In 2018 Shakur Brown and Jalen Nailor played big roles in a Spartan win over the Hoosiers.
In 2019 Michigan State won a homecoming game against Indiana en route to a 7-6 season.
Following loss to Iowa, Spartans hope to repeat 2018 performance against Indiana
Michigan State receiver Jalen Nailor catches a pass while being guarded by Iowa defensive back Riley Moss on Nov. 7, 2020, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. The Spartans lost 49-7 in their first meeting with Iowa since 2017. Photo Courtesy of MSU Athletic Communications.
In 2020 MSU is hoping for the finale to the trilogy.
In Bloomington on Sept. 22 2018, Nailor was the leader on offense and Brown, who had a 69-yard pick-six in a breakout performance was his partner in crime on defense.
"I know we had just came off the field, a few plays down the drive he had the pick-six," Nailor said Wednesday. "That was a real momentum changer for us ... watching Shakur play everyday and just practice every day, he's a competitor."
The game in 2018 was one of a few bright spots for a Spartan team that, following a loss to Oregon in the Redbox Bowl, went 7-6 a year after doing 10-3.
It was Nailor's breakout and Brown's first signs that he could be a starter for MSU.
Now, MSU will try for a repeat of 2018 against an Indiana team that looks like it could make a run for the Big Ten Championship, even if the road goes through Ohio State.
A comeback game and the battle for the Old Brass Spitoon
MSU and Indiana are, classically, the battle for the Old Brass Spitoon.
A second trophy game in three weeks, MSU, who is reeling after a 49-7 loss at Iowa on Saturday, is just focused on "consistency" ahead of Saturday's matchup with No. 10 Indiana.
"It's (Indiana) a well-rounded football team," head coach Mel Tucker said Tuesday. "I can see why they're 3-0, I can see why they're ranked in the top 10. Certainly have a lot of respect for the way they're coached and the way they've built that program."
Indiana is coming off a win over a then-No. 23 Michigan team that ran, jumped and passed them into the AP top-10. It was a season-defining win for the Hoosiers, who look to be increasingly better from last season, which ended with a painfully close 23-22 loss to Tennessee in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
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But these teams are in different places now.
Lefty quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was 30-for-50 passing last week against the Wolverines, setting a career-high at 342 passing yards. MSU, is looking for consistency at the position after quarterback Rocky Lombardi threw three interceptions against Iowa.
"Last week's game was unacceptable," Tucker said. "We've looked at the tape."
And now the team is "moving forward," Tucker said.
It's exactly what the Spartans will need to do after a 42-point loss.
And that, Tucker explained, must be founded in every facet of the team. That and cutting turnovers from the equation is exactly what the Spartans will need to do in preparing for an Indiana team that only gives up 364 yards per game, which is fifth in the conference.
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"We're just preparing for them in the week, it's going to be a challenge," Brown said, simply.
Saturday will say a lot about this team and how they are able to bounce back, Tucker, Nailor and Brown all recognize that.
Turnovers and inconsistency are the major factors Saturday, if the Spartans are able to align those things to what fans saw against U of M, then it could be a game.
