Since 2022, Spartan Stadium has seen just five Big Ten wins, one of them led by the same quarterback who will return to East Lansing on Saturday, this time in orange and blue.

“I may only know like four to five guys on the team (MSU) that I’ve been there with,” Houser told Fox Illinois in March. “It’s a lot of turnover. A lot of different guys, a whole new staff.”

Houser's time in East Lansing came in the middle of that turmoil. After a 2-0 start to the 2023 season, head coach Mel Tucker was fired for cause, leaving the team with interim head coach Harlon Barnett for the final 10 games. After starting quarterback Noah Kim struggled through the first five weeks, freshman Houser started the final seven games. 

He finished 2-5 as a starter, including a 24-21 victory at Indiana, the last time MSU beat a rival. Houser totaled 1,130 yards, six touchdowns, five interceptions and added two touchdowns on the ground.

As a former four-star recruit, according to 247Sports, with seven starts under his belt as a freshman, Houser looked like a viable future quarterback for the Spartans. 

That vision didn't last long. Just two days after MSU hired Jonathan Smith on Nov. 25, Houser announced his intent to enter the transfer portal, as quarterback Aidan Chiles was likely to follow Smith from Oregon State. Houser was one of three Spartan quarterbacks to enter the portal that offseason, along with Kim and then-freshman Sam Leavitt, now a top NFL draft prospect at LSU.

Since Houser left, MSU's biggest change has been at the top of the program, with two head coaches in three years. Success, however, has remained limited: a promising 5-7 season in 2024, a 4-8 finish last season with just one Big Ten win and now, a 2-3 start.

Meanwhile, Houser developed into one of the Big Ten's most experienced quarterbacks, entering Saturday's matchup with 31 career starts, the fifth most in the conference.

After entering the portal, Houser signed with East Carolina, where he started seven games in 2024 and went 5-2, throwing for 2,006 yards, 18 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

In 2025, he finally started an entire season as a junior. In 12 games, he threw for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns with six interceptions, while also tacking on nine rushing touchdowns, leading the Pirates to an 8-4 regular season.

Now he's back in the Big Ten with Illinois. Through five games, he's thrown for 1,246 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has also run for 106 yards and a touchdown.

“You look at last week, put together a couple really spectacular drives with his arm and then extended plays with his legs,” MSU head coach Pat Fitzgerald said at Monday’s press conference. “He’s played pretty dang clean.”

Despite those numbers, Houser is still looking for his first Big Ten win with Illinois. Saturday gives him a chance to get it in the same stadium where he earned his first career victory in 2023.

MSU (2-3) will look to take down its former quarterback and send its Homecoming crowd home happy with a win over Illinois (2-3). Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The game will air on FS1.