REPORT: Can Michigan State Bring Paul Bunyan Home?
Michigan State will face their archrival this weekend on the road. It will present the Spartans the best chance they have had to beat Michigan since they last did so a couple of seasons ago. Michigan State recently beat Iowa to snap their three-game losing streak. If the win against Iowa was not enough, they now have the chance to beat their biggest rival and send them on three-game losing streak.
Coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans have a golden opportunity to make their archrival feel the same way they did going into the bye week. Doing so would all but ensure Michigan State plays in a bowl game this year and send the Wolverines further into a frenzy.
Eric Froton of NBC Sports analyzed the situations facing both teams.
“Michigan is dealing with the hangover from their epic 2023 National Championship run, as Michigan’s 74th ranked SP+ offense is dragging down the team’s prospects,” Froton said. “They’re coming off two disappointing road losses to @Washington (27-17) and @Illinois (21-7) after barely scraping by Minnesota and USC by the same 27-24 three-point margin.
“Their unsettled three-QB rotation can be blamed for many of the team’s woes, but it’s still jarring to see a blue chip program like Michigan rank dead last nationally (135th) in passing explosiveness. On the other side of the ball, their run defense is one of the best in the country, while the Wolverines’ pass defense ranks 40th in success rate allowed, which is down a notch from their top-flight 2023 unit.
Froton notes that while Michigan State has improved throughout the season, the team has struggled with multiple flaws. Primarily, Froton lists the Spartans’ struggles on offense. The Spartans statistically have one of the worst offenses in college football because of their inability to protect the football.
“New HC Jonathan Smith had the Spartans off to a brisk start, going 3-0 with a quality 27-24 victory over Big Ten foe Maryland. They dumped a 23-19 decision to Boston College (18% win expectancy) before getting rolled by Ohio State and Oregon to even their record at 3-3 heading into last week’s showdown against Iowa.
“MSU responded with an emphatic 32-20 win where the offense accrued 468 total yards and 27 first downs while averaging 5.3 yards per rush for 212 yards on the ground. While MSU ranks 29th in defensive SP+, their 101st-ranked offense has been plagued by 15 turnovers (122nd) and a 38.5% red zone TD rate that ranks 131st in FBS.”
Both teams wish to be in a better situation. However, one is playing with house money and the other is not. Most of Michigan State's best wins this season came when they were predicted by most to lose. They hope that is again the case this weekend.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.