Indiana will now enter the remainder of the season playing conference opponents and will start out against a No. 25 Michigan State team led by Mark Dantonio, who is now the head coach with the most wins in Michigan State history. Michigan State and Indiana will be a matchup that will determine the trajectory of two teams that have a currently unknown ceiling. This is the first trophy game of the season with the Old Brass Spittoon on the line.

Indiana regained its footing this past week after a convincing 38-3 win over the UConn Huskies, but it came at a large cost. OL Coy Cronk, one of the leaders of the team suffered a season ending injury and we are still awaiting the return of starting QB Michael Penix Jr. who is slated as a game time decision currently.

How to Watch: Indiana Hoosiers versus the Michigan State Spartans

WhoWeek 5: Indiana Hoosiers versus Michigan State Spartans
When3:30 PM ET / Saturday, Sept. 28, 2019
WhereSpartan Stadium – East Lansing, Mich.
TicketsFind the Lowest Ticket Prices on SeatGeek
WatchBig Ten Network
StatsLive Stats
ListenIU Radio Network
SpreadMSU -14.5, O/U 44.5

You can find the latest 2019 Indiana Football schedule (printable) here.

Meet the Michigan State Spartans

Michigan State is an FBS team that plays in the Big Ten East alongside Indiana. They enter the matchup with Indiana at (3-1, 1-0) on the season after a resounding win in Evanston, IL 31-10. Their sole loss came to a Herm Edwards-led Arizona State team that surprised the Spartans in East Lansing, 10-7.

The team is led by 3 time Big Ten champion and 2 time Big Ten Coach of the Year Mark Dantonio who secured his 110th win to become the winningest head coach in Spartan history last week. He is in his 13th year as head coach for the Spartans and boasts an overall 128-69 record as coach.

Coach Dantonio is one of the guys I have a tremendous amount of respect for in this profession in the way he runs his program and how his kids play

Tom Allen

The Spartans have averaged 29.3 points per game on 406.5 yards per game. Michigan State has been a team traditionally known for its steadfast defense and this season is no different as they have allowed around 10 points per game thus far this season. Michigan State will be a team that relies on defensive stops and turnovers such as last week against Northwestern where they were +2 in turnovers and held the Wildcats to 1-4 on fourth down.

Get to Know the Michigan State Spartans

Key Offensive Players

The Spartans are boasting a 3-1 record due to their senior QB Brian Lewerke. He has been having an impressive season with a 7:1 TD:INT ratio and already surpassing 1000 yards after 4 games. He is comfortable in the pocket and not afraid to dish out the deep ball to his receiver corps. A lot of his productivity can be related to the well-rounded nature of the Michigan State offensive attack with a solid RB and WR mix.

To every star QB, there has to be a receiver or two ready to make big plays. WR Darrell Stewart Jr. and WR Cody White have been those targets for the Spartans. Stewart has caught 30 passes and added 439 yards along with a TD to lead the team. White was one of the key focal points to the 2018 offense and when he was injured the Spartans struggled to maintain a reliable passing target. This season, he already has nearly 200 yards with 2 TDs

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The ground work has been accomplished by an impressive start to the season behind RB Elijah Collins with 357 yards, 2 TDs on 5.9 yards per carry. Collins has shown incredible speed and strength and will be a force the Spartans will rely on against a Hoosier defense that at times has difficulties with tackling.

Key Defensive Players

Michigan State will always be known for its impressive defensive stopping power and there is no one better on the team than Senior DE Kenny Willekes. He has been a disruptive force that can make his way to the QB and backfield every play to create chaos for the opponent. He was out for half of the Redbox Bowl last year, and the defense showed obvious difficulties in his absence. Having him back has led to 22 total tackles and a team-leading 4 sacks for 15 yards loss, 10 QB hurries, and 2 FR.

Joe Bachie is another LB that has become increasingly difficult to contain for the Spartans. He leads the team with 39 total tackles and last week had 13 solo tackles himself against the Wildcats along with an interception. He also won B1G defensive player of the week last week.

…Bachie is one of the best in the country…

Tom Allen

Other than linebackers, Michigan State has a deep, strong CB core. CB Josiah Scott has been leading the team’s CBs and is arguably one of the best in the country as he was named a Freshman All-American in the 2018 season. He has been improving immensely as the season has progressed. He has 14 solo tackles and an interception so far this season to add to the strong defensive unit of the Spartans.

Week 5: What to watch for against the Spartans

1. First road test by the Hoosiers

Apart from the “away” game against Ball State, Indiana has yet to have a road game this season. The Hoosiers have not performed well on the road over the last several seasons and often see themselves tested and many times not performing up to standards against teams that they should be winning against. Much like basketball season, the Big Ten standings and bowl game implications can be decided upon who steals a few away victories.