Michigan State vs Rutgers Prediction, Game Preview

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

By Pete Fiutak | October 20, 2020 4:39 pm CT

Michigan State vs Rutgers prediction and game preview.

Michigan State vs Rutgers Broadcast

Date: Saturday, October 24
Game Time: 12:00 ET
Venue: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
Network: BTN

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Michigan State (0-0) vs Rutgers (0-0) Game Preview

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Why Rutgers Will Win

So what’s going to change overall under new head coach Greg Schiano? Expect the team to be more physical on both sides of the ball, and expect the offense to at least be better on the ground.

Nebraska transfer Noah Vedral takes over the starting quarterback gig, adding more of a dual-threat weapon than the Scarlet Knights had over the last few years.

The defensive side is loaded with veterans and should be far better overall if 1) the offense can do a little bit of anything right and 2) the line can get into the backfield once in a while.

Fortunately, the Michigan State offense isn’t going to run away and hide with this – it’s not built to hang 50 on the board. But …

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Why Michigan State Will Win

New head coach Mel Tucker has an interesting team to work with. Payton Thorne is a young, promising option who should get more from the downfield passing game. Or is it going to be veteran Rocky Lombardi? Or will it it be Theo Day? Tucker is keeping everyone guessing, but the offense should produce no matter who’s under center.

It’s not going to take too much to put Rutgers away. The Scarlet Knight offense should be a bit better, but get to 24 points, and that should get the job done.

Get a lead, and the veteran offensive line takes over. The defense that underwhelmed last year gets a defensive-minded head coach, a good staff around him, and a whole lot of the key tacklers from last year.

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What’s Going To Happen

It won’t be anything remotely pretty, but Michigan State will take it with a good running game and a nice first performance from the D.

It was able to shutout Rutgers 27-0 late last season, allowing just 140 yards of total offense with 57 through the air. The Scarlet Knights haven’t improved that much over the last year.

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