Michigan State football: 3 bold predictions vs. Maryland in Week 4

1. Katin Houser takes over early in the second half

After opening the game with a first-drive touchdown, we’re going to see Noah Kim struggle again. Will it be confidence-related? It’s possible that his confidence was completely shot in the loss to Washington in which he completed less than 50 percent of his passes and had an interception with no touchdowns.

Katin Houser came in and immediately led a touchdown drive thanks to a 61-yard pass to Christian Fitzpatrick. He breathed some fresh air into the offense.

But, by all accounts, it looks and sounds like Kim is still going to be the starter. But there’s a legitimate shot that he may not be able to keep his job if struggles continue. I hope he gets back on track, but I’m worried that the Week 3 version of Kim is more likely what we’d see against most Big Ten opponents. He did beat up on some weaker opponents in Weeks 1 and 2, but Week 3 was an eye-opener.

Kim’s offense is going to stall out in the first half as the Spartans don’t score another touchdown through 30 minutes and head into the locker room down 17-10 and an interception on the first drive of the second half will open the door for Houser.

The redshirt freshman will come in and ignite the offense a bit. Will he lead a comeback? Maybe, but it all depends on if the defense can hold its own. After last week, I’m not so sure.