Previewing Spartans vs Badgers
Michigan State Magic
Michigan State faces another early season test this upcoming week. This foe is another team with a long and dramatic history of games played against one another. The Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State have had several frantic finishes, and the winner of this game has often been in control of their division. Who could forget the two classic games these teams played in 2010, the first when Kirk Cousins heaved a Hail Mary that was batted around before caught by Keith Nichol. The rematch came in the Big Ten Championship, where heartbreak was on the other sideline as Michigan State thought it had returned a punt for a touchdown for the go ahead score only to have it called back for a penalty. Saturday, at 12:00pm EDT at Spartan Stadium, the 2016 version kicks off with both teams ranked in the top 10 of the polls. Surely another thrilling finish awaits. There are a few keys to the game that if Michigan State can take advantage of will put them in a position to win the game with a little less magic required.
Attack the Quarterback
Wisconsin is starting a red-shirt freshman quarterback this week, and it also happens to be his first career start on the road in front of what will definitely be a rowdy home crowd. Michigan State must get after Alex Hornibrook early and often, so look for them to try to confuse Hornibrook early and hit him often. The Spartans have had success at getting pressure on the quarterback with only their four defensive lineman, which is a very talented group headlined by Malik McDowell. If the Spartans defense is able to recreate their success that they found against Notre Dame and DeShone Kizer, it could be a very long day for the Badgers. Obviously, Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst will try to take the pressure off Hornibrook, but Corey Clement is headed into the game with a bit of a bum ankle so he could be limited this week. The confidence of the Spartan’s secondary is growing after an outstanding performance against Notre Dame. Expect another heavy dosage of press man coverage from the Spartans, a coverage that has become a signature for them.
Pound The Rock
First year starter Tyler O’Connor took a huge step with his performance against Notre Dame and showed tremendous improvement from week one to week two. However, don’t expect Michigan State to get away from their signature power run game, nor should they. The Spartans backfield has two bell cow running backs in LJ Scott and Gerald Holmes. The Spartans like to run the ball on early downs to try to get ahead of the chains or at the very least stay on schedule and end up in manageable third downs. From there, the Spartans like to mix up the play call on third downs with a variety of play calls from quick throws, power running or play action and the occasional jet sweep with RJ Shelton. When the Spartans decide to air it out, look for true freshman Donnie Corley to continue to emerge as the primary target after an impressive showing last weekend. While Wisconsin does have a stout defense they have not seen an offensive rushing attack like Michigan State this season. Yes, Wisconsin did play and beat LSU in their first game of the season. However, the Tigers star running back, Leonard Fournette, was nursing a sprained ankle. Fournette did go over 100 yards on the ground but he was held in check for most of the day and did most of his damage in the second half, on a long run. LSU’s offense wasn’t nearly as balanced as Michigan State’s in large part due to quarterback play. LSU started the season at quarterback with Brandon Harris, who has proven to be mightily ineffective at throwing the ball. This allowed Wisconsin to stack the box against LSU and force them to beat them through the air. Wisconsin won’t have that same luxury against Michigan State due to the passing game that Michigan State is able to establish due to the run game.
Prediction
While the Wisconsin Badgers are a great team and play a great brand of the typical Big Ten football, that consist of smash mouth running game and a stingy defense, Sparty will prove to be too much. Look for the Spartans defense to be relentless in attacking red-shirt freshmen quarterback Alex Hornibrook and bottle up Clement. On offense, the balanced attack of the Spartans will keep the Wisconsin defense on their heels enough for the Spartans to pull out a win, with hopefully a little less magic than previous match-ups have needed.
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