Quarterbacks

MSU sophomore Drew Stanton had another solid performance last week against Iowa. Stanton seemed to be more comfortable throwing the ball, going 29-for-54 for 245 yards passing.

He was still able to run the ball successfully as well, rushing 15 times for 89 yards.

While Stanton gets comfortable, Illinois has a three-man rotation at quarterback, at least they played all three against Wisconsin last week. Senior Jon Beutjer, sophomore Chris Pazan and redshirt freshman Brad Bower have all seen time throughout the year for the Fighting Illini. Beutjer has seen the most time and is the most experienced, but the Illini seem to be indecisive on who they want to play.

Advantage: MSU

Running backs

MSU junior Jason Teague, redshirt freshman Jehuu Caulcrick and senior DeAndra Cobb have done a good job, but it is Stanton who leads the team in rushing with 315 yards. When the quarterback leads the team in rushing, then that's less carries and yards for the backs.

The Fighting Illini have a two-pronged attack with sophomores E.B. Halsey and Pierre Thomas. Halsey gets most of the carries and is a potential all-Big Ten selection at running back. Thomas has a little more than half the carries Halsey has got to this point, but has been just as effective.

Advantage: Illinois

Receivers

Every week a different wide receiver leads the team in receptions, and this week it was redshirt freshman Terry Love. Love emerged in the Iowa game, grabbing nine balls for 103 yards. Sophomore Jerramy Scott also had a solid game with seven catches for 50 yards.

Illinois on the other hand, has one guy, junior Kendrick Jones, who has 20 catches on the season. After that, the next two players on the receptions list are running backs, Halsey and junior Jason Davis.

Advantage: MSU

Offensive line

The Spartans line is still holding up strong, despite the fact that junior tackle Stefon Wheeler has not played the last two weeks. Junior Gordon Niebylski has filled in for Wheeler, and the group has allowed MSU runners to reach the 200-yard mark in both games.

The Illinois line has a mix of experienced and inexperienced players. They have given up 10 sacks on the season, the third worst of any Big Ten team.

Advantage: MSU

Defensive line

The MSU defensive line has been disappointing as far as pressuring the quarterback, but improved in conference games stopping the run. The Spartans are only giving up 114.5 yards per game in two conference games.

The Illini have a fairly inexperienced defensive line, especially in comparison to the MSU line. Illinois' group consists of two new starters and two second-year starters. The inexperience is the difference.

Advantage: MSU

Linebackers

Senior Matt Sinclair leads the Illini in tackles and was an all-Big Ten Honorable mention selection last season. He gets help from fellow senior Mike Gawelek and redshirt freshman Anthony Thornhill.

MSU is led by senior Ronald Stanley and sophomore David Herron Jr. Stanley is second on MSU with 46 tackles and Herron has 38 tackles and picked up the first sack of his career against Iowa.

Advantage: Even

Defensive backs

The Illinois defensive backs have not performed great. They have had to make a lot of tackles, which means teams are throwing at them. The group only has four interceptions on the season and give up an average of 246.6 yards per game.

The Spartans are led by their safeties, senior Jason Harmon and Eric Smith, who make a lot of tackles.

Senior cornerback Roderick Maples is second in the conference in passes defended with nine.

Advantage: MSU

Special teams

Senior place-kicker Dave Rayner is starting to warm up. After missing three field goals in three games, he has only missed one in the last two games. Sophomore punter Brandon Fields did not have a good game against Iowa, but he still leads the conference in punting.

Illinois has a solid kick return game, as does MSU, and their kickers have done just about as good as Rayner and Fields. The Illini are second in punting and have missed the same number of field goals as Rayner- four.

Advantage: Even

Coaching

While MSU head coach John L. Smith continues to try and get his team going, Illinois head coach Ron Turner is just trying to avoid another winless Big Ten season. Smith does a good job getting his team ready, now can he get them to play the way they are supposed to. Turner has a combined three wins in the last season and a half.

Advantage: MSU