No. 4 Michigan State Spartans vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Coming into week six as one of the teams that dropped in the rankings, Michigan State is looking to prove all of its doubters wrong with a blowout win over Rutgers on the road. The Spartans had narrowly defeated Purdue and Central Michigan in the two week prior, leading to a two-spot drop in the rankings.
Connor Cook has not yet lived up to his billing as a Heisman contender as he’s passed for just 977 yards, 10 touchdown and an interception, but he has completed a career-high 60 percent of his throws. The reason for the lack of production can be attributed to his lack of opportunities and play calls as he’s thrown the third-least amount of passes of any full-time starting QB in the Big Ten.
The top receiver, Aaron Burbridge, needs to step things up since he’s been quiet after recording three 100-yard games through the first three weeks. The run game will be important in this one as Madre London and L.J. Scott look to continue dominating on the ground as they’ve combined for 748 yards and seven touchdowns.
Rutgers hasn’t had the hottest start to the year, but the Scarlet Knights will conveniently be getting star receiver Leonte Carroo back for this one. Chris Laviano needs a solid target to throw to outside of Andre Patton and Janarion Grant as well as tight end Matt Flanagan in the red zone.
Grant is a name to keep an eye on as he is one of the best kick/punt returners in the country, scoring on both this season while also catching 12 passes for 126 yards. The Spartans kick coverage will have their hands full with this dynamic star.
The defense will have a difficult task of stopping Cook and the solid run game that has yet to really explode for a big game this year. This could be the complete game MSU has been waiting for.
Date: Saturday, Oct. 10
Start Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Piscataway, N.J.
Stadium: High Point Solutions Stadium
TV Info: Big Ten Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN app
Radio: Here
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