Stock Up Report for Michigan State Entering Final Game
The Michigan State Spartans have one last shot at bowl eligibility as they take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Spartan Stadium this Saturday afternoon.
The Spartans have not had the best season in year one under Jonathan Smith, but they have a chance to meet expectations by winning Saturday and earning a chance to play postseason football.
If MSU can do that, things will trend in the right direction. Last Friday night, it scraped by a lifeless Purdue team, snapping a three-game losing streak.
Once the offseason rolls around, Smith will have a lot of work to do, but he and the team are focused on defeating Rutgers to earn their sixth victory.
The Spartans were led by some impressive individual performances last week. As we have each week, let’s break down whose stock is up as MSU heads into its final game of the season.
Running back Nate Carter - This was one of Carter’s best games in a Spartan uniform.
Despite rushing just nine times for 15 yards and catching just two passes, Carter found the end zone on the ground and through the air. He became the first Spartan to do so since Jayden Reed in 2021.
Rutgers struggles to stop the run, so Carter could see more carries this game. Look for the redshirt junior to keep his momentum going as one of the leaders in the locker room who knows what’s at stake for the Spartans.
Cornerback Ed Woods - With so many injuries in the defensive backfield, MSU will rely on players like Woods to slow down the Scarlet Knights’ passing game.
Woods led the team in tackles last week with nine, also breaking up two passes. The Arizona State transfer is finally starting to play like the team thought he would when he announced his intentions to come to East Lansing.
MSU will be without Charles Brantley, Dillon Tatum, and Chance Rucker for the rest of the season, so there will be more on Woods’ plate once again.
Defensive end Khris Bogle - Another player who knows what’s at stake and wants to end the season strong, Bogle helped end a drought for the Spartans last week.
Bogle recorded a sack on Friday evening, the first time the team has done so since October. The sixth-year defensive end hopes to make a bowl game for the first time in his Spartan tenure.
Bogle has been one of the team’s leaders this season, as many look to him as an elder statesman on the roster. He will try to get to Athan Kaliakmanis as often as possible in hopes of slowing down the Knights’ offense.
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