The eighth-ranked Michigan State Spartans travel to take on the Purdue Boilermakers in college football action Saturday. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. start time and it will be televised live on ABC or ESPN2, depending on regional coverage. Currently the odds for the game have Michigan State favored by three touchdowns.
Michigan State should have no problems remaining unbeaten in the Big Ten Conference in this one. The Spartans got up big over Nebraska last week before putting it on cruise control late and surviving for a close win. Mark Dantonio talked after the game about how his team needed to finish better and the Spartans probably heard about it all week at practice.
Purdue has already picked up three wins on the season, including a shocking win at Illinois last week. The Boilermakers are 1-1 in Big Ten play, but they are catching three touchdowns at home in this one. That's not a recipe for winning, especially in conference action. The Boilers give up one more point than they average per game this season, but there are certainly signs of improvement for the program.
Last week Austin Appleby got the starting nod and played very well, throwing for a couple of TD passes and nearly 300 yards against Illinois. Don't count on that happening again here against the Spartans.
Michigan State is just 2-5-2 against the number the last nine meetings, but expect them to keep this game under control from the beginning. Iowa rolled up better than 400 yards of total offense on Purdue a couple of weeks ago and Michigan State will look to have the same type of gameplan. The Spartans will run the football with Jeremy Langford and Nick Hill before taking shots over the defense with Connor Cook, who has already thrown for 10 touchdown passes.
While the Boilermaker story is good so far, it's tough to see them hanging around in this game when Michigan State is a complete team and good on both sides of the football. There shouldn't be a lazy effort from the Spartans in this one, especially after last week's performance on national television. Look for Dantonio's team to dominate from the beginning.
Free Pick: Michigan State 41, Purdue 17
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