Michigan State Football: Can Spartans bounce back against Northwestern?

Michigan State football kicks off its Big Ten schedule on the road at Northwestern. Can it bounce back after a frustrating loss last week?

Michigan State is reeling from a loss to Arizona State for the second year in a row. The loss was made even more frustrating by the ending. The Spartans made the game tying field goal as time expired only to have a 12 men on the field penalty wipe it out and the next attempt was missed. There should have been leaping penalty called on the Sun Devils on the second attempt but it went uncalled.

Regardless of last week, Michigan State looks to get back on track with their first conference game of the season. They travel to face 1-1 Northwestern. The Wildcats opened the season on the road with a loss to Stanford, then had an early bye week. Last week they defeated UNLV at home.

Both of these teams are looking to notch an early victory in conference play. Neither wants to record their second loss of the season. Which team has the edge in this early Big Ten test?

Here’s how you can watch:

Date: Saturday, Sept. 21
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: Evanston, Ill.
Venue: Ryan Field
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to Victory

Northwestern’s defense must come through for them when their offense has been lackluster. The Wildcats have a bend but don’t break kind of defense. They’ll give up yards, but they shut things down when teams get close to scoring. Both Stanford and UNLV found the red zone twice against Northwestern and only Stanford came away with points. Small sample size but they find a way stop teams from scoring.

The Wildcat offense is less than desirable. They are the only team in the Big Ten averaging less than five yards per play. The Wildcats are the epitome of “three yards and a cloud of dust” right now.

Quarterback Hunter Johnson has been thrust into the role due to injuries to TJ Green. Johnson has completed less than 43 percent of his passes, thrown one touchdown to three interceptions. Freshman Drake Anderson has been a bright spot and the Wildcats should rely heavily on him.

Did Michigan State’s offense disappear versus Arizona State? Like the Spartans, the Sun Devils have a pretty good defense of their own and they were able to frustrate Michigan State most of the game. The Spartans problem seems to be converting drives into points. They can move the ball, but delivering on the scoreboard was a Herculean task last week.

Michigan State should get running back Elijah Collins going early and keep feeding him. He scored the teams lone touchdown last week and is averaging over six yards a carry. Quarterback Brian Lewerke should be able to shake off last week, too, but the Spartans need to establish the run to set up the pass.

The Spartan defense is the Spartan defense. It is their bread and butter. Against a lukewarm at best Wildcat offense, they should shut them down.

Betting Odds

Odds courtesy of Bovada

Spread: Michigan State -9
Over/Under: 38

Prediction

Northwestern has won the last three and four out of five against Michigan State. The Spartans last win in the series occurred in 2013, a 30-6 blowout in Evanston. The Spartans should be able to break the streak and get back in the win column this week.

The Spartans will mostly shut down the Wildcats, who don’t have the offensive prowess to take on this type of defense. Elijah Collins finds the end zone twice while Brian Lewerke plays mistake free football. It won’t be a pretty game or high scoring, but it does not need to be for the Spartans to roll out of Evanston victorious.

Final Score: Michigan State 20, Northwestern 10