REPORT: Michigan State-Iowa Could be a High-Scoring Affair
Michigan State and Iowa will face off in a Big Ten matchup this weekend. The Spartans have a shot at winning. This has not been the case for Michigan State’s last two Big Ten matchups, in which the Spartans faced Ohio State and Oregon in consecutive weeks.
After losing to two of the best teams in the conference and the country, Michigan State took its bye week off to prepare for the second half of the season. They have had time to heal their bodies and develop their players even further, and look to end their three-game losing streak.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly shared his thoughts on the matchup. He believes the Spartans and Hawkeyes could combine for a relatively high-scoring game on Saturday in East Lansing.
“Heading into 2024, Iowa had topped 30 points in two of its past 26 conference games,” Connelly said. “The Hawkeyes have done it twice in three Big Ten games this year. Granted, they scored 40 on Washington with just 328 total yards last week, thanks to defensive and special teams dominance, but they did it!
“We’ll see what resistance Michigan State can dial up; the Spartans got a bye week to lick their wounds after losing to Ohio State and Oregon by a combined 52 points.”
Even if they lose, Michigan State can still reach most of the goals it set this offseason, primarily making it to a bowl game. However, losing to Iowa would make it much more difficult for them to reach those goals. Luckily, the Spartans have already pulled off one upset this season. Coach Jonathan Smith will prepare his team to do so again on Saturday.
Time is winding down for Michigan State to win the additional three games needed to be invited to a bowl game this season. While the Spartans do have primarily home games left on their schedule, they do not want to get into a situation where they have to win all of their remaining regular season games to be invited to a bowl game.
Smith and his coaching staff must find a way to keep the team within striking distance and take advantage late in the game to walk away victorious.
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.