# 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

The 2021 Penn State Nittany Lions football team represented Pennsylvania State University in the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team competed as a member of the Big Ten Conference and played their home games at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. The team was led by eighth-year head coach James Franklin.
The Nittany Lions had a promising start to the season, going 5–0 and beating a ranked Wisconsin and Auburn, to reach number 4 in the AP poll. However during their game against #3 Iowa, quarterback Sean Clifford was injured, stalling all momentum they had, allowing Iowa to come back and beat them 23–20. The next week they played an unranked Illinois to hopefully regain momentum ahead of playing rival Ohio State on the road, however they lost in a record breaking 9OT. The Nittany Lions would then lose the next four of their last six games, finishing their season at 7–6 after losing to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl.

## Offseason
### Players drafted into the NFL

| Round | Pick | Player | Position | NFL club |
| 1 | 12 | Micah Parsons | LB | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1 | 31 | Odafe Oweh | DE | Baltimore Ravens |
| 2 | 55 | Pat Freiermuth | TE | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 7 | 246 | Shaka Toney | DE | Washington Football Team |
| 7 | 247 | Michal Menet | C | Arizona Cardinals |
| 7 | 248 | Will Fries | OG | Indianapolis Colts |

## Preseason
### Preseason Big Ten poll

Cleveland.com has polled sports journalists representing all member schools as a de facto preseason media poll since 2011, making this the first preseason Big Ten poll since 2010. For the 2021 poll, Penn State was projected to finish second in the East Division.
Media poll (East Division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Ohio State | 238 (34) |
| 2 | Penn State | 192 |
| 3 | Indiana | 169 |
| 4 | Michigan | 144 |
| 5 | Maryland | 74 |
| 6 | Rutgers | 77.5 |
| 7 | Michigan State | 52.5 |

## Personnel
### Coaching staff

Penn State football current coaching staff :
| Name | Position | Alma Mater | Years at Penn State |
| James Franklin | Head coach | East Stroudsburg University (1995) | 8th |
| Brent Pry | Defensive coordinator/linebackers | University at Buffalo (1993) | 8th |
| Mike Yurcich | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach | California University of Pennsylvania (1999) | 1st |
| Anthony Poindexter | Co-defensive coordinator/safeties | University of Virginia (1999) | 1st |
| Ty Howle | Tight ends coach | Penn State University (2013) | 2nd |
| Phil Trautwein | Offensive line | University of Florida (2007) | 2nd |
| John Scott | Defensive line | Western Carolina University (2000) | 2nd |
| Taylor Stubblefield | Wide receivers | Purdue University (2004) | 2nd |
| Ja'Juan Seider | Run Game Coordinator/running backs | West Virginia University (2000) | 4th |
| Terry Smith | Assistant head coach/defensive recruiting coordinator/cornerbacks | Penn State University (1991) | 8th |
| Joe Lorig | Special teams coordinator/outside Linebacker | Western Oregon University (1995) | 3rd |
| Dwight Galt III | Assistant AD, Performance Enhancement | University of Maryland (1981) | 8th |
| V'Angelo Bentley | Graduate Assistant | University of Illinois (2015) | 3rd |
| David Parker | Graduate Assistant | University of Arkansas (2015) | 1st |
| Deion Barnes | Graduate Assistant | Penn State University (2014) | 2nd |
| Wendy Laurent | Graduate Assistant | Penn State University (2016) | 2nd |

### Roster

Source:

## Schedule
### Spring game

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Penn State did not host their annual Blue vs. White scrimmage. In lieu of the Blue vs. White game, the university invited the freshmen class to Beaver Stadium for what was meant to be the final spring practice on April 17. More than 7,500 Penn State freshmen attended. Following backlash from students and the public, an extra practice was scheduled for April 23, initially limited to Penn State seniors with an in-person class, but soon opened tickets to all seniors, then to the general public.

### Regular season

The Nittany Lions hosted three non-conference games: the Ball State Cardinals from the Mid-American Conference (MAC), the Auburn Tigers (first ever regular season meeting) from the Southeastern Conference (SEC), and the Villanova Wildcats an FCS school from the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
PSU played Big Ten opponents Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Ohio State, Maryland, Michigan, Rutgers, and Michigan State. The schedule consisted of seven home games and five road games.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 4 | 12:00 p.m. | at No. 12 Wisconsin | No. 19 | Camp Randall Stadium (Big Noon Kickoff) | FOX | W 16–10 | 76,832 |
| September 11 | 3:30 p.m. | Ball State* | No. 11 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | FS1 | W 44–13 | 105,323 |
| September 18 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 22 Auburn* | No. 10 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (White Out, College GameDay) | ABC | W 28–20 | 109,958 |
| September 25 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 11 (FCS) Villanova* | No. 6 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | W 38–17 | 105,790 |
| October 2 | 7:30 p.m. | Indiana | No. 4 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ABC | W 24–0 | 105,951 |
| October 9 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 3 Iowa | No. 4 | Kinnick StadiumIowa City, IA (Big Noon Kickoff) | FOX | L 20–23 | 69,250 |
| October 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Illinois | No. 7 | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | ABC | L 18–20 $^{9OT}$ | 105,001 |
| October 30 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 5 Ohio State | No. 20 | Ohio StadiumColumbus, OH (rivalry) | ABC | L 24–33 | 102,951 |
| November 6 | 3:30 p.m. | at Maryland | | Maryland StadiumCollege Park, MD (rivalry) | FS1 | W 31–14 | 46,924 |
| November 13 | 12:00 p.m. | No. 6 Michigan | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA (rivalry) | ABC | L 17–21 | 109,534 |
| November 20 | 12:00 p.m. | Rutgers | | Beaver StadiumUniversity Park, PA | BTN | W 28–0 | 106,038 |
| November 27 | 3:30 p.m. | at No. 12 Michigan State | | Spartan StadiumEast Lansing, MI (rivalry) | ABC | L 27–30 | 66,312 |
| January 1, 2022 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 21 Arkansas* | | Raymond James StadiumTampa, FL (Outback Bowl) | ESPN2 | L 10–24 | 46,577 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 2) released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### At No. 12 Wisconsin

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 19 Penn State | 0 | 0 | 7 | 9 | 16 |
| No. 12 Wisconsin | 0 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 10 |
at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, Wisconsin
* Date: September 4
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 76,832
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | PSU | UW |
| First downs | 11 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 51–297 | 95–359 |
| Rushes–yards | 18–50 | 58–174 |
| Passing yards | 247 | 185 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–33–0 | 22–37–2 |
| Time of possession | 17:09 | 42:51 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 18/33, 247 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Noah Cain | 8 carries, 48 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 5 receptions, 102 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Passing | Graham Mertz | 22/37, 185 yards, 2 INT |
| Wisconsin | Rushing | Chez Mellusi | 31 carries, 121 yards, TD |
| Wisconsin | Receiving | Danny Davis III | 8 receptions, 99 yards |

### Ball State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Ball State | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| No. 11 Penn State | 14 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 44 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 11
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C); partly sunny
* Game attendance: 105,323
* Referee: Ron Hudson
* TV announcers (FS1): Aaron Goldsmith (play-by-play) and Mark Helfrich (analyst)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | BSU | PSU |
| First downs | 19 | 31 |
| Plays–yards | 71–295 | 79–493 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–69 | 48–240 |
| Passing yards | 226 | 253 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 30–45–2 | 22–31–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:00 | 34:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Ball State | Passing | Drew Plitt | 25/39, 176 yards, 2 INT |
| Ball State | Rushing | Carson Steele | 7 carries, 18 yards, 1 TD |
| Ball State | Receiving | Jayshon Jackson | 4 receptions, 42 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 21/29, 230 yards, 1 TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Noah Cain | 20 carries, 69 yards, 1 TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 5 receptions, 65 yards, 1 TD |

### No. 22 Auburn

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22 Auburn | 3 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 20 |
| No. 10 Penn State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 18
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 109,958
* Referee: James Carter
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | AU | PSU |
| First downs | 24 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 79–367 | 66–396 |
| Rushes–yards | 40–182 | 33–94 |
| Passing yards | 185 | 302 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–39–0 | 29–33–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:42 | 28:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Auburn | Passing | Bo Nix | 21/37, 185 yards |
| Auburn | Rushing | Tank Bigsby | 23 carries, 102 yards, 2 TD |
| Auburn | Receiving | Kobe Hudson | 4 receptions, 66 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 28/32, 280 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Noah Cain | 19 carries, 45 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 10 receptions, 78 yards, TD |

### No. 11 (FCS) Villanova

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 11 (FCS) Villanova | 3 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
| No. 6 Penn State | 7 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 38 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: September 25
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C); sunny
* Game attendance: 105,790
* Referee: Jerry McGinn
* TV announcers (BTN): Mark Followill (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com
| Statistics | VU | PSU |
| First downs | 15 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 60–280 | 65–509 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–58 | 34–80 |
| Passing yards | 222 | 429 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 20–34–1 | 22–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:15 | 28:45 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Villanova | Passing | Daniel Smith | 20/34, 222 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Villanova | Rushing | Jalen Jackson | 7 carries, 58 yards |
| Villanova | Receiving | Rayjoun Pringle | 4 receptions, 107 yards, 2 TD |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 19/26, 401 yards, 4 TD, INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | John Lovett | 11 carries, 45 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Parker Washington | 5 receptions, 148 yards, 2 TD |

### Indiana

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Indiana | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| No. 4 Penn State | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 2
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 105,951
* Referee: Ron Snodgrass
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | IU | PSU |
| First downs | 12 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 58–264 | 76–408 |
| Rushes–yards | 24–69 | 42–209 |
| Passing yards | 195 | 199 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 16–34–2 | 18–34–1 |
| Time of possession | 25:07 | 34:53 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Indiana | Passing | Michael Penix Jr. | 10/22, 118 yards, INT |
| Indiana | Rushing | Stephen Carr | 15 carries, 50 yards |
| Indiana | Receiving | Peyton Hendershot | 5 receptions, 88 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 17/33, 178 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Keyvone Lee | 8 carries, 74 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 8 receptions, 84 yards, 2 TD |

### At No. 3 Iowa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 4 Penn State | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| No. 3 Iowa | 3 | 7 | 3 | 10 | 23 |
at Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
* Date: October 9
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 69,250
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (FOX): Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), and Jenny Taft (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | PSU | UI |
| First downs | 18 | 18 |
| Plays–yards | 79–287 | 76–305 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–107 | 45–110 |
| Passing yards | 180 | 195 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 22–46–4 | 17–31–1 |
| Time of possession | 24:07 | 35:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 15/25, 146 yards, 2 INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Sean Clifford | 3 carries, 36 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | KeAndre Lambert-Smith | 5 receptions, 61 yards |
| Iowa | Passing | Spencer Petras | 17/31, 195 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Iowa | Rushing | Tyler Goodson | 25 carries, 88 yards |
| Iowa | Receiving | Nico Ragaini | 4 receptions, 73 yards, TD |

### Illinois

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | 4OT | 5OT | 6OT | 7OT | 8OT | 9OT | Total |
| Illinois | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 20 |
| No. 7 Penn State | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 18 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: October 23
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); rain
* Game attendance: 105,001
* Referee: Reggie Smith
* TV announcers (ABC): Bob Wischusen (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Kris Budden (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | UI | PSU |
| First downs | 26 | 14 |
| Plays–yards | 88–395 | 63–227 |
| Rushes–yards | 67–357 | 29–62 |
| Passing yards | 38 | 165 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 8–21–1 | 19–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 36:25 | 23:35 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Illinois | Passing | Artur Sitkowski | 8/19, 38 yards, INT |
| Illinois | Rushing | Chase Brown | 33 carries, 223 yards, TD |
| Illinois | Receiving | Donny Navarro | 2 receptions, 12 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 19/34, 165 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Noah Cain | 11 carries, 43 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 6 receptions, 69 yards |

### At No. 5 Ohio State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 20 Penn State | 7 | 3 | 14 | 0 | 24 |
| No. 5 Ohio State | 3 | 14 | 10 | 6 | 33 |
at Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio
* Date: October 30
* Game time: 7:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 54 °F (12 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 102,951
* Referee: Mark Kluczynski
* TV announcers (ABC): Chris Fowler (play-by-play), Kirk Herbstreit (analyst), and Holly Rowe (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | PSU | OSU |
| First downs | 27 | 22 |
| Plays–yards | 81–394 | 68–466 |
| Rushes–yards | 29–33 | 34–161 |
| Passing yards | 361 | 305 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 35–52–1 | 22–34–0 |
| Time of possession | 29:50 | 30:10 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 35/52, 361 yards, TD, INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | John Lovett | 13 carries, 20 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 11 receptions, 127 yards |
| Ohio State | Passing | C. J. Stroud | 22/34, 305 yards, TD |
| Ohio State | Rushing | TreVeyon Henderson | 28 carries, 152 yards, TD |
| Ohio State | Receiving | Jaxon Smith-Njigba | 6 receptions, 97 yards |

### At Maryland

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 22$^{AP}$ Penn State | 7 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 31 |
| Maryland | 0 | 6 | 0 | 8 | 14 |
at Maryland Stadium, College Park, Maryland
* Date: November 6
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: 53 °F (12 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 46,924
* Referee: John O'Neill
* TV announcers (FS1): Dan Hellie (play-by-play) and Petros Papadakis (analyst)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | UM | PSU |
| First downs | 23 | 29 |
| Plays–yards | 80–456 | 85–419 |
| Rushes–yards | 33–93 | 27–48 |
| Passing yards | 363 | 371 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 27–47–0 | 41–58–1 |
| Time of possession | 31:33 | 28:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Maryland | Passing | Taulia Tagovailoa | 41/57, 371 yards, TD, INT |
| Maryland | Rushing | Challen Faamatau | 11 carries, 38 yards, TD |
| Maryland | Receiving | Chigoziem Okonkwo | 12 receptions, 85 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 27/47, 363 yards, 3 TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Keyvone Lee | 8 carries, 50 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 11 receptions, 242 yards, 3 TD |

### No. 9$^{AP}$/6$^{CFP}$ Michigan

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 9$^{AP}$/6$^{CFP}$ Michigan | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| No. 23$^{AP}$ Penn State | 3 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 17 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 40 °F (4 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 109,534
* Referee: Michael Cannon
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | UM | PSU |
| First downs | 21 | 20 |
| Plays–yards | 70–361 | 86–332 |
| Rushes–yards | 41–144 | 42–109 |
| Passing yards | 217 | 233 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 19–29–0 | 24–44–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:20 | 29:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Michigan | Passing | Cade McNamara | 19/29, 217 yards, 3 TD |
| Michigan | Rushing | Hassan Haskins | 31 carries, 156 yards |
| Michigan | Receiving | Erick All | 4 receptions, 64 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 23/43, 205 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Keyvone Lee | 20 carries, 88 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Parker Washington | 4 receptions, 92 yards |

### Rutgers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rutgers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Penn State | 0 | 7 | 14 | 7 | 28 |
at Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania
* Date: November 20
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C); cloudy
* Game attendance: 106,038
* Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
* TV announcers (BTN): Cory Provus (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), and Elise Menaker (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | RU | PSU |
| First downs | 10 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 60–160 | 74–407 |
| Rushes–yards | 32–67 | 42–149 |
| Passing yards | 93 | 258 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 13–28–1 | 17–32–0 |
| Time of possession | 26:26 | 33:34 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Rutgers | Passing | Noah Vedral | 12/23, 91 yards |
| Rutgers | Rushing | Johnny Langan | 5 carries, 18 yards |
| Rutgers | Receiving | Bo Melton | 3 receptions, 47 yards |
| Penn State | Passing | Christian Veilleux | 15/24, 235 yards, 3 TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Keyvone Lee | 13 carries, 41 yards, TD |
| Penn State | Receiving | Parker Washington | 6 receptions, 72 yards, TD |

### At No. 12$^{AP/CFP}$ Michigan State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 7 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 27 |
| No. 12$^{AP/CFP}$ Michigan State | 14 | 3 | 6 | 7 | 30 |
at Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
* Date: November 27
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 30 °F (−1 °C); snow
* Game attendance: 66,312
* Referee: Jeffrey Servinski
* TV announcers (ABC): Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Molly McGrath (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | PSU | MSU |
| First downs | 19 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 60–374 | 77–451 |
| Rushes–yards | 26–61 | 47–183 |
| Passing yards | 313 | 268 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 23–34–0 | 19–30–1 |
| Time of possession | 23:36 | 36:24 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 23/34, 313 yards, 3 TD |
| Penn State | Rushing | Keyvone Lee | 15 carries, 79 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Jahan Dotson | 8 receptions, 137 yards, 2 TD |
| Michigan State | Passing | Payton Thorne | 19/30, 268 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Michigan State | Rushing | Kenneth Walker III | 30 carries, 138 yards, TD |
| Michigan State | Receiving | Jayden Reed | 6 receptions, 89 yards, TD |

### vs. No. 22$^{AP}$/21$^{CFP}$ Arkansas (Outback Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Penn State | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| No. 22$^{AP}$/21$^{CFP}$ Arkansas | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: January 1, 2022
* Game time: 12:00 p.m. EST
* Game weather: 77 °F (25 °C); mostly cloudy
* Game attendance: 46,577
* Referee: Tuta Salaam
* TV announcers (ESPN2): Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Rod Gilmore (analyst), and Stormy Buonantony (sideline)
* ESPN box score, GoPSUsports.com box score
| Statistics | PSU | UA |
| First downs | 17 | 25 |
| Plays–yards | 63–323 | 78–451 |
| Rushes–yards | 28–125 | 58–361 |
| Passing yards | 198 | 90 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 15–35–2 | 14–20–2 |
| Time of possession | 23:47 | 36:13 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Penn State | Passing | Sean Clifford | 14/32, 195 yards, TD, INT |
| Penn State | Rushing | Sean Clifford | 11 carries, 47 yards |
| Penn State | Receiving | Parker Washington | 7 receptions, 98 yards |
| Arkansas | Passing | KJ Jefferson | 14/19, 90 yards, INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | KJ Jefferson | 20 carries, 110 yards, TD |
| Arkansas | Receiving | De'Vion Warren | 3 receptions, 33 yards |

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 19 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 20 | 22 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — |
| Coaches | 20 | 13 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 8 | 8 | 17 | 23 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — |
| CFP | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |

## Awards and honors

All-American :
| Player | AP | AFCA | FWAA | TSN | Designation |
| Jaquan Brisker | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | None |
| Jahan Dotson | 3 | - | - | – | None |
| Jordan Stout | 3 | 3 | – | – | None |
| Arnold Ebiketie | - | - | 2 | - | None |
| The NCAA recognizes a selection to all five of the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN and WCFF first teams for unanimous selections and three of five for consensus selections. HM = Honorable mention. Source: ||||||