The Michigan State Spartans are coming off one of the most dramatic wins in school history, in college football history. The punt against Michigan to end the game will go down as one of the greatest plays in college football history. However, now the task is coming back and refocusing for the next game. The Spartans remain undefeated and the win against Michigan keeps them as playoff contenders, but Indiana would love to play upset.
In history, the Spartans have done a great job of bouncing back after the game against Michigan. The team has beaten Michigan seven of their last eight times while being 7-1 in the games that immediately follow them. The Hoosiers on paper do not pose much of a threat. They have yet to get a conference win, but they did challenge Ohio State earlier in the season. Indiana has the talent if they can put everything together as the Spartans cannot afford to downplay their opponent.
Connor Cook is the key for Michigan State. The quarterback is quickly showing the hype around him. He passed for two straight 300-yard games. Last season he dominated Indiana with 332 yards and three touchdowns. Head coach Mark Dantonio told the media that he believes the team is handling the success and attention very well after the Michigan game as everyone is focused on the long-term.
"It's all about handling success I think," Dantonio said via ESPN.com. "Obviously the worst thing we can do is fall backwards here, so we need to continue to move forward and you know, our dreams are ahead of us, and they start this Saturday. So I think our players will be ready to play."
The Hoosiers are coming off three straight losses. Getting a win against Michigan State on the road will certainly not be an easy task for the team. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld is certainly a quality quarterback option. He is leading an offense that is averaging 478.9 yards per game. They put up 627 yards last week, but three turnovers against Rutgers sealed the loss for them. Indiana has lost their last five games to Michigan State by an average of 30.0 points.