Michigan State’s looking to make it four straight victories over in state rival Michigan Saturday afternoon from Spartan Stadium. Michigan State heads into the contest coming off a bye week and a big win down in Columbus against Ohio State. Now although they only have one loss on the season (Notre Dame) there are still plenty of concerns surrounding Michigan State.
With that said, most of those concerns must be address in order for them to beat Michigan this season.
Here are some of Michigan State’s keys to the game…
Protect Kirk Cousins
Michigan State’s offensive line is definitely the weak point in Michigan State’s offense. You combine the lack of protection and Dan Roushar questionable play calling and you have a pretty good solution as to why Kirk Cousins isn’t having quite the season many thought he would. Michigan knows the offensive line’s short comings and they know that if they can get pressure on Cousins he will be more prone to making bad decisions. The o-line needs to make sure they keep Cousins upright and give him plenty of time in the pocket.
Have a strong running game
Aside from Michigan defensive front, their defensive backfield is still a question mark. Bell and Baker need to a strong game on the ground. This will help reduce some of the pressure being put on Cousins.
Win the special teams battles
Michigan State cannot afford to make anymore mistakes on special teams. It’s probably already going to be a relatively close game and you don’t want to give the other side any other advantage that can tilt the came in their favor. What could be working for State though is the weather. If the game comes down to field goals, State does have a significant advantage in this area.
Repeat defensive performance against Ohio State
This is really quite obvious. However unlike Ohio State, Michigan has Denard Robinson and it will be vital once again for MSU to stop his ability on the ground. Also look for Michigan to use multiple sets of running backs as well as Gardner under center from time to time. Michigan will try to keep State on their heels but like anything with Michigan, it all comes down to Denard.
Make Denard throw the ball
This will be the benefit of stopping the run and stopping Denard on the ground. If State is able to get Robinson to air it out, then the Michigan State secondary will take full advantage.
Ref: MichiganStateFootballTickets.com (image)