From The Press Box
11/22/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Recap?|? Final Stats?|? Quotes
Michigan State vs. Penn State
Spartan Stadium - East Lansing, Mich.
November 22, 2003
MSU Game Notes
Attendance: 72,119. Today's game marked the 33rd-consecutive sellout in Spartan Stadium and the 41st sellout in the last 46 games.
Michigan State finishes the regular season with an 8-4 record. It is the 19th season with eight or more wins in MSU history, and the first since 1999.
MSU's defense allowed just 10 points to Penn State, which is the fewest scored by the Nittany Lions in the series vs. MSU since a 49-14 Spartan win in 1997.
Jeff Smoker's 80-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Brown in the first quarter was MSU's longest play from scrimmage this season. It was the longest reception of Brown's career. The longest pass play of Smoker's career was an 87-yarder to Charles Rogers at Wisconsin in 2001.
Michigan State held a 7-3 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Spartans have now outscored their Big Ten opponents 59-20 in the first quarter this season.
With a 20-yard completion to Aaron Alexander in the second quarter, Smoker became the first quarterback in MSU history to pass for 3,000 yards in a season.
Smoker had the 10th 300-yard passing game of his career, and his eighth straight 200-yard passing game and his 10th of the season. He finished the game 29-of-50 for 357 yards and four touchdowns. The four touchdowns tie the MSU single-game record for touchdowns passes in a game. The 357 yards were a season high.
Tyrell Dortch's 14-yard touchdown run in the second quarter was his third touchdown of the season and his career.
Erick Knott's 14-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter was his second TD of the season and sixth of his career.
Jerramy Scott's 17-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter was the second TD of his career.
Dave Rayner scored five points, allowing him to become just the seventh player in MSU history to score 100 points in a season, and the first since Paul Edinger scored 103 in 1999.
Rayner extended his consecutive PAT's made streak to 36, breaking the school record of 32 set by Morten Andersen in 1978 and tied by Rayner in 2002.
Greg Taplin had three sacks, giving him 10 for the season, which is tied for sixth best in a single season in MSU history.
Kyle Brown finished with 126 yards on three receptions, for the first 100-yard receiving game of his career. Brown's previous career high was 80 yards receiving in the season opener vs. Western Michigan.
Quick Hitters
?Roderick Maples had his first career sack in the first quarter.
Penn State Game Notes
* Penn State's captains on the day were seniors Sean McHugh and Deryck Toles.
* LB Paul Posluszny made his first career start as Penn State opened in the nickel.
* Penn State finishes the season with a 3-9 record. The nine losses are the most ever for a Penn State team and Penn State failed to win a road game on a season for the first time since the 1936 season when Penn State posted a 3-5 record overall, 0-4 on the road. Penn State went 0-5 in road games this season. The only other season in which Penn State lost eight or more games in a season was 1931 in which Penn State went 2-8.
* QB Zack Mill's became Penn State's career leader in total offense on the day passing Tony Sacca (6,000 yards). Mills now has (6,007) yards of total offense on his career after posting 114 yards on the day.
* QB Zack Mill's moved into second on the PSU career passing yardage chart on the day passing Chuck Fusina (5,382). Mills now has 6,007 passing yard on his career. The junior ranks second to Tony Sacca (5,869) all-time at Penn State.
* SS Andrew Guman posted a career-high 10 tackles on the day.
* LB Paul Posluszny had a career high eight tackles on the day.
* FB Sean McHugh's 21-yard first quarter reception was the longest of his career.
* MSU wide receiver Kyle Brown's 80-yard TD reception in the first quarter was the longest play (by nearly 40 yards) against Penn State on the year. Nebraska's Josh Davis previously had the mark with a 42-yard run.
* DE Lavon Chisley's second quarter pass deflection was his sixth on the season.
* Calvin Lowry's 41-yard kickoff return in the second quarter was Penn State's longest of the season.
* Michael Robinson's 22-yard second quarter reception was the longest of his career.
* WR Kinta Palmer's second quarter reception was his first since the Nebraska game (a span of eight games).
* MSU QB Jeff Smoker's 267 passing yards at halftime were already a season high for a Penn State opponent. He is the first QB to pass for more than 200 yards against Penn State since Virginia's Matt Schaub threw for 260 yards last season (a span of 14 games). Smoker threw for more than 300 yards in the game becoming the first QB to do so against Penn State since he himself threw for 356 yards in the 2001 meeting between the Nittany Lions and Spartans.
* LB Deryck Toles recorded his first interception of the season and second of his career off a tipped pass by LB Paul Posluszny in the third quarter.
* Coming into today's game, Penn State had failed to score at least 24 points against Michigan State just once (and never less than 14) since joining the Big Ten.
