EAST LANSING, Mich. — In a scene more suited for the North Pole, Michigan State closed out a perfect season at home in thrilling fashion.
With snow falling the entire afternoon, covering the Spartan Stadium field in a blanket of white, No. 12 Michigan State started quick on Saturday, then finished strong as Payton Thorne’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Jayden Reed on fourth-and-15 with just more than five minutes to play helped the Spartans to a 30-27 victory over Penn State.
It was the perfect response for Michigan State after last week’s blowout at Ohio State as the Spartans (10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) went undefeated at home and now wait to see where they’ll play over the holidays with a good shot at reaching a New Year’s Six bowl game.
Thorne threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another while Kenneth Walker III ran for 138 yards and one touchdown. Reed had six catches for 89 yards while Tre Mosley also had a touchdown reception.
Sean Clifford threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns for Penn State (7-5, 4-5) while Jahan Dotson caught eight passes for 137 yards and scored twice for the Nittany Lions.
Michigan State was clicking on all cylinders early in the game as it took the opening possession and marched 76 yards on eight plays, getting a big third-down conversion on a 40-yard pass from Thorne to tight end Maliq Carr before Walker scored on a 2-yard run to give the Spartans a 7-0 lead less than four minutes into the game.
The defense was good early, too, forcing a three-and-out that the offense took advantage of.
On the second possession, the Spartans, who were backed up to their 1-yard line, got a 35-yard run from Walker on the first play followed by a 15-yarder. After a 23-yard strike from Thorne to Jayden Reed, Thorne scrambled on third down and found Tre Mosley in the back of the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown pass. It put Michigan State ahead, 14-0, with 6:09 left in the first quarter.
Penn State bounced back with a six-play drive as Clifford connected with Dotson for a 27-yard touchdown pass to cut Michigan State’s lead to 14-7 with 3:37 left in the first quarter. After back-to-back three-and-outs for the Spartans, Penn State struck quickly, tying the score at 14 on a 23-second drive that ended with a 30-yard pass from Clifford to Dotson with 12:11 left in the second quarter.
Michigan State’s offense found its feet again with a 15-play drive that chewed up more than six minutes and included a fourth-down conversion when tight end Connor Heyward picked up 19 yards on fourth-and-6. The Spartans failed to find the end zone, but Matt Coghlin kicked a 22-yard field goal to give Michigan State a 17-14 lead with 5:59 left in the half.
Penn State then moved down the field to close the half, but a 27-yard field-goal attempt from Jordan Stout sailed wide right as Michigan State held the three-point lead at the break.
A quick Michigan State stop to open the second half was wasted when Thorne’s pass was intercepted and returned 17 yards for a touchdown by Penn State’s Daequan Hardy, giving the Nittany Lions a 20-17 lead after the extra point was missed.
The Spartans responded, however, with a 15-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 8:53 and ended with a 1-yard touchdown plunge from Thorne. The extra point, however, was missed as Evan Johnson, in for the injured Coghlin, missed the kick, leaving Michigan State ahead, 23-20, with 2:14 left in the third quarter.
It was the defense’s turn to make the next big play as Cal Haladay forced a fumble that was recovered by Drew Beesley. The Spartans offense took over and extended the lead to 30-20 on Thorne’s scoring strike to Reed with 5:10 left.
Michigan State then forced a turnover on the kickoff as freshman Ma’a Gaoteote forced a fumble that was recovered by Justin White. The Spartans turned it over on downs and Penn State got a late touchdown pass to Parker Washington but Reed recovered the onside kick to clinch the win.
