Post-Game Notes: Penn State
11/30/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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OVERALL/SERIES
• Michigan State recorded its fourth double-digit win season in the past five years (11 in 2010, 11 in 2011, 13 in 2013, 10 in 2014) with its 34-10 victory over Penn State . . . MSU is just the third Big Ten program, along with Michigan and Ohio State, to win at least 10 games four times in a five-year span as a conference member . . . MSU has won 23 games the past two seasons, the most in back-to-back seasons in school history (previous: 22 in 2010-11).
• Michigan State has now won at least 10 games in a season six times (10 in 1965, 10 in 1999, 11 in 2010, 11 in 2011, 13 in 2013, 10 in 2014), including four under head coach Mark Dantonio.
• The 34-10 win was MSU's largest margin of victory (24 points) in State College (previous: 23-0 win in 1965) . . . the 34 points were also the most scored by a Spartan team at Penn State.
• Michigan State recorded back-to-back wins at Beaver Stadium for just the second time in school history and the first as Big Ten rivals . . . MSU defeated Penn State, 28-22, in the last meeting in 2010 . . . the Spartans won at Penn State in 1951 and again in 1965 after a 14-year break of playing in State College.
• The all-time series between the two schools is now tied at 14-14-1 . . . MSU is 6-9-1 in games played at Penn State . . . Michigan State retained the Land Grant Trophy, which has been presented to the winner of the MSU-PSU game since the series renewed in 1993 upon Penn State's entrance into the Big Ten Conference . . . since 1993, Penn State leads the series, 13-6 (officially, PSU vacated nine wins from the MSU series due to NCAA sanctions) . . . Mark Dantonio is 3-2 against Penn State as head coach of the Spartans.
• Michigan State is 23-9 (.719) in Big Ten road games under MSU head coach Mark Dantonio, including a school-record 10-game winning streak and a 16-3 record (.842) since 2010 . . . Dantonio has won at least one road game at every Big Ten stadium (excluding Rutgers, who joined the Big Ten in 2014 and where MSU has yet to play a conference game) . . . Michigan State's 10-game road Big Ten winning streak, dating back to 2012, is the fourth-longest active conference road winning streak in the FBS . . . the Spartans have won nine consecutive road games in November and 10 of 11 November road games under Dantonio (only November road loss: Nov. 22, 2008 at No. 7 Penn State).
• A trademark of Mark Dantonio's Michigan State teams has been their ability to produce wins late in the regular season. Under Dantonio, Michigan State has compiled a 21-6 record (.778) in November. His teams have won 15 of the last 18 games in November (3-0 in 2010; 4-0 in 2011; 1-2 in 2012; 4-0 in 2013; 3-1 in 2014).
• Dantonio improved his overall record at MSU to 74-31 (.705) and his Big Ten record to 45-19 (.703).
• Michigan State has won 52 of its last 66 games (.788), dating back to the beginning of the 2010 season . . . in addition, the Spartans have won 25 of their last 28 games (.893), dating back to the 2012 regular-season finale.
• MSU has won 17 of its last 18 Big Ten games against Big Ten opponents, including 16 wins by double-figures (only win not in double-figures: 27-22 victory over No. 19 Nebraska on Oct. 4, 2014).
• MSU improved to 39-11 as a ranked team in the AP Poll under Mark Dantonio . . . as a ranked team, MSU has not lost to an unranked opponent under Dantonio (29-0).
OFFENSE
• Jeremy Langford broke his own school record by rushing for more than 100 yards in his ninth consecutive game; he collected 118 yards and two touchdowns (3 yarder in third quarter; 6-yarder in fourth quarter) on 30 carries . . . Langford rushed for 100-plus yards in eight straight games in 2013 . . . in addition, Langford has rushed for more than 100 yards in 15 straight Big Ten regular-season games and 16 consecutive games against Big Ten opponents . . . his 15 consecutive 100-yard rushing performances in Big Ten regular-season games is a school record, and it's also the longest 100-yard streak in the FBS for regular-season conference games since STATS began tracking such records in 1996 . . . Penn State entered the game No. 1 in the FBS in rushing defense and had previously allowed just one 100-yard rusher all season (Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State, 109 yards) . . . Langford's 30 carries were his second most all season (career-high 35 vs. Michigan).
• With his two rushing TDs, Langford now has 37 in his career, which moved him into third place in MSU history (school record: Lorenzo White with 43) . . . Langford's 19 rushing TDs this season are a career high (18 in 2013) and tied for third most in an MSU single-season (school record: Javon Ringer with 22 in 2008) . . . his 37 rushing TDs since 2013 are the most by a Spartan in a two-season span in school history . . . Langford has scored multiple rushing TDs in six consecutive games.
• Langford has 1,360 rushing yards this season, which ranks 11th most in an MSU single-season . . . his 2,805 career rushing yards are ninth most in school history . . . Langford is one of only three Spartan running backs to record at least 1,300 yards rushing in back-to-back seasons (1,422 in 2013; 1,360 in 2014) . . . Javon Ringer rushed for 1,447 yards in 2007 and 1,637 yards in 2008, while T.J. Duckett had 1,353 yards in 2000 and 1,420 in 2001.
• Penn State entered the game ranked No. 4 in the FBS in scoring defense, allowing just 16.2 points per game . . . the 34 points by MSU were the most surrendered by the Nittany Lions all season.
• Michigan State's offense, which had already set a school record for most points, offensive touchdowns and yards of total offense in a single-season, added another record on Saturday with the most rushing touchdowns in a season . . . MSU had two rushing TDs against Penn State to push its season total to 40 (previous record: 38 in 1948) . . . the Spartans now have 517 points, 64 offensive touchdowns , and 5,958 yards of total offense this season.
• Connor Cook completed 13-of-25 passes for 180 yards, one touchdown and one interception . . . it was the only Big Ten game this season Cook did not throw for at least 200 yards passing . . . he now has 22 touchdown passes this season, tying his career high from last year . . . the 22 TDs are tied for second most in an MSU single-season (school record: 25 by Kirk Cousins in 2011) . . . his 45 career TD passes are fourth most in school history . . . Cook is now 22-3 as the starting quarterback for the Spartans, including a 16-1 record against Big Ten opponents.
• Tony Lippett started at both wide receiver and cornerback for the Spartans, becoming MSU's first two-way starter in the same game since Allen Brenner (split end and safety) in 1968 . . . Lippett, who served as the team's fourth game captain vs. Penn State, caught four passes for 53 yards on Saturday, including a 10-yard TD reception from Cook in the third quarter . . . he also had one tackle and one pass break-up . . . Lippett's TD catch was his 11th season of the season (fifth most in MSU single-season history) and 15th of his career (tied for eighth all-time at MSU) . . . he also ranks among MSU's single-season leaders in receiving yards (sixth with 1,124) and catches (tied for 10th with 60) . . . Lippett also moved up the career record book in receptions (fourth with 144) and receiving yards (sixth with 2,173) . . . he has caught a TD pass in 11 of his last 14 games and has at least one reception in 22 consecutive games.
• MSU was held to a season-low 298 yards of total offense (previous low this season: 422 vs. Nebraska).
DEFENSE/SPECIAL TEAMS
• Michigan State held Penn State to 38 yards rushing, marking the eighth time in the regular season the Spartans held their opponent to under 100 yards on the ground . . . since the beginning of 2011, MSU has held 33 opponents under 100 yards rushing, which ranks second most in the FBS . . . since the start of the 2012 season, MSU has held opponents to 50 yards rushing or less 14 times (five in 2012, four in 2013, five in 2014), most of any school in the FBS.
• MSU also held Penn State to 233 yards of total offense, its third-lowest output of the season . . . it marked the sixth time this season MSU held its opponent to under-250 yards of total offense.
• The Spartans had a season-high eight pass break-ups, led by Kurtis Drummond, who had two in the game and now has a career-high 11 for the season.
• Marcus Rush recorded three tackles, including 1.5 sacks (10 yards) while forcing a fumble . . . Rush ranks seventh in MSU history in both sacks (18) and tackles for loss (37) . . . his seven sacks this season are a career high.
• The Spartans entered the game leading the FBS in turnover margin (+1.73 per game), and held a 2-1 turnover advantage on Saturday . . . Trae Waynes recorded his third interception of the season and the sixth of his career in the second quarter, and Marcus Rush forced a fumble on a sack in the third quarter that was recovered by Taiwan Jones . . . MSU's lone turnover came on a Cook interception in the second quarter.
• R.J. Shelton returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown, his first career kickoff return for a touchdown . . . it marked MSU's first kickoff return for a touchdown since Keshawn Martin in 2009 (93 yards vs. Minnesota) . . . it also marked just the second time in MSU history (modern-day era, since 1945) that the Spartans returned an opening kickoff for a touchdown (Demond Williams vs. Indiana in 2005, 98 yards).
