Michigan State football's injury report vs Northwestern is dire

Michigan State football’s availability report heading into a game against Aidan Chiles and Northwestern is another lengthy one that keeps growing and including more and more impact players.

The Spartans will be missing four starters on defense, two on offense and two key second-string defensive players when they kick off with the Wildcats at noon Saturday in East Lansing (Peacock/NBC Sports).

Joe Rossi’s defense will be without captain Jordan Hall along with fellow starting linebacker Brady Pretzlaff after both got hurt in the first quarter of Saturday’s 38-37 overtime loss to Illinois. Backup Caleb Wheatland also will be out, along with starting cornerbacks Tre Bell and Tyran Chappell and backup Charles Brantley as first-year coach Pat Fitzgerald faces his alma mater for the first time.

“Defensively, we gotta get a lot of guys ready to play,” Fitzgerald said on his weekly radio show Wednesday night, Oct. 14. “We’ve unfortunately had a lot of injuries on that side of the ball.”

Left tackle Ben Murawski is the latest addition on offense to be listed as out. Running back Cam Edwards is out for the season after suffering a knee injury against Nebraska and backup quarterback Cam Fancher also remains out after getting hurt in a loss at Wisconsin on Oct. 3. Wide receiver Charles Taplin is listed as questionable.

Others who are out for MSU (2-4, 0-3 Big Ten) as it tries to end a four-game losing streak are fullback Jay Coyne, cornerback Keshawn Williams, running back Darrin Jones Jr., tight end Joe Caudill and offensive lineman Tristan Comer.

Northwestern (4-1, 1-1) has 10 players listed as out (DB Josh Fussell, RB Daniel Anderson, LB Max Mohring, LB Jason Reynolds II, DL Callen Campbell, LB Qayvier Johnson, OL David Anchondo, OL Ezomo Oratokhaim OL Jacob Miller and TE Chris Petrucci).

Linebacker Amare Jordan and tight end Luke Dehnicke are doubtful, while defensive backs Robert Fitzgerald and Damon Walters, along with defensive lineman Migo Jackson, are questionable. Two Wildcats defensive backs, Braden Turner and Timi Oke, are considered probable.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football's injury report vs Northwestern is dire