STATE COLLEGE — Sean Lee and Navorro Bowman, thanks to injuries, have spent only half the season on the field at the same time.

But those hours and snaps the Penn State linebackers spent eagerly watching from the sidelines are paying off as the No. 13 Nittany Lions (9-2, 5-2 Big Ten) prepare to wrap up their regular season at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, when they face Michigan State (6-5, 4-3) in Spartan Stadium.

"My legs are a little fresher having those weeks off and not practicing," said Bowman, who missed the majority of the first three games this fall with a nagging groin injury. "It turned out good for me."

Lee, who said the left knee he sprained against Temple, which caused him to miss three games, has felt better each week.

"You're gonna have the aches and pains, but I'm a big believer that by Saturday you're going to feel fresh," Lee said. "By the end of the year is when I think guys are playing their best football. I think that's why I'm starting to feel better and play better because of it."

Penn State's offense has been up and down, and its special teams have been one disaster after another, but the defense has remained mostly steady this season. The Nittany Lions have allowed only 12 touchdowns all season and are second in the Big Ten in yards allowed per game (272.0).

Bowman, Lee and middle linebacker Josh Hull have played particularly well the last few games. All three have averaged double-digit tackles the last two weeks.

"We are getting better toward the end of the season and getting a lot better as a defense," Bowman said.

The Spartans should test the Nittany Lions horizontally and vertically.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins leads the conference in passing efficiency and has thrown a Big Ten-low five interceptions this season. Wide receivers Blair White and B.J. Cunningham are big, speedy targets who have 12 touchdown catches between them this season.

Penn State is a perfect 3-0 on the road this season and will look to go 4-0 in conference road games for just the second time in its 17-year Big Ten history (the 1994 team was the only other to achieve the mark), but the Nittany Lions have had a history of slow starts in road and home games this season. Penn State trailed 10-0 until late in the second quarter last week against Indiana before pulling away for a 31-20 win.

"We can't just play one half," Bowman said. "We have to play strong for a four-quarter game."

The Spartans have won four of the last six meetings with the Nittany Lions in Spartan Stadium, scoring four touchdowns in the final 23 minutes to win 35-31 in 2007. Penn State, which needs a win to keep its hopes for a BCS bowl alive, expects a tougher fight than it got from the Spartans during a 49-18 win in Beaver Stadium last November.

The winner receives the Land Grant Trophy.

"It's a tough atmosphere," Lee said. "They take pride in playing in that stadium in front of their fans and they always play tough."