Nittany Lions Get Run Over

EAST LANSING, Mich. —  Joe Paterno expected Michigan State to run the ball. He never dreamed the Spartans would run it so well.

Sedrick Irvin and Marc Renaud each ran for more than 200 yards against No. 4 Penn State as Michigan State rolled to a 49-14 victory Saturday, virtually killing the Nittany Lions’ hopes for a berth in an alliance bowl game.

“I was surprised with the way they ran,” Paterno said. “I knew they were going to run, but I thought it would be a contest. They’re good backs, but we’ve got to tackle better than we did.”

Irvin rushed 28 times for 238 yards and three touchdowns; he also caught one of two touchdown passes by Todd Schultz. Renaud rushed 21 times for 203 yards, including a 42-yard scoring run. Afterward, Michigan State, 7-4 overall and 4-4 in the Big Ten, accepted an invitation to play in the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day.

It was the first time the Nittany Lions (9-2, 6-2) ever had two players run for 200 yards against them. The Spartans’ 452 total rushing yards were the most ever given up by Penn State, topping the previous mark of 425 yards by Notre Dame in 1989.

“I thought we practiced well this week,” Paterno said. “The thing I don’t think people realize is how good Michigan State is, and that worried me. Michigan State really killed themselves all year.

“They really should have been an 8-2 team if they kicked a couple of field goals.”

Penn State was outplayed through much of the first half, but came back from a 14-0 deficit to tie the score, 14-14, at 3:45 of the third quarter. Then, the Spartans answered with two touchdowns in a span of 2:56 and added three more touchdowns.

“What I was most proud of is the way we came back after they tied it up,” Michigan State Coach Nick Saban said. “There have been times when we’ve shown a capacity to not be able to respond to a situation like that.”

It was Michigan State’s first victory over a ranked opponent since Nov. 4, 1995, when the Spartans upset No. 7 Michigan. It was also the first time the Spartans had knocked off a team ranked higher than No. 5 since a 1990 victory over Michigan.

Penn State’s Curtis Enis rushed for 106 yards in 16 carries, including a 54-yard touchdown run, giving him a school-record eight consecutive games of 100 yards or more, breaking the mark set by Blair Thomas in 1989. Enis has 17 career games of 100 yards.

Mike McQueary, 13 of 27 for 176 yards with three interceptions, passed 14 yards to Joe Jurevicius for Penn State’s other touchdown. The Nittany Lions were held to 313 yards and only 14 first downs. Penn State turned the ball over four times.

“I’ve said since August that Michigan State was going to be the toughest game of the year,” McQueary said. “They proved me right today. Still, it’s hard to say why we lost. But at certain times this season we seemed to have lost our focus. All we can do now is regroup and try to play a great bowl game.”

The loss ended Penn State’s four-game winning streak against Michigan State and denied Paterno his 299th career victory.

“These things are hard to explain,” Paterno said. “All of a sudden they get loose, they get confident, and they take off. Then we can’t get in a groove.”

Schultz completed 17 of 23 passes for 144 yards and one interception.

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Final Big Ten Standings

Conf

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Team W L Michigan 8 0 Penn State 6 2 Ohio State 6 2 Purdue 6 2 Wisconsin 5 3 Iowa 4 4 Michigan State 4 4 Northwestern 3 5 Minnesota 1 7 Indiana 1 7 Illinois 0 8

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Overall*--*

Team W L Michigan 11 0 Penn State 9 2 Ohio State 10 2 Purdue 8 3 Wisconsin 8 4 Iowa 7 4 Michigan State 7 4 Northwestern 5 7 Minnesota 3 9 Indiana 2 9 Illinois 0 11

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