17 PM ^
that PSU can dominate State for 59 minutes and 59 seconds.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:19 PM ^
That is all. Not interested in backing in with a Sparty No!
November 21st, 2015 at 8:24 PM ^
Just beat OSU and I guarantee we're talking about a NY6 bowl for this team.
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November 21st, 2015 at 8:34 PM ^
I doubt they do so with a team that has a top 20 defense.
November 21st, 2015 at 9:22 PM ^
I agree and I'm not expecting MSU to blowout PSU, but they just beat down OSU. Score was 17-14, but OSU got those 14 points on a 32 yard TD drive and a 4 yard TD drive, both set up by MSU turnovers. It could have easily been a more decisive score.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:26 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 8:27 PM ^
Shoulder injuries take a long time to heal...if Sparty is playing inexperienced QB's, you have no idea how many picks or fumbles they might have.
It was a monsoon tonight...they didn't HAVE to throw...could be very different in PSU players come to play.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:27 PM ^
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November 21st, 2015 at 8:32 PM ^
moronic overturn of the Zettle targeting call might end up benefiting Michigan next Saturday. Hope so.
November 21st, 2015 at 8:32 PM ^
Wow, there are a lot of negative attitudes around here. MSU coming off an emotional win thinking they have it wrapped up could definitely lose. Anything can happen.
November 21st, 2015 at 9:18 PM ^
I think people are thinking rationally. MSU just beat a superior team on the road without Cook. With or without him, MSU will face a clearly inferior team at home. If there is one area of MSU's defense that has been good this year it is the defensive line. We just saw Michigan manhandle PSU's offensive line. But now all of a sudden, that same line is going to handle MSU's d-line?
It's college football and strange things happen, but come on.