Indiana faces its first true road test on Saturday afternoon.
Sure, the Hoosiers have been to UCLA and Northwestern, but more than 70,000 await them in East Lansing against Michigan State.
All eyes will be on quarterback Kurtis Rourke as he comes back after missing one game with a thumb injury. On the line is just the best start in program history, and solidifying IU’s place in the Big Ten title and College Football Playoff chases.
Here’s everything you need to know about Indiana’s matchup against the Spartans.
No. 13 INDIANA (8-0, 5-0) at MICHIGAN STATE (4-4, 2-3)
- Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET, Saturday
- Location: East Lansing, Mich., Spartan Stadium (74,866; natural grass)
- Television: Peacock — Paul Burmeister (pbp), Colt McCoy (analyst), Zora Stephenson (sideline)
- Stream: Peacock
- Radio: IU Football radio network
- Odds: Indiana is an 8-point favorite
- Weather at kickoff: 53 degrees, sunny, wind 2 mph, 0% chance of precipitation.
- Series: Michigan State leads 50-18-2
- The Coaches:
- Curt Cignetti is in his first year as the head coach at IU. He holds a 127-35 record in his 14th season as a college head coach.
- Jonathan Smith is 38-39 in his seventh season as a head coach. He’s 4-4 at Michigan State.
Fast, Physical, Relentless.
Smart, Disciplined, Poised. pic.twitter.com/n2hiRuALrg— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) November 2, 2024
THE OLD BRASS SPITTOON
The Old Brass Spittoon has been awarded to the winner of the Indiana-Michigan State football game since the trophy’s inception in 1950. Initiated by the junior and senior classes and student council at Michigan State, the trophy was quickly accepted by the Indiana Student Senate. The spittoon came from one of Michigan’s earliest trading posts and is widely believed to be nearly 200 years old. Legend holds that the spittoon was around when both institutions were founded (Indiana – 1820, Michigan State – 1855). Indiana and Michigan State have faced each other since 1922 and the trophy became a part of the series 28 years after the first meeting.
TALE OF THE TAPE
THE COMPLETE BIG TEN WEEK TEN SLATE
SATURDAY, NOV. 2
Minnesota at Illinois 12 p.m. FS1
Ohio State at Penn State 12 p.m. FOX
Northwestern at Purdue 12 p.m. Big Ten Network
Oregon at Michigan 3:30 p.m. CBS
Indiana at Michigan State 3:30 p.m. Peacock
UCLA at Nebraska 3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
Wisconsin at Iowa 7:30 p.m. NBC
USC at Washington (HC) 7:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
MICHIGAN STATE 2024 RESULTS
Aug. 30 FLORIDA ATLANTIC (BTN) W, 16-10
Sept. 7 at Maryland (BTN) W, 27-24
Sept. 14 PRAIRIE VIEW A&M (BTN) W, 40-0
Sept. 21 at Boston College (ACC Network) L, 19-23
Sept. 28 No. 3/3 OHIO STATE (Peacock) L, 7-38
Oct. 4 at No. 6/6 Oregon (FOX) L, 10-31
Oct. 19 IOWA (NBC/Homecoming) W, 32-30
Oct. 26 at Michigan (BTN) L, 17-24
MICHIGAN STATE NOTES AND NUMBERS
(Via Michigan State Athletics)
• Redshirt junior running back Nathan Carter rushed for a season-high 118 yards and one TD on 19 carries (6.2 avg.) at Michigan last Saturday night. Carter also collected a season-high 174 all-purpose yards as he caught two passes for a career-high 56 yards.
• Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles has passed for a career-high completion percentage in back-to-back games for the Spartans. Chiles was 22-for-30 passing for a career-high 73.3 completion percentage in the win over Iowa on Oct. 19 to earn Spartan Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 256 passing yards were the second most this season (career-high 363 at Maryland on Sept. 7). Chiles also compiled 307 yards of total offense with 11 carries for 51 rushing yards, including a career-long 26-yard rush in the third quarter.
• Chiles was 17-of-23 passing (.739) for 189 yards and one TD at Michigan last Saturday night. He is 39-of-53 (.736) passing the past two games against the Hawkeyes and Wolverines.
• Chiles is off to a 4-4 start as the starting quarterback for the Spartans. He has completed 61 percent of his passes (125-of-205) for 1,657 yards (207.1 ypg), seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Long Beach, California, native is in his first season in East Lansing after playing in a back-up role as a true freshman at Oregon State in 2023. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 27th in the FBS in passing yards per completion (13.3).
• Chiles is also tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns; he has a net of 172 rushing yards on 64 carries (21.5 ypg).
• Michigan State features two running backs – sixth-year graduate transfer Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and redshirt junior Nathan Carter – who have both rushed for more than 2,000 career yards. Carter (2,193) and Lynch-Adams (2,347) are one of eight duos on the same team in the FBS to have more than 2,000 career rushing yards.
• Lynch-Adams, who transferred from UMass over the summer, leads the Spartans in rushing after eight games, averaging 57.4 yards per game (92 carries for 459 yards; 5.0 avg., 2 TDs). He surpassed the 2,000-career rushing milestone with 46 yards on 10 carries at Maryland; he now has 2,347 career rushing yards – 32nd among active players in the FBS – and 18 rushing TDs in 56 collegiate games.
• Lynch-Adams and Carter have combined for 65 percent of the team’s overall rushing attempts (178 of 272) and 94 percent from the running back room (178 of 190).
• Michigan State rushed for a season-high 212 yards against Iowa on Oct. 19, averaging 5.3 yards per carry (40 carries). MSU followed up with 163 yards on 42 carries at Michigan on Oct. 26.
• Michigan State ranks 23rd in the FBS in total defense, allowing 315.9 yards per game. The Spartans have held five opponents under 300 yards of total offense this season (Florida Atlantic, 248; Prairie View A&M, 140; Boston College, 292; Iowa, 283; Michigan, 265).
• Fifth-year graduate senior linebacker Cal Haladay has started 31 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team. He is currently tied for second on the Spartan defense with 40 tackles; his 347 career tackles rank ninth most in MSU history and fifth among active players in the FBS.
• Michigan State features one of the best kicking duos in all of college football with sixth-year graduate placekicker Jonathan Kim and redshirt sophomore punter Ryan Eckley. Kim is 16-of-18 on field goals for the season to rank first in the Big Ten and tied for third in the FBS in made field goals. Eckley, who is on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, ranks second in the Big Ten with his 48.4-yard punting average; 14 of his 26 punts this season (54 percent) have been for 50-plus yards.
PREDICTIONS
This game has the potential to get weird if Kurtis Rourke isn’t himself coming back from thumb surgery. Not to mention — Michigan State’s defense is good, and this is the most challenging road environment Indiana has faced all season. Don’t be surprised if things are still interesting in the final minutes, but the Hoosiers get to 9-0.
TDH PREDICTION: INDIANA 28 MICHIGAN STATE 24
- ESPN SP+ (Computer): Indiana 32 Michigan State 15 (85% win probability)
- ESPN FPI (Computer): Indiana has an 83.2% chance to win.
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