Michigan State and Indiana have both had dreadful 2023 seasons. Both teams enter Saturday's matchup with a 3-7 overall record and a 1-6 mark in Big Ten play.

Many Michigan State fans will remember what happened when these two programs met in 2022. Of course, MSU was up 31-14 in the third quarter against the Hoosiers, but ultimately lost in double overtime by a final score of 39-31.

How will the 2023 matchup play out?

The Old Brass Spittoon is on the line. An in-depth preview of the matchup can be read below.

Michigan State:

-Record: 3-7 (1-6 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 305.4 total yards, 203.3 passing yards, 102.1 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 369.4 total yards allowed, 235.4 passing yards allowed, 134 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 31.85%
-Third-down defense: 32.81%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 167 (16.70 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 277 (27.70 per game)

Indiana:

-Record: 3-7 (1-6 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 324.3 total yards, 213 passing yards, 111.3 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 391.1 total yards allowed, 230.2 passing yards allowed, 160.9 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 38.30 %
-Third-down defense: 37.21%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 214 (21.4 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 300 (30.0 per game)

Current SP+ rankings:

-Michigan State: No. 86
-Indiana: No. 94

-All-time head-to-head record: Michigan State leads 49-18-2
-Current streak: Indiana has a one-game winning streak
-Last Michigan State win: Oct. 16, 2021 (20-15)
-Last Indiana win: Nov. 19, 2022 (39-31)
-Michigan State all-time record: 729-486-44 (.597)
-Indiana all-time record: 506-711-44 (.419)

Michigan State:

The Spartans will go with a black-white-black combo this week. Michigan State will wear black helmets, white jerseys with green lettering and numbering, and black pants.

Indiana:

No official word on Indiana's uniforms for the program's senior day just yet, but expect crimson jerseys and pants with white/cream accents.

Ohio State 38, Michigan State 3

Ohio State dominated from the opening whistle. OSU scored on each of its first three possessions as wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. found the end zone on all of those drives.

Harrison took a jet sweep 19 yards into the end zone to score a rushing touchdown on the opening drive. The Buckeyes led 7-0 early.

Michigan State was able to pick up a couple of first downs and move into Ohio State territory on its first possession, but a missed 56-yard field goal attempt by kicker Jonathan Kim eventually ended the drive.

Four plays later, Ohio State quarterback Kyle McCord found Harrison on a 26-yard touchdown pass that put the Buckeyes up 14-0 in the first quarter.

To begin the second quarter, McCord connected with Harrison once again in the end zone, this time from nine yards out. Ohio State led 21-0 at that point.

Later in the second quarter, the Spartans finally got on the board thanks to a 53-yard field goal by Kim with 5:38 remaining before halftime to make the score 21-3 in the Buckeyes' advantage. This would be Michigan State's only score of the game, however.

Ohio State would find pay-dirt two more times before halftime. Running back TreVeyon Henderson scored on a rushing play from nine yards away, and later, McCord hit tight end Cade Stover on an 18-yard touchdown pass. The Buckeyes took a commanding 35-3 lead into the locker rooms at the break.

Ohio State took its foot off of the gas pedal in the second half, and only three combined points were scored in the final 30 minutes of play, which was a 38-yard field goal by OSU kicker Jayden Fielding.

The score went final at 38-3 as the Buckeyes improved to 10-0 and the Spartans fell to 3-7.

For the full game recap, click here.

Illinois 48, Indiana 45 (overtime)

This was a wild one in Champaign. Illinois scored first, following a 24-yard field goal by Caleb Griffin with 8:59 remaining in the first quarter to put the Fighting Illini up 3-0.

After going three-and-out, Indiana caught a break when the Illii's Isaiah Williams muffed the ball on the punt return, and IU's Jared Casey recovered at Illinois' 32-yard line. The Hoosiers scored nine plays later when Trent Howland found the end zone from one yard out to give IU a 7-3 in the first quarter.

Illinois responded in just two plays. Quarterback John Paddock connected with Williams for 67 yards through the air, then running back Reggie Love III scored on a nine-yard scamper into the end zone. Griffin missed the extra point, but Illinois led 9-7 late in the first quarter.

A lot of scoring took place in the second quarter. Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby hooked up with wide receiver Donaven McCulley for a nine-yard touchdown to begin the quarter. Illinois followed that with another field goal by Griffin. IU answered with another touchdown from Sorsby to McCulley. Paddock threw an interception on Illinois' next drive, which the Hoosiers later converted into another touchdown when Sorsby ran one in himself from 18 yards out. After all of that, IU took a commanding 27-12 lead with 5:44 left to play before halftime.

Illinois stormed back before the break, though, scoring two-straight passing touchdowns as Paddock connected with receivers Casey Washington and Pat Bryant. At halftime, Indiana narrowly led 27, 26.

Deeper into the third quarter, the Illini took the lead when Paddock hit Williams for a 42-yard touchdown. The score was 33-27 with 5:18 remaining the quarter.

Sorsby then threw a pick on IU's ensuing possession and Illinois capitalized. The Illini found the end zone again when Love ran it in from 37 yards away to open the scoring in the fourth quarter, and gave his team a 39-27 lead (the two-point conversion failed).

Sorsby got some momentum back on Indiana's next drive when he scored a five-yard rushing touchdown. After the extra point, the score was Illinois 39, Indiana 34, in the early fourth quarter.

After a long drive from Illinois, Griffin added another field goal, and the Illini led 42-34 with 5:04 left to play.

With just 28 seconds remaining in the game, Indiana tied the score. Sorbsy found wideout DeQuece Carter for a 26-yard touchdown, and the two-point try was successful. The two teams went into overtime tied at 42-42.

Indiana got the ball first in the extra session and settled for a 41-yard field goal by Chris Freeman. However, three plays later, Paddock threw a 21-yard touchdown to Williams, and Illinois took home the 48-45 victory.

Michigan State's stagnant offense versus Indiana's porous defense: Indiana's offense has seemed to come to life as of late. The Michigan State defense has been solid in spurts (at least when not facing top-10 teams), but the offense has been among worst in the Big Ten. Meanwhile, IU's defense ranks as one of the worst units in the conference in several statistical categories. Defensively, the Hoosiers rank last (14th) in the Big Ten in rushing yards allowed per game (160.9), 11th in passing yards per game allowed (230.2) and last in total yards allowed per game (391.1). Meanwhile, Michigan State ranks 12th in the conference in total offense (305.4 yards per game), 13th in rushing offense (102.1 yards per game) and ninth in passing offense (203.3). Last week against Illinois, Indiana allowed 507 passing yards and four passing touchdowns to the Fighting Illini's backup quarterback, John Paddock. IU allowed 662 yards total and 48 points against Illinois. As for Michigan State last week, the Spartans only mustered 182 total yards and three points against Ohio State. MSU also ranks toward the bottom of the country in total offense, points per game (16.7) and third-down offense (31.9%). One of these struggling units is going to have to step up this week if either team wants to come out victorious.

Brandon Sorsby/Donoven McCulley versus Michigan State passing defense: The Michigan State secondary needs a bounce-back effort this week after Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Buckeyes had their way with the Spartans through the air last Saturday. The defensive backfield is short-handed with starting cornerback Dillon Tatum expected to miss the rest of the season and other players dealing with injuries. A lot of pressure is going to fall on true freshman cornerback Chance Rucker, sophomore defensive backs Jaden Mangham and Malik Spencer, and veteran safety/nickel back Angelo Grose against the Hoosiers. Sorsby has thrown for 1,164 yards, with 10 touchdowns compared to only two interceptions this season. He is coming off of a 289-yard, three-touchdown performance against Illinois (and he also scored two rushing touchdowns in that contest). Meanwhile, McCulley, who had 137 receiving yards and two touchdowns last week, leads the Hoosiers with 40 receptions for 524 yards and five receiving touchdowns this year. The task for the Spartans this week is significantly less difficult than defending Harrison, but McCulley can make big plays for IU. Also, after recording zero sacks last week against OSU, it is important for MSU's pass rush to generate pressure on Sorsby, but the Spartans need to keep him contained in the run game as well. Sorsby has scored four rushing touchdowns this season, and had 53 yards on the ground against Illinois last week.

Grit and determination: Obviously this is not something that can be easily quantified, but which team will be more motivated to win the Old Brass Spittoon? Simply put, these two teams have little to play for right now. Bowl game hopes are close to zero for both teams, although Michigan State is still mathematically alive heading into Saturday's game. Following the 38-3 loss to Ohio State, redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser and sixth-year senior linebacker Aaron Brule both talked about a "no quit mentality" and the importance of finishing 2023 strong. I was in the room with them. It was sincere and wasn't just lip service, despite everything that has gone wrong this season. For most of the players in the locker room, the goal is still to win. By all accounts, it seems like Indiana is still trying to compete as well. I don't necessarily think effort will be an issue for either team tomorrow, but I do think that one team is going need to eventually break the will of the opponent. Whichever squad can do that, or at least come close to that, will likely walk away with the victory.

-Date/Kickoff Time: Saturday, Nov. 18 at 12:01 p.m. Eastern Time
-TV Channel: Big Ten Network
-TV Announcers: Jason Ross Jr. (play-by-play), Anthony Herron (analyst), Meghan McKeown (sidelines)
-Location: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana
-Weather Expectations: Clear and sunny skies with temperatures around 48 degrees at kickoff and warming up throughout the game, with winds blowing north/northwest around four to five miles per hour
-Current Line: Michigan State +3.5, according to DraftKings

Both teams have had forgettable seasons, and in Michigan State's case, it has been downright embarrassing at times due to both on-the-field and off-the-field issues. But as mentioned, the majority of players for both teams are still bought in and giving their best efforts.

If nothing else, this Michigan State team is incredibly resilient. After everything the Spartans have gone through this season, they show up and work every week. The results on the field obviously haven't been what the squad was hoping for, but the team's willingness to stay together (for the most part) after Mel Tucker's firing and continue to compete says something about its character.

In any event, the Old Brass Spittoon is up for grabs on Saturday, and that provides something for both teams to play for. Indiana is a slight-favorite in this game, but it is certainly a winnable game for Michigan State.

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