After making his first start of his career against Rutgers, redshirt freshman quarterback Katin Houser is confirmed to be making his second start against the Wolverines this weekend. Despite the three-point loss, he was rather successful in his first showing against Rutgers . He threw for over 130 yards and totaled three touchdowns, two of them coming through the air and one on the ground.

Houser will be the youngest quarterback by class to start versus Michigan since Jeff Smoker took down the top-ranked Wolverines in 2001 as a true sophomore.

While Michigan State’s offense has struggled this season, redshirt sophomore Nathan Carter has been a bright spot. He currently ranks fourth in the conference and 29th nationally in average rushing yards, going for 88 a game. He also leads the team in rushing touchdowns with four and all-purpose yards with 584, averaging 97.3 per match.

Redshirt junior linebacker Cal Haladay and the defense will be in for a tough test in trying to stop U-M’s run game. Haladay recorded his 250th tackle of his MSU career with an 11-yard sack against Rutgers. He currently leads his squad with 41 tackles.

Interim head coach Harlon Barnett is still looking for his first win at the helm of the program since former head coach Mel Tucker was fired for cause after the blowout loss against the No. 7 Huskies. Over the course of his coaching and playing career, he has totaled double-digit victories over Michigan, with his most recent coming in 2021 on Tucker’s staff.

This will be just the 28th time in Spartan history that a night game will be played in East Lansing. MSU is 20-7 in previous evening showdowns.

The Spartans have defeated U-M 22 times when the Wolverines have been ranked in the AP Top 25, and 12 times when they have been inside the top 10. The No. 2 Wolverines come into town with an undefeated record, most recently defeating the Indiana Hoosiers at home by a score of 52-7.

Kickoff is set for 7:33 p.m. on NBC. It can also be streamed on Peacock.