Indiana football improved to 8-0 over the weekend with its win over Washington at home inside of Memorial Stadium.
This weekend, Indiana hits the road to take on Michigan State (4-4 overall, 2-3 in Big Ten play) in East Lansing.
The Spartans host the Hoosiers fresh off of a 24-17 loss on the road against Michigan last weekend. Michigan State has lost four of its last five games this season.
Take an early look at Indiana's week 10 opponent, the Michigan State Spartans.
KEY PLAYERS
- Quarterback Aiden Chiles: Just a sophomore, Aiden Chiles made the switch from Oregon State this offseason to Michigan State as one of the top transfers in the country. Through eight games this season, Chiles has completed 61% of his pass attempts for 1,657 yards and seven touchdowns -- he's also thrown nine interceptions. Chiles also has nearly 200 yards rushing this season and has found the end zone three times with his legs.
- Running Backs Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter: Michigan State's backfield truly is two-headed attack. Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter have 92 carries and 86 carries respectively this season. Lynch-Adams has 459 yards rushing on the year (5.0 yards per carry), while Carter has 412 yards on the ground (4.8 yards per carry). Carter has three rushing touchdowns and Lynch-Adams has two. Together, they've rushed for nearly 1,000 yards this season averaging just under five yards per carry.
- Wide Receiver Montorie Foster Jr.: A redshirt senior wideout, Montorie Foster Jr. has been a mainstay in Michigan State's receiving corp the last couple of season. Last year, Foster paced the Spartans in catches (43), receiving yards (576) and he was tied for the team lead with three receiving touchdowns. This season, Foster leads Michigan State with 31 catches. He has 418 receiving yards on the year and has hauled in two touchdown passes.
- Linebacker Jordan Turner: Linebacker Jordan Turner is the Spartans' leading tackler this season with 48 of them on the year. He also leads Michigan State with 7.5 tackles for loss -- which ranks within the top-10 in the conference -- and he's tied for the team lead in sacks with three. Turner has an interception to his name as well this season. There's not much he can't do on the football field, and whether Indiana is running the ball or passing it, the Hoosiers are going to have to know where Turner is at all times.
- Defensive Back Charles Brantley: Corner back Charles Brantley started just three games last season at Michigan State. This year, he's leading the team in interceptions with three on the season, which is also tied for third in the Big Ten. To go along with those three takeaways, Brantley has 27 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss. He also leads the Spartans with five pass breakups.
KEY STATS
- The Spartans are tied for the second-fewest passing touchdowns in the conference this season with just seven.
- The Spartans are tied for the most interceptions in the Big Ten this season. Aiden Chiles is responsible for all nine of them. Michigan State is one of three Big Ten teams with more interceptions than touchdowns passes this year.
- Michigan State ranks 13th in the Big Ten in rushing, averaging 137.0 yards on the ground per game.
- Michigan State ranks dead last in the Big Ten in passes defended (10) this year. The next worst team in that regard (Illinois) has 17.
- The Spartans have the third-best field goal conversion rate in the Big Ten. Kicker Jonathan Kim is 16-18 on the year with a long of 55.
- Michigan State is the worst red zone offense in the Big Ten. The Spartans have scored on just 21-30 (70%) of their red zone trips this season
- The Spartans are second in the conference in average time of possession, holding the football for an averaged of 31.8 minutes a game.
- Michigan State is the fourth-most penalized team in the Big Ten.
OTHER NOTES
- Michigan State has already matched its win total from a season ago, when the Spartans went 4-8.
- This weekend's contest will be the 66th time Michigan State and Indiana face off for the Old Brass Spittoon. The Spartans have dominated the all-time series leading 50-18-2.
- Indiana won the last time the Hoosiers visited East Lansing, a 39-31 double overtime win over the Spartans in November of 2022.
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