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The Indiana Daily Student

sports football

IU looking to learn quickly from mistakes before taking on Michigan State

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The similarities between IU football’s next opponent and its previous one go beyond just the state name shared by the two schools.

When the Hoosiers travel north to play No. 18 Michigan State on Saturday, they’ll get another shot at facing one of the best defenses in the country. 

Michigan State boasts a blitz-heavy unit that's stingy on yards and points. This isn't unlike the Michigan team IU suffered a podium-pounding loss to this past weekend.

IU Coach Tom Allen is optimistic there were lessons learned against the Wolverines that can transfer to this week’s game against the Spartans.

“We had a chance to teach about field position in certain situations in that game, and we were able to see the benefit of it,” Allen said. “And how that changes everything for us.”

For the second week in a row, IU will need the assistance of some big plays to score points against a staunch defense.

Michigan State (5-1, 3-0 in the Big Ten) is fourth in the NCAA in yards allowed this season, just three spots behind the Michigan team that sent IU’s offense trudging to the sidelines with repeated three-and-outs Saturday.

The Spartans often stack their front defenders up near the line of scrimmage to protect against the run. Thus far this season, it has worked. 

Michigan State has allowed just 560 rushing yards – or 93.3 per game – to opposing teams this season, the seventh-fewest in the country.

Throwing the ball against the Spartans’ 12th-best passing defense in the NCAA won’t be much easier for the Hoosiers, but IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said his freshman quarterback Peyton Ramsey will be dared to make plays with his arm.

“Seems like that’s the key word every week now, but they’re a blitzing team,” DeBord said. They like to really load the box up. They like to force you to throw the football.”

Ramsey will mostly be tasked with playing the game-manager role that saw him complete 20 of 41 passes for 178 yards to go along with a touchdown and two interceptions against Michigan.

Aside from the interceptions, DeBord said he liked the accuracy he saw from the freshman. In IU’s final two drives of regulation, where the Hoosiers scored a touchdown and a game-tying field goal, Ramsey completed five passes for 62 yards.

“His ball location was really good in that game,” DeBord said. “So I think he learned that. I think he took a lot of things out of that game that’ll continue to help his development.”

The next stage in that development will be Ramsey’s first career road start as IU tries to retain the Old Brass Spittoon, its rivalry trophy with Michigan State.

It’s not going to be easy, as the Spartans have picked off opposing quarterbacks six times, while allowing just four passing touchdowns all season. Allen said it’ll help his team to spend a second consecutive week preparing for a nasty defense like the one he saw in Michigan, but that doesn’t make the opponent any easier to face on the field.

“They play hard, they play physical, they're fundamentally sound and don't give you – there's just not a lot of creases,” Allen said of Michigan State. “Good, solid, fundamental defense.”

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