What is at Stake in MSU's Battle Against Archrival
Michigan State will travel to Ann Arbor this Saturday to face the Michigan Wolverines. Both teams need to win this rivalry game, but many factors will determine who wins and loses.
The Associated Press believes the key matchup will be how Michigan State's defense performs against Michigan's struggling offense.
“Michigan’s running game against Michigan State’s defense,” the AP said. “The Wolverines simply can’t throw the ball effectively, giving three quarterbacks a chance to start without success. They will likely try to win by running the ball early and often. The Spartans are giving up 131 yards rushing per game, ranking 12th in the Big Ten and 53 in FBS.”
Both teams have players that have game-changing abilities. Michigan State has already seen life with and without wide receiver Nick Marsh. The talented receiver was the team’s leading receiver in their two biggest wins of the season. In the Spartans’ upset win over Maryland, Marsh recorded eight receptions for 194 yards. In their win over Iowa last weekend, Marsh registered eight catches for 113 yards. He is expected to play a significant role in Saturday’s matchup against the Wolverines.
“[Marsh] was named the Big Ten freshman of the week for the second time after matching his career high with eight catches and having 113 yards receiving in last week’s win over Iowa,” the AP said. “Marsh is 58 yards away from breaking Cody White’s true freshman single-season mark of 490 yards receiving in 2017.”
Michigan RB Kalel Mullings was named as the Wolverines’ player to watch. “He will probably carry the heaviest load in a run-heavy attack,” the AP said. “Mullings, who has been more effective than Donovan Edwards, leads the team with 676 yards on 110 carries with seven touchdowns. The converted linebacker runs with power and surprising speed.”
With both teams sitting at 4-3 on the season and needing two wins in the next five games to be bowl-eligible, Saturday’s game between the Spartans and Wolverines will undoubtedly impact both teams’ bowl chances. However, one team has a significantly more challenging second half of the season than the other.
“Potentially, a bowl bid for both teams,” the AP said. “If the defending champion Wolverines lose, they will likely have to pull off an upset in one of three games against top-ranked Oregon, No. 13 Indiana, and No. 4 Ohio State to be eligible for postseason play and beat Northwestern at home. If the Spartans win, they will be in a favorable position to pick up a sixth win, perhaps against Purdue or Rutgers.”
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Ezekiel is a former Sports Editor from the Western Herald and former Atlanta Falcons beat writer.