Michigan State fans have varying levels of patience through five weeks of head coach Pat Fitzgerald's first season as a Spartan. Some fans are still holding onto hope, while others are growing more frustrated with the recent struggles.
While MSU has cycled through coaches and kept struggling, quarterback Katin Houser has grown into one of the Big Ten's most experienced starters. He returns to Spartan Stadium on Saturday with Illinois.
The Michigan State football team eliminated turnovers and negative plays in its matchup against Wisconsin, but still struggled to score points. The Spartans solved some of the problems that plagued them the prior week, only to encounter new ones.
The Michigan State football team returns to Spartan Stadium for its annual Homecoming game against Illinois with a chance to give a frustrated fan base something to believe in again. The Spartans must show progress and the ability to compete in the Big Ten in front of their alumni before more fans lose faith in the direction of the program.
Michigan State pulled a rolling Alessio Milivojevic for Cam Fancher in the middle of a drive at Wisconsin, and the move stalled the Spartans' best chance to stay in the game. It raises a bigger question about whether the quarterback swap is stunting Milivojevic's development.
Michigan State traveled to Wisconsin to face a Badger offense led by dynamic quarterback Colton Joseph. He brutalized the Spartans on the ground, rushing for 141 yards to lead Wisconsin to a 31-3 victory.
Michigan State enters its Big Ten road debut against Wisconsin, trending in the opposite direction of the Badgers, who have tallied three straight victories. The Spartans will need to exploit Wisconsin's few weaknesses if they want a chance of overcoming the Badgers in Madison.
Joe and Julie Serra made a $10M commitment to FOR SPARTA, directed to the future of MSU football and Spartan Stadium.
MSU football's defense ranks 45th nationally but can't get to the quarterback or take the ball away, and now it faces Wisconsin's dual-threat Colton Joseph with its linebackers and cornerbacks banged up. The Spartans' best hope may be Joseph's own habit of throwing interceptions.
Michigan State is averaging 22 points per game, last in the Big Ten, and just 11.5 against Power Four opponents. Turnovers and sacks are the biggest reasons why, and Wisconsin's top-30 defense is next.
Graduate running back Cam Edwards' injury leaves Michigan State searching for answers in a run game that was already struggling to find consistency. It will be up to graduate running back Jaziun Patterson and others to step up as the Spartans enter the heart of the Big Ten schedule.
MSU's best offensive weapon is out for the remainder of the season. Head coach Pat Fitzgerald said graduate running back Cam Edwards will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Michigan State football returned to Spartan Stadium on Saturday for its Big Ten opener, but self-inflicted wounds, once again, got the better of the Spartans. Uncharacteristically, MSU repeatedly picked up costly penalties in high-leverage situations, ultimately leading to a 31-13 loss.
A promising previous three weeks came crashing down in East Lansing, as Michigan State football's Big Ten opener turned into a 31-13 rout by Nebraska, marked by costly injuries, a stalled offense and a defense that struggled to create takeaways.
