Michigan State vs Indiana: Predicting the final score

Each week, the writers of Spartan Avenue come together to predict the final score of the weekly contest for the Michigan State Spartans. This week, Indiana comes to town as the two “rivals” will play for the Old Brass Spittoon.

We try to put our MSU bias aside to predict these games and we do a pretty good job of that, if I do say so myself.

Let’s take a look at who we think will come out on top of the Michigan State vs Indiana game in East Lansing Saturday.

Connor Muldowney: Indiana’s secondary is just awful and going from the Michigan defense to the Hoosiers’ opposition will be a breath of fresh air for the Spartans. The offense finally scores 40 points for the first time all year and Connor Cook airs it out against a poor Indiana secondary. Oh yeah, and the Spartans finally cover the spread. Game will be close at halftime, but MSU pulls away in the second half.

Prediction: Indiana 27, Michigan State 45

Kyle Maddox: Michigan State has been due for a blowout game all season. For each game, thus far, it has been a little too close for comfort. I think that the Spartans will finally have a worry-free Saturday afternoon. Having quarterback Nate Sudfeld will certainly help Indiana’s chances. However, the MSU defense impressed me in the win over Michigan.

The Spartans seem to have their swagger back. Also, Connor Cook appears to be on a mission and his play is beginning to justify his high draft stock. I think the Spartans take care of business at home. They won’t put up astronomical numbers like TCU or Baylor, but the Spartans will not let Indiana hang around like they have with other teams.

Prediction: Indiana 13, Michigan State 38

Daniel Gottschalk: Michigan State will not be able to revel in its stunning victory over Michigan any longer as Indiana’s explosive passing attack poses a serious threat to Michigan State and its inexperienced secondary.

MSU will start two true freshmen at safety for the second consecutive week. Khari Willis and Grayson Miller did OK last week against Jake Rudock and the Wolverines’ run-heavy attack. We will see how they hold up this week against Indiana’s Nate Sudfeld who threw for 464 yards and four touchdowns against Rutgers last week.

Indiana’s offense under coach Kevin Wilson has given MSU’s defense fits in the past. Michigan State’s elite defenses of 2012 and 2013 still managed to give up 27 and 28 points, respectively, to the Hoosiers.

The good news for Michigan State is that Indiana’s defense looks atrocious as always. MSU’s O-line continues to get healthier which further boosts the offense. Look for this one to be a shootout with big games from Connor Cook and Aaron Burbridge.

Prediction: Indiana 37, Michigan State 49

Patrick Forrest: Indiana comes out of the gates fast with Nate Sudfield leading the passing game. It takes a quarter for the true freshmen safeties to get used to the spread as well as the pace. After the first quarter the Spartans are down but do not panic. The defense settles in for the rest of the game and while allows points to go on the board holds their own.

Connor Cook and the passing attack pick up right where they left off against Michigan. Aaron Burbridge has another game over 100 yards and adds two more touchdowns to his year total. Macgarrett Kings makes up for some drops last week against the Wolverines and has another score of his own.

Frustrated last week by the Wolverines’ front seven, the running game gets back on track against the porous IU defense. The three-headed combination of LJ Scott, Gerald Holmes and Delton Williams has over 175 yards with Scott leading they way with over 100 by himself.

FORKS DOWN!

Prediction: Indiana 31, Michigan State 42

Thomas Nikundiwe: MSU gets out to an early lead, lets off the gas only to see Indiana make a minor comeback. The offense gets rolling again and puts the game out of reach before Indiana adds a meaningless touchdown late. The final margin of victory doesn’t help the national narrative about MSU but it’s another game MSU controls from start to finish.

LJ Scott retakes control of the running back room as he runs roughshod over Indiana. R.J. Shelton builds on his impressive performance against Michigan with Indiana game-planning to stop Aaron Burbridge. The freshmen safeties continue to tackle better than their predecessors but do get beat deep on two occasions.

Prediction: Indiana 35, Michigan State 45

Next: MSU vs Indiana: 5 bold predictions

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