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#8 MSU, #11 Wisconsin clash in B1G conference battle
By: Zach Cohen - StatFox
Published: 9/20/2016  at  3:59:00 PM
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WISCONSIN BADGERS (3-0)
at MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS (2-0)

Spartan Stadium– East Lansing, MI
Kickoff: Saturday, 12:00 p.m. ET
Line: Michigan State -5.5, Total: 43.0

#11 Wisconsin will be looking to make a statement with a road win over #8 Michigan State on Saturday.

Wisconsin was miserable in last week’s meeting with Georgia State, as the Badgers only won 23-17 as 35.5-point home favorites. Perhaps they were looking ahead to this meeting with the Spartans, but they’ll need to play more like the team that beat LSU in the season opener than the one that showed up last week. Michigan State, meanwhile, is coming off of a very impressive victory. The Spartans went on the road and defeated Notre Dame 36-28 as 7.5-underdogs. They’ll now be hoping to carry that momentum into this gigantic B1G matchup. These two teams have played each other very closely over the years, as the Spartans are 3-2 SU in this head-to-head series and each of the past two games were decided by only a field goal. The trends seem to favor Michigan State in this one, though. The Spartans are 44-19 ATS after allowing 125 or less rushing yards in two straight games since 1992 and 9-1 ATS after playing a road game over the past three seasons. RB Corey Clement (Ankle), Wisconsin’s best offensive player, is listed as questionable in this one, but he seemed to be close to playing a week ago and it’d be rather surprising if he were to sit this kind of game out.

Wisconsin barely squeaked by in last week’s game against Georgia State and it’s becoming clear that redshirt freshman QB Alex Hornibrook (183 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) is the guy that needs to start under center for the Badgers. QB Bart Houston (527 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT) is just not getting the job done and, despite being a senior, lacks the poise to have Wisconsin playing at its absolute best. Hornibrook, meanwhile, is excellent in the pocket and possesses remarkable touch on his passes. He has been pretty much flawless since getting a chance to play against Akron and should be able to find some success against Michigan State in this one. When going to the air, WR Robert Wheelwright (12 rec, 194 yards) and TE Troy Fumagalli (10 rec, 127 yards) are the guys that Hornibrook will be targeting. Wheelwright is the most talented receiver Wisconsin has had in quite some time and has made a ton of big catches this season. He’ll need to be productive once again on Saturday. Fumagalli, meanwhile, is the next great Badgers tight end. He should make things easy on Hornibrook, as he is a perfect security blanket for a young quarterback. On the ground, Wisconsin will be hoping RB Corey Clement (197 yards, 3 TD) is healthy. He is one of the best backs in the nation and his punishing style of running could really wear down the Michigan State defense in this one. As for Wisconsin’s defense, the team is currently 22nd in the nation in yards allowed and is giving up just 13.7 PPG (t-16th in NCAA). The team must be ready to stop the run in this game, though. If they don’t then the Spartans will almost certainly come out on top.

Michigan State lost Connor Cook to the 2016 NFL Draft, but QB Tyler O’Connor (431 yards, 5 TD, 2 INT) has stepped in and performed admirably. In last week’s win over Notre Dame, O’Connor was 19-for-26 with 241 yards, two touchdowns and just one pick. He also added 43 yards on the ground. This is no longer much of a passing team in East Lansing, but O’Connor is good enough to make defenses pay for their mistakes. He will, however, need to do his best to avoid turnovers in this one. He has thrown a pick in each of the Spartans’ first two games and the Badgers secondary knows how to make plays on 50/50 balls. Where Michigan State will be hoping to do most of its damage is on the ground, where RB LJ Scott (203 yards, 2 TD) is very difficult to bring down. Michigan State’s coaching staff has often compared Scott to Le’Veon Bell and Scott has showed why through two games this season. He is capable of busting out for a big run, but he also has the strength to overpower linebackers. Defensively, the Spartans will need to focus their attention on slowing down Corey Clement. If they can do that then it’d be up to a freshman quarterback to beat them through the air. Michigan State would certainly like its chances in that situation.


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