Head Coach: Jonathan Smith
Overall: 42-45 and 8-10 at Michigan State
Bowl Appearances at Michigan State: Zero
2024 Record: 5-7 (3-6)
Mascot: Sparty
Colors: Green and White
Outfitter: Nike
National Titles: Six (1951, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1965, 1966)
Conference Titles: 12
Heisman Winners: –
Last Week: 38-13 loss to UCLA
Betting Information
Indiana (-26.5) | Total of 52.5
Statistical Leaders
Passing: Aidan Chiles – 87 of 142 (61.3%) for 1019 yards with 9 TDs and 3 INTs
Rushing: Makhi Frazier – 87 rushes for 383 yards (4.4 ypc) with 2 TDs
Receiving: Omari Kelly – 24 catches for 347 yards with 1 TD
Tackles: Jordan Hall – 45 tackles with 25 solo
Stat of the Week: Michigan State is allowing a sack on 9.62 of their passing attempts. That number places the Spartans 122nd in the country and ahead of only two Big Ten teams (Washington and Illinois). MSU is allowing three sacks per game and are among the nation’s worst at allowing quarterback pressures. IU’s defense is fourth in the country in sack percentage. On paper, that’s a gigantic advantage for the Hoosiers.
Spartans Talking Points
- Can MSU’s Lines of Scrimmage Hold Up?
The Michigan State Spartans are among the Big Ten’s worst teams at pass blocking and have struggled for the entirety of Jonathan Smith’s tenure to prevent quarterback pressures. On the other side of the ball, they are allowing 4.16 yards per rush and 2.2 sacks per game. Indiana showed just how good they are on both lines of scrimmage last weekend against Oregon and they’ll have a chance to put up some big numbers against the Spartans unless MSU makes some major improvements before this game.
2. What Does MSU Do at QB?
Aidan Chiles got a lot of hype heading into the season but things have not gone as planned for the Spartans or for the talented signal-caller that transferred to East Lansing from Oregon State. Chiles was only 8-17 for 66 yards against UCLA last weekend before exiting after a hit to the helmet. It was not the first time Alessio Milivojevic entered in relief this season. It seems likely that IU ends up seeing both quarterbacks in this game but this should be an opportunity for the Hoosiers to dial up the pressure and present some opportunities for the secondary to take advantage of mistakes.
3. Mental Preparation
The mindset of these two programs could not be more disparate. The Indiana Hoosiers are up to #3 in the polls, the highest number in program history, after knocking off Oregon in Autzen Stadium and spending the week being told how amazing they are. Michigan State is winless in the Big Ten and they were just spanked by the UCLA Bruins. Fans of Michigan State commented that it looked like the team quit during that game and that time was ticking on the tenure of head coach Jonathan Smith. If you’ll recall, Smith was hired from Oregon State at the same time Scott Dolson hired Curt Cignetti away from James Madison. The two were bound to be compared and most national analysts were sure that Smith was a slam dunk hire while Cignetti was no more than a “solid” move for Indiana. Can Indiana be focused from the start for this game? Will Michigan State be prepared to play and rally around their embattled coaching staff?