Here’s how the teams stack up ahead of Saturday’s matchup.

Michigan State

The Spartans have been struggling this season. The defense has shown no improvement from last season, and the offense hasn’t proven to be the asset it was a year ago. 

The passing defense is ranked 122nd in the FBS, allowing 292 yards per game. It’s become apparent that even teams that rely heavily on the run game, such as Minnesota, are able to throw for hundreds of yards against the Spartan defense.

While the run defense has been slightly better, it’s still not at the level it needs to be in order to be competitive. On average, they’ve allowed 153.5 yards per game and are ranked 87th in the country. 

One of the bright spots, however, has been the addition of senior linebacker Jacoby Windmon who has been playing on the defensive line this season and currently leads the FBS in forced fumbles with five.

While the offense has fared better than the defense, it’s nowhere near the level it was at last season. The Spartans had a star in running back Kenneth Walker III, but with his departure to the NFL, the team has been stuck with a relatively one-dimensional offense, unable to get the run game going. The rushing offense is ranked 114th in the nation, averaging 107.3 yards per game. 

Much of the offensive firepower the Spartans have been able to muster has come from the passing game. In fact, MSU matches up pretty well with Wisconsin when it comes to average passing yards per game, as only half a yard separates the two programs in this stat column. 

Redshirt junior quarterback Payton Thorne revealed Tuesday that he hasn’t been physically 100% since the season opener against Western Michigan, but is working on getting there. With shakiness coming from both sides of the ball, Thorne being at his best is likely something MSU will need if they hope to get back in the win column Saturday.

Wisconsin

The Badgers also aren’t having the season they had hoped for. They fired their head coach Paul Chryst after an embarrassing 34-10 loss to Illinois at home. Since then, however, they traveled to Northwestern and came back with a 42-7 victory, so they will likely be coming into East Lansing with some new found momentum.

Wisconsin leads MSU in four major statistical categories: passing offense, passing yards allowed, rushing offense and rushing defense.

Sophomore running back Braelon Allen will likely pose the highest threat on the ground for the Spartans. He leads the team in rushing yards and was even able to run for 165 yards against No. 3 Ohio State who MSU most recently lost to.

Junior quarterback Graham Mertz could also prove to be a problem for the Spartan secondary. While he's had an up and down tenure at Wisconsin, he threw for 299 yards and five touchdowns against Northwestern and will be looking to continue his success Saturday.

Defensively, junior inside linebacker Maema Njongmeta has led the way for the Badgers this season, leading the team with 38 tackles, including a season high nine against OSU.