The Michigan State Spartans are coming off the team's second bye week of the season following a 47-10 loss to Indiana on November 2. The Spartans' offense showed early signs of life and had the chance to hand Indiana its first loss of the season.
While MSU was able to hand Curt Cignetti and company IU's first deficit of the year, the Hoosiers scored 47 unanswered points after that early success by MSU as its offense and defense struggled to find a rhythm for the remaining three quarters.
It has been a challenging stretch for the Spartans, having played the now-No. 1, No. 2, and No. 5 ranked teams in three of their past five games. However, there have been moments when MSU looked like world-beaters, particularly when freshman sensation Nick Marsh is making plays.
Marsh, a true freshman from River Rouge High School, has already made his mark in Spartan football history. He leads the team in receiving yards with 553, becoming the most productive freshman in the program's history — surpassing Cody White, who set the previous record with 490 yards in 2017.
Marsh reflected on his rapid rise and his growing reputation among Spartan fans.
“I didn’t think it would be so quick,” Marsh said about getting significant playing time. “Just putting in the work with Coach Hawk (Courtney Hawkins), getting on the field early as a freshman, it’s a true blessing. To be able to come out here and show my talent is a really good thing for me.”
Despite his early success, Marsh remains humble and credits his background for keeping him grounded.
“My mom always says, ‘Remember where you came from,’” Marsh shared. “That sticks with me every day. Growing up, I didn’t have the best situation, so that’s always in the back of my mind. It’s the reason I’m out here doing what I’m doing.”
Marsh added that the support from his community—River Rouge, Michigan State, and Detroit—motivates him to keep pushing forward.
With three games left (Illinois, Purdue, and Rutgers), the Spartans are sitting at 4-5 and need to win two of the remaining three to become bowl-eligible. A postseason appearance would be the first for the program since defeating Pittsburgh in the 2021 Peach Bowl. Marsh believes the team is putting in the necessary work to reach that goal.
“We’ve come out with great energy these past few days in practice,” Marsh said. “We’re going to carry that energy day after day, week after week. I believe we can do it (make a bowl game). It’s going to take everyone on our football team to pitch in and give energy so we can win out the rest of the season."
Wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins also spoke to the media after the bye week. Hawkins emphasized that “November needs to be our best month,” as the Spartans fight to secure bowl eligibility.
“The guys are working their tails off," Hawkins praised of the team. "Coming off the bye week, we gave them a couple of days of rest, and (Tuesday’s) practice was spirited. We’re looking forward to Saturday and excited to see what we can do, what we’ve got under the hood.”
The last time the Spartans followed a bye week, they defeated Iowa, 32-20, playing a solid four quarters.
Hawkins also discussed the value of having a player like Marsh on the team.
“He just turned 18 a month ago,” Hawkins pointed out. “He’s a great kid. We’d love to have a room full of Nick Marshes. From a fundamental and technique standpoint, there’s still a lot of work to do, but you haven’t seen the best version of him yet. He’s dynamic and can do a lot of things. He’s coachable, a great kid, and there are more layers we’ll pull out over the next couple of years. I’m excited to see what heights he can reach. He has all the tools to be one of the all-time greats to come through this program.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s matchup against Illinois, Hawkins stressed the importance of team execution.
“You have to have all 11 guys on the same page, executing at a high level," Hawkins said. "We play in the toughest conference in the country, and if anyone isn’t dialed into the details, you’re going to get exposed. That’s what we’ve been pushing and harping on.”
Start time for Michigan State’s game at Illinois is set for 2:30 p.m. Eastern Time in Champaign-Urbana with the game being broadcast on FS1.
