Game Preview: Nebraska versus Michigan State

It will be senior day and a military appreciation game for the Michigan State football team on Saturday as the Spartans take on Nebraska in what will be the final game played at Spartan Stadium in 2023.

MSU (2-6 overall, 0-5 in Big Ten play) is looking to put an end to its current six-game losing streak, while Nebraska (5-3 overall, 3-2 in conference play) has won three games in a row after an 0-2 and 2-3 start to begin the campaign under new head coach Matt Rhule.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12:03 p.m. Eastern Time on Saturday and the game can be watched on FS1.

It would mean a great deal for Michigan State interim head coach Harlon Barnett and the Spartans to get the seniors a victory in their final game played in East Lansing.

"It would be awesome, very, very special," Barnett said about getting the seniors a win on senior day. "To send them out the right way, last home game at Spartan Stadium, they'll never forget it."

Similarly to Minnesota last week, Nebraska brings in a very good ground game and strong defense, however, the Cornhuskers are even better in both categories. In fact, the Cornhuskers have the No. 1 rushing offense in the Big Ten (190.1 yards per game) and the No. 2 rushing defense in the conference (79 yards allowed per game), which also ranks in the top-five in the country. The team struggles to throw the ball, ranking 13th out of 14 teams in passing yards per game (132.3), but it hasn't been a detriment to the Huskers in the past few weeks.

Let's take a closer look and preview the matchup between Nebraska and Michigan State.

Michigan State:

-Record: 2-6 (0-5 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 322.13 total yards, 214.13 passing yards, 108 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 360.1 total yards allowed, 234 passing yards allowed, 126.1 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 35.51%
-Third-down defense: 31.37%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 144 (18.00 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 222 (27.75 per game)

Nebraska:

-Record: 5-3 (3-2 in Big Ten)
-Offense (per game averages): 322.4 total yards, 132.3 passing yards, 190.1 rushing yards
-Defense (per game averages): 298.8 total yards allowed, 219.8 passing yards allowed, 79 rushing yards allowed
-Third-down offense: 38.4%
-Third-down defense: 36.4%
-Cumulative Points Scored: 162 (20.25 per game)
-Cumulative Points Allowed: 149 (18.63 per game)

Current SP+ rankings:

-Michigan State: No. 74
-Nebraska: No. 51

-All-time head-to-head record: Nebraska leads 9-3
-Current streak: Michigan State has a one-game winning streak after a win in 2021
-Last Michigan State win: Sept. 25, 2021 (23-20)
-Last Nebraska win: Nov. 17, 2018 (9-6)
-Michigan State all-time record: 728-485-44 (.597)
-Nebraska all-time record: 917-420-40 (.680)

Michigan State:

This week, Michigan State will go with a green-green-black look. That means, green helmets (with a green face mask this time around), green jerseys with white lettering and numbering, and black pants with the green Greek key stripe.

For more on this week's unique look, read this article from Spartans Illustrated guest contributor "@msu_uniforms."

Nebraska:

No official word on Nebraska's uniforms this weekend, but expect the classic road look with white helmets, white jerseys and red or white pants.

Minnesota 27, Michigan State 12

Michigan State's defense got off to a strong start, forcing and recovering fumbles on each of Minnesota's first two drives.

The first fumble was forced by Michigan State defensive tackle Derrick Harmon just two plays into the Golden Gophers' opening drive, and was recovered by safety Jaden Mangham. The second fumble was forced by linebacker Jordan Hall, as he strip-sacked Minnesota quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis, and the ball was recovered by defensive lineman Avery Dunn.

However, despite starting deep into Minnesota's territory on both drives, MSU only mustered two field goals by kicker Jonathan Kim. The Spartans led 6-0 with 9:49 left to play in the first quarter.

Both offenses struggled to sustain drives early, and the score remained 6-0 after one quarter of play. With 9:58 left to play in the second quarter, defensive tackle Simeon Barrow Jr. — who briefly entered the transfer portal before withdrawing and rejoining the Spartans ahead of the game — blocked a 35-yard field goal attempt from Minnesota kicker Dragan Kesich to keep the Gophers off the scoreboard.

The Gophers ended the second quarter with 10-straight points, however, as Kesich made a 25-yard field goal and Kaliakmanis found wide receiver Daniel Jackson on a 22-yard passing touchdown just before halftime. Minnesota took a 10-6 lead into the locker rooms at the break.

In the second half, Kim missed a 53-yard field goal attempt wide left with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter. On the ensuing drive, Michigan State's defense got the ball right back to its offense when Mangham intercepted Kaliakmanis. However, MSU's offense remained stagnant and the Spartans could not capitalize. The third quarter went scoreless and the Gophers took their 10-6 lead into the fourth quarter.

Minnesota added to its lead in the early fourth quarter when running back Jordan Nubin scampered into the end zone on an 18-yard touchdown run. That made the score 17-6 in the Gophers' favor with 12:07 left to play.

On Michigan State's next possession, redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt entered the game for struggling starter Katin Houser and immediately led an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. With 8:37 left on the clock, Leavitt's nine-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tyrell Henry cut the Gophers' lead to five points, 17-12, after the failed two-point conversion try.

Michigan State then opted to go for an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. Minnesota recovered, however, and the drive ended with another touchdown by Nubin to make the score 24-12 with 4:11 remaining.

Leavitt fumbled on the next drive, which was picked up by the Gophers, and Kesich tacked on another field goal to put the game out of reach at 27-12 with 3:25 left to play.

On the next drive, Leavitt eventually threw a pick, and the Gophers were able to kneel the rest of the clock out.

For the full game recap, click here.

Nebraska 31, Purdue 14

The Cornhuskers dominated the Boilermakers, jumping out to a 24-0 lead before Purdue found the scoreboard.

Interestingly, Nebraska fumbled the opening kickoff, and it was recovered by Purdue. Despite starting at the Cornhuskers' 32-yard line, the Boilermakers did not score after a failed fourth-down-and-11 attempt.

The first quarter went scoreless, but Nebraska found the end zone twice in the second quarter. Quarterback Heinrich Haarberg threw a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Thomas Fidone II for the first score, then, following an interception thrown by Purdue quarterback Hudson Card, Haarberg connected with wide receiver Jaylen Lloyd for a 73-yard touchdown. The Cornhuskers led 14-0 at halftime.

The lone score in the third quarter came when Nebraska blocked a 37-yard field goal attempt by Purdue kicker Ben Freehill and defensive back Quinton Newsome returned it 68 yards for a touchdown. That gave the Cornhuskers a 21-0 lead.

In the fourth quarter, Nebraska kicker Tristan Alvano added a field goal to extend the Huskers' lead to 24-0 with 12:30 remaining to play.

Purdue finally got on the board with 9:19 remaining in the game, as Card threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jayden Dixon-Veal, but the two-point attempt was no good.

The Boilermakers then made a play defensively when Nebraska quarterback Jeff Sims fumbled, which was recovered by Purdue linebacker Kydran Jenkins and returned 55 yards for a touchdown. After a successful two-point try, the score was 24-14 in Nebraska's advantage with 6:24 left to play.

Nebraska then iced the game when running back Emmett Johnson ran in a 28-yard touchdown with 3:54 remaining in the game. That made the score 31-14, and that would ultimately be the final tally.

-Contain Heinrich Haarberg, Emmett Johnson and the Nebraska rushing attack: As mentioned, Nebraska has the top rushing attack in the Big Ten, averaging 190.1 yards per game, which is also top-25 in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). Haarberg doesn't throw for a lot of yards, as he ranks last out of qualifying Big Ten quarterbacks at just 104.8 passing yards per game, but he is a big threat in the running game. He leads the Cornhuskers with 104 carries for 446 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Over six starts, Haarberg is averaging 17.3 carries per game and 71.5 rushing yards per game. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound redshirt freshman will run, and he will run often, and effectively. Meanwhile, running back Emmett Johnson has recently taken over as starting running back for Anthony Grant due to Grant's fumbling issues. It's possible Nebraska still uses both backs, however. Johnson averages 5.4 yards per carry and Grant averages 4.2. Nebraska will once again lean on its rushing attack. If the Spartans can't stop it, or at least contain it, it will be a long day and likely another loss for the Spartans.

Katin Houser/Sam Leavitt and MSU passing offense versus Nebraska pass defense: The Cornhuskers are incredibly difficult to run on, ranking second in the Big Ten and fifth in the FBS at 79.0 rushing yards per game allowed. So, Michigan State will have to move the ball through the air to find success. But given the Spartans' recent struggles in that department, that may be easier said than done. We don't yet know if redshirt freshman Katin Houser will start his fourth game in a row, or if true freshman Sam Leavitt will draw his first career start. In MSU's game last week against Minnesota, Leavitt replaced Houser in the lineup and led the Spartans' only touchdown drive. However, he also had two turnovers. Houser did not give the ball away, but he was unable to get any momentum going, and only led MSU's offense to six points through three quarters. While Nebraska excels against the run, its passing defense is no slouch, allowing 219.8 passing yards per game (57th nationally). However, the Cornhuskers are susceptible to a big play every now and again. MSU averages 214.1 passing yards per game, but against Power Five opponents, that average falls to 188.5 passing yards per game. No matter who is under center, the passing game will have to get going if the Spartans want to win because Michigan State is unlikely to find much success on the ground.

-Ball security: We've talked about turnovers a lot in this column, as Michigan State's untimely giveaways have cost the Spartans multiple times this season, but let's focus on Nebraska's issues with holding onto the ball. Zack Carpenter, publisher at Inside Nebraska, listed an interesting statistic in Spartans Illustrated's Q&A with him. Nebraska has fumbled 24 times, the most in the country, and has lost 11 of those. Oddly, Michigan State won the turnover battle against Minnesota last week (the Gophers had three giveaways to the Spartans' two), but still lost the game. That is rather uncommon, and Michigan State's defense still needs to look to create as many takeaways as possible. With the Cornhuskers' tendency to put the ball on the ground, the Spartans need to be looking to go after the ball. Haarberg has only thrown four interceptions in 124 passing attempts, and as mentioned, he does put the ball up in the air often. But the Spartans can look to knock the ball free. As always, offensively, Michigan State needs to limit the giveaways.

-Date/Kickoff Time: Saturday, Nov. 4 at 12:03 p.m. Eastern Time
-TV Channel: FS1
-TV Announcers: Tim Brando (play-by-play), Spencer Tillman (analyst)
-Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, Michigan
-Weather Expectations: Mostly cloudy with temperatures around 50 degrees at kickoff and winds blowing south/southwest around four miles per hour.
-Current Line: Michigan State +3, according to DraftKings

Will it be Katin Houser or Sam Levitt at quarterback for the Spartans? We'll find out Saturday at noon Eastern Time. What is known is that the Spartans have to have a better offensive showing after scoring one combined touchdown and 12 total points over the past to games versus Michigan and Minnesota, respectively.

One other interesting personnel note about this game is that defensive back Khary Crump is eligible to play. Crump was suspended for the final four games of the 2022 season due to his role in the tunnel incident versus Michigan last season, and while he was reinstated by Michigan State in May, the Big Ten forced him to serve an additional eight-game suspension in 2023. Whether or not Crump will actually see snaps remains to be seen.

It feels like Nebraska is going to have a similar game plan as Minnesota did last week — ball control offense that leans on the running game and a hard-nosed defense. The thing is, however, that Nebraska may be even better at it at this point in the season. Haarberg is going to be an issue to contain with his running prowess. I don't expect the Cornhuskers to test the Spartans deep too often in the passing game, but if the running game is humming, it will obviously open up the passing game to some degree. Johnson is staring to emerge in the running game as well.

Obviously, a win for Michigan State on senior day would be huge, and players like redshirt senior defensive tackle Maverick Hansen and redshirt senior offensive guard J.D. Duplain have talked about its importance. It would also be Barnett's first win since taking over at the helm.

These two teams have gone in opposite directions, though. Michigan State has lost six games in a row, while Nebraska has won five of its last six contests, including three in a row. It would not be wise to completely rule out a Michigan State win, as the Spartans come into the game as a three-point underdog, but with the way things are trending for both teams, it doesn't feel likely.

For more information on the Cornhuskers, read our Q&A with Inside Nebraska.

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