Michigan State Football: Preview, prediction, live stream vs. Ohio State in Week 11
The 2018 Michigan State football could gain some serious steam on Saturday afternoon with an upset of No. 10 Ohio State.
Just one year after losing to Ohio State by just one point in East Lansing during a 3-9 nightmare of a season, the comeback Spartans were trounced in Columbus. It was odd to see as the new-and-improved Spartans, who finished 10-3, were dominated from start to finish, 48-3.
It was just one of those games where nothing seemed to go right and the Buckeyes could do no wrong.
Michigan State has a chance to ruin the Buckeyes’ season for the third time since Mark Dantonio has been in charge in the Urban Meyer era. The first was back in 2013 for the Big Ten title where Ohio State could have gone to the national championship with a win. The other was in 2015 at Ohio State with the Buckeyes looking to wrap up the Big Ten East but Michael Geiger hit a last-second field goal to shock the nation.
With the 2018 matchup approaching, the Spartans have an opportunity to ruin the Buckeyes’ Big Ten title and playoff hopes yet again with an upset victory.
Can the Spartans, with an ailing Brian Lewerke, no Felton Davis III and potentially no LJ Scott keep up with the Buckeyes on Saturday afternoon?
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s big game:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 10
Time: 12 p.m. ET
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Venue: Spartan Stadium
TV: FOX
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go or FuboTV
Keys to Victory
Let’s face it, if Lewerke plays, he needs to be tested early on with some short throws to get that confidence up and then he must air it out to see just how the shoulder is feeling. If he’s off early, the Spartans must turn to Rocky Lombardi before it’s too late — see: the Michigan game. Exploiting Ohio State’s undisciplined secondary will be the key as whoever is under center must take advantage of some matchups. Cody White needs to be a huge factor, as does Matt Dotson.
Defensively, getting to Dwayne Haskins will be imperative. The Spartans can’t expect to win if he stands back in the pocket for 3-5 seconds with no pressure, allowing him to survey the field and find an open target. If he’s pressured, he will be forced into some bad throws. Kenny Willekes needs to have a big game on the edge while Mike Panasiuk and Raequan Williams need some pressure up the middle. Some confusing blitz packages would also do the trick.
Betting Odds
Courtesy of OddsShark
Line: Ohio State -3.5
Over/Under: 51.5
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Prediction
This one’s going to be a classic. The Spartans have one of the best defenses in the Big Ten while Ohio State has an elite offense, led by Heisman-caliber quarterback Dwayne Haskins. It’ll be an intense battle for 60 minutes, but in the end, the Buckeyes will exact revenge for that last-second field goal in 2015 by hitting a 35-yarder to clinch another victory in East Lansing, their sixth straight. A healthy Lewerke would have been the difference in this one.
Final Score: Ohio State 24, Michigan State 21