After losing five games in a row, Michigan State (2-5 overall, 0-4 in Big Ten play) looks to get back in the win column this weekend at Minnesota (4-3 overall, 2-2 in conference play) in a Big Ten East versus Big Ten West crossover matchup.

The game in Minneapolis is scheduled to kick off at 3:40 p.m. Eastern Time (2:40 p.m. Central Time) on Saturday and will broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

The Golden Gophers are coming off a controversial 12-10 win over Iowa (more on that later), while the sputtering Spartans were thoroughly dominated by a final score of 49-0 to heated rival Michigan last weekend.

Minnesota brings in a relatively strong rushing attack and solid defense, but the team has had struggles with consistency. Michigan State, of course, hasn't won a game since Sept. 9 versus Richmond.

Can the Spartans finally put together a full 60-minute effort and steal a win on the road? Let's take a closer look at the matchup.

Michigan State:

-Record: 2-5 (0-4 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 325.47 total yards, 217.57 passing yards, 107.9 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 354.46 total yards allowed, 238.86 passing yards allowed, 115.6 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 36.17%
-Third-down defense: 29.21%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 132 (18.86 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 195 (27.86 per game)

Minnesota:

-Record: 4-3 (2-2 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 302.76 total yards, 131.86 passing yards, 170.9 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 337.99 total yards allowed, 218.29 passing yards allowed, 119.7 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 36.0%
-Third-down defense: 46.15%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 142 (20.29 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 170 (24.29 per game)

Current SP+ rankings:

-Michigan State: No. 52
-Minnesota: No. 23

-All-time head-to-head record: Michigan State leads 30-18
-Current streak: Minnesota has a one-game winning streak after a victory in 2022
-Last Michigan State win: Oct. 14, 2017 (30-27)
-Last Minnesota win: Sept. 24, 2022 (34-7)
-Michigan State all-time record: 728-484-44 (.597)
-Minnesota all-time record: 731-539-44 (.573)

Michigan State:

It's all-white everything for Michigan State this weekend, as the Spartans will rock white helmets with the green Spartan head logo and the Greek key stripe, white jerseys with green lettering and numbering, and white pants.

For more on the "stormtrooper" look, read this article from Spartans Illustrated guest contributor "@msu_uniforms."

Minnesota:

Similar to what Michigan State wore last week at home versus Michigan, Minnesota will wear all-black uniforms, including the helmet, jersey and pants. The uniforms include white lettering and numbering.

The all-white look for MSU versus the all-black uniforms for the Gophers will provide a unique aesthetic for fans watching the game.

Michigan 49, Michigan State 0

This was pure domination by Michigan. There wasn't much good to speak of in this performance for Michigan State.

After a lengthy drive, Michigan scored on its first possession when running back Blake Corum found the end zone from one yard out to take an early 7-0 lead. The Wolverines scored another touchdown later in the first quarter to go up 14-0 when quarterback J.J. McCarthy found wide receiver Roman Wilson from 25 yards out.

The Wolverines added a pair of touchdowns in the second quarter as well, as McCarthy hooked up with tight end Colston Loveland on both scores. UM took a 28-0 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

The third quarter could not have started much worse for Michigan State, as quarterback Katin Houser threw a pick-six to Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil, who returned the interception 72 yards to the house. The Wolverines led 35-0 at that point.

Later in the third quarter, McCarthy connected on an 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end AJ Barner, putting the Wolverines up 42-0.

Then, deep into the fourth quarter with just seconds eight remaining in the game, Michigan reserve quarterback Alex Orji added insult to injury by scoring on a six-yard rushing touchdown. Michigan won the game by a final sore of 49-0.

The Wolverines outgained the Spartans in total yardage by a tally of 477-182, and nearly tripled MSU in first downs gained (28-10).

For the full game recap, click here.

Minnesota 12, Iowa 10

Well, there was not a lot of action throughout this game, but the ending sure was dramatic.

The teams traded field goals early, and the only touchdown that counted came in the second quarter when Iowa quarterback Deacon Hill ran in a one-yard touchdown to give the Hawkeyes a 10-3 lead at halftime.

The only scoring of the second half came from Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich, who tacked on three more field goals and gave the Golden Gophers a 12-10 advantage with 8:38 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Things got interesting late in the fourth quarter. Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean — who Michigan State fans may remember for his late punt return touchdown against the Spartans earlier this season — returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown with 1:32 remaining in the game to give the Hawkeyes a 16-12 lead.

After official review, however, the call was overturned as officials ruled that DeJean made an invalid fair catch signal before fielding the ball. The touchdown was wiped away.

A few plays later, Hill threw an interception, and the Golden Gophers ran out the clock.

Minnesota won by a final score of 12-10, and took back the Floyd of Rosedale Trophy.

Iowa turned the ball over three times, while Minnesota had zero giveaways.

-Darius Taylor and Minnesota running backs/offensive line versus MSU defensive front: There are questions about Taylor's health for this weekend, but signs seem to point toward him being available. The Michigan native and true freshman running back is Minnesota's leading rusher this season with 103 carries for 591 yards (5.7 yards per carry) and four rushing touchdowns. Dylan Callaghan-Croley, editor at Gophers Nation, and a writer here at Spartans Illustrated as well, named Taylor as the X-Factor for Saturday's game. In addition to Taylor, or if he is not healthy, the Gophers also have running backs Zach Evans and Sean Tyler, who have combined for 396 rushing yards this season. As a team, Minnesota has a fairly strong ground attack, averaging 170.9 rushing yards per game, which ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 48th nationally. Running the football is the Gophers' identify. Minnesotas passing offense, led by quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, ranks just 13th out of 14 Big Ten teams and 126th out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in passing yards per game at just 131.9. While Minnesota hurt Michigan State through the air last season, the Gophers likely won't replicate that in 2023. Michigan State's rushing defense is quite strong, ranking sixth in the Big Ten and 31st in the country (115.6 yards allowed per game). If the Spartans can stop the run and force Kaliakmanis to beat them with his arm, MSU will be set up for success.

-Michigan State third-down offense versus Minnesota's third-down defense: Often in this column, I have highlighted how strong Michigan State's third-down defense has been this season (although, that wasn't the case last week versus Michigan). However, this week, let's take a look at the opposite. MSU's offense has struggled to convert third downs in 2023, while Minnesota's defense has been among the worst in the country at stopping third-down plays. The Spartans are converting just about 36.2% of their third-down attempts, which ranks 95th in the country, but the Golden Gophers are allowing opposing teams to convert on third down about 46.2% of the time, ranking 120th out of 130 teams. Something has to give here. If Michigan State wants to win this game, it has to find a way to sustain drives, control the clock and ultimately, obviously, put points up on the scoreboard.

-Win the turnover battle: This is probably something that can be included in this section every week as turnovers have hurt the Spartans all season long. In fact, Michigan State is one of the worst teams in the country in turnover margin at minus-1.14 per game (125th in FBS) and minus-eight overall as the Spartans have given the ball away 17 times and have only taken the ball away nine times. Minnesota, on the other hand, is one of the best teams in the nation at taking care of the football. The Gophers are tied for 22nd in FBS in turnover margin per game at plus-0.71 and are plus-five in total on the season. The Spartans have beaten themselves far too often this season due to turnovers (and penalties, among other things). But if MSU wants to win in Minneapolis, it needs to limit the giveaways when on offense and generate a turnover or two when on defense. This is a simplistic point, but extremely important.

-Date/Kickoff Time: Saturday, Oct. 28, 3:40 p.m. Eastern Time/2:40 p.m. Central Time
-TV Channel: Big Ten Network
-TV Announcers: Cory Provus (play-by-play), Jake Butt (analyst), Brooke Fletcher (sidelines)
-Location: Huntington Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, Minnesota
-Weather Expectations: Cold, with cloudy skies and temperature around 34 degrees at kickoff and snow flurries possible. Winds blowing west/northwest around six to eight miles per hour.
-Current Line: Michigan State +7, according to DraftKings

Interestingly, Minnesota ranks quite highly in Bill Connelly's ESPN SP+ Rankings at 23rd overall. The Golden Gophers are ranked 10th defensively in Connelly's metrics (58th on offense and 66th on special teams). Perhaps this team is actually somewhat better than it has shown, or perhaps the advanced metrics don't always tell the whole story.

As mentioned, Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck seems to want to rely on a strong rushing attack and sound defense to win games, and it's led the Gophers to four victories in seven tries thus far. What absolutely can't happen for Michigan State defensively is allowing Kaliakmanis to move the ball through the air with ease, like how Tanner Morgan was able to do for the Gophers last season when the Spartans were expecting to face a heavy rushing attack.

Offensively, Katin Houser will make his third consecutive start. He will certainly need a bounce-back effort after last week's performance versus Michigan, but he is feeling confident heading into the game against Minnesota. As mentioned, the Spartans need to take care of the ball, sustain drives and actually try to find the scoreboard this week after getting shut out by the Wolverines last weekend.

In terms of roster talent, Michigan State actually should have an advantage in that regard in this game. But the Gophers have been the more successful team thus far in 2023. The Spartans still need to figure out how to play as a team and learn how to win Big Ten games.

I can see this one being a relatively low-scoring game that is tight throughout. The Spartans are yet to play a complete game against a Power Five opponent this season. The team has been close in a couple contests, but that is not got enough. If MSU can finally put it all together this weekend, the Spartans can get interim head coach Harlon Barnett his first win at the helm. We'll see if that happens.

Looking for more on Minnesota, check out or Q&A with Gophers Nation.

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