EAST LANSING, Mich. — Ethan Grunkemeyer threw two touchdown passes to Devonte Ross, Kaytron Allen ran for 181 yards and two touchdowns and Penn State defeated Michigan State, 28-10, on Saturday to snap a six-game losing streak.
Grunkemeyer completed 8 of 13 passes for 127 yards for the Nittany Lions (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten).
He sealed the win with a 4-yard touchdown pass to Ross with 4 minutes, 32 seconds left, and Allen added his second touchdown on a 26-yard run with 2:07 remaining.
“I’m just super happy for our kids,” said Penn State interim head coach Terry Smith. “I’m super happy for our program. I’m super happy for our fans and our following. We deserved this game. We now know again what it feels like to win, and we just got to build on this with momentum.”
Alessio Milivojevic completed 17 of 27 passes for 128 yards for the Spartans (3-7, 0-7), who lost their seventh straight game.
Elijah Tau-Tolliver ran 57 yards for a touchdown on Michigan State’s first play of the game. Allen tied it on the ensuing Penn State possession with an 8-yard scoring run.
Following a Michigan State field goal, the Nittany Lions went in front 14-10 on Grunkemeyer’s 75-yard touchdown pass to Ross.
“We haven’t won a game in a little bit,” Ross said. “So it’s definitely some relief to finally get that win again. We know what we’re about. We know what this team is about, so just finally getting that win just showcased that, and we all played amazing today.”
Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles did not play as he was on the pregame sidelines wearing a walking boot on his left foot. He started the first eight games of the season but saw his streak of 20 consecutive starts come to an end Nov. 1 against Minnesota when he was replaced by Milivojevic.
The Spartans played their first game since the NCAA placed Michigan State’s football program on three years of probation for violations that occurred during Mel Tucker’s tenure as coach.
The Nittany Lions avoided their first seven-game losing streak in the same season since 1931. With a home game against Nebraska and traveling to Rutgers to close the regular season, Penn State’s hopes to go to a bowl remain alive.
Michigan State gave up five sacks to Penn State, raising their total sacks allowed this season to 35.
Penn State hosts Nebraska on Saturday.
