Despite U-M being favored by nearly 24-points, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio is not expecting his team to come out flat, especially considering their in-state rival will be invading their home stadium Saturday afternoon.

“They’ve got a good football team,” Dantonio said. “The challenge is there, there’s no question about that. Can we win? Yeah, we can win. I firmly believe that. I know none of you do, but that’s why I’m coaching.”

Dantonio and company have won seven of the last eight meetings against the Wolverines, including a dramatic game-ending touchdown off a blocked punt in last year’s contest. Wolverine head coach Jim Harbaugh and his squad will be looking for revenge come Saturday, and here’s what to expect from the game.

INJURY REPORT

U-M

OUT: RB Kareem Walker (academics), OL Grant Newsome (knee), CB Jeremy Clark (knee)

QUESTIONABLE: RB Chris Evans (concussion), FB Khalid Hill (undisclosed)

PROBABLE: WR Grant Perry (suspension)

MSU

OUT: LB Jon Reschke (ankle)

QUESTIONABLE: QB Damion Terry (hand), QB Tyler O’Connor (foot), OL David Beedle (undisclosed), S Grayson Miller (undisclosed)

WHAT TO EXPECT

1. Battling a stellar defense

It’s pretty simple –– U-M has the best statistical defense in the country. They rank first in the nation in categories like total defense (207 yards per game), scoring defense (10 points per game), passing defense (111 yards per game) and third-down defense (13 percent conversion for opponents).

“We've just got to show who's the tougher team in Michigan,” senior receiver R.J. Shelton said. “You know, we know we can come out here and do what we need to do against Michigan, but again, it just goes to guys believing in themselves first, guys winning their individual battles, you know, and obviously offense, defense, special teams coming and making the plays when it's critical and when it's time need be. The tougher team that out-toughs offense, defense, and wins on special teams is going to win this game.”

The Wolverines are led defensively by senior linebacker Ben Gedeon’s 57 tackles (8.5 for loss), junior linebacker Jabrill Peppers's 41 tackles (10.5 for loss), and senior cornerback Channing Stribling’s three interceptions. 

U-M is strong across the board defensively, and MSU has to prepare this week for some stout defense, and possibly figure out some new offensive schemes to make the Wolverines look somewhat lackluster on the defensive side of the ball

2. Slowing down U-M’s rushing attack

Though the Wolverines rank 78th nationally in passing offense, their lowest major team statistic, the offense more than makes up for the yardage by amassing 257.1 yards on the ground per game, led by freshman running back Chris Evans, whose 416 yards on just 49 attempts is good for an 8.5 average.

Overall, it really doesn’t seem to matter who's in the backfield for U-M. They have four rushers over 300 yards and have scored 28 rushing touchdowns in just seven games, including eight from fullback Khalid Hill, who just has 25 yards rushing all season.

“They do a great job and a great job of scheming, so now you have great football players but with a great plan too,” co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said. “You have to stay focused and understand where guys are, the eye control and technique and all those things, are big this week. You have to stay focused and be ready to go.”

On the year, the Wolverines have carried the ball 329 times compared to just 202 throws. Granted, U-M has had large leads heading into the fourth quarter, so they keep the ball on the ground to help bleed the clock. 

Needless to say, MSU's leading tacklers in safety Montae Nicholson and linebacker Chris Frey will have to be ready to stop U-M's ground and pound style of offense. 

3. Taking things personal

Like any rivalry game, the stakes are a little bit higher coming into the game. But tomorrow, with the Spartans sitting at 2-5 on the year, this is the biggest game of their season. And for a senior class who has never lost to U-M, it adds that much more to finish their careers flawless against the Wolverines.

“It is a special opportunity and something that we can cherish, that our class can go down as being known for a team that went 4-0 against Michigan, so I don't think we're going to shy away from that, just because Michigan is having a great season and undefeated so far,” senior tight end Josiah Price said. “We're still going to try and bring that mentality that we've got to come ready to play and that we can win this game and that we will win this game.”

The Paul Bunyan trophy has resided in East Lansing seven of the past eight seasons. The Spartans lone loss in the past eight years was in 2012, the season most compared to MSU’s down year. This time, MSU has the chance to potentially ruin U-M’s chances for a slot in the college football playoff. 

“We're just extremely excited to play this game,” senior linebacker Riley Bullough said. “We can't wait to be out in front of Spartan Nation and play a great game. We've been not executing the way that we should be the last five weeks, so our biggest thing, we just want to go out there and get a win, not only just for us, but for Spartan Nation so they can hang their hat on something as well as we can, so we're just excited for 12:00 noon on Saturday.”

4. The Harbaugh effect

Since taking over last season, Harbaugh has led the Wolverines to a 17-3 record with losses to just the university of Utah, MSU and Ohio State University last season. Now, after turning in one of the nation’s best recruiting classes, he has his Wolverines at 7-0 and his eccentric attitude has taking Ann Arbor by storm.

Under the Harbaugh shenanigans lays a great football coach, and Dantonio is focused on that aspect of Harbaugh.

“I think he looks at everything,” Dantonio said. “I think he keeps you off-base, what he’s doing in terms of offensive football and things of that nature. I think he’s going to be extremely hands-on with his football team. You can see him touching many different facets of his football team.”

The game’s intense rivalry may boil down to which coach gets his players up and ready to play with a different kind of fire on the field. And though Dantonio has faced some scrutiny this season, his players' faith in him is still incredibly high heading into Saturday’s game.

“Just look at the kind of man he is and the character that he carries himself personally and with our program,” Price said. “I think he's turned a lot of things around in this program and done a lot of great things for a lot of great people here.”

PREDICTIONS

NATE BOTT: It will be very difficult for MSU to slow down U-M’s offense, and even harder to generate prime scoring opportunities against the Wolverine defense. The Spartans will keep it close as against their biggest rivals, but ultimately, U-M’s athleticism and playmakers find a way to make it seven of nine against MSU.

U-M 35, MSU 21

MVP: Riley Bullough: The senior linebacker had his worst outing as a Spartan against Maryland, committing two personal fouls before being ejected in the first quarter for targeting. Bullough bounces back with double digit tackles and forces a turnover to keep Spartan faith alive.

STEPHEN OLSCHANSKI: MSU's offensive line still has not put a consistent effort together since week two and now faces the nation's leading sack defense. Expect whoever plays at quarterback to go down often. U-M's defense is the best in the country and will probably hang some points on the board. MSU's defense still has trouble getting to the quarterback so Wilton Speight will have a lot of time to make throws for a high-flying Michigan offense. 

U-M 55, MSU 10

MVP: Wilton Speight: Michigan quarterbacks haven't fared well against MSU in a long time, but expect Speight to be the exception. He's been accurate all year with a 60-plus completion percentage and spreads the ball nicely. While not a star quarterback, he's more than capable of delivering wins. He threw for 253 yards, against Illinois, so expect similar numbers.