Game To Watch: #11 Michigan State at Rutgers: October 9, 2021

Michigan State will make the trip to Piscataway, New Jersey for their game against Rutgers on Saturday at 12:00 EST. The Spartans have been on a roll to start the season and beat Western Kentucky 48 – 31 to run their record to 5 – 0. Rutgers started 3 – 0, but has lost the last two in a close game at Michigan and then a blow out loss against Ohio State. The Scarlet Knights need a win to get back on track, while the Spartans just need to keep their positive momentum rolling.

Recent History

Michigan State has won 8 of the 12 meetings all time between the programs. The Spartans had a six game winning streak against Rutgers since the Scarlet Knights joined the Big Ten, but that was broken last year. Greg Schiano won the first game of his second Rutgers’ tenure at Michigan State 38 -27 a year ago.

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What To Watch For…

How Will Rutgers Defend Kenneth Walker?

Kenneth Walker transferred to Michigan State this off-season and is making the most of his new situation. He has run away with the starting running back job, leading the Big Ten in rushing yards. Walker has rushed for 680 yards and 8 touchdowns on 100 carries in five games this season. Walker is a difficult back to contain, he has great vision, good burst and the ability to make defenders miss. Rutger’s defense did an excellent job of slowing down Blake Corum and Michigan holding the Wolverines who have averaged 5.6 yards per carry on the season to just 3 yards per carry. The next week that same run defense was largely ineffective against Ohio State allowing 5.6 yards per carry. The Scarlet Knights need to have a defensive effort like they had against Michigan, otherwise Walker will carry the Spartans’ offense to a big win. Nebraska is the only team that slowed Walker down this year, they also came the closest to beating Michigan State.

Can Rutgers Find Enough Offense to Win?

Outside of last week’s game against Ohio State, the Rutgers defense has played very well this year holding their four other opponents to 20 points or less. The offense on the other hand has struggled when facing power five competition. The Scarlet Knights scored 17 points against Syracuse, 13 points against Michigan and 13 points against Ohio State. Even if they slow down the Spartan’s offense, Rutgers has to find a way to move the ball offensively to win the game. The offense has struggled to establish the running game averaging just 3.6 yards per attempt. The passing game has not been consistent enough to loosen up defenses either, averaging only 6.4 yards per pass attempt. Without a strength to lean on offensively, Rutgers has to out-scheme opponents on a weekly bases, which is difficult to do. The Spartans have not been a dominant defense, but do a good job of limiting big plays and have been solid against the run (3.2 yards per carry) and the pass (6.5 yards per attempt). They will make it difficult for the Rutgers’ offense to get on track this week, putting more pressure on the Rutgers’ defense.

Another Big Game For Payton Thorne?

Michigan State appears to have found their quarterback. Payton Thorne has done an excellent job of keeping the offense balanced with an efficient passing game. He has completed 63 percent of his passes, averaging 9.5 yards per attempt and has an 11 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. Early in the year it was too early to determine if Thorne was ready to be a top quarterback or if the opposition just hadn’t seen enough of him? The answer is getting clearer every week as Thorne has continued his strong play and will look to add another strong performance to his resume this week. Rutgers has been good defending the pass this year, even including the tough performance last week. The Scarlet Knights are fourth in the Big Ten, allowing just 186.6 passing yards per game and first in the Big Ten with a 52 percent completion percentage against. Those numbers have taken a hit since cornerback Max Melton was suspended, but are impressive nonetheless. Thorne will have to continue his strong play to keep the offense balanced against a sound Rutgers’ defense.

Prediction

Both programs are trending up and have second year head coaches that are establishing a new culture for their program. Rutgers will be prepared for Walker and will make every effort to slow down the star tailback. The Spartans have the weapons in the passing game and the quarterback to adjust offensively and keep the offense moving. Offensive coordinator Sean Gleeson will have a few offensive wrinkles to keep Rutgers in the game, but the offense does not have enough firepower to keep up. Michigan State 27 Rutgers 20.

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