Michigan State football: 3 bold predictions vs. Central Michigan in Week 1

Central Michigan is coming to town on Friday night to kick off the 2023 Michigan State football season and there are plenty of nervous fans out there.

Why? Central is no stranger to upsetting the Spartans as the Chippewas have done so three times throughout the series history between these two since 1990. Michigan State is hoping to avoid a major letdown in the opener.

Let’s get bold ahead of Friday’s big game.

3. Maliq Carr catches two touchdown passes

Maliq Carr is one of the best players on the team and he’s had a good offseason. He’s grown into a leader and has earned the trust of the coaching staff. That’s going to earn him some major snaps.

In his Spartan career, he has just 24 catches for 344 yards and two touchdowns but he’s going to have a big year in the green and white. He’s going to match that touchdown total in the first game of the season alone.

With a new quarterback under center, they’re going to have to rely on a target who doesn’t drop many passes and who always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Carr will be just that. A good tight end is a quarterback’s best friend and Carr is going to be either Noah Kim or Katin Houser’s best friend on Friday night.

Along with those two touchdown receptions, I’m going with five catches for 50 yards.