Michigan State heads into Saturday night’s Battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy with a lot working against it, and the injury report may be the biggest reason why. The Spartans are 2-6 overall and still searching for their first Big Ten win at 0-5, while Michigan comes in at 5-3 and 2-3 in conference play. The Wolverines have the clearer talent edge, and if MSU is going to pull the upset at the Big House, it will need several things to break its way.
The first and most obvious swing point is at quarterback. Alessio Milivojevic is listed as questionable, and if he can’t go for a second straight game, Michigan State would have to turn to true freshman Kayd Coffman.
Coffman showed flashes against now-No. 5 UCLA, but it also looked like a freshman making his first big leap into the deep end.
That’s a dangerous place to be against a Michigan defense that ranks third nationally in total defense and 18th in scoring.
MSU’s availability report already includes a long list of players ruled out: QB2 Cam Fancher, RB1 Cam Edwards, RB2 Jaziun Patterson, RB3 Marvis Parrish, TE1 Jayden Savoury, LB1 Jordan Hall, DT1 Ben Roberts, CB1 Tre Bell, and CB3 Charles Brantley. That leaves the Spartans thin everywhere, and the “questionable” group becomes even more important. Along with Milivojevic, cornerbacks Tyran Chappell and Keshawn Williams, plus strong safety Devin Vaught, are all still in limbo.
Getting Chappell or Williams back would matter in a hurry. Chappell has been out all through conference play, while Williams has missed time since Nebraska.
If Chappell is cleared, he would almost certainly step right into the starting lineup. Williams would at least give Michigan State more needed depth in the secondary.
Vaught’s status is just as significant. He has been one of the Spartans’ better pieces at strongside or boundary-side safety, especially because of his run support. His coverage has also looked better lately, which only adds to his value if he’s available.
Up front, Michigan State took another major hit when Ben Roberts went down on the first defensive snap at UCLA. The star nose tackle is out this week and, in all likelihood, beyond. That puts a heavy burden on sophomore Derrick Simmons, who played a season-high 47 defensive snaps against the Bruins and is expected to start in Roberts’ place.
That assignment is no small thing. Roberts was probably the most irreplaceable player left on the roster, and Simmons now has to absorb the kind of punishment Roberts usually handled.
If Simmons can hold up against double teams, he can help free the rest of the defensive front and keep the linebackers cleaner. If he’s stuck in one-on-one blocks too often, Michigan’s offensive line can start climbing to the second level and creating problems fast.
The Wolverines’ line includes Nathan Efobi at left guard, Jake Guarnera at center, and Brady Norton at right guard. Guarnera is probable to play, while Norton is questionable.
On the other side of the ball, the biggest name Michigan State has to account for is wide receiver JJ Buchanan. He has been one of the few steady bright spots on a Michigan offense that has otherwise struggled, and his numbers jump off the page: 38 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns in eight games. For comparison, MSU’s three starting receivers have combined for just 758 yards and four touchdowns.
Buchanan has been the go-to threat in all but one game this season, with the only exception coming against UTEP, the easiest matchup on the schedule. The quarterback change from Bryce Underwood to Tommy Carr hasn’t slowed him down either. Buchanan had six catches for 57 yards against Indiana in Carr’s first start, then followed that with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown last week at Rutgers.
He’s also already made one of the season’s most memorable grabs, hauling in Michigan’s Hail Mary to beat Western Michigan at the buzzer in Week 1. If Chappell or Williams can’t play, NiJhay Burt and freshman Jeremiah Favorite would be the likely cornerback options trying to deal with him.
For Michigan State, the path to an upset starts long before kickoff. It starts with the injury report, and it runs straight through Milivojevic, the secondary, Simmons in the middle, and Buchanan on the outside.
In Other News...
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Romanis night was strong enough to earn both B1G Second Star of the Week and Player of the Game honors, while Adam Nightingale also hit a notable coaching milestone by reaching 100 career wins faster than any coach in program history. With Michigan State sitting No. 3 nationally and carrying one of the highest numbers of NHL draft picks in college hockey this season, the bigger question now is how all of that translates when the Spartans get back to Munn for a showdown that should tell plenty about their ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
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Michigan Coach Just Reignited The Edge In This Rivalry
The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry has always carried its own kind of weight, and Michigan quarterbacks coach Koy Detmer made it clear he still sees it that way. He described the matchup as physical and intense, a blunt reminder that even with all the changes around college football, some games still mean a little more because of who is on the other sideline.
Detmers candor stood out against the more reserved tone from head coach Kyle Whittingham, and it fit into a larger conversation about whether the rivalry has lost some of its edge in recent years. Coaching changes and broader cultural shifts have altered the feel of the series, but comments like these suggest there is still an appetite to bring back the bite that once defined it. [Read more 🡒]