Michigan State will play its seventh night game this season Friday against the Purdue Boilermakers. Start time is slated for at 8:05. p.m. Eastern Time with the game being broadcast on FOX.

Nationally, this game is a blip on the radar, but in the world of the “bowl game bubble,” this is as much of a “must-win” game for the Spartans as it possibly could be.

The Boilermakers find themselves sitting dead last in the Big Ten with a 0-7 record in Big Ten play, and a 1-9 record overall (nine consecutive losses).

MSU looks to stop the bleeding amid a three-game slide that saw it fall to 4-6 on the campaign. The Spartans need to beat Purdue and grab a senior day win next Saturday against Rutgers to make their first bowl game since 2021 and avoid a third-straight losing season.

Purdue’s 2024 campaign has been a struggle.The Boilermakers rank 16th in the conference in total offense (318.6ypg) and 18th in total defense (455.7 ypg).

Purdue will arrive in East Lansing fresh off a 49-10 home loss to No. 4 Penn State. Meanwhile, MSU is coming off a disappointing 38-16 loss at Illinois.

One bright spot in the defeat was quarterback Aidan Chiles' performance. While he wasn't flawless, Chiles did have his first turnover-free game since September 14th against Prairie View A&M which, up until Illinois, was his lone game without a turnover.

However, once again the Spartans' run game was non-existent for the second consecutive week. The only noteworthy yardage came from a few Chiles scampers.

Let's take a look at this Saturday's matchup.

Michigan State:

-Record: 4-6 (2-5 in Big Ten)

-Offense: 345.5 YPG, 230.8 passing YPG, 114.7 rushing YPG

-Defense: 328.1 YPG, 198.4 passing YPG, 129.7 rushing YPG

-Third-down offense: 38.17%

-Third-down defense: 43.61%

-Points per game: 19.4

-Points per game allowed: 25.5

Purdue:

-Record: 1-9 (0-7 in Big Ten)

-Offense: 318.6 YPG, 181.1 passing YPG, 137.5 rushing YPG

-Defense: 454.4 YPG, 251.1 passing YPG, 203.3 rushing YPG

-Third-down offense: 33.33%

-Third-down defense: 48.78%

-Points per game: 17.2

-Points per game allowed: 38.9

All-Time Series: MSU leads, 36-29-3

Series in East Lansing: MSU leads, 22-12

Last Meeting: Purdue 40, MSU 29 (2021 in West Lafayette)

Current Series Streak: One by Purdue

Michigan State:

No uniform announcement has been released by Purdue as of time of publication.

Running (is) Back

Purdue’s run defense is — poor. Quite frankly when you lose nine consecutive, it's a safe assumption that weaknesses are plentiful.

The Spartans' rushing attack, after gaining steam against Iowa and Michigan, has been staggeringly ineffective the past two games. MSU rushed for under 100 yards total in its losses to Indiana and Illinois.

Purdue has struggled in the conference play stopping the run, giving up rushing totals of 161, 228, 131, 177, 122, 173, and 234 respectively. All in all, the Boilermakers are giving up an average of 175.14 rushing yards per league game.

MSU has shown that a proficient run game is in the cards, and Purdue offers an opportunity for Kay'ron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter to create explosive plays.

Look for Chiles to also get the nod on some RPO calls as well as tuck it and run on the read option. He’s shown flashes of his ability to run the ball effectively, but Chiles' tendency to fumble has been a consistent issue for Chiles.

Contain Max Klare

A bright spot for the Boilermakers has been sophomore tight end Max Klare. He has 39 receptions, 566 yards, and three scores, leading Purdue in all three categories.

Outside of Klare, Purdue only has one other receiver eclipsing 20 or more receptions this season in Sophomore WR Jaron Tibbs.

For an MSU secondary running thin with Malik Spencer, Dillon Tatum, and Chuck Brantley all out, Klare will be priority one in stopping Purdue's attempts through the air.

Win Third Down

Last week's game was in many ways decided on third down. The Spartans converted just two of its fifteen third down attempts. That poor performance was partly due to third and long situations resulting from back-breaking penalties (seven for 73 yards) at inopportune times. This followed MSU coming off going five-for-15 the week before against IU. The Spartans will need to clean that up. Luckily for them, the Boilermakers are anything but impressive on third down on either side of the ball themselves, converting just 33.33% and giving up 48.75% of third downs.

Date/Kickoff Time: Friday, Nov. 22, 8:05 p.m. Eastern Time

TV: FOX

Streaming/Mobile: FOX Sports app

Announcers: Connor Onion (play-by-play), Mark Helfrich (analyst), Josh Sims (sidelines)

Radio: Spartan Media Network

Play-by-Play: George Blaha

Analyst: Jason Strayhorn

Sidelines: Jehuu Caulcrick

Broadcast Host: Dalton Shetler

Location: East Lansing, MI

Stadium: Spartan Stadium (74,866)

Weather Expectations: 44 degrees at kick-off, wind 7-13mph, gusts up to 27 mph.

It's hard to ignore the quiet stir amongst Spartan fans. Many seem to have subtle rumblings of discontent growing. That is clearly in part due to this season looking more similar to the past two seasons rather than the latter years of the program Jonathan Smith built at Oregon State that was exciting and transformative for Beaver fans.

As it stands on Nov. 21, it’d be difficult to sell this season as a “success.” Yet the Spartans have two opportunities remaining to make a bowl game, get nearly a month of practice, and — most importantly — an opportunity to grow.

MSU is a 13.5 point favorite Friday night against PU. The Spartans should win this game, but it's difficult to be confident in this team with the lack of depth due to mounting injuries and an apparent regression of late.

Regardless, Spartan Stadium will not be sold out Friday night — most likely, far from it. And at this inflection point in year one of the Smith era, it cannot be understated how much getting to a bowl game could shift the momentum back in his, and the program's favor.

Happy Friday Night Football!

Join the discussion on this article in our premium forums by clicking here.

You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Threads, TikTok, Instagram, and Bluesky.

For video content, including our Red Cedar Radar and WE GOT IT podcasts, find us on YouTube and consider subscribing.