Can the Spartans catch a break?
- TG
- Sep 30, 2023
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 5, 2024
Game Preview: Michigan State (2-2) vs. Iowa (3-1) at Kinnick Stadium Saturday, September 30.
The Michigan State Spartans travel to Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, IA to try and turn their whirlwind of a season around. As they will be facing off against the Iowa Hawkeyes for the first time since the 2020 season where they lost 7-49 on the road.
So far, the 2023 football season has been unpredictable for the Spartans, with the team facing challenges both on and off the field.
Coming into the season, some viewed Coach Mel Tucker as being on the hot seat, but nobody expected one of the highest-paid coaches to be out of the program before Week 3. This has left the Spartans scrambling to find their identity and determine what kind of program they want to run for the rest of the season.
Harlon Barnett has so far embraced more traditional views, reminiscent of the Dantonio era. The question is whether these newly implemented ideals will lead to some old-fashioned Spartan success.
As of now, both the offense and defense have struggled over the past two weeks, with turnovers being a major issue. The Spartans have been outscored 72-16 in their last two games, highlighting their lack of success on both sides of the ball this season. However, the defense showed significant improvement in the second half of the Maryland game. Perhaps the Spartans will get back on track at Kinnick Stadium.
Iowa has had a typical season so far, consistent with what we’ve come to expect from them. Coming into the season, their offense was expected to improve with the addition of former Michigan QB Cade McNamara.
Those expectations plummeted after last week’s 31-0 shutout loss at Penn State. Heading into Saturday's game, Iowa ranks outside the top 100 in both rushing (106th) and passing (128th) offense.
The defense has met the program's expectations, allowing fewer than 15 points in each of their first three games. The inability to stop Penn State last Saturday suggests that the defense might be untested or that Penn State is a dominant force this year. Either way, they are currently tied for 27th in the country in points allowed, indicating that their defense will be a significant factor in this game.
The key for Iowa to win this game is to get their offense going early. If they can score just two touchdowns against Michigan State, that should be sufficient. Given that the Spartans' offense has struggled against their first two Power Five opponents, and considering the skill level of Iowa's defense, MSU might only manage to score 10 points.
On paper, MSU has the better offense, but it has yet to perform against any Power Five competition. Given Iowa's ability to keep games low-scoring and the challenging environment of a night game at Kinnick Stadium, the odds are against MSU’s offense to show up for the first time since their game against Richmond.
Since Iowa's offense hasn’t been explosive and struggled against Penn State, this game is likely to be low-scoring. Expect a typical old-school Big Ten fist fight, characterized by physicality. As the winner will probably be the team that has the momentum toward the end of the game.
That could simply come from a big play on special teams, a big-time catch, or a turnover. The defenses will be on the field a lot, and the punters might even get tired. I believe we'll see a game-changing play on a punt return, as special teams will likely play a big role in this game.
The winner of this game will come down to which offense steps up in what seems to be a defensive showdown. Both offenses are coming off disappointing performances from the previous week and will be looking to bounce back. Meanwhile, MSU is still trying to find its identity and put the pieces together after losing their head coach. With the series tied 5-5 in the last 10 meetings, anything can happen on Saturday, September 30th, at 7:30 p.m.
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