It’s been one long week, right?
After hearing Michigan State begin trash talking immediately after the Spartans’ 28-14 win over Michigan last Saturday, the anticipation by this game ratcheted up significantly. Now, we finally have some football.
I’m here with fellow Herald Sports editors Elliot Hughes and Kelly Erickson live at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Mich., and we’ll be here all game long, and after, to bring you all the action as the No. 6 Wisconsin Badgers (6-0, 2-0) take on the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans (5-1, 2-0).
The Spartans, of course, defeated the Badgers 34-24 in the Big Ten opener here in East Lansing last season. The loss seemed to doom Wisconsin’s early-season BCS hopes while simultaneously boosting Michigan State’s — though that, of course, was the opposite of how the rest of the season unfolded.
This season, Wisconsin cruises into this matchup on the highest of highs. The Badgers boast the nation’s top scoring offense at 50.2 points per game, and the rushing attack has once again prolific in averaging 257.5 yards per game, No. 7 in the country. Quarterback Russell Wilson has thrived beyond anyone’s wildest imagination, completing 74.2 percent of his passes in throwing for 1,557 yards, 14 touchdowns and only one interception. His 210.9 quarterback rating leads the nation, and Wilson has emerged as a bona fide top-three Heisman Trophy candidate.
Michigan State, meanwhile, enters the game with the nation’s fourth-ranked scoring defense (10.8 points allowed per game) and arguably its most physical. The Spartans lead the country in passing defense (119.2 yards per game) and rank third against the run (67 yards), raising the level of intrigue as the explosive Badgers come to town.
For more insight into what to expect tonight, check out Elliot’s game preview from Friday and Kelly’s feature on how the Badgers plan to stop the Spartans’ also powerful rushing attack. Of course, we’ll have the live blog running all game long, so be sure to check that out as well. Thanks for following, and On Wisconsin.
