Michigan State at Northwestern Line

Written by David Woodburn

Michigan State has its spot in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game secured and is just playing for a 10-win season and a prominent bowl position should it lose the league title game and the automatic BCS berth. Northwestern has clawed its way into bowl eligibility, and could probably use a win in its regular-season finale to finish .500 in league play and enhance its chances at earning a bowl bid.

It’ll all be about positioning and momentum when Michigan State pays a visit to Northwestern Saturday.

The Spartans have a 35-16 lead in the all-time series with Northwestern, and the road team has won five of the last six games, the exception being in 2004 (a 24-14 MSU win in East Lansing). The last Northwestern win came in 2007 at East Lansing, a 48-41 overtime thriller.

The latest college football odds show Michigan State favored by a touchdown and the over/under set for 51.5 points.

Michigan State

The Spartans won their third straight game, clinching the Legends Division title last week with a 55-3 home win over Indiana. MSU’s two losses have come on the road against current top-25 teams and it enters this game with a 2-2 road record (losing at Nebraska and Notre Dame). This will be the fourth straight unranked opponent and eighth this season.

Defensively, the Spartans rank fifth in points allowed (15 ppg) and surrenders just 257 yards per game (145 passing, 101 rushing) while recording 32 sacks and forcing 21 turnovers – with four returned for touchdowns (Isaiah Lewis and Johnny Adams, three interceptions; Jeremy Langford, fumble).

Max Bullough leads the unit with 72 tackles, adding 2.5 sacks, one interception and a forced fumble, while Denicos Allen has six sacks and 64 tackles. Lewis has four picks with 64 tackles, and Trenton Robinson adds four INTs with 54 stops.

The Spartans list 44th nationally in scoring offense (30 ppg) while recording 384 yards per game (247 passing, 137 rushing). Kirk Cousins has completed 64 percent of his passes for 2,521 yards and 19 touchdowns with five interceptions. The offensive line has allowed 15 sacks.

The favorite aerial targets are B.J. Cunningham with 61 catches for 1,005 yards and seven TDs, and Keshawn Martin with 51 grabs for 570 yards and four scores. Meanwhile, Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker anchor the running game with a combined 1,285 yards and 13 touchdowns on 4.7 yards per carry.

Northwestern

The Wildcats have completely turned their season around, turning a five-game losing streak into a four-game winning run, the latest a 28-13 home win over Minnesota to become bowl-eligible. The team is 3-2 at home, with the losses to nationally ranked Michigan and Penn State.

Northwestern’s offense ranks 41st nationally in points scored (31 ppg) while compiling 439 yards per game (257 passing, 182 rushing). Dan Persa has completed 75 percent of his passes for 1,918 yards and 15 TDs with seven INTs. The offensive line has allowed 28 sacks.

Jeremy Ebert leads the receiving corps with 64 receptions (22 more than anyone else) for 986 yards and 10 TDs. The anchor of the running game is Kain Colter with 571 yards and eight TDs on 5.0 yard per carry, while Jacob Schmidt and Treyvon Green have a combined 743 yards and 10 scores on 4.2 yards per attempt.

On defense, the Wildcats rank 65th nationally in points allowed (27 ppg) and allows 410 yards per game (223 passing, 187 rushing) while recording 16 sacks and forcing 18 turnovers.

Ibraheim Campbell has 81 tackles to lead the unit along with two interceptions and a fumble recovery, while Brian Peters has 79 stops with four picks, two forced fumbles, a recovery and a sack. Vince Browne and Jack DiNardo have six combined sacks along with 62 tackles.

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