Rutgers football game week opponent profile: Michigan State
The Rutgers football team will travel to East Lansing, Michigan, this Saturday for the final game of the regular season against Michigan State. The Scarlet Knights (6-5, 3-5) are coming off a gutwrenching 38-31 loss to Illinois.
The Spartans (5-6, 3-5) have had an up-and-down season yet still find themselves just one win away from bowl eligibility after defeating Purdue 24-17 last game.
Michigan State and Rutgers have squared off 15 times, with the Spartans winning 10 games dating back to 1988.
The Daily Targum sat down with Kaspar Haehnle, the football beat writer for The State News, to preview Saturday’s matchup.
There was much anticipation and uncertainty surrounding the 2024 season as Jonathan Smith was hired as the team's new head coach. Although the Spartans have not played their best, fans are still happy to see their team play meaningful games in November.
“As of late, Michigan State, they’ve been pretty flat and it’s not the best football,” Haehnle said. “But they still have something to play for.”
Along with a new head coach, Michigan State also came into the season with a new face under center in Aidan Chiles. This season has not been the best for Chiles, who has thrown for 12 touchdowns, 11 interceptions and approximately 206 yards per game. Despite struggles thus far in his career, there is a lot of room for the young quarterback to grow.
“(Chiles) has great talent and I think if (Michigan State) continues to develop him, he can be a force in the future,” Haehnle said. “It just kind of depends on knocking down those interceptions.”
The running back position is split between Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter, who each bring a different style to the Spartans' offense. For those of you who are wondering why the name Lynch-Adams sounds familiar, it's because he spent two seasons on the Banks from 2019 to 2020. This season, the duo has tallied 1,032 and six touchdowns on the ground while also opening opportunities in the passing game.
“Lynch-Adams is kind of the short down and distance guy, Carter’s kind of the need a couple of chunk yard plays,” Haehnle said. “Michigan State runs a lot of play action, it opens up that if they want … so it’s just been kind of a blessing to have those two in the backfield.”
Defensively, Jordan Turner and Khris Bogle are two names that have stood out all season. Bogle leads the team with four sacks and Turner with 60 tackles. Michigan State is a solid defensive unit, giving up just 3.6 yards per carry on the ground and approximately 211 yards per game through the air.
“It’s just kind of a solid front seven that sticks to fundamental ball,” Haehnle said. “The defensive coordinator Joe Rossi, I think he has done a really good job with this group… but through all, I mean those two guys Turner and Bogle have really kind of bounced off each other and kind of had the bulk of the defensive work.”
Overall, the Spartans have pieces on offense and defense that can make big plays, but it all comes down to putting it together on Saturday. Another thing that has hurt Michigan State all season has been the 73 penalties called against them, the third-most in the Big Ten.
As for Haehnle’s prediction for Saturday’s contest, he thinks the Spartans will break out their bowling shoes.
“It’ll be a cold night, I think offense will be lack there of, I think it’ll be more of a defensive game,” he said. “I’ll go 20-13. I'll go with the biased pick here. I’ll go Michigan State.”
The Knights look to avoid a two-game losing streak to end the regular season and spoil the Spartans' hopes of bowl eligibility with a win. Saturday’s kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on Fox Sports and 88.7 WRSU-FM.
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