NFL Tickets
Michigan State took care of business last week against their in-state opponent, Western Michigan, but have a much taller order on deck when they welcome the No. 7 Oregon Ducks to Spartan Stadium Saturday night.
The final score was much closer than the game actually was in the Spartans’ 37-24 win over the Broncos last Saturday. Dark horse Heisman contender, Connor Cook, threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the opener — despite completing just 48 percent of his passes.
The Spartans have a slew of backs, who head coach Mark Dantonio will utilize in any given game. LJ Scott ran for 77 yards, while Madre London and Gerald Holmes added 113 combined rushing yards and three touchdowns. Aaron Burbridge was Cook’s favorite target last week with 117 receiving yards on four grabs.
The defense forced two turnovers against the Broncos. This defense will be crucial for the Spartans to maintain in order to improve to 2-0 this week. The Ducks have a very talented offensive unit with the potential to present a lot of problems for the Spartans’ defense. Vernon Adams Jr. had a solid debut for Oregon last weekend with 246 yards and two touchdowns through the air in a 61-42 win over Eastern Washington. The most impactful player for the Ducks was Royce Freeman, tallying 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
The Spartans should have the edge in this game if you look at it from both sides of the ball. Both offenses showed that they’ll be pretty good this year, which means the defense will likely be the difference. We’re only one game deep in 2015, but if last week was any indication, expect Michigan State to outplay Oregon on that side of the ball. The Spartans have playmakers at every level defensively, and should prove to be the difference. The Spartans will win a close, relatively high-scoring game in East Lansing.
Jason Shawley is a Featured Writer for www.RantSports.com covering Big Ten Football. Follow him on Twitter @jshawls.
Share 
