Breakdown: Ringer gives MSU advantage at running back

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MSU cornerback Chris L. Rucker vs. Wisconsin wide receiver David Gilreath

The 5-foot-11, 165- pound Gilreath is coming off the first two-touchdown game for a Wisconsin wide receiver this season, when he caught three balls for 71 yards last week against Illinois. The sophomore — who had only one career touchdown before last week — is coming into his own at the right time, as senior tight end Travis Beckum is out for the year after suffering a fractured left tibia against the Illini.

On the opposite side of the line, Rucker is slowly recovering from an arm injury he sustained during the Oct. 4 game against Iowa. After seeing sparse action against Northwestern and Ohio State, Rucker played the most since the injury against Michigan, recording three tackles, a pass break-up and an interception.

EDGE: Push — Earlier in the season this would be a no-brainer, as Rucker had proven himself to be MSU’s top coverage guy. Although he received more playing time last week, Rucker admitted after the U-M game that he still wasn’t 100 percent and his recovery would be week-by-week.

But since Wisconsin doesn’t pass the ball as much as other Big Ten teams, a healthy Rucker isn’t a necessity this week.

Wisconsin tight end Garrett Graham vs. MSU defense

Graham has been Wisconsin’s biggest receiving threat, leading the Badgers with 330 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 24 receptions.

This season, the Spartans haven’t faced a top-notch tight end with the skills of Graham, which could give the MSU defense problems in the first few series.

EDGE: Push — Regardless of how well the Spartans defend Graham, the 6-foot-4 junior is going to get his share of looks.

All year, MSU has been successful with a bend-don’t-break defense, allowing opponents to get in or near the red zone before clamping down. The red zone is where the most intrigue lies in this matchup, as a big tight end such as Graham always serves as a weapon.

Wisconsin running backs vs. MSU running back Javon Ringer

Ohio State’s Chris “Beanie” Wells and Wisconsin’s P.J. Hill were all the rage of Big Ten running backs heading into the season, but Ringer and Iowa’s Shonn Greene have proven to be the class of the Big Ten at that position. Hill has been solid with five touchdowns and a 4.6 yards per carry average, but his rushing load has been reduced thanks to the emergence of redshirt freshman John Clay, who has carried the ball 90 times for 480 yards and four touchdowns.

After a pair of mediocre games by his standards, Ringer bounced back with a 194-yard, two-touchdown performance against U-M last week.

EDGE: Ringer — Both Hill and Ringer rank in the top 10 in various rushing statistics at their respective schools, but Ringer has been one of the most productive backs in college football this season. Although Hill is listed as the No. 2 running back on the depth chart, he still has big-play potential that can break a game open.

MSU staying up vs. MSU letting down

All the talk leading into last week’s game was about whether MSU could bounce back from its 45-7 loss against Ohio State.

This week, there’s a question of whether or not the Spartans can follow up one of the program’s biggest wins in recent memory against an under performing Wisconsin team that was ranked as high as No. 8 in the nation earlier in the year.

EDGE: MSU staying up — The plain and simple fact is that MSU head coach Mark Dantonio will not let the Spartans stray from his “they all count one” mantra. Aside from that, with the possibility of facing an undefeated No. 3 Penn State team with Big Ten Championship hopes in a few weeks, the players won’t want a slip-up to get in the way of what they could possibly achieve.

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