Michigan State Football: Game preview, prediction vs. Northwestern

Let’s take a look at the game preview and prediction for Michigan State football’s Saturday matchup against Northwestern.

Man, it’s been a rough 2016 season thus far for Michigan State football fans. Watching the Spartans muster a 2-3 record through five games isn’t exactly what people had in mind for a ‘down year’ but that’s the reality of the situation.

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Every game is crucial for this team’s postseason hopes from here on out. With Ohio State and Michigan left on the schedule, the Spartans still face stiff competition in a few weeks.

This team needs to focus on the now, though. Michigan State hosts a pesky Northwestern team for its Homecoming this weekend and the Wildcats are struggling in 2016 as well. In fact, Northwestern lost to Illinois State and Western Michigan to open the season 0-2.

Who’s going to win this battle of three-loss teams? Michigan State should be angry after losing three straight, but Northwestern won’t go down easily.

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Michigan State vs Northwestern game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 15
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, MI
Venue: Spartan Stadium
TV Info: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: BTN2Go

Keys to Victory

It’s pretty obvious what fixes need to be made for this Michigan State team heading into a matchup with Northwestern. Offensively, the Spartans need to put points on the board early on. No more going into halftime with just six or seven points. That will be the result of changing quarterbacks and an improved run game.

Defensively, getting pressure on Clayton Thorson and also keying on Justin Jackson will be crucial. If the secondary is going to have success, they need to pray that the defensive line can find its way into the backfield on occasion to rush Thorson’s throws.

Betting Odds

Line: Michigan State -7
Over/Under: 42

Prediction

With a potential replacement of quarterbacks, Michigan State’s offense is sparked a little bit and the Spartans translate that into two first-half touchdowns. That might not seem like much, but it’s the first time since Notre Dame that Michigan State scores more than seven points in the first half. The run game gets back on track and the defensive line finally gets pressure on an opposing quarterback. Still, the Spartans nearly blow the lead late once again.

Prediction: Northwestern 21, Michigan State 24