Minnesota (8-3 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) at No. 11 Michigan State (10-1 overall, 7-0 Big Ten)
East Lansing, Michigan – Spartan Stadium (75,005)
Saturday 11:00 a.m. CT – BTN
Spread: Michigan State -14.5
PREGAME NOTES
Series History
Minnesota will face Michigan State for the 46th time on Saturday. MSU leads the all-time series 28-17, including 17 straight wins from 1977-1997. Minnesota has faired better recently, winning six of the last 11 meetings. The Gophers are 6-15 all-time on the road against the Spartans. Their last win came in 2006.
Last Meeting
Michigan State visited TCF Bank Stadium last season, and ran all over the Golden Gophers en route to a 26-10 victory. Le’Veon Bell rumbled for a career-high 266 yards and a touchdown on 35 carries. The Spartan defense forced four Gopher turnovers and held the Maroon and Gold to under 100 total yards of offense; including four rushing yards. An Aaron Hill pick-six was the only touchdown for Minnesota.
Season to Date
The Spartans have been one of the country’s most impressive teams this year; compiling a 10-1 overall record while going a perfect 7-0 in the conference. Michigan State’s lone loss came in South Bend against Notre Dame. In the defeat, Michigan State held the Irish to just 220 yards of offense but fell 17-14 as both teams showcased stifling defenses.
Since the loss, the Spartans are a flawless 7-0, posting a home win against Michigan and road victories over Iowa and Nebraska. The one knock on Michigan State’s conference schedule is that they have avoided playing the other top teams in the Big Ten, Ohio State and Wisconsin. With the Legends Division locked up, the Spartans will have an opportunity to beat the best as they face the Buckeyes on December 7 for a chance to go to the Rose Bowl.
“It’s a season that has been special thus far and it could become even more special,” said Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio.
Last Time Out
Last week in Evanston, the Spartans put on a show against a struggling Northwestern team. Michigan State totaled 464 yards of offense thanks in large part to the performance of quarterback Connor Cook who ended the game 16-23 for 293 yards and two touchdowns. The Spartans went on to win 30-6, clinching the Legends Division title and a trip to the Big Ten championship game in December.
“Obviously, [it was] a big win last Saturday versus Northwestern to solidify the Legends Division,” said Dantonio. “It was an exciting day for all of us. I want to congratulate our football team, first of all, in that respect.”
Coaching Preview
Mark Dantonio is in his seventh year as the head coach at Michigan State. Dantonio has led the Spartans to a school-record six consecutive bowl appearances. In the past five seasons, MSU has recorded 27 Big Ten victories, the most of any team in the conference. Dantonio owns a 51-28 record (.646) at MSU since arriving in 2007; the most wins by a Spartan head coach in his first six seasons. In 2010, Dantonio was named the Big Ten Coach of the Year after the Spartans captured the Big Ten Title. With 10 more wins this season, Dantonio has consistently proven that he is one of the best head coaches in the conference.
“I’m an admirer of what Coach has done throughout his career,” said Kill. “I don’t know if everybody understands how good of a job he’s done. He’s done a great job. What we take after it is they do a great job of recruiting to their system. They do a great job of coaching their players. The big thing is, you can always tell a good team on film, they play hard now. First of all, they have great athletes but they play hard.”
Important Finale
Although the Spartans have already locked up a place in the Big Ten championship game, Saturday’s matchup certainly still has meaning for Michigan State who could get an at-large BCS bid if they were to lose to Ohio State.
“Certainly we have to win this game to even be in the talk in that regard,” said Dantonio. “The next thing you have to ask yourself is, are the two best teams playing each other for the championship? I think they are. But we’re going to find out after Saturday if that’s the case because we have an opportunity and a challenge in Minnesota.”
This game will also be a chance for Michigan State to end the season with a perfect conference record.
“There’s a lot of football left to be played,” said Dantonio. “These last two weeks of football they’ll be a lot of different things that could possibly happen. Our focus has to be on Minnesota and playing well in this game and playing well at Spartan Stadium where we have an opportunity to be 7-0 this year, an opportunity to be 8-0 in the league.”
On the other sideline, Minnesota will look to get back to their winning ways after a tough loss to the Badgers.
“Every week is important,” said Kill. “This week is important because it’s the last regular season game. To me, you have to play consistent every week. That’s the most important part. We played very consistent for four weeks and then we faced a very good team and turned over the ball which you can’t do. You take three turnovers out of it and we’re in the game and have a chance to win.”
A win over Michigan State would give the Gophers nine wins, a feat that has happened very rarely in the last 53 years.
“It’s the most important game because it’s the last regular season game and you got a chance to get nine wins,” said Kill. “[Minnesota] has won only nine games two times since 1960. We’re playing for something every week. It’s darn important.”
Underrated Offense
Michigan State’s defense has been stellar this season, overshadowing a physical offense that is averaging over 30 points per game. The Spartans are led by junior running back Jeremy Langford who has totaled 1076 rushing yards and a conference-leading 16 total touchdowns this year.
“Very similar to Wisconsin, they come downhill,” said Kill of the Michigan State offense. “They’re very physical and very good at the play-action pass. They’re spreading you out a little more than in the past and that puts a little bit more pressure on you…There’s a lot of similarities between them and Wisconsin as far as how they play. Michigan State is built around defense but they’ve got a good offense too so they complement each other very well.”
Matchup to Watch
One area that could make or break the game for the Gophers is in their passing attack. Last week against Wisconsin, the Gophers totaled just 83 yards through the air and now face an even tougher test in the Spartans. With Derrick Engel out, Minnesota’s young receivers will be put to the test against the best secondary they have seen. Expect a heavy dose of passes to Maxx Williams and Drew Goodger as Philip Nelson and the Gophers try to keep the ball away from the Spartan’s cornerbacks.
Michigan State’s pass defense is among the best in the country; allowing just 177.3 passing yards per game. Led by Thorpe Award finalist Darqueze Dennard, the Spartan secondary gives Michigan State the freedom to play man coverage and focus on slowing down the run.
“Anytime you can play man-to-man on the corners, play lockdown corners, and get nine in the box,” said Kill of the Spartan cornerbacks. “I think Al Davis said it when he was with the Raiders, get lockdown corners and you can do anything you want on defense. That’s what makes them good. They’ve got lengthy, long corners that can flat play. Probably both of them will be high-round draft choices.”
Players to Watch
#33 Jeremy Langford – The junior running back has been a workhorse for the Spartans this season. The 6-foot, 204-pouder ranks second in carries (224) and fourth in yards (1,076) in the Big Ten. Langford also leads the conference in touchdowns (16) including 15 on the ground. Langford’s grinding running style will pose a sturdy test for the Gophers on Saturday.
#27 Kurtis Drummond – The 6-foot-1, 200-pound free safety is a playmaker on the back-end of the Spartans’ secondary. The junior is a versatile safety, adept at defending the pass and stopping the run. Drummond leads the teams in tackles (71) and is tied for the team-lead with four interceptions.
Background
Location: East Lansing, Mich.
Enrollment: 37,454
Conference: Big Ten
Mascot: Spartans
Colors: Green and White
Coach: Mark Dantonio (7th Season)