This is Mark Dantonio's 15th season as a collegiate head coach and 12th at Michigan State.

Lewerke completed 33-of-56 pass attempts for 400 yards and two touchdowns with one interception in last year's win over Penn State. The Spartans also benefit from strong quarterback play though with Brian Lewerke, who ranks second in the Big Ten in passing yardage with 265.2 yards per game. However, the Spartans are surrendering a league-worst 305.2 yards per game through the air, and McSorley's two best regular-season, single-game passing yard totals came against Michigan State in 2017 (381 yds.) and 2016 (376 yds). Michigan State presents an intriguing match-up though, as it leads the nation in rushing defense allowing just 33.8 yards per game this year, and its defense ranks fourth overall in the Big Ten. Both running back Miles Sanders and quarterback Trace McSorley are top-10 rushers in the Big Ten, with McSorley rushing for 175 yards against Ohio State as part of a school-record 461-yard total offense effort. The ground game has led Penn State's offense this season, averaging 261.2 yards per contest to rank second in the Big Ten and 12th in FBS. Penn State has won its last three Homecoming games and 11 of its last 13. In their last outing, the Nittany Lions' 16-game home winning streak came to an end with a heartbreaking, one-point loss to Ohio State, so they will look to start a new one with the help of the Homecoming crowd. Penn State took possession of the trophy in 2016 with a 45-12 victory which also clinched the Big Ten East Division title, but its fellow pioneering land-grant institution reclaimed it with a last-second field goal last season. The Nittany Lions look to return the Land Grant Trophy to its shelves. 8 Penn State returns to action following a bye week and will take on Michigan State in its Homecoming and annual Stripe Out game Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. Ultimately, signs point toward Harrison becoming a problem for the Nittany Lions in future years, whether he's wearing blue or red.No.

could have done to present Happy Valley as a desirable destination. He's consistently placed Penn State among his top three options, and there's not much more Franklin & Co. Michigan carries 16 consecutive predictions dating back to mid-October, including those from Wiltfong and Ohio State insider Bill Kurelic. Harrison attends high school less than 20 miles away from Ohio Stadium but he may pull the unthinkable and join forces with the Buckeyes' hated rival. He's bucked plenty of trends during the process, whether it's his lack of social media updates or general avoidance of individual attention, and the result has been consistent speculation about his destination. You'll be hard-pressed to find a more 'quiet' five-star recruitment than the one Zach Harrison has experienced. 4 overallĬrystal Ball Forecast: Michigan (65%), Ohio State (31%), undecided (4%) High School: Olentangy Orange (Lewis Center, Ohio)Ģ47Sports Composite Ranking: No. Still, this late in the cycle, clarity is developing in different corners of the recruiting landscape and legitimate contenders are known in most pursuits.īased on current Crystal Ball readings - several of them are guaranteed to change, even if only slightly, by the time most of you read this - here's an examination of the outlook for more than dozen uncommitted prospects who've landed on Penn State's 2019 target board. They're an unavoidable aspect of the process and can work for you or against you as a coaching staff. Needless to say, surprises do happen on signing day. Our broad network of recruiting analysts - and a collection of selected reporters from other outlets - place informed predictions of where they believe a prospect is going to sign based on conversations with players, coaches, parents, 'inner circles' and collegiate connections. The 247Sports Crystal Ball serves to provide an indication of where momentum is moving as college coaches across America attempt to add building blocks for future success.

So what's the perception regarding PSU's primary targets at this pivotal point? An especially successful finish could push Penn State toward its second straight top-10 talent haul. James Franklin, assembling his sixth class since arriving in Happy Valley, is in excellent position to sign a top-15 class ( per 247Sports composite rankings) for the third consecutive cycle. In some cases, the Nittany Lions are invested in multi-year recruitments, while others were prioritized later in the process. Penn State, holding 16 verbal commitments in its class, is attempting to fill remaining scholarship slots with top-tier talent at various positions. 19, presenting a three-day window for prospects to finalize plans with programs of their choice.

The second annual early signing period starts Dec. The 2019 college football recruiting cycle has reached crunch time.

Psu white out forcast 2018