MICHIGAN STATE AT UM
FAST FACTS, ODDS, KEYS AND PREDICTIONS
When: Saturday, noon
Where: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens Latest line: UM is favored by 6 ½ points
TV: ABC
Radio: 560-AM, 990-AM (Spanish) Weather: 91 degrees, 46% chance of precipitation
Online: sun-sentinel.com/um; @khobi_price on Twitter
Stadium safety protocols: Hard Rock Stadium will operate at full capacity. All attendees are encouraged to wear masks in indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status, and to maintain at least 6 feet of physical distance from those outside of their own party.
Quick slant: After narrowly beating Appalachian State for their first win last weekend, the Hurricanes will play the Spartans in the second of four consecutive home games in September. Saturday will mark the first time since 1989 that the two programs have faced off. UM has a 4-0 advantage in the all-time series against Michigan State.
About No. 24 Miami (1-1): The Hurricanes needed a game-winning field goal from Andy Borregales and timely defensive stops to beat the Mountaineers 25-23 last weekend. They lost backup running back Don Chaney Jr. for the season with an injury he sustained against Appalachian State, with true freshman Cody Brown expected to fill Chaney’s role this week. Waynmon Steed is expected to start at weak-side linebacker after Keontra Smith sustained a leg injury that’ll keep him out for at least the next three games.
About Michigan State (2-0): The Spartans have gotten off to a better start than most expected, with Michigan State picking up decisive wins over Northwestern and Youngstown State, an FCS program. They’re led by Wake Forest transfer running back Kenneth Walker III, who has rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns on 30 attempts. Quarterback Payton Thorne has completed 30 of his 46 pass attempts for 465 yards and five touchdowns. Three things to watch
1. Can the Hurricanes contain Walker? Miami’s run defense has shown signs of improvement compared to last season, but Walker, who has NFL potential, will present a different challenge than the rushing attacks UM has faced so far. While it did a good job against Appalachian State, Mountaineers tailback Camerun Peoples was still able to rush for 95 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Walker should be tougher to contain than Peoples. 2. Miami needs to find its rhythm in the passing game early after getting off to a slow start against Appalachian State due to some misplaced throws by quarterback D’Eriq King and a few crucial drops by the receivers. King should have time to pick his spots against a Spartans pass rush that shouldn’t be too threatening. UM’s averaging 189 passing yards through two games.
3. The Hurricanes have been successful in pressuring the quarterback but only have two sacks to show for it. Michigan State’s offensive line is a physical unit, but Miami has shown it can force quarterbacks into speeding up their decisions. The line-ofscrimmage battle will likely determine the outcome of Saturday’s game.