Michigan State heads into Saturday’s rivalry game with Michigan carrying an availability report that reads like a disaster scene. The Spartans have been grinding through injuries all season, but this week’s list is on another level, with key pieces missing across just about every part of the roster.
Already ruled out for the Michigan-Michigan State game are RB #0 Cam Edwards, QB #2 Cam Fancher, CB #3 Tre Bell, RB #4 Jaziun Patterson, CB #4 Charles Brantley, LB #5 Jordan Hall, RB #21 Marvis Parrish, S #28 Brayden Thomas, TE #31 Jayden Savoury, FB #44 Jay Coyne, DL #55 Ben Roberts, OL #79 Tristan Comer and TE #87 Joe Caudill.
That means Michigan State is set to be without its top three running backs, two cornerbacks, its top linebacker, top tight end, starting fullback, a key defensive lineman and its backup quarterback. The damage stretches so widely that there are few position groups left untouched.
The latest additions make the situation even worse for Spartan fans hoping for an upset. Marvis Parrish, the third-string running back, and Jayden Savoury, the team’s top tight end, both landed on the unavailable list, adding two more major losses to an already battered roster.
There is at least one important name still hanging in the balance. Alessio Milivojevic, who missed Michigan State’s last game against UCLA, is listed on the report and is currently questionable.
That matters because the Spartans need him as much as anyone. With so many players already out four days before kickoff, getting Milivojevic back would be a huge lift.
Michigan State could also use help in the secondary. Keshawn Williams and Tyran Chappell have been sidelined in recent games, and either one returning would help. Devin Vaught, another one of the team’s top secondary players, would be an even bigger boost if he’s able to go.
The setting doesn’t get any easier, either. Michigan State will have to try to hold up at the Big House on Saturday with a roster that’s been stretched thin and a lot of younger players likely forced into major roles.
The injury report is ugly, and the Spartans are going to need one more tough response if they want any chance at pulling off an upset against their biggest rival.
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Michigan States Best Upset Hope Looks Brutal Against Michigan
Michigan State heads into its Big Ten rivalry game against Michigan with the kind of profile that usually keeps an underdog alive, even in a hostile setting. Both teams have struggled to find much rhythm on offense this season, which has helped turn this matchup into something closer to a grind than a showcase, and the Spartans can at least point to a defense that has kept them in games.
The challenge is that Michigan brings the better overall form and the betting market reflects it, with the Wolverines installed as a 13.5-point favorite. Under the lights at the Big House, this shapes up as a physical, competitive night where field position and toughness could matter as much as any big-play threat, and Michigan State will need its best version just to make the upset conversation real. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Heads Into Michigan Week With A Major Roster Concern
Michigan States first Big Ten availability report for Michigan week brought a familiar dose of uncertainty, with quarterback Alessio Milivojevic and safety Devin Vaught both listed as questionable for the rivalry game. The Spartans also ruled out 13 players for the matchup, a list that includes key starters Ben Roberts and Jaziun Patterson, leaving the roster thinner than it would like heading into one of the most demanding weeks on the calendar.
Pat Fitzgerald has already pointed to the significance of the rivalry and the work that goes into preparing for it, and now that preparation has to account for a long injury list as well. For Michigan State, the challenge is not just the emotion of the game, but figuring out how to line up with so many pieces potentially unavailable when the spotlight is at its brightest. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Faces Its First Real Test On A Quick Turnaround
Michigan State opened the season with a comfortable 96-59 win over Quinnipiac, but the real rhythm test comes fast. The Spartans have only a two-day window to reset before Thursdays game against Toledo, a matchup that should tell Tom Izzo a lot more about where his team stands early in the year.
Izzo pointed to the short turnaround as part of the challenge, especially with a game that figures to demand more from Michigan State than its opener did. The Spartans also expect Jesse McCulloch back after he missed the first game with a minor concussion, giving the frontcourt another piece as the schedule starts to tighten. [Read more 🡒]