Three Bold Predictions: Michigan State vs. Eastern Michigan
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Last Week
- Alessio Milivojevic 2+ Passing Touchdowns: Incorrect — 1
- Cam Edwards 2+ Anytime Touchdowns: Incorrect — 1
- Michigan State 6+ Sacks: Incorrect — 2
Going 0-for-3 is normally heartbreaking, but with bold predictions, I’m not going to pull punches just so I can say I got them all right.
Although we didn’t hit a single prediction, I do feel like I was tracking pretty well.
Milivojevic had what should have been his second touchdown pass dropped in the end zone. Cam Edwards was slowed down by two injuries, along with the Spartans’ inability to consistently finish drives. As for the six-plus sacks? Yeah, that one may have been a little outrageous.
The Spartans generated plenty of pressure, but they struggled to actually get home.
So, with that out of the way, let’s get bold again.
This Week’s Predictions
- Alessio Milivojevic 300+ Passing Yards
- Rodney Bullard 100+ Receiving Yards
- Michigan State Defense Doesn’t Allow a Touchdown
Alessio Milivojevic 300+ Passing Yards
Michigan State faces Eastern Michigan in Week Two, and the Eagles have shown they can be pretty stout against the run.
Sure, you could look at Eastern Michigan’s schedule and chalk that up to playing teams like Sacramento State and San Jose State. But that would be a little lazy. Watching those games, it’s clear the Eagles place a major emphasis on stopping the run.
I’m sure Cam Edwards, Marvis Parrish and Jaziun Patterson will all have opportunities to run the ball and find creases, but this may not be the easy, run-of-the-mill day for the Spartans’ backs that some are expecting.
And that’s why I believe Michigan State could lean a little more heavily on the passing game this week.
Not only does Eastern Michigan present a tougher challenge on the ground, but it also looked like offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan kept things relatively vanilla in Week One. With Notre Dame waiting next week, I expect the Spartans to start opening things up a little more.
That means more responsibility for Milivojevic.
The sophomore quarterback will be asked to make more plays and, more importantly, finish drives.
Milivojevic surpassed 300 passing yards just once in his five starts last season, doing so in his first start. He finished with 292 yards in his final game of the year.
I believe he gets over the hump this week.
Prediction: Milivojevic throws for 300+ yards.
Rodney Bullard 100+ Receiving Yards
This one is a little tricky.
After a receiver has a big game, defenses typically shift more attention his way. That could leave Chrishon McCray as the Spartan most likely to break out in Week Two.
Even with that possibility, Bullard proved his value in Week One and may have already established himself as Michigan State’s WR1.
He led the Spartans with 90 receiving yards in the opener and now gets an Eastern Michigan defense that has not exactly been dominant against the pass.
I believe Bullard truly puts himself on the map this week.
There’s another reason I like this prediction, too: Bullard had two crucial drops in the opener.
That’s the kind of thing a competitive receiver remembers.
I expect him to come into Week Two hungry, determined to clean those mistakes up and prove that his Week One performance was just the beginning.
If Milivojevic is throwing the ball more, Bullard could be the biggest beneficiary.
Prediction: Bullard breaks 100 receiving yards.
Michigan State Defense Doesn’t Allow a Touchdown
Alright, if you read my score prediction article, you already know I have Michigan State winning 33-13.
Yes, that would mean Eastern Michigan scores two touchdowns and a field goal.
So, technically, this prediction directly contradicts my score prediction.
But let’s get it on paper anyway.
Because if this happens — and I absolutely believe it could — I want it on record.
The Spartans’ defense allowed two ugly touchdowns in Week One: a 60-yard touchdown catch where cornerback Charles Brantley was burned like a marshmallow on a summer night, and a 71-yard touchdown run that was a pitiful showing of what this new Michigan State defense is supposed to be about.
Outside of those two explosive plays, however, the defense was aggressive and relatively tight. There were a few drives where the secondary looked vulnerable, but there were also plenty of stretches where the Spartans made life extremely difficult for Toledo.
Now, I expect Michigan State to put it all together.
The Spartans have ten games remaining after this one, and they need to start building momentum on defense before the schedule gets significantly tougher.
I believe they do exactly that against Eastern Michigan.
Prediction: Michigan State’s defense doesn’t allow a touchdown.
Now, if that happens, I’ll have some explaining to do about that 33-13 score prediction.
But hey — that’s why they call them bold predictions.
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos