Who leads the all-time series between Penn State and Michigan State?
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Penn State and Michigan State will meet on Saturday in East Lansing, Michigan, for the 39th time in the team's history. The Nittany Lions hold a slight advantage with a 19-18-1 record against the Spartans.
The most recent game came just two years with Penn State dominating, 42-0, in Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions. However, the history of the series spans over 100 years, with the first game coming in 1914.
That 1914 matchup in University Park, Pennsylvania, finished in a 6-3 victory for Michigan State. As the years advanced, the scores started to get higher. From 1945 to 1966, Michigan State didn't lose eight straight games, including a 14-14 tie in 1948.
Fast-forward to 2015, a two-year stretch where the teams had arguably their best years. In 2015, Michigan State dominantly won en route to a Big Ten Championship and a College Football Playoff berth.
Led by Connor Cook, the Spartans won 55-16 at home behind Cook's 248 yards and three touchdown passes. Michigan State also added a balanced rushing attack between duo Gerald Holmes and LJ Scott. The two totaled 23 rushes for 105 yards and two touchdowns, a touchdown for each of the two backs.
Just a year later, Penn State got its revenge en route to a Big Ten title. Partway through the game, the Nittany Lion faithful learned of the news that a win would mean a berth to the Big Ten Championship, and Trace McSorley and company left no doubt. Penn State's path to the Big Ten championship game was opened wiht Ohio State defeating Michigan, removing Michigan from the running and giving the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Buckeyes to the Nittany Lions.
McSorley totaled 376 yards and four touchdowns on 17-of-23 passing on the way to a 45-12 victory. Chris Godwin was too much for the Michigan State secondary. The receiver caught just five passes for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Star running back Saquon Barkley was held in check. He ran 12 times for just 23 yards, but added a touchdown in the dominant victory.
Like Michigan State in 2015, Penn State would go on to win the Big Ten Championship, marking two straight years that the Land-Grant Trophy winner would go on to win the Big Ten title.
It's not just the overall record that is fairly even. The teams have split the last 10 matchups, an even 5-5. However, Penn State has won four of the last five with pretty commanding victories.
The only loss was a snow game in East Lansing behind Michigan State star running back Kenneth Walker III. The Waker Forest transfer ran wild, totaling 30 rushes for 146 yards and a touchdown. The Spartans' strength that season was the run game and in a snow-heavy game, Walker was allowed to run all over Penn State's defense.
Will the newest edition of the Land-Grant Trophy battle be as even as the history has been for the Spartans and Nittany Lions? On paper, it says yes, but the game is played for a reason.
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: What is Penn State's all-time record against Michigan State?
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