Michigan State football out for revenge vs. Arizona State in Week 3

Michigan State football looks to remain undefeated and get revenge in its Week 3 matchup vs. Pac-12 opponent Arizona State.

After a dominant Week 1 performance by the Spartan defense, the Michigan State offense went to work against the Western Michigan Broncos scoring 51 points in a Week 2 victory.

The Sun Devils visiting the Spartans is arguably the best game in the nation this week. In fairness, Week 3 does not have any clear-cut favorites for game of the week as ESPN’s College GameDay goes to Iowa State as the Cyclones host in-state rival Iowa. Iowa State is coming off of a bye week where they needed overtime to beat FCS opponent Northern Iowa.

The Syracuse vs. Clemson lost a lot of its luster as the Orange lost by 43 to Maryland. Florida vs. Kentucky is the only other matchup of Power Five teams where both are undefeated and one team is ranked. Michigan State hosting Arizona State is the premier matchup for Week 3 in college football.

Arizona State is undefeated and the Sun Devils are hoping to come into East Lansing and upset the Spartans. This is a rematch from last season where the Sun Devils won the game on a field goal as time expired. The Sun Devils’ 2019 season has not gone as planned as they have failed to dominate lesser talented opponents.

In Week 1, they defeated Kent State 30-7 at home. Their defense was impressive in the outing but their offense behind a true freshmen starting at quarterback only scored one touchdown at the half. In Week 2 against a FCS opponent, Arizona State once again played well defensively put their offense didn’t score a touchdown until the forth quarter in a 19-7 victory over Sacramento State.

These two programs in this Big Ten vs. Pac-12 match up look to put on a show in front of a national audience. The Spartans are favored and look to catapult itself into the top 15 with an impressive performance against the Sun Devils in this late afternoon showdown.

Here’s how to view this highly-anticipated matchup:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 14
Time: 4 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Spartan Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports GO or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

Michigan State’s defense needs to impose its will and power against an offense starting a true freshman at quarterback. The Sun Devils do have a talented and productive running back in Eno Benjamin but unlike last season do not have a passing attack that can put touchdowns on the board against the Spartan secondary.

The Spartan offense looks like it found it’s running back in red-shirt freshmen Elijah Collins as he ran for nearly 200 yards against Western Michigan. They also seem to have an emerging star receiver in senior wide out Darrell Stewart Jr. who had 185 yards receiving against the Broncos.

What goes unnoticed is the players who may not put up the huge numbers but are starting to contribute more and more on offense like junior receiver Cody White and sophomore running back La’Darius Jefferson. The offensive line looks to continue to improve and the special teams play has been on the verge of being great especially in the kicking game.

The Michigan State defense needs to create turnovers and convert them into points like they did against Tulsa. The Spartan defense did not play bad against Western Michigan but they didn’t completely dominate the opposing offense like they did against the Golden Hurricane.  Seniors Joe Bachie and Kenny Willekes nicknamed the “Rude Dudes” need to show no mercy and create turnovers and pressure the quarterback into making costly mistakes.

Prediction

The entire nation will be watching this game as it is the premier matchup in a week where not too many exciting games for college football fans exist. Look for Michigan State to have a sense of urgency to win and to win big as the Spartans head Mark Dantonio looks more focused and determined as compared to past seasons. This will be the perfect blend of the defense playing great and the offense playing good through out the game.

Also include a game with a spectacular field goal kicking game and a consistent punter and Michigan State may have a chance of being one the the four teams in the College Football Playoff.

Final Score: Arizona State 13, Michigan State 38