REPORT: Why Michigan State Can End Indiana's Perfect Start

Michigan State will have an uphill battle against Indiana this weekend. However, the Spartans can still pull off another upset.

Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

This weekend, Michigan State will try to do something no other team has done this season: beat the Indiana Hoosiers.

After eight games, the Hoosiers are 8-0 for the first time in over 50 years. They have steamrolled nearly every team they have faced this season, and Michigan State does not plan to be the next team on that list.

Michigan State must win two of the following four games to reach six wins and be invited to a bowl game. While the Spartans' final two games of the season are against teams they will likely be favored to beat. They could make things easier on themselves with a win over Indiana.

Pete Fiutak of the Sporting News believes quarterback Kurtis Rourke will challenge the Spartans through the air. However, he noted that Michigan State’s run defense will be one of the best Indiana has faced all season. The Spartans are coming off arguably their most difficult loss of the season, but a win against the Hoosiers would be another success for Smith in his first season. 

“Start with this -- Rourke is expected to be back," Fiutak wrote. "That doesn’t help the Spartans as long as the starting quarterback’s thumb on his passing hand is okay, but he’s just getting back in the swing of things. Rourke - assuming he’s a go -- will hit his midrange passes, but the running game should stall for one of the first times all season. Ohio State, Oregon, and Iowa were able to bash away on the Spartans in different ways, but Michigan struggled to get going, and on the year, the MSU D allowed fewer than four yards per carry five times.

“This should be one of the first times Indiana will have a problem controlling the clock,” Fiutak wrote. “As long as the Spartan run defense holds up, the offense should have the ball for at least 32 minutes. Basically, MSU should be able to throw Indiana off of its rhythm.”

The Spartans have lost more than wins lately, but they have played some of their best overall football since returning from their bye week a few weeks ago. Coach Jonathan Smith and the Spartans must find a way to shock the college football world with a win in East Lansing this weekend.

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