Northwestern at #20 Michigan State Series:
- Game will be at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan
- Game will start at 12:00 PM ET
- Michigan State leads series 37-19
- Northwestern holds current win streak of 2
Offensive Players to watch:
Northwestern: Flynn Nagel is quite a spectacle to watch for the Wildcats. He may only be 5″11, but man can the boy fly once he gets the ball. Nagel averages 11.2 yards per catch for Northwestern. This will prove to be a viable attribute for this offense.
Michigan State: Brian Lewerke is only 1 yard away from achieving the 1,000 yard mark on the season. Also, with Northwestern giving up around 237 passing yards a game, the Spartans will look to Lewerke to get the offense going. Although his numbers show to be on a downward trend, I think we see them spike back up after this game at home.
Defensive Players to watch:
Northwestern: Joe Gaziano needs to get to Brian Lewerke to slow down this Michigan State defense. His ability to get to the outside to stop running backs and sack the QB are undeniable. The Wildcats have some holes on their line, but this one is filled with a good piece. If Gaziano can wreck some havoc on the MSU backfield, then it will be a close one for sure.
Michigan State: Andrew Dowell will look to cause a distribution among the Northwestern offense. Dowell is a presence on the outside and, as well as, the inside. Dowell’s ability to stop the run and to clog passing routes on the outside proves him to be much needed for the Spartans.
The Basics:
I think this a real toss up between the two. Whoever comes to play Saturday will win in this one. Michigan State has looked sloppy in their last couple matchups, especially on teams they should kill. Northwestern is looking hungrier by the week, still with a 1-3 record. However, I will go with the numbers and stats on this one to help me out.
Prediction:
23-14 Michigan State
Photo Credits: https://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2018/10/michigan_state_adds_punter_eva.html
