Preview: Michigan State starts Big Ten glove against Rutgers

Michigan State enters Big Ten at 5-0 after beating hands down Western Kentucky 48-31 on Homecoming last weekend. The Spartans will travel to Piscataway, New Jersey to take on Rutgers in their first Big Ten East battle of the season.

Michigan State won convincingly against the Hilltoppers with the superstar performances of Jayden roseau and Kenneth walker iii, who combined for six touchdowns and over 400 attacking yards. The Spartans clocked a 42-point first half to clinch a comfortable three-possession victory.

Michigan State scored just six points in the second half; they took their feet off the accelerator pedal. MSU was outscored 15-6 in the second half by Western Kentucky; the first time this season, the Spartans were beaten at halftime.

Once again, the offense flourished with a balanced attack to move the ball and enter the end zone. MSU gained 528 yards on Saturday, including 327 in the air and 201 on the ground. This kept Western Kentucky’s defense out of play and allowed for explosive play after explosive play. The Spartans will be looking to conserve that energy when they face the Scarlet Knights.

The defense has also just taken up its biggest challenge this season; they gave up 31 points, a season high, west of Kentucky. The Hilltopper quarterback Bailey Zappé moved the ball at will, throwing for 488 yards, but MSU’s defense held firm in the red zone. The defense allowed three touchdowns and three baskets in a total of seven trips to the red zone. They managed to reduce the field and hold on without breaking under the pressure of the Hilltoppers’ fast and powerful attack.

According to MSU head coach Mel Tucker, MSU will likely still be without defensive end Drew Beesley and running back Elijah Collins, who are still sore.

Opponent Scouting

Rutgers are 3-2 this year and 0-2 in the Big Ten with losses to Michigan and Ohio State. The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Scarlet Knights, who will host the 11th-ranked Spartans for their third straight game against a Big Ten-ranked foe.

Rutgers just suffered an embarrassing 52-13 loss to Ohio State at home last week, where they gave up 45 points in the first half. The Buckeyes managed to gain 541 offensive yards and scored 52 points against the Scarlet Knight defense who had allowed just 54 points overall in the previous four weeks.

Said defense is led by the linebacker Olakunle Fatukasi who has 49 tackles and 6.5 tackles for the loss, good for the Big Ten’s second. Scarlet Knight’s defense generated eight turnovers, including five fumbles, in five games. (BFC statistics)

In attack, Rutgers is led by the senior quarterback Noah Védral. Vedral has 914 yards and six touchdowns in five games and has completed 67% of his passes. Vedral’s preferred targets are wide receptors Aron Cruickshank and Bo melton and running back Isaih Pacheco, who added three touchdowns this year.

Rutgers’ offense will be looking to bounce back after scoring just 13 points in the last two games against Michigan and Ohio State. They could succeed in the air against the Spartan secondary who struggled to stop the opposing quarterbacks.

Like Michigan State, Rutgers’ motto is “keep cutting,” coined by Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano. The Scarlet Knights pride themselves on playing tough, tough football right up to the final whistle and will step by step align with the physique of the State of Michigan. .

Schiano was disturbed by MSU using “Keep Choppin ‘” as a team motto, creating a little more hype around the game. It’s the rubber match between the two choppin’ teams of the Big Ten East.

The game kicks off at noon and can be watched on Big Ten Network if you’re not traveling to Piscataway.