The Michigan State Spartans, off their first loss of the season, will now welcome in the undefeated Maryland Terrapins. The Spartans were blown out last Saturday by the Washington Huskies, losing 41-7, as they couldn't establish much on the offensive side of the ball. The Terrapins are coming in off a big win over the Virginia Cavaliers, winning 42-14 as their quarterback, Taulia Tagovailoa, threw for 342 yards.
Michigan State Spartans 2-1 (0-0 Big Ten) vs. Maryland Terrapins 3-0 (0-0 Big Ten)
Date: Saturday, September 23
Time: 3:30 p.m. EST
TV Channel: NBC
Location: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Line: Maryland -7.5 O/U: 52.5
2023 Season Stats
Michigan State:
2023 Record — 2-1 (0-0 in Big Ten)
2023 Offense (per game averages) —
Total Yards: 1,132 (377.3 PG)
Passing Yards: 790 (263.3 PG)
Rushing Yards: 342 (114 PG)
2023 Defense (per game averages) —
Total Yards Allowed: 1,125 (375 PG)
Passing Yards Allowed: 750 (250 PG)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 375 (125 PG)
2023 Cumulative Points Scored: 83 (27.7 ppg)
2023 Cumulative Points Allowed: 62 (20.7 ppg)
2023 Ranking: 45
Maryland:
2023 Record —3-0 (0-0 in Big Ten)
2023 Offense (per game averages) —
Total Yards: 1,440 (480 PG)
Passing Yards: 912 (304 PG)
Rushing Yards: 528 (176 PG)
2023 Defense (per game averages) —
Total Yards Allowed: 944 (314.7 PG)
Passing Yards Allowed: 580 (193.3 PG)
Rushing Yards Allowed: 364 (121.3 PG)
2023 Cumulative Points Scored: 118 (39.3 ppg)
2023 Cumulative Points Allowed: 40 (13.3 ppg)
2023 Ranking: 39
Series History/All-Time Records
All-time head-to-head record: Michigan State Leads 10-3-0
Current streak: Maryland one win
Last Michigan State win: 2021 (40-21)
Last Maryland win: 2022 (27-13)
2023 Top Players
Michigan State Spartans
Passing: Noah Kim – 48-84, 707 yards, 5-1 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Nate Carter – 54 ATT, 272 YDS, 4 TD
Receiving: Christian Fitzpatrick– 6 REC, 164 YDS, 0 TD
Tackles: Cal Haladay – 22 (8-14)
Sacks: Aaron Brule– 2.0
Interceptions: Cal Haladay & Jaden Mangham – 1
Maryland Terrapins
Passing: Taulia Tagovailoa – 66-99, 889 YDS, 5-2 (TD-INT)
Rushing: Roman Hemby – 40 ATT, 243 YDS, 4 TD
Receiving: Jeshaun Jones– 13 REC, 198 YDS, 2 TD
Tackles: Beau Brade – 13 (8-5)
Sacks: Jaishawn Barham – 2.0
Interceptions: Donnell Brown & Tarheeb Still – 2
Michigan State Players To Watch:
Offense: Running Back – Nate Carter– Redshirt Sophomore
Michigan State will need the run game to step up in this one, as the passing attack hasn't been what it was expected to be to start the season. The Maryland defense gives up 121.3 yards a game on the ground while Carter averages 90.7 yards a game; Michigan State will need to exploit that and set up an attack that could help calm Noah Kim or Katin Houser in the passing attack.
Defense: Defensive Back – Jaden Mangham – Sophomore
Mangham is tied with Cal Haladay in interceptions for the team with one each; if Aaron Brule can get pressure on Tagovailoa and force him to make a mistake, Mangham could have an interception in this one, look for him to try to slow down the Maryland passing attack that averages 304 yards a game.
TL;DR (too long didn't read)
- Michigan State will take on the Maryland Terrapins on Saturday Afternoon.
- Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on NBC.
- Michigan State Players to Watch: Running Back Nathan Carter and Defensive Back Jaden Mangham.
Bottom Line: Michigan State Spartans kick off Big Ten play looking to rebound
The Michigan State Spartans will look to kick off their play in the Big Ten with a win against Maryland and hand the Terrapins their first loss of the season. The question has been, has the Mel Tucker situation been a distraction around this team? That remains to be seen, but now he is fully gone, and it's time for the Spartans to focus on winning football games; maybe Noah Kim isn't the guy; if they get down quickly to Maryland, you may see Kaitin Houser come in to see what he can do to lead this team after went 2-4 for 63 yards last weekend against Washington when he came in.
