“If you stop this, (Nebraska offensive coordinator Dana Holgorsen) will go to that. If you stop that, he’ll go over there,” head coach Pat Fitzgerald said. “He’s got complete control, and they’ve got really talented guys. So it’s a very impressive offense.”

Fitzgerald's first Big Ten contest in 1,398 days is set for 5 p.m. on Saturday at Spartan Stadium against Nebraska. 

It’s clear fourth-year head coach Matt Rhule will want to keep the ball on the ground, especially on the road in Nebraska’s first test against a Power Four school. It’s been the team’s identity to this point, and is the reason the Cornhuskers have outscored their opponents by 104 through three games. 

Nebraska running back Jamal Rule emerged as the engine of its offense in his freshman season. The three-star recruit entered the season with little expectation of becoming a star in year one, but his 8.7 yards per carry and 5 rushing touchdowns have quickly drawn attention. Michigan State had Rule on its radar late in the recruiting process. His final visit was to East Lansing before ultimately deciding on Nebraska.

Alongside Rule is another player who can hurt the Spartans with his legs: quarterback Anthony Colandrea. Last season at UNLV, Colandrea carried the ball 127 times for 649 yards and double-digit touchdowns. The former Rebel already has two rushing scores for 75 rushing yards, proving he’s still a two-way threat after jumping to a Power Four program. The Spartans will need to keep Colandrea contained; otherwise, he can extend broken plays into massive gains.

It’s not going to be easy, considering the Spartans just allowed 161 yards on the ground with three touchdowns. Fitzgerald called it the team's “worst tackling game of the season,” something that will require improvement throughout the week if MSU plans on its first conference win.

“We have got to fit the plays properly,” Fitzgerald said. “So we got to tackle better. We got to block-destruct better. We need to win on the perimeter.”

That task will be even more challenging with MSU dealing with two injured linebackers.

Senior linebacker Jordan Hall will be available against Nebraska. The two-time captain missed the Eastern Michigan game with a right arm injury before returning to play No. 3 Notre Dame. He suited up with a brace and immediately made his impact known, accumulating 13 total tackles.

“I think Jordan knows Joe (Rossi's) defense maybe better than Joe does,” Fitzgerald said. “I think it’s pretty evident to everybody within the organization that Jordan is an extension of Joe on the field, from the coordinator to the field. I think he’s a calming force for a lot of our younger players and first-time guys in the defense, which is an overwhelming majority of our defense.”

The more pressing injury concerns revolve around sophomore linebacker Brady Pretzlaff. The Gaylord native made significant strides since arriving at MSU and has become a pivotal part of defensive coordinator Joe Rossi’s defense. MSU missed that production from Pretzlaff on Saturday, when he left the game after making a disjointed tackle, and the Spartans’ run defense plummeted.

In MSU's first injury report of the season, Pretzlaff was listed as out. The Spartans will need increased production from graduate linebacker Caleb Wheatland and senior linebacker Dion Crawford in Pretzlaff's absence.

Regardless of who lines up at linebacker, the Spartans know what they have to clean up in order to prepare for this Nebraska offense. The Huskers have too many weapons; if the defense misfits another gap or misses another tackle, Nebraska will capitalize. The defensive game plan is simple: stop the run and make every yard count.