Both teams enter this week’s matchup on high notes with the Spartans coming off a victory last week against Maryland, and Rutgers becoming bowl eligible a week ago by beating Indiana.

The Scarlet Knights are led by senior quarterback Gary Nova, who has thrown for a school record 67 touchdown passes during his career at Rutgers. Nova has thrown for 2,212 yards and 16 touchdowns this season, but it's his dual-threat ability that junior cornerback Trae Waynes pointed to as a defining reason why he’s talented quarterback. Waynes said he is similar to a number of quarterbacks MSU has seen this year because of his mobility.

“He compares to a few quarterbacks because he’s a running quarterback and he is known for running and throwing on the move,” Waynes said. “We have seen that before so I would say he fairs that way.”

Waynes quickly denied that despite being projected by many to be a first round pick in next year’s NFL Draft that this will be his final game at Spartan Stadium. However, that isn’t the case for 17 seniors on MSU’s roster.

MSU will hold a pregame cermony for all of the seniors which will include family members joining the team on the field before kickoff. Head coach Mark Dantonio said the event is very emotional and surely can have an effect on the team before the game.

“We try to make it as seamless as we can, but it's an emotional time,” Dantonio said. “They're more than just football players, they're guys that you've been around for five years and you brought (them) in as an 18?year?old freshman. When they're leaving, they're 22 years old.

You sort of see that chapter close, and it is an emotional time because there is a lot tied up. There is a lot of sacrifice, hard work, toughness, celebration, disappointment. You go through all those different experiences, I think, as a coach with your players.”

Jeremy Langford is one of the 17 Spartans that’ll be playing his final game at Spartan Stadium on Saturday and he’ll soak in every moment of it. The fifth year senior running back has had his ups and downs throughout his time in East Lansing, but over the past two season he's made a number of big plays including last year’s Big Ten Championship Game clinching fourth quarter 26-yard touchdown run.

On Tuesday Langford said that play was his favorite memory during his time at MSU and now looking back at his career he realizes how quickly it comes and goes.

“It has gone by fast, just thinking about the past games it really has gone by fast,” Langford said. “Players before us said that to me and when you’re younger you don’t really pay attention, you’re just like ‘oh five years can’t go by fast’ but it has gone by fast. I told Delton Williams earlier, it’s hard to believe that this is my last time in Spartan Stadium.”