The spotlight Saturday will naturally drift toward Pat Fitzgerald and Aidan Chiles, but the real story in East Lansing is simpler than that: Michigan State has to survive its own flaws long enough to beat Northwestern.
Fitzgerald’s return to the place he coached for 17 years will draw attention, and the Spartans surely understand the circumstances around his departure from East Lansing. Still, Fitzgerald is far more likely to keep his team focused on snapping MSU’s four-game losing streak and finding answers for Chiles than on the drama surrounding the matchup.
That’s the backdrop for a noon ET kickoff on Peacock, and it’s not a comfortable one for the Spartans. What might have looked like a win in preseason projections now feels like a much tougher assignment, with Michigan State and Northwestern trending in opposite directions.
The first thing MSU has to clean up is the margin for error. The Spartans had mostly stayed away from penalties before they “exploding” for nine flags against Illinois, a season high. That kind of self-inflicted damage is hard to survive for any team, and even harder for one dealing with an injury-depleted defense and a key offensive piece in Cam Edwards out for the season.
Michigan State did get some breaks against Illinois. The Spartans finally came away with a turnover, got a fourth down stop after what should have been a perfectly-executed onside kick, and recovered one of their own fumbles to keep a drive alive. Those plays all helped produce touchdowns.
But the game still came with missed chances. MSU went another contest without a sack.
It had at least one opportunity to recover an Illinois fumble, only for the officials to let the play continue and the Illini keep possession after it looked like a Spartan had the ball secured with his hand and . . . crotch. Michigan State also coughed up a fumble of its own, killing a promising drive coming out of halftime.
If the Spartans are going to end the skid, they need more of those momentum swings to go their way. Winning the turnover battle 2-0 and getting at least one sack that ends a Northwestern drive would make a real difference.
The offense also has to avoid another slow start. Against Illinois, Michigan State ran only six plays in the first 20 minutes of game time.
The Spartans had two three-and-outs while Illinois scored on its first three possessions to build a 17-0 lead. MSU fought back and had a chance to win, but that was a different situation than the one it faced a week earlier at Wisconsin.
Northwestern looks closer to Wisconsin than Illinois. The Wildcat defense gave up 29 points at Indiana, but every other opponent has been held under 20. That means falling behind early could be fatal, especially if Michigan State has to chase the game against a defense that is disciplined and less likely to get tricked by gadget plays.
That said, the Spartans did find some answers against Illinois. Direct snaps and running Patterson between the tackles worked at times, and Michigan State may try to lean on that again.
Northwestern’s front is sound and not undersized by Big Ten standards, but it does not feature a massive interior lineman who demands double teams. The Spartan offensive line should not be at a size disadvantage, which makes execution and staying ahead of the chains vital.
Then there’s the larger question: how does Michigan State respond to another painful setback? The Spartans have now been through four losses in four very different ways - a competitive defeat against Notre Dame, a missed opportunity against Nebraska, a lopsided loss at Wisconsin, and heartbreak against Illinois. Add in the injuries, and it’s easy to see why the last few weeks have felt like a slide toward the edge.
Until the comeback against Illinois, though, MSU again showed the kind of resolve it displayed in the opener at Toledo and in South Bend. The question now is whether that response can hold up after a devastating finish.
Northwestern’s run-heavy offense, directed by Chip Kelly, and its disciplined defense will put that to the test. If the Wildcats come out strong against a depleted Spartan roster, can Michigan State answer again against what looks like a tougher opponent than the one it faced last week? The Spartans would be a lot better off making sure that question never becomes necessary.
In Other News...
Michigan State Heads Into Northwestern With A Defensive Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Michigan States trip to Northwestern comes with an early look at the kind of injury report that can shape a Saturday before the ball is even kicked. The two teams released their initial availability reports, and the Spartans were hit harder on defense, where they are notably thin at cornerback and linebacker heading into the matchup.
There is at least a bit of relief in the update for Michigan State, with NiJhay Burt and Dion Crawford expected back in the lineup. Northwesterns report carries its own uncertainty, with tight end Luke Dehnicke and safety Robert Fitzgerald among the notable players listed as questionable or doubtful, but the Spartans will still be watching closely to see whether their defensive depth can hold up when the game arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces A Northwestern Problem Fans Havent Seen In Years
Northwestern is bringing a look Michigan State does not see very often, and it comes at a time when the Spartans are still sorting out how they want to handle a Big Ten opponent with some old-school flavor. Under new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, the Wildcats have mixed in wing-T formations and receiver alignments that force defenses to process a lot at once, which makes the week as much about eye discipline and alignment as it is about tackling and leverage.
The challenge lands in a game with a few added layers of intrigue, too. Aidan Chiles is set to return to Spartan Stadium, and Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald will be lining up against his former team, giving the matchup a familiar backdrop even as the scheme on the other side looks anything but familiar. For the Spartans, the question is whether they can sort through the unusual looks quickly enough to keep Northwestern from turning a strange offensive plan into a real problem. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Suddenly Has A Depth Problem At The Worst Time
Michigan State is running into the kind of midseason injury pileup every team dreads, and it is arriving at an awkward moment. Heading into Week 7 against Northwestern, the Spartans are dealing with a long list of unavailable players on both sides of the ball, leaving the staff to patch together a lineup that has already taken on plenty of wear.
The problems reach across the roster, with top cornerbacks Tre Bell and Charles Brantley out, linebackers Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff sidelined, running back Cam Edwards unavailable and backup quarterback Cam Fancher also not expected to go. That means Michigan State will have to lean hard on depth pieces just to stay afloat against a Northwestern team led by former Spartan quarterback Aidan Chiles, turning what should have been a routine October week into a test of survival. [Read more 🡒]