How to Watch Indiana Football Against Michigan State

Indiana Football (3-7) battles the Michigan State Spartans (5-5) on Saturday at Noon ET inside Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich. Here's how to watch, with game time and TV information, the latest on the point spread, three things to watch from Indiana and more.

Jack Ankony | Nov 18, 2022

In this story:

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Indiana football looks to snap a seven-game losing streak in its fifth and final road game of the 2022 season on Saturday at Michigan State.

The Hoosiers are coming off a 56-14 loss at No. 2 Ohio State in a game that featured redshirt sophomore Dexter Williams II replacing Connor Bazelak at quarterback. Indiana allowed 662 total yards to the explosive Ohio State offense, led by Heisman candidate quarterback CJ Stroud

On the opposing sideline, Michigan State has won three of its last four games after a disappointing 2-4 start to the season. The Spartans haven't lived up to their No. 15 preseason ranking, but Saturday represents a chance to security bowl eligibility with a win over Indiana.

"Great opportunity for us to play for the Brass Spittoon, a trophy we've had twice since I've been here and they have it now, so much, much to play for with our guys," Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "Set that tone [on Monday] in our team meeting with them regarding that, and it will be the whole tone and focus for the week to be able to get our guys ready to play our best football on Saturday in East Lansing."

*** LIVE BLOG: And once the game starts, follow all the action on our live blog. To read that story, CLICK HERE.

How to watch Indiana Hoosiers vs. Michigan State Spartans

Who: Indiana Hoosiers (3-7, 1-6 in Big Ten, lost 56-14 to No. 2 Ohio State in Week 11) vs. Michigan State Spartans (5-5, 3-4 in Big Ten, won 27-21 vs. Rutgers in Week 11)
What: Indiana's final road game of 2022
When: Noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 19
Where: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich.
TV: Big Ten Network
Announcers: Cory Provus (play-by-play), Matt Millen (analyst), Elise Menaker (sideline)
Live Stream: fuboTV (Start your free trial)
Radio: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network, Sirius/Online: XM (338) // SXM App (978)
Radio Announcers: Don Fischer (play-by-play), Rhett Lewis (analyst), Joe Smith, John Herrick
Point spread: Michigan State is a 11-point favorite over Indiana, and the over/under is 47 points as of Saturday morning, according to the SIsportsbook.com website.
Season totals: Indiana's 2022 regular season win total over/under was 4 prior to its 23-20 win over Illinois in Week 1, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook.
Last season's records: Indiana was 2-10 overall with a 0-9 record in Big Ten play in 2021. Michigan State went 11-2 overall with a 7-2 record in Big Ten play. The Spartans defeated Pittsburgh 31-21 in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.
Series history: Michigan State leads the all-time series 49-17-2 dating back to 1922, with a 15-4 record since 2000. Tom Allen has been a part of two wins over Michigan State, first as a defensive coordinator in 2016 when Indiana defeated Michigan State 24-21 in Bloomington, and again in 2020 as head coach when Indiana won 24-0 in East Lansing.
Last meeting: Michigan State defeated Indiana 20-15 on Oct. 16, 2021 at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind. Indiana opened the scoring with a 24-yard field goal from Charles Campbell, but Michigan State took the lead when Cal Haladay intercepted Jack Tuttle and returned it for a touchdown in the first quarter. Campbell drilled field goals of 44 and 25 yards to give Indiana a 9-7 lead heading into halftime. Despite interceptions from Indiana defensive backs Noah Pierre and Josh Sanguinetti, the Indiana offense was plagued by another interception and a fumble by Tuttle in the second half. Running back Stephen Carr scored Indiana's lone touchdown of the game, finishing the day with 19 carries for 53 yards and eight receptions for 43 yards. Tuttle completed 28-of-52 passes for 188 yards, two interceptions and a fumble, and Ty Fryfogle led the Hoosiers with 65 receiving yards on seven catches. Michigan State quarterback Payton Thorne completed 14-of-26 passes for 126 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Kenneth Walker III rushed 23 times for 84 yards, Jayden Reed caught four passes for 70 yards and Tyler Hunt scored Michigan State's only offensive touchdown of the game. Indiana linebacker Micah McFadden recorded 2.5 tackles for loss, and Michigan State linebacker Quavaris Crouch posted a game-high 13 total tackles.
Weather: According to weather.com, it's going to be 23 degrees and cloudy with a 17 percent chance of precipitation and winds from the southwest at 16 miles per hour at Noon ET in East Lansing, Mich. on Saturday.

Meet the coaches:

Mel Tucker, Michigan State: Thanks to an 11-2 campaign in 2021, Tucker inked a 10-year, $95 million contract, which is tied with LSU's Brian Kelly and Ohio State's Ryan Day for fifth-highest per year among college football coaches. In his third year at Michigan State, Tucker holds an 18-12 overall record with a 12-11 mark in Big Ten play. Tucker first became a head coach in 2019 at Colorado, where he went 5-7 before taking the Michigan State job. Tucker played defensive back at Wisconsin from 1990-94, before beginning his coaching career at Michigan State as a graduate assistant. He coached defensive backs at Miami (OH), LSU, Ohio State before jumping to the NFL, where he held position coach and defensive coordinator jobs with the Cleveland Browns, Jacksonville Jaguars and Chicago Bears. He returned to college in 2015 on Nick Saban's staff at Alabama, followed by three seasons as defensive coordinator at Georgia from 2016-18.
Tom Allen, Indiana: Allen is in his sixth season as Indiana's head coach with a 29-39 overall record 16-34 record in Big Ten play. His 29 wins rank seventh among all-time Indiana football coaches, behind John Pont's 31 wins from 1965-72. Allen's 26 wins over his first five seasons were tied for the most by a Hoosier head coach with the program's all-time winningest coach, Bill Mallory. Allen was the 2020 AFCA National Coach of the Year. He is 0-3 in bowl games, most recently losing 26-20 to Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 2, 2021.

Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Matt Hohlt (43) and defensive back Jonathan Haynes (17) tackle Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium. — Indiana Hoosiers linebacker Matt Hohlt (43) and defensive back Jonathan Haynes (17) tackle Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) during the first half of the NCAA football game at Ohio Stadium :: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Three things to watch in Indiana vs. Michigan State

1. Dexter Williams' accuracy

We won't know Indiana's starting quarterback for certain until pregame warmups in East Lansing, but Dexter Williams II appears to be the more likely choice. Allen benched nine-game starter Connor Bazelak after a trio of three-and-out possessions at Ohio State, and Williams played the remaining 45-plus minutes. Williams also spoke at Monday's press conference, which has been typical of Indiana's starter throughout the season.

Williams flashed moments of potential against Ohio State – a 16-yard run and a 49-yard completion to Andison Coby set up a touchdown on his first drive – but it's clear he still has a long way to go as a passer. Williams completed 6-of-19 passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing 16 times for 46 yards.

Williams' ability to extend plays and challenge defenses with his feet provides a new wrinkle to the Indiana offense, but he'll have to be more accurate for Indiana to have a chance on Saturday. Indiana coach Tom Allen thought Williams was rushing throws and not getting his feet set at times against Ohio State, but he's excited about his potential for improvement.

"Obviously he has arm talent," Allen said. "The thing we talked about with him is being more consistent in that area because as you continue do grow and develop, those things grow with you."

2. Two struggling pass defenses

With Indiana allowing 270.2 passing yards per game and Michigan State at 257.4, this game features the two worst pass defenses in the Big Ten. The Hoosiers have given up 26 touchdowns through the air, which also ranks first in the Big Ten, and Michigan State is next at 21.

This matchup creates an opportunity for Williams – whose accuracy struggles are mentioned above – to take a step forward as a passer. He'll have to do so without leading receiver Cam Camper, which allows for more looks to Andison Coby, Emery Simmons and Donaven McCulley. Indiana coaches have also talked about using true freshman running back Jaylin Lucas as a slot receiver moving forward.

On the other sideline, Payton Thorne has had an up-and-down season for Michigan State, but could take advantage of Indiana's struggling defense on Saturday. Thorne has thrown 16 touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions, and he's tied for fourth among Big Ten quarterbacks with 2,152 passing yards and seventh with a 63.2 completion percentage.

His favorite targets include the speedy Jayden Reed, who is also a threat in the return game. Reed has caught 45 passes for 548 yards and five touchdowns this season, and Keon Coleman, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, leads Michigan State with 600 yards and six touchdowns.

"I like their receivers," Allen said. "They've got two really, really good ones, actually they have several that stick out, but others that have made plays as well ... A quarterback who's just gritty and tough and makes plays for them and gets first downs and scores points and does a good job of just making plays when they need them. Just a highly competitive guy, you can tell, and we've played against him for a couple years now."

3. Offensive line rotation

Indiana has shuffled offensive line personnel throughout the season and made a coaching change following its loss to Michigan on Oct. 8. Most recently, we saw Indiana try its fourth right tackle of the season on Saturday against No. 2 Ohio State. Parker Hanna started with Josh Sales out with an injury, and true freshman Carter Smith made his college football debut when he replaced Hanna during the game.

Tom Allen said having mobile quarterback like Williams takes some pressure off the offensive line, which has been an area of concern this season. Indiana has allowed 32 sacks – one behind Iowa for the Big Ten lead – and the Hoosiers' 85.8 rushing yards per game is last in the conference.