Michigan State Football: 5 reasons Spartans will upset No. 6 Michigan

3. Spartans will get imaginative with play-calling again

We saw it last week against Penn State, Michigan State pulled out all the tricks. The play-calling was much more imaginative against the Nittany Lions and that’ll carry over against Michigan.

We didn’t see much imagination through the first five weeks of the season, but with the Big Ten East title on the line, we’re going to see even more trick plays and potential designed runs for Brian Lewerke that could counteract an over-aggressive front-seven.

Jet-sweeps to the short side of the field will still happen, don’t you worry, but so will reverse plays, fake reverses, well-sold play-actions and even a fake punt or fake field goal. Heck, don’t even be shocked if a flea-flicker is involved in Saturday’s big game.

These imaginative play-calls will get the Spartans some much-needed chunk plays. The field position battle will be intense, but with Michigan State pulling more rabbits out of its hat, the Spartans will have the Wolverines’ heads swirling, on occasion.

Dave Warner’s increase in imagination could be the difference in this one as it was a week ago — outside of the fake field goal pass to Raequan Williams.