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Two teams fighting to get out of the basement of the Big Ten standings face off on Saturday when the Michigan State Spartans (3-7, 4-5-1 ATS, 1-6 Big Ten) travel to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (3-7, 6-4 ATS, 1-6 Big Ten). Michigan State just got run off the field in Columbus, going down 38-3 against #1 Ohio State, failing to cover the 32.5-point spread. Indiana is coming off a battle that went to overtime, as they lost to Illinois 48-45, but covered the spread as 4.5-point underdogs. Indiana is currently listed as 4.5-point home favorites. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:00 EST from Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, and can be found on the Big Ten Network.
The margins at the top of the College Football Playoff poll are tight. Ohio State was demoted from #1 to #2, even though they defeated the Spartans by 35 points on last Saturday. The Spartans only had 11 first downs and gained just 182 total yards in the loss. The Spartans one Big Ten win came in the previous week, when they defeated Nebraska 20-17. Michigan State only has Indiana and #12 Penn State remaining on their schedule, so this is week is their best chance to get one more victory.
The Spartans have been forced to turn to freshman quarterback Katin Houser, after the shoulder injury to their starter Noah Kim. Houser has started the past five games, but is only averaging 121.6 passing yards per game. On the season, Houser has just three passing touchdowns to two interceptions as the Spartans have struggled to get the passing game going. Michigan State has relied on the running game with sophomo re running back Nathan Carter. He is 4th in the Big Ten in rushing yards, and averages 71.1 yards per game with four touchdowns. Carter is the lead back, as he has 167 carries, while the next highest back only has 25. The top receiver has been 6'0 Montorie Foster Jr., he is averaging 44.7 yards per game with two touchdowns.
The Spartans are dead last in the Big Ten in scoring while only averaging 16.7 points per game. Their defense ranks 11th out of the 14 teams by allowing 27.7 points per. Linebacker Cal Haladay leads the team in tackles with 74, and fellow linebacker Aaron Brule leads the team in sacks with four. Defensive back Jaden Mangham has four interceptions on the season. The Spartans defense has generated 13 takeaways in ten games.
Injury Report:
Questionable: QB Noah Kim (1,090 yards), WR Tre Mosley (288 yards), WR Jaron Glover (261 yards), DB Dillon Tatum (45 tackles)
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