MSU wide receiver Alante Brown (0) and line backer Darius Snow (23) high five after a successful play from the Spartans at the first game of the season against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30, 2024 at Spartan Stadium.
After an upset win on a last-second field goal against Maryland last week, Michigan State will host Prairie View A&M at Spartan Stadium Saturday to possibly start 3-0 for the first time since 2021.
As a member of the FCS, Prairie View is a lesser-known program. The Panthers don’t play at the same level of competition the Spartans do, nor do they get as much national recognition.
Since 1978, FCS schools have beaten FBS schools 494 times out of 3552 games.
Even though Prairie View A&M is stacked up against the odds in East Lansing, college football is known to be unpredictable, and anything is possible.
“There's no such thing as a trap game. (Prairie View A&M) will have our full attention,” MSU Head Coach Jonathan Smith said after practice Monday. “We respect every opponent we play. We gotta put in the preparation Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We want to play our best football in this week three that we played all year.”
So far this season, the Panthers are 1-1 with a 27-9 loss to Texas Southern and a 37-31 win over Northwestern State. In 2023, the Panthers finished 6-6, posting a strong 6-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference record.
This game three was originally slated to host the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns, yet scheduling conflicts deteriorated the matchup before it ever happened. This now sets up the first ever matchup between Michigan State and Prairie View A&M.
Scouting the Panthers
Offense
Prairie View runs a balanced offense utilizing both its passing and running game. In 2023, under current head coach Bubba McDowell, the Panther offense put up 2118 passing yards and 1924 rushing yards and averaged 19 points per game.
This year, that balanced offense has seemed to stay true. Through two games, the Panthers have put the ball in the air 73 times for a total of 499 yards while keeping it on the ground 74 times for a total of 228 yards; they’ve averaged 27 points per game.
The star of the offense is senior wide receiver Shemar Savage, a 6-foot-4 receiver who is known for getting down field and finding holes in coverage. Over two games, Savage has caught 12 passes for 238 yards and one touchdown, ranking seventh in the FCS in receiving yards.
If the Spartans want to shut down the Panther passing game, they'll need to start with Savage.
As quarterback, Prairie View junior Cameron Peters will make just the second start of his collegiate career. Like the two previous quarterbacks this MSU defense has faced, Peters is a willing runner.
This season, Peters has gone 28-for-53 for 391 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. He's also added 32 yards on the ground with 11 carries. However, Peters is inexperienced and could struggle under the pressure of one of the liveliest environments he is likely to have ever played in.
With an offensive line that's given up eight sacks through two games, look for the Spartans to blitz the quarterback early.
“We had some opportunities last week in terms of getting to the quarterback, and that’s the emphasis this week, is being able to finish some of those," MSU defensive line coach Legi Suiaunoa said after practice Wednesday. “In terms of what this game means to us, it’s another great opportunity to play football, to chase our best football. We have an opponent that’s coming in and obviously we’re gonna pay our respects by preparing for them.”
With the unproven pass protection from Prairie View's offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback, the Panther run game may be required to step up against MSU.
Last year against SMU, the last FBS opponent the Panthers faced, Prairie View ran the ball 40 times out of 57 plays.
The Panthers utilize three running backs: junior Connor Wisham, senior Lamagea McDowell and senior Scooter Adams. The three-headed backfield touches the ball frequently, averaging 4.2 yards per run.
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With a confident MSU defense facing an FCS offensive system that's struggled against FBS schools, Joe Rossi's Spartan defense has the upper hand entering Saturday.
Defense
Prairie View’s defense has been its strong suit this season. The Panthers' total defense ranks 23rd in the FCS, 39th for rushing and 33rd for passing.
While Prairie View has held opponents to minimal yards through two games, it still has let up an average of 29 points per game, ranking 54th in FCS.
Part of its success can be credited to the defensive-minded McDowell, who is a former national champion and NFL veteran.
An issue for the Panthers this season has been creating turnovers, only forcing two thus far. For Michigan State, committing turnovers has been a recurring problem. This gives MSU an opportunity to tame its turnover tendencies.
MSU sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles has aired out the football in the first two games. Barring a schematic change, Saturday will bring more of the same. Chiles is coming off a 24-for-39 performance for 363 yards and three touchdowns, but also three interceptions.
He also sparked a connection with freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh, who recorded eight receptions for 194 yards and one touchdown. The Panther defense must be on high alert for an air-raid attack on Saturday.
The strength of this Prairie View defense is its linebacker core, particularly freshman linebacker Ayden Jones and sophomore linebacker Jayven Jackson. Jones is a solid tackler who excels in pass coverage, tallying one interception and one pass breakup through two games.
Jackson is a run-stuffer with the ability to get across the field and make plays, recording ten tackles thus far. The Panther defensive line has struggled getting to the quarterback and plugging holes in the running game, boding well for an emerging MSU offense.
Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 14, at Spartan Stadium. Big Ten Network will air the game.
