Michigan State football heads into their match-up with Wisconsin on Saturday in need of a win in a game that was considered a toss-up going into the season. However, the Badgers are fresh off a huge win over Penn State, while the Spartans are reeling from their loss against Nebraska, where they also lost star running back Cam Edwards to a devastating injury.
Heading into the game, we interviewed Jordon Lawrenz of BadgersWire about the game to get the Wisconsin perspective on MSU. You can see his answers below.
If you are interested, I also did the exact same version of this story but from the MSU perspective over on BadgersWire.
1. What do MSU fans need to know about this Wisconsin team?
The biggest trend in the Luke Fickell era is this team beats the teams they're supposed to, but they haven't been able
to get over the hump. Finally, they did just that with a huge win in Happy Valley, and now momentum is on their side. This is the best possible time to return home, and I think for the first time in quite awhile, Camp Randall is going to be absolutely rocking as a vulnerable Spartans team comes to town.
2. The win over Penn State was massive for Wisconsin - any chance they might be looking past what will be considered to be a weaker match-up against MSU?
It's certainly possible, but I think the PSU game proved that no matter what happens in the first half against MSU, you can never count out UW. They've gotten off to slow starts a few times already this year, and Badgers fans would love to see them steamroll the Spartans for 60 minutes, but not even a slow start would be enough for me to be worried about Wisconsin in this one.
3. Who are the key players to watch for Wisconsin this year?
Mason Posa is an absolute game changer. Defensively, he's one of the best in the nation, and it's crazy to think this is only his second year with the program. Cooper Catalano's name continues to be brought up, as it should, along with the likes of Matthew Jung and Javan Robinson. Offensively, Colton Joseph has his moments, but this team absolutely needs Abu Sama to stay healthy.
4. If MSU were to win this game, what do you think that game script looks like?
MSU's easiest path to victory is to keep it low-scoring and limit the number of possessions Wisconsin has. Joseph proved that not even throwing three interceptions against the Nittany Lions can rattle him mentally. If Wisconsin can't get the run game going, that'll be a huge opportunity for the Spartans to capitalize.
5. What's your official prediction?
To no surprise, I'm picking Wisconsin in this one, and I don't know that it'll be a super close game. The Cam Edwards injury changed everything, and UW needs a definitive blowout win coming off the biggest win of the Fickell era.
Wisconsin 34, Michigan State 10
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This article originally appeared on Spartans Wire: Behind Enemy Lines: How Wisconsin is viewing gave vs. Michigan State
