Week 1 didn’t go quite as planned for Michigan State football, but Week 2 should have a much better result, if the team experiences that massive improvement between the first and second games.
Pat Fitzgerald is motivated to right some wrongs from the opener and he’s been around long enough that he knows how important these first couple of games are for momentum throughout the rest of the grueling Big Ten season.
Week 2’s battle with Eastern Michigan is a nice warmup for next week’s showdown against college football behemoth Notre Dame in South Bend.
Let’s get bold, shall we?
1. Cam Edwards rushes for 150 yards
Assuming he’s healthy enough to carry the ball 20 times, Cam Edwards is going to put up some big numbers on Saturday afternoon. After rushing for just under 100 yards on 27 carries against Toledo in the opener, Edwards got banged up a bit and had to leave the game at one point. Fitzgerald said that he didn’t want to run Edwards so much, but it’s clear that he feels comfortable doing so.
Edwards will have about 18-22 carries and he’ll break not only 100 yards, but 150 yards with a couple of explosive runs of 40-plus yards.
The offensive line is going to open some lanes after a disappointing run-blocking performance in Week 1. Edwards is going to feast because of it.
I’ll go with 21 carries for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
2. MSU picks off Noah Kim twice, records five sacks
Noah Kim is making his return to East Lansing for the first time since transferring a few years ago. The Spartans will be ready.
There’s a lot of tape out there on Kim and these Spartans are going to be able to pick up on his tendencies or if he’s caught staring down receivers or if he’s trying to fit the ball in a small window. The defense is going to read him like a book for most of the game.
Not only will the defensive line find its way into the backfield, but the secondary and the linebacking unit is going to be utilized in blitz packages and they’ll also create some coverage sacks. Tre Bell and Charles Brantley (bounce-back game) are going to come up with one pick each while the team combines for five sacks on the former Spartan passer.
We’ll call this one a Joe Rossi and Max Bullough masterclass.
3. Michigan State covers because of big third quarter
A week ago, Michigan State moved the ball fairly easily against Toledo and just couldn’t manage to finish drives with a touchdown. If half of Michigan State’s drives deep into Toledo territory ended with touchdowns, Michigan State wins that game 41-20, at least. The game shouldn’t have been close.
It also didn’t help that the Spartans came out flat in the third quarter and let Toledo hang around and get back into it. That’s not going to happen against Eastern.
Michigan State will hold a 17-6 lead at the half, but a big third quarter with a couple of touchdowns and great defense will put this game away for good and leads to a Michigan State cover.
Michigan State wins and covers, 38-16.
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