Michigan State Football: Preview and prediction vs. Furman

Michigan State Football is set to kick of its 2016 season on Friday against the Furman Paladins on Friday night.

Michigan State Football finally opens its season on Friday and the excitement is evident around the program and in the fan base. Spartan fans can barely contain their excitement, posting hype videos non-stop and scouring the internet for any news concerning Michigan State.

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Furman is first on the schedule in week one before the Spartans get a week two bye and not many people know what the Paladins bring to the table. Here’s our preview of the game along with a final score prediction.

Offense

Nov 28, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans running back LJ Scott (3) runs the ball for a touchdown against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the second half of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

Furman is returning a handful of key players from last season such as leading rusher Antonio Wilcox, leading receiver Andrej Suttles and two quarterbacks with starting experience in Reese Hannon and P.J. Blazejowski.

The Spartans, on the other hand, are bringing back a three-headed monster in the backfield as well as one of the deepest receiving corps in the nation. Tyler O’Connor will be getting his second start ever as Michigan State’s quarterback and he will look to retain that job all season long.

The Paladins aren’t really known for their offense as no player on that side of the ball stands out as a true stud other than maybe Suttles.

L.J. Scott will look to lead MSU’s run game while R.J. Shelton should be the top receiver, but don’t count out guys like Monty Madaris, Felton Davis III, Josiah Price or Donnie Corley.

Michigan State clearly has the advantage here.

Defense

Nov 28, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Christian Hackenberg (14) is sacked by Michigan State Spartans defensive lineman Malik McDowell (4) during the 1st half game of a game at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports /

The Paladins’ defense wasn’t exactly impressive last season, allowing 400-plus yards per game, but that was mostly because of their poor run-stopping ability. Expect the Spartan running backs to account for nearly 300 yards on Friday.

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However, the passing defense wasn’t all that bad, allowing just about 180 yards through the air, per game. Trey Robinson returns for his junior year in the secondary after posting 68 tackles, four interceptions and three pass break-ups.

Junior linebacker Carl Rider returns after an incredible season in which he finished with 105 total tackles, eight for loss and an interception. The Paladins don’t have the greatest pass rush, recording just eight sacks all of last year.

Michigan State, on the other hand, has one of the better defensive lines in the conference despite the numerous losses in that area. Malik McDowell might just be the best defender in the Big Ten, finishing the 2015 season with 41 total tackles, 13 for loss and 4.5 sacks.

The Spartans’ linebacking corps are arguably the best in the conference, led by Riley Bullough, while the secondary will be incredibly improved with four starters back.

Prediction

Let’s face it, Michigan State isn’t going to have a problem with the Paladins. If Furman was one of the better FCS programs, it’d be a different story, but this one will be over by halftime. I’m going to keep the score somewhat conservative just because the Spartans have a new-look offense which might take some time to gel.

Final Score: Furman 10, Michigan State 45

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