The Michigan-Michigan State game is about 24 hours away
and my feelings on the game haven’t changed throughout the week.
It is funny how, after a few weeks into the season, I
would have bet everything I had that Michigan was going to beat the Spartans in
East Lansing this year. My how times can change.
It may extreme for me to say I don’t see how Michigan can
win, but I see it as very unlikely for the Wolverines.
Michigan can win if Connor Cook has an awful day or if
Devin Gardner is able to hit on a lot of deep balls, but Wolverine fans can’t
feel very assured about that.
Cook doesn’t have to be great for MSU to win, he just
needs to avoid big mistakes and convert some key third-down passes. The
pressure isn’t on him as much as it is on Gardner to beat the talented MSU
defense. Pat Narduzzi will certainly look to test Gardner early and hope to
create a turnover on a quarterback that has been prone to giving the ball away.
I think the story of the game will be Michigan State
dominating the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. I expect the
Spartans to be able to run the ball efficiently and sustain a handful of drives
throughout the game. Defensively, Michigan State should keep Michigan from
establishing much of a run game and put plenty of pressure on Gardner, forcing
him into bad throws.
Michigan will find some points, but Michigan State will
find more. The Spartans have looked like the better team in recent weeks and I
feel like they will be the better team on Saturday.
Prediction: Michigan State 24, Michigan 13
