Hoosier Huddle's Game Day Primer: Old Brass Spittoon Game (Indiana at Michigan State)

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-7) at Michigan State Spartans (5-5)

When: Saturday, November 19 at Noon EST

Where: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI   

How to Watch: The game will be broadcast on BTN and can be heard on the IU Radio Network.

Series History: The two rivals have played 68 times with the series dating back to 1922. Indiana won the first three before they began playing on a regular basis in 1950. The Spartans have mostly controlled Indiana, winning 49 with Indiana taking 17 (with two ties). IU’s last trip to East Lansing was a good one as the Hoosiers shutout MSU 24-0. Michigan State struck back in Bloomington last year with a 20-15 triumph.

What’s at Stake: First and foremost, the Old Brass Spittoon is on the line. Anytime you have a chance to win a rivalry game, it is a big deal. Beyond that, this game is about two things for Indiana: developing youth for the future and stopping the bleeding. IU has lost seven games in a row and with Purdue on deck and next season’s opener against Ohio State, the Hoosiers could very well drop ten games in a row before being favored in a contest. For Michigan State, this is a chance to reach bowl eligibility after beginning the season at 2-4. If they can finish the season at 7-5 and winners of five of six games to close the regular season, the Mel Tucker era will still have a lot of momentum.

Picks For Tonight:

Check out PicksforTonight college football computer picks to see which way their model is picking the Hoosier game and more this weekenda

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1.    The Future is Now

The Indiana Hoosiers have not announced a starting quarterback for this contest but the expectation is that Tom Allen will roll with Dexter Williams. The redshirt freshman from Georgia has played some in relief duty but has yet to make a start. If Williams is indeed the starter, this would be the first game that he’s had a full week of preparation as QB1 and he’ll be facing a defense that is susceptible through the air. MSU is surrendering a passer rating of 151.9 on the season and Williams and the IU passing offense should have an opportunity for some success. This will be an important showcase for Williams to show he can be counted as a starting quarterback moving forward.

2.    Stopping the Spartans

The momentum heading into this game is certainly with Michigan State. After beginning the season at 2-4, Mel Tucker’s crew have won three of four and dropped Illinois and Rutgers in the past two weeks. The duo of Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard have picked it up on the ground and Payton Thorne is playing a bit better after a rough beginning to the season. He has a number of big play wideouts including Keon Coleman and Jayden Reed. This is not a particularly good offense though and with the weather expected to be cold and possibly snowy, IU’s defense will absolutely have the opportunity to have a good day. After being blasted in back to back weeks by Penn State and Ohio State, where exactly is the mindset of this Indiana team though? Is there any fight left in the Hoosiers?

3.    Takeaways

IU enters as a 13-point underdog and two of the best equalizers in football are turnovers and weather. East Lansing should be in 20s at kickoff and snow flurries are expected so the weather might be a factor. The other equalizer to help Indiana pull off an upset would be turnovers. Thorne has thrown nine interceptions on the season and the Spartans are dead even in turnover margin (12 gained and lost). The Hoosiers have taken away 12 but have lost 17 to enter the contest at minus-five. If IU is to stop its seven-game losing streak and take the Old Brass Spittoon, they’ll need to win the turnover margin on Saturday.