The Hoosier football team heads to East Lansing this Saturday for a tough game against the Michigan State. Last season, IU upset the heavily-favored Spartans in front of a huge homecoming crowd, 46-21. This year, however, the tables are turned, as MSU, coming off two tough losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern, flaunts a deceptive 4-2 record (0-2 in the Big Ten) and the Hoosiers are 5-1 (2-1). Don't let Michigan State's recent stumbles fool you: they are a good football team with a good coach and Bill Lynch and his Hoosiers would be wise not to overlook them.
Home-field advantage could play a huge role in this game for the Spartans, much like it helped boost the Hoosiers last season. The game will be a rare night game played in Spartan Stadium, which is likely to draw a large and wild crowd. This can only benefit MSU and may have some hindering effects when it comes to Hoosier play-calling.
State has transitioned well under new coach Mark Dantonio, who replaced John L. Smith after last season. The team exhibits has a traditional Spartan-flavor: a big team with a big offensive line, big tight ends, and big fullbacks. Their offense starts with the ground game, but they showed against Wisconsin that the offense is balanced and that they can be a threat through the air too.
Junior Javon Ringer will do most of the work on the ground, and he has proven to be a huge threat. Through six games, he has over 700 yards and boasts a 7.1 yards per carry average. Senior Jehuu Caulcrick takes over in the goal line and short situations, where he has accumulated 10 touchdowns so far. Junior Devin Thomas is the Spartans biggest threat through the air, but watch Ringer coming out of the backfield. Also keep an eye on senior Kellen Davis. He plays on both sides of the ball and gives junior quarterback Brian Hoyer a huge target.
The Hoosiers have a lot going for them. They have their best record since 1993 and have positioned in a way that they only need one more win to be bowl eligible. James Hardy has at least one touchdown reception dating back to last year’s game against Purdue. Look for Hardy to continue that streak, but don’t expect the four TD performance Hardy had last year—the Spartans learned their lesson. Sophomore Bryan Payton proved that he can carry the load in the ground game and if quarterback Kellen Lewis continues his stellar play, the Hoosiers have a good chance.
This game will be dependant on which team makes the big plays. Still, I think Kellen Lewis’ mobility rolling out of the pocket will prove too difficult for the Michigan State defense to stop. One or two big plays by the IU defense, and the game is theirs. My prediction: IU by ten, 24-14.
Linear Mode
