Michigan State Football: Final score predictions vs. Indiana

What will the final score be for Michigan State football’s Week 5 bout with the Indiana Hoosiers in Bloomington?

Saturday night will be a tough test for Michigan State football. The No. 17 Spartans are traveling to Bloomington to take on the Hoosiers. Indiana might be coming off a loss to Wake Forest in Week 4, but don’t let that fool you, the Hoosiers’ offense is electric.

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Indiana is sitting at 2-1 on the season and so is Michigan State and this game has some serious Big Ten implications for the Spartans. A loss would almost surely put Michigan State outside of the conference title race, looking in.

Let’s take a look at how our writers believe the game will play out and what the final score will be.

Connor Muldowney: Tyler O’Connor is going to have a nice bounce-back game against Indiana’s lackluster defense, but don’t think the quarterback controversy is over with. LJ Scott has a big day on the ground as well, but the Spartans’ secondary doesn’t learn from previous mistakes and plays off the line of scrimmage by 10-15 yards. Richard Lagow is going to have a big day and keep this one close.

Prediction: Michigan State 34, Indiana 31 (1-2 on the season)

Michael Briggs: Michigan State couldn’t get out of its way during last week’s deflating loss to Wisconsin, turning the ball over four times. While this was just the seventh time MSU has coughed up the football four or more times under Mark Dantonio (and the first time since 2012), the Spartans’ record in those games is now an unsurprising 2-5.

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While the Spartans own a 9-2 record in games with three turnovers under Dantonio, they will need a much cleaner game this week to not only beat Indiana, but also regain lost momentum that could derail their season.

After a dismal performance against the Badgers, the quarterback controversy is back on — regardless of what the coaching staff says publicly. Tyler O’Connor needs a bounce-back game to distance himself from comparisons to Andrew Maxwell, who was infamously replaced by young gunslinger Connor Cook during MSU’s 2013 Rose Bowl season. While calls for a QB replacement are premature, in my opinion, an average performance against Indiana will not help his cause. O’Connor has the weapons around him — now he needs to let loose and play like his job is on the line.

On the defensive side of the ball, MSU is in for a legitimate challenge. Two of the Spartans’ best blitzers, Riley Bullough and Jon Reschke, are out due to injury and the Spartans’ pass rush has already been a weak point. Indiana operates at breakneck speed on offense and features both a 1,000-yard rusher (junior Devine Redding) and QB averaging 334 passing yards per game this season in Richard Lagow.

That said, unlike the Hoosiers, Michigan State rests its hat on its defensive reputation and will not lose consecutive games due to incompetence on that side of the ball. If O’Connor can at least play an efficient game manager role, I expect the Spartans to have the offensive balance to score with the Hoosiers. Michigan State gets back on track with a road victory, but it will be a close one.

Prediction: Michigan State 23, Indiana 20 (2-1 on the season)

Andrew Erdman: The Spartans will be coming off a lackluster performance last weekend against the Badger. I expect the offense to be more crisp and aggressive. The Hoosiers do pose a threat with their fast paced offense. We’ve seen over the years how up tempo spread offenses gives the Spartans trouble.

Prediction: Michigan State 37, Indiana 24 (1-2 on the season)

Stephen Robb: Indiana always seems to present a challenge to the Spartans. MSU is out two starting linebackers this week. Typically this would be crippling for a team, yet the Michigan State has excellent depth at linebacker. Andrew Dowell and Shane Jones will do fine as replacements.

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The real concern for the Spartan defense is the same problem they have had the last several years, which is their inability to get off the field on third downs. It killed them in the Wisconsin game and it could potentially hurt them this week. The pass rush simply must get to the quarterback. I’m looking to see Tyler O’Connor bounce back after his horrid performance last week. The game is close but the Spartans survive.

Prediction: Michigan State 31, Indiana 28 (1-2 on the season)