Michigan State Football has spent the first month of its season in East Lansing, but now, in week five, the team is heading to Iowa City for its first game away from Spartan Stadium of 2023. The matchup against Iowa is a chance to break the Spartan's two game losing streak after starting out the season 2-0 in a primetime showdown with the 3-1 Hawkeyes.
The Spartans have been banged up as of late, missing three key defensive starters in their Big Ten opening loss against Maryland in junior defensive back Charles Brantley, redshirt senior linebacker Jacoby Windmon and redshirt senior defensive lineman Khris Bogle. Interim head coach Harlon Barnett, now in his third game leading MSU with Mel Tucker officially fired, said in his weekly press conference that he is, ”expecting some guys to be back soon.”
While the team has not seemed to be in sync over the past two weeks in back-to-back losses, Barnett thinks that their first opportunity to go on the road together could lead to better on-field camaraderie.
“All we have is all we got right here,” Barnett said. “We become closer together on bus rides and getting on the plane together. We're together in a more intimate fashion on the road than you're in a lot of times when you are home and so I’m excited about this. This is a road trip to a very hostile environment. I told them though, there will be a lot of fans out there but it’s still 11 on 11. They're not playing so don't get caught up in that and you're good. I always loved to play on the road personally, so it should be a lot of fun and we’re going to enjoy the atmosphere.”
Iowa currently leads the all time series by just two games with a 24-22-2 record. MSU has played well against the Big Ten West foe recently though, taking the last three of four contests.
Last time these two faced off was during the 2020 COVID season when barely any fans were allowed to pack the stands. Michigan State did not fare well in that matchup, unlike the previous three, dropping the match by 42 points.
The Hawkeyes are known for always having a stout defense, but Barnett and the Spartans are looking to their own defense to put together a solid effort after being gashed the past two weeks in order to keep themselves in the game.
“They don't have issues, they're really, really good,” Barnett said. “Coach Ferentz, who I know from back in Cleveland Browns days, is a great dude, great coach, great offensive line coach and they pride themselves on running the football. And so we're going to have to be able to stop the run and then also control the passing game. We have put together a plan that we hope will allow us to do just that. We know they're a tough team, especially at home. And don't pay attention to what you've seen in the past. Last time we were up there we got our butts kicked. Each game was a new game, so we're taking them seriously.”
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on NBC.
