Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

What: Indiana Hoosiers (3-7) vs. Michigan State Spartans (3-7)

When: Saturday, November 18 at Noon

Where: Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, IN

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

Series History: These two teams first met in 1922 with the Indiana Hoosiers winning the first three meetings. Michigan State dominated the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s with IU fighting back a bit in the 80s and 90s under Bill Mallory. Tom Allen has actually been moderately successful against MSU, winning two of the past three meetings including a 39-31 triumph in East Lansing last season. Michigan State leads the all-time series 49-18 with two ties.

What’s at Stake: Both teams know they will not be going to a bowl game. That does not mean this game is completely meaningless. The Hoosiers and Spartans play annually for the Old Brass Spittoon and rivalry games absolutely matter. In addition, both teams are attempting to develop young talent. The Spartans know they will have a new coaching staff next season while the future of Indiana’s Tom Allen and his staff is still to be determined.

A FEW THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Can Indiana’s Defense Bounce Back?

IU’s defense has had a roller coaster of a season. At times, Matt Guerreri’s unit has played quite well with a young secondary showing real growth and potential. Other times, they have been bowled over and look lost. Last Saturday was a low point with backup quarterback John Paddock throwing for more than 500 yards and leading Illinois to a whopping 42 points in regulation and an overtime victory. Michigan State’s offense has been as bad as any in the Big Ten. They have failed to score more than 24 points in any conference game this season and have been at 16 points or fewer in all but two games against major conference opponents.

2. Freshman Quarterback Battle

Indiana’s 2023 season has been quite disappointing but the growth of redshirt freshman quarterback Brendan Sorsby has been a major positive. Sorsby and the offense struggled against Rutgers but things began to take off the next week against Penn State. He went 13 for 19 with 269 yards and three touchdowns and then led IU to a win over Wisconsin with 186 yards passing and two total touchdowns. The quarterback from Texas looked awesome last week in the loss to Illinois. He threw for 289 yards with three touchdowns and added 53 yards rushing with two touchdowns. Make no mistake, Brendan Sorsby played more than well enough to win that game. Watching his continued growth in the next two games will be one of the biggest things to cling to for Hoosier fans. His counterpart in this contest will also be a freshman as MSU will start Katin Houser. Houser has not shown as much promise as Sorsby, completing only 57.1 percent of his attempts and averaging only 5.8 yards per attempt with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

3. Which Teams Wants to Win

Late season games between two teams that will not be going to the postseason often come down to which team is still giving effort. That does not just mean effort on game day or on specific plays. It means effort during the week as the coaches are preparing for the game and trying to install the gameplan. Which team has had a good week of practice and which team can translate that with consistent effort on Saturday? Wins in the Big Ten are difficult to come by for both Michigan State and Indiana, Saturday’s Old Brass Spittoon is a chance to get a win and the team that has prepared to win and not just to play a game will be victorious.