MSU-PSU: Saturday Football Preview

As a die-hard MSU fan, it pains me to say this. I don't believe MSU will beat Penn State on Saturday. There is too much on the line for both teams. For MSU, its a shot at the Rose Bowl. For Penn State, its a chance to clinch the Big Ten Title in what is possibly long time coach Joe Paterno's last year.

Penn State looked past Iowa and got burned on a last second field goal. The Lions will not make this mistake again. They will come out prepared and motivated to make a strong statement.

On the flip side, MSU has had a phenomenal season by any standard. The Spartans have been preparing for this game for two weeks and they will be ready and willing to upset Penn State if given the chance.

To upset the best of the Big Ten, several things have to go Michigan State's way.

First, defense has to come up big. It has to play better than it did against Purdue, which was a defensive show of force the likes of which I haven't seen all season. It must keep Penn State's potent offense to 13 points or less if the team wants to have a chance of winning. Penn State will not allow MSU to score more then a couple times, if at all, so this one, in particular, is key, and leads us to the second key.

MSU's offense must perform. Javon Ringer will need a monster day, even with Penn State keying up on him. Brian Hoyer will need to be accurate and show the good decision making skills that have been lacking at times during the season. The special teams cannot miss a single opportunity to score.

In short, the Spartans must play the perfect game. They have the defensive tools in Otis Wiley and Ross Weaver, and new comer Johnny Adams. They have the offensive threats of Javon Ringer, BJ Cunningham and Mark Dell. Brett Swenson has had a sensational year as kicker.

All these ingredients have to come together like never before if they even hope to stop the Penn State scoring juggernaut.