Week 12 Know Your Opponent: Michigan State Spartans

Written by: TJ Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)

Head Coach: Harlon Barnett (interim)

Overall: 3-7 (1-6)

Bowl Appearances at Michigan State: Zero

2022 Record: MSU was 5-7

Mascot: Sparty

Colors: Green and White

Outfitter: Nike

National Titles: Six (1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966)

Conference Titles: 11 (most recently in 2015)

Heisman Winners: Zero

Last Week: 38-3 Loss to Ohio State

Statistical Leaders

Passing: Noah Kim – 91-160 for 1090 yards with 6 TDs and 6 INTs

Rushing: Nate Carter – 167 for 711 yards with 4 TDs

Receiving: Montorie Foster Jr. – 34 catches for 447 yards with 2 TDs

Tackles: Cal Haladay – 74 tackles

Stat of the Week: Much has been made of the struggles of the offenses in the Big Ten West but the team that averages the fewest points per game in the Big Ten resides in East Lansing. The Michigan State Spartans are averaging 13.6 points per game, 132nd in the nation and ahead of only Kent State. 

Spartans Talking Points

1. Does Either Team Show Up To Win?

The Indiana Hoosiers loss to Illinois eliminated them from bowl contention. Michigan State is in the same boat after losing to Ohio State. Neither team really has anything to play in terms of team rewards. That doesn’t mean the game is meaningless. It’s a rivalry game and players are attempting to earn playing time for the future (either at their current school, a different school or the NFL) by putting forth good performances. The team that can focus during the week and put a solid effort on the field is likely to be victorious.

2. Big Ten Woes

The Michigan State Spartans began the year with comfortable wins over Central Michigan and Richmond, scoring 31 and 45 points in those contests. The offense has completely fallen apart since then as MSU has the following point totals: 7, 9, 16, 24, 0, 12, 20, 3. That is an average of 11.375 points per game over the past eight weeks of play. Freshman quarterback Katin Houser has taken over as the starter and he’s completing just 57.1% of his passes on 5.8 yards per attempt. He’s likely hungry for a chance to go against the IU pass defense that collapsed against Illinois but MSU has not shown any signs of life as an offense since the early part of this season. 

3. Red Zone Success

Michigan State does not do very much well but they have been successful in the red zone. The Spartans have scored on 87.5% of their red zone chances in 2023 and are allowing just 78.57% of trips to be converted successfully against them. IU is at 117th in the country with just 73.91% red zone conversion percentage and allowing 92.11% red zone scores against them (118th nationally). That puts the Spartans in the top 40 for each category and IU in the bottom third nationally for both categories.