Michigan Football 2023 Opponent Preview: Michigan State Spartans
Michigan and Michigan State will meet for the 116th time on Saturday night. The Wolverines lead the series, 72-38-5, and Michigan is currently on a one-game win streak against MSU.
Michigan State recently fired head coach Mel Tucker and interim coach Harlon Burnett is still trying to win his first game as interim head coach.
The two programs are heading in different directions. Michigan is 7-0, trying to win another Big Ten title and attempt to win a national championship. While the Spartans are sitting at 2-4, trying to make it to a bowl game, and a win against rival Michigan would mean everything to this team in 2023.
Before the two teams take the field for a primetime game on Saturday night, here are some stats and MSU players to know.
2023 stat comparison:
Scoring offense: Michigan (10th) 39.4 PPG -- MSU (109th) 22 PPG
Scoring defense: Michigan (1st) 6.7 PPG -- MSU (61st) 24.3 PPG
Passing offense: Michigan (70th) 231.7 YPG -- MSU (70th) 231.7 YPG
Passing defense: Michigan (2nd) 142.1 YPG -- MSU (57th) 219.2 YPG
Rushing offense: Michigan (41st) 182 YPG -- MSU (111th) 118.6 YPG
Rushing defense: Michigan (11th) 91 YPG -- MSU (32nd) 114.8 YPG
Total offense: Michigan (54th) 413.7 YPG -- MSU (97th) 350.3 YPG
Total defense: Michigan (2nd) 233.1 YPG -- MSU (35th) 334 YPG
Turnovers Lost: Michigan 5 -- MSU 15
Turnovers Gained: Michigan 12 -- MSU 9
Sacks Allowed: Michigan 7 -- MSU 8
Sacks: Michigan 18 -- MSU 14
2023 PFF comparison:
Overall grade: Michigan (1st) 97.2 -- MSU (102nd) 74.6
Offense: Michigan (3rd) 92.9 -- MSU (104th) 66.2
Passing: Michigan (10th) 87.3 -- MSU (122nd) 53.7
Pass block: Michigan (24th) 76.7 -- MSU (74th) 66.0
Running: Michigan (27th) 85.6 -- MSU (114th) 71.0
Run block: Michigan (4th) 79.8 -- MSU (63rd) 62.9
Defense: Michigan (2nd) 93.7 -- MSU (93rd) 75.4
Run defense: Michigan (5th) 91.4 -- MSU (58th) 76.4
Pass rush: Michigan (5th) 87.9 -- MSU (84th) 69.2
Coverage: Michigan (8th) 92.4 -- MSU (95th) 71.4
Top MSU players to know:
QB Katin Houser: The four-star freshman got his chance to start last Saturday against Rutgers. Michigan State opted to go with Houser over Noah Kim who started the first five games, but Kim really struggled with turnovers and running the offense efficiently. While this past Saturday marked Houser's first career start, he has played in five games. Houser has completed 60% of his throws, has passed for 291 yards, two scores, and one interception in 2023.
RB Nathan Carter: After spending two seasons as UConn's top rusher, Michigan State went out and landed Carter out of the portal. Jalen Berger is also in East Lansing, but Carter is definitely the top option in the backfield. So far in six games, Carter has carried the ball 113 times (4.6 YPC) for 529 yards and four scores.
WRs Montorie Foster and Tre Mosley: Foster and Mosley are both seniors and are right next to each other on the pecking order. Forster (24 receptions) leads the team with 274 yards and has a score. Mosley (23 receptions) is right behind Foster with 228 yards and has two touchdowns.
LB Cal Haladay: It feels like Haladay has been with Michigan State for years, but he's just a junior who's played a ton of football. The linebacker was the leading tackler a season ago and once again, he's the leading tackler. Haladay has 41 tackles, four TFLs, one sack, and one interception.
DB Dillon Tatum: The West Bloomfield product is the third tackler on the team with 30 tackles. Tatum, only a sophomore, has been one of the better defensive backs on the Spartans team. He will try to challenge either Roman Wilson or Cornelius Johnson on Saturday.
DB Angelo Gross: The other cornerback for MSU that has been more than respectable this season is Angelo Gross. He is right behind Tatum with 29 tackles. Gross leads the Spartans grabbing two interceptions this season.
