NoelarBear
Well-known member
- Joined
- Sep 3, 2019
- Messages
- 644
- Reaction score
- 1,923
- Points
- 93
Know Your Opponent: Michigan State Spartans - GopherHole.com
Before every game, I ask a reporter who covers the Gophers’ upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective. I asked Emmett Matasovsky from Spartan Shadows five questions about the Michigan State Spartans. Michigan State travels to Minneapolis on November 1st, looking to win...
Before every game, I ask a reporter who covers the Gophers' upcoming opponent to give us a view from the opponent’s perspective.
I asked Emmett Matasovsky from Spartan Shadows five questions about the Michigan State Spartans.
Michigan State travels to Minneapolis on November 1st, looking to win its first conference game of the season. The Gophers look to bounce back and become bowl eligible with a victory against the Spartans.
Huge thanks to Emmett for giving us his thoughts!
GH: The 2025 season is year number two for head coach Jonathan Smith in East Lansing. The Spartans barely missed a bowl game in his first year, finishing 5-7 overall. They come into Minneapolis this Saturday with a 3-5 record. Vegas had this team winning around five games this year. What were the expectations of this Michigan State team in East Lansing this year? How would you grade Jonathan Smith’s second year?
EM: The expectations for Jonathan Smith and the Spartans were for Michigan State football to go to a bowl game this year. There is no sugar-coating it, the expectation was for MSU to take the step forward and find a way to make a bowl game, or a five-win season if injuries decimated the team, much like they did in 2024.
So far, those expectations have been a far cry from what Michigan State football has put out in 2025. The Spartans had a solid chance to win against Nebraska, along with a seven-point game with USC and a three-point game with Michigan in the second half. However, the defense has crumbled and offense fell apart. Overall, I give Smith’s coaching an F for this year.
GH: The Spartans' offense averages 26.3 points a game, which is 13th in the Big Ten. Their 332 yards per game is 15th in the conference. What are the strengths of this Spartan's offense? What would you say are their weaknesses?
EM: When the team is in the bottom three in the conference, there is not much positive to say about it, or call it strengths. Aidan Chiles has regressed from how he looked in the first four weeks of the season, but did complete 20 straight passes against Indiana two weeks ago.
If I had to pick a strength, it would be the passing game and the tight end play. Michael Masunas (No. 81) has provided a spark at TE2 for the Spartans. The pass catching trio of Omari Kelly (No. 1), Nick Marsh (No. 6), and Chrishon McCray (No. 13) have the tools to be a threat on paper, but it is rare to see everyone clicking on the same page in a five-game losing streak.
The weakness is, by far, the offensive line play, aside from center Matt Gulbin. Gulbin is having an All-Big Ten season while the other players all rank outside the top-20 in conference for their positions. They cannot get a push for the run game, which has led to Aidan Chiles being the team leader for rushing yardage against Indiana. Then, the pass game can be a three-step drop back and sack from the tackles folding under blitzes.
GH: Former Gophers defensive coordinator Joe Rossi leads the Michigan State defense. The Spartans' defense is dead last in the Big Ten in points allowed, giving up 32.5 points per game. Who should the Minnesota offense have to worry about when they are on the field? In what ways have teams had success against the Michigan State defense?
EM: The defense has underwhelmed under Joe Rossi in year two, taking steps back after having to replace four of their front seven, alongside both outside corners from 2024. The portal addition from the EDGE group has been disastrous, with seniors Isaac Smith and Cam Williams underwhelming the stat sheet, to put it nicely.
When Minnesota is on field, the players that the Gophers need to keep an eye on are DE Jalen Thompson (No. 9), LB Jordan Hall (No. 5) if he is healthy, and safety Malik Spencer (No. 43). That said, saying MSU has three impact players on defense is very generous.
Teams have had success against the Spartans through the air or the ground game. Michigan just torched the team to the tune of 276 yards rushing (on 5.6 yards-per-carry) one week after Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza had four incompletions all game as he passed for 332 yards and four touchdowns.
GH: At this point in the season, no teams are playing healthy. How much or little has the injury bug hit Michigan State? Are there any impact players in jeopardy of missing the game this Saturday? What players are x-factors or impact players that Minnesota fans need to know about this Saturday?
EM: Much like the 2024 season for the Spartans, the injury bug has decimated MSU. The best EDGE rusher of the group, former Wisconsin edge rusher Anelu Lafaele, was lost for the season to a leg injury in week five. Two different starting linemen are out for the season, along with a few depth defensive backs and special teamers.
The tight end room, once a strength for the Spartans, has saw TE3 and TE4 on the injury report the last few weeks, with Jayden Savoury and Brennan Parachek not suiting up since the Nebraska contest.
Space-eating defensive tackle Ben Roberts (No. 55) was called “doubtful” by Jonathan Smith at his press conference Monday, and star linebacker and captain Jordan Hall (No. 5) is a game-time decision alongside starting left tackle Stanton Ramil (No. 65). All three players left the Michigan game with injury, with Hall returning for a single play at the end of the game. While it would be a stretch to call any besides Hall an impact player, all three start for the Spartans.
The X-Factors on this team to watch out for are quite limited. Offensively, watch out for receiver Nick Marsh (No. 6), who will be force-fed targets if the Spartans want any hope of a win against Minnesota. He is the sole X-Factor for this Spartan team, with 479 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the year, in spite of some health struggles.
Other offensive notables are center Matt Gulbin (No. 51) clearing space in the middle, and running back Makhi Frazier (No. 5) just came off a career-high 109 yards rushing against Michigan.
Defensively, the most impactful players are Hall, Thompson (No. 9), and Alex VanSumeren (No. 91). Hall is the voice of the team, and has been all over the field, forcing a fumble, having two sacks, and an interception this year. Thompson and VanSumeren are two defensive linemen that do their jobs, playing fundamental football. They will not stuff the stat sheet, but they are rarely out of position.
Safety Armorion Smith (No. 19) has also forced two turnovers for the Spartans this season, but likely sees a reduced role if Nikai Martinez (No. 1) is back at safety for the MSU defense.
GH: Michigan State travels to Minneapolis this Saturday looking for its first Big Ten win of the season. The Spartans and Gophers are coming off losses to their rivals. Michigan State leads the all-time series against Minnesota with a record of 30-19. The Gophers have won the last two meetings against Michigan State and are 3.5-point favorites. What does Michigan State need to do to get its first conference win? What is your prediction for the game this Saturday?
EM: Michigan State football needs to execute in all three stages of the game in order to win, which is something that has not been seen for the Spartans since week four of 2024 against FCS Prarie View A&M, if I am being honest. The Spartans need a complimentary, disciplined game from the defense, and an offensive line that is able to contain Anthony Smith, and an offense that will not have self-inflicted wounds.
The Spartans would also need to make proper halftime adjustments, which has yet to happen. In the 18 FBS contests of Jonathan Smith’s tenure in East Lansing, Michigan State has outscored their opponent once in the second half. That one time came in double overtime against a Boston College team that is sitting at 1-7, with their lone win coming against FCS Fordham.
My prediction is a Gopher victory that more than covers the spread. As much as I would like to believe in this Michigan State team, there is nothing that convinces me there will not be a breakdown at one of the three levels of the game. The offense has yet to put a good game in since USC in week four, the defense was last seen against Western Michigan in week one, and special teams has been a disaster since week five against Nebraska.
Michigan State 10
Minnesota 27