Recap: Penn State turns it up in second half, earns 39-24 victory over Michigan State

Game summary

At halftime, it was "The Payton Thorne Game."

By the end of the fourth quarter, it was a run-of-the-mill Michigan State loss to a superior opponent, as Penn State took control in the final two quarters of the battle for the Land Grant trophy to close out senior day with a 39-24 victory.

Thorne threw for three touchdowns in the first half but failed to build on that momentum as the game went on, finishing 22-for-39 passing for 325 yards.

Final leaders

Passing

MSU - Payton Thorne: 22/39, 325 yds., 3 TD, Int.

PSU - Sean Clifford: 18/28, 239 yds., 2 TD

Rushing

MSU - Jordon Simmons: 14 att., 72 yds.

PSU - Sean Clifford: 9 att., 48 yds., TD

Receiving

MSU - Jalen Nailor: 6 rec., 100 yds., 2 TD

PSU - Jahan Dotson: 8 rec., 108  yds.

Michigan State gets final chance to cut deficit

Michigan State takes over at the 24 with 2:36 to go in the fourth.

Payton Thorne hits Tre Mosley for 9 yards and then goes to Jalen Nailor for 21 yards. 

Thorne then throws complete to Jayden Reed for 16 yards.

Thorne's first-down pass is incomplete, as he gets it to Reed for 5 yards on second down. Tre'Von Morgan hauls in a 20-yard throw on third down to move the chains. It's first-and-goal at the 5.

It's second-and-goal at the 10 after a first-down incompletion and a false start. Thorne's next passes to the end zone fall incomplete, as they turn the ball over on downs.

Penn State 39, Michigan State 24 (1:16 4th)

Penn State gets into victory formation, and this one is over.

FINAL: Penn State 39, Michigan 24 (1:10 4th)

Penn State winds down clock in fourth

Penn State takes over at its own 42, leading 39-24, with 6:14 to go in the game.

Will Levis rushes for no gain on first down. Sean Clifford gets 7 on second down. Levis for 2 more on third down to bring up fourth-and-1. Penn State gets fancy with it on the punt, runs to the line while pretending to run an offensive play, and gets Michigan State to jump offsides.

Levis rushes for 2 yards, then 9 on second down. First down, Penn State, at the Michigan State 33. 

Levis rushes for 5, then 1, then 3. Levis is stopped for a loss of 1 on fourth down.

Penn State 39, Michigan State 24 (2:36 4th)

Michigan State has third-down conversion overturned as comeback hopes dwindle

Michigan State takes over at the 11, trailing by 15 with 7:57 to go.

Payton Thorne hits Jalen Nailor on first down for 8 yards, then to Elijah Collins for 8 yards.

Thorne misses on first down, runs for 2 yards on second down, and misses Tre'Von Morgan high on third down. Thorne rushes for 10 to move the chains on fourth-and-8, but it's called back for a face-mask penalty.

Michigan State will punt.

Penn State 39, Michigan State 34 (6:22 4th)

Penn State goes three-and-out with chance to drive dagger in Spartans

Penn State takes over at the Michigan State 48, leading 39-24.

Keyvone Lee rushes for a yard on first down. Sean Clifford rushes for 3 yards. Will Levis loses 2 yards on third down.

Penn State will punt.

Penn State 39, Michigan State 24 (7:57 4th)

Michigan State's offense continues to spiral in crunch time

Payton Thorne throws incomplete on first down, Michigan State gets backed up, and Thorne misses to Jayden Reed on third-and-15.

The Spartans will punt.

Penn State 39, Michigan State 24 (10:30 4th)

Penn State forces three-and-out, returns punt for touchdown

Michigan State takes over at the 25, trailing 32-24 with 12:18 to go in the fourth.

Payton Thorne hits Jayden Reed for 4 yards. Thorne misses to Tyler Hunt on second down but is forced to throw it away on third down.

Bryce Baringer's punt is returned by Jahan Dotson 81 yards for a Penn State touchdown, and all of a sudden, this game is out of hand.

Penn State 39, Michigan State 24 (11:42 4th)

Penn State adds to lead in a hurry

It's first down, Penn State, at the 38. Keyvone Lee rushes for 4 yards on first down and Sean Clifford its Jahan Dotson for 9.

Clifford goes to Parker Washington on the next play, who finds the open field and runs for a 49-yard touchdown.

Penn State 32, Michigan State 24 (12:18 4th)

Michigan State goes three-and-out after falling behind 

Michigan State takes over at the 25, trailing 25-24 with 0:02 remaining in the third quarter.

Payton Thorne throws incomplete to Jayden Reed on first down.

END 3RD: Penn State 25, Michigan State 24

Jordon Simmons rushes for no gain on second down, and Thorne is sacked for a loss of 10 on third down.

Penn State 25, Michigan State 24 (13:32 4th)

Penn State jumps ahead 25-24 with 2 seconds remaining in third quarter

Penn State takes over at the 31, trailing 24-18 with 1:51 in the third.

Sean Clifford throws incomplete on first down, but hits Jahan Dotson for a gain of 35 to the Michigan State 34.

Clifford then hits Parker Washington for a gain of 27. It's now first-and-goal at the 7.

Levis rushes to the 1, then punches it in with 2 seconds remaining in the quarter.

Penn State 25, Michigan State 24 (0:02 3rd)

Michigan State takes 6-point lead near end of third quarter

Michigan State takes over at the 43 with a 21-18 lead and 7:43 to go in the third quarter.

Jordon Simmons rushes for 2 yards on first down and 13 yards on second down. It's first-and-10 at the Penn State 42.

Connor Heyward rushes for a yard on first down and 4 on second down. Thorne's third-down throw to the end zone is incomplete, but Penn State was offsides. It's first down at the 32.

Simmons rushes for 5 yards on first down and Jayden Reed gets 5 more on second down to move the chains yet again.

Heyward rushes for a yard and Thorne throws a strike to Tyler Hunt for a completion that goes inside the 5.

Heyward loses a yard and Thorne loses a yard. On third down, Thorne misses the third-down throw.

Matt Coghlin hits the chip-shot field goal, and Michigan State is up 6.

Michigan State 24, Penn State 18 (1:59 3rd)

Penn State goes three-and-out with chance to take lead

Penn State takes over at the 15. Keyvone Lee loses a yard on first down. Sean Clifford's missed throws on second and third down end the Penn State drive in a hurry.

Michigan State 21, Penn State 18 (5:20 3rd)

Michigan State punts from midfield on first drive of half

Michigan State takes over at the 25, leading 21-18 with 10:07 to go in the half.

Jordon Simmons rushes for 16 yards (!) to open the drive. 

Paytone Thorne completes a 10-yard pass to Tre Mosley, and the chains keep moving.

Thorne misses on first down as Simmons is dropped for a loss of 3. Thorne can't complete a third-down throw to Jalen Nailor on third down, bringing the drive to a close.

Michigan State 21, Penn State 18 (8:47 3rd)

Penn State cuts Michigan State's lead to 3 to open second half

Penn State takes over at the 25 to start the half. The Nittany Lions trail 21-10.

Sean Clifford hits KeAndre Lambert for a gain of 11 to the Penn State 36.

Clifford misses his next throw. Clifford completes a 16-yard pass to Jahan Dotson to the Michigan State 48. 

Keyvone Lee rushes for 5 yards on first down before an 11-yard throw to Lambert.

Clifford picks up a yard. Dotson gets 12 on the next play, bringing up first-and-10 at the Michigan State 19.

Clifford goes back to Dotson for a gain of 9. Lee rushes for 2 yards, making it first-and-goal at the 8.

Clifford throws away the first-down pass but P.J. Washington hauls in the throw to the end zone on second down for an 8-yard touchdown pass.

Penn State converts the two-point attempt.

Michigan State 21, Penn State 18 (10:07 3rd)

Penn State punts before halftime

Penn State goes three-and-out after a 2-yard completion on first down and 4-yard completion on second down. Sean Clifford misses on third down. 

Michigan State takes a knee after receiving the punt to end the half.

END 2ND: Michigan State 21, Penn State 10 

Payton Thorne for Heisman?

Michigan State takes over at the 13, leading 14-10 with 3:23 to go in the half.

Jordon Simmons rushes for 3 yards on first down and 8 on second down. 

Simmons rushes for 2 more. Payton Thorne hits Tre Mosley for 11 yards and a new set of downs at the Michigan State 37.

Thorne then goes to Jayden Reed for 37 yards to the Penn State 26.

Thorne hits Matt Dotson for 19 yards, then gets it to Jalen Nailor for a 7-yard passing touchdown. What a drive by Thorne.

Michigan State 21, Penn State 10 (1:26 2nd)

Michigan State forces punt near end of first half

Penn State takes over at the 15, trailing 14-10 with 6:22 to go in the half.

Will Levis is stopped for no gain on first down. Sean Clifford's second-down throw is incomplete, but there's pass interference on Michigan State.

It's first-and-10 at the 27.

Keyvone Lee rushes for 4 yards. Clifford throws complete to Jahan Dotson for 12 yards to move the chains.

Lee gets 2, and Clifford is stopped for no gain on second down. Clifford can't complete the third-down throw, and Penn State will punt.

Michigan State 14, Penn State 10 (2:53 2nd)

Michigan State keeps momentum rolling, takes 14-10 lead

Michigan State takes over at the 25, trailing 10-7 with 10:00 to go in the second quarter.

It's first down at the 30 after Penn State goes offsides.

Elijah Collins rushes for 6 and Jalen Nailor gets open for 6 on the next play, bringing up first-and-10 at the 42.

Thorne is dropped for a loss of 1, then hits Matt Dotson on his next two passes for gains of 8 and 21 to the Penn State 30.

Thorne throws complete to Jalen Reed for 9 yards. A false-start penalty brings up second-and-6 at the 26. Thorne takes the top off yet again, goes deep into triple coverage, and somehow completes the throw to Tre'Von Morgan for a 26-yard touchdown pass. 

Michigan State 14, Penn State 10 (6:24 2nd)

Penn State takes 10-7 lead on Clifford's rushing touchdown

Penn State takes over at the 39 after a nice return. The Nittany Lions trail 7-3 with 13:44 to go in the second.

Sean Clifford rushes for a yard, then completes a pass to Jahan Dotson for a gain of 10. 

Devyn Ford rushes for 5 and Caziah Holmes 3. Will Levis rushes for 5 yards to the Michigan State 37 for a new set of downs.

Clifford throws incomplete on first down, then hits Brenton Strange for 6. Clifford takes off on third down, finds a hole in the middle, and has nobody in front of him en route to a 31-yard rushing touchdown.

Penn State 10, Michigan State 7 (10:00 2nd)

Michigan State takes 7-3 lead on explosive play by Nailor

Michigan State gets it at the 40, trailing 3-0.

Jordon Simmons rushes for 9 and 6 yards to the Penn State 45.

Jalen Nailor blows past the secondary and is wide open for a deep throw from Payton Thorne to take its first lead of the game.

Michigan State 7, Penn State 3 (13:50 2nd)

Michigan State forces punt to start second quarter

Penn State takes over at its own 20, leading 3-0 with 3:55 to go in the first half.

Keyvone Lee rushes for 4 on first down and Sean Clifford 5 on second down. Will Levis rushes for a yard to move the chains.

Lee gets 2 on first down and Clifford gets 1 on second down. It's third-and-7. Clifford is stopped on third down to make it fourth-and-4, but there's a holding penalty. For some reason, Michigan State accepts the penalty. It's third-and-17.

END 1ST: Penn State 3, Michigan State 0

The third-down throw is way off the mark.

Penn State 3, Michigan State 0 (14:49 2nd)

Michigan State's offense starts sluggish with Thorne under center

Michigan State takes over at the 25, trailing 3-0 with 6:06 to go in the first.

Payton Thorne throws incomplete down the sideline on first down, but hits Jalen Nailor for a pickup of 12 yards.

Jordon Simons loses 2, gets 8. Thorne can only pick up 2 on third-and-4, and Michigan State will punt.

Penn State 3, Michigan State 0 (3:55 1st)

Penn State has touchdown erased by penalty, takes 3-0 lead

It's first-and-10 for Penn State at its own 29.

Keyvone Lee is stopped for no gain on first down. Brenton Strange picks up 27 on the second-down completion, and the Nittany Lions have it at the Spartan 44.

P.J. Washington hauls in a 12-yard reception on the next play to the 32.

Clifford goes to Lee for 7, Lee rushes for 2, and Will Levis gets 2 more to move the sticks.

Lee rushes for 6 yards on first-and-10 at the 21. Clifford rushes for 5 on second down to bring up first-and-goal at the 10.

Lee scores on first down, but it's called back for a holding penalty. It's now first-and-goal at the 19.

After a first-down incompletion, Clifford gets it to Strange for a gain of 12. Clifford scrambles and gets out of bounds after a gain of 1. 

The 42-yard field goal is good.

Penn State 3, Michigan State 0 (6:10 1st)

Michigan State gets second chance on opening drive, still punts

Michigan State lines up for its first play at the 25. They do not get the play off in time, and take a delay-of-game penalty. It's first-and-15 at the 20.

Jayden Reed picks up 12 yards on the next play, and the Spartans get 15 for free, thanks to an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Penn State for a late hit.

It's first-and-10 at the 47.

Payton Thorne is sacked on first down for a loss of 6. Connor Heyward gets 4 on the next play. Thorne throws an interception on third down, but Jaguan Brisker fumbles on the return, and Michigan State has it with first-and-10 once again after recovering the ball.

Michigan State goes backwards on its next three plays, and will punt.

Michigan State 0, Penn State 0 (9:27 1st)

Pregame

The Land Grant Trophy is at stake when Michigan State and Penn State clash on Saturday, and that's about it. The Spartans and Nittany Lions carry four victories between them into the meeting, which on Thursday was moved up to a noon kickoff.

Michigan State will be without junior quarterback Rocky Lombardi, who was injured last week in the loss to Ohio State and did not make trip to Penn State. He will likely be replaced by redshirt freshman Payton Thorne, who will be making his first career start.

Thorne moved the offense last week and scored on a 20-yard run, the first of his career.

Penn State is on somewhat of a role, having won back-to-back games (including a 27-17 victory over Michigan) to ease the sting of an 0-5 start. Michigan State enjoyed a huge upset two weeks ago, downing then-No. 8 Northwestern, but the good times were fleeting. Michigan State ran into Ohio State's buzzsaw last Saturday, 52-12.

Follow along here for live updates.

Michigan State at Penn State

► Kickoff: Noon Saturday, Beaver Stadium, State College, Pennsylvania

► TV/radio: ABC/WJR

► Records: Michigan State is 2-4, Penn State is 2-5

► Line: Penn State by 14½