Michigan State gets another non-conference test on Saturday, and the focus in East Lansing goes beyond the scoreboard. With Eastern Michigan coming to town and kickoff set for 3:30PM ET on Big Ten Network, the real interest lies in what Michigan State shows in personnel usage, running-game efficiency and the shape of the final margin.
One of the biggest things to watch is how many Spartans actually get involved. Against Toledo, 19 different players saw defensive snaps and 24 different players were used on offense.
That was close to what might have been expected, but the distribution wasn’t quite what some were looking for. There was more of an expectation for heavier rotation at running back and receiver, plus a little more mixing and matching along the offensive and defensive lines.
That’s why this week is a good chance to keep experimenting. At offensive line, the hope is to see Ben Murawksi, if he’s healthy, get work at guard, Conner Moore take a few snaps at left tackle, and Rakeem Johnson also get some reps inside.
If Robert Wright is the best answer at right tackle, then the rest of the line needs to be sorted out with live-game evaluation, especially if Moore doesn’t fit well inside. The bigger point is simple: Michigan State needs usable information on every possible line combination so it can test a couple of its best groupings against Notre Dame in Week 3 and settle on its best five before Big Ten play begins in Week 4.
The ground game is another area that needs to look sharper. Michigan State ran it 40 times against Toledo, but only nine of those carries gained six or more yards.
The standard for this week is clear: closer to 40% of the runs should be successful by that definition. The focus here isn’t on a flashy yards-per-carry number, since one long run can distort the picture.
It’s about whether the offense is consistently winning on a down-to-down basis.
That bar is being set with a specific expectation for this matchup: runs that gain six or more yards against Eastern Michigan’s defensive line count as success. The goal is to see just under half of the rushing attempts hit that mark.
Even if advanced numbers like EPA per rush suggest that’s a high ask, the expectation remains high. The belief is that this offense should be capable of becoming a top-half Big Ten rushing unit once the line starts building chemistry, and this game is another chance to show some real pop on the ground.
The final piece is the one fans will notice first: the score. A more efficient run game and deeper rotation can make it harder to run up a huge number, but Michigan State still needs a result that looks like control.
This is not about a 73-3 blowout like Virginia Tech had over VMI. It is about handling business well enough to cover the 17-point spread by more than a touchdown.
A 38-14 or 41-13 finish would fit that bill. It would show domination without requiring a circus act, even with plenty of players getting involved and the ball staying on the ground a lot. After last weekend’s mostly dominant win that still carried more stress than the matchup should have, that kind of outcome would be exactly what Michigan State fans are looking for.
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For the Spartans, Kim adds an extra layer to a Week 2 test that already asks plenty of a team still settling in after its opener. Defensive coordinator Joe Rossi pointed to Kim and Devereaux as key pieces in Eastern Michigans offense, a reminder that this is more than just an in-state matchup on the schedule. It is the kind of game where familiarity can cut both ways, and where Michigan State will have to be sharp against a group that knows how to make opponents work for every yard. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan State Needs A Sharper Week 2 Win Before Notre Dame
Michigan State gets its Week 2 stage set for 3:38 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network against Eastern Michigan, a game that comes with a little extra intrigue for East Lansing. The Spartans are still sorting through the early feel of the season, and this one offers a chance to look cleaner and more decisive before the schedule tightens up, with Notre Dame looming next.
The matchup also brings a familiar face back to town in Noah Kim, the former Spartan quarterback now set to lead Eastern Michigan into his old home. For Michigan State, the focus is less on nostalgia than on tightening up the performance and making sure the game feels settled sooner rather than later, a useful checkpoint if the Spartans want the next week to arrive with more momentum than doubt. [Read more 🡒]