On Sept. 16, a 41-7 home loss to Washington started a six-game losing streak that included a three-point loss at Rutgers and a 49-point loss to Michigan.

The Spartans snapped their losing streak last week, defeating Nebraska 20-17 at home, forcing three turnovers and recording seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

Early in the fourth quarter, true freshman Sam Leavitt threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Montorie Foster Jr.

2. They have a temporary head coach.

After the school placed head coach Mel Tucker on administrative leave, long-time assistant Harlon Barnett was named acting head coach on September 10. Tucker was fired for cause in September after being accused of sexual harassment.

Barnett, a Cincinnati Princeton graduate, is a former Michigan State player who has worked in East Lansing for 15 of the last 17 seasons, including the previous three as secondary coach.

Early in the fourth quarter, true freshman Sam Leavitt threw the game-winning touchdown pass to Montorie Foster Jr.

Michigan State is ranked 72nd in the SP+ rankings, an advanced metric that ranks teams based on efficiency and explosiveness, among other things. The Spartans were ranked 42nd entering the season, but both offense and defense have underperformed as the team has dealt with the loss of its head coach.

They are ranked 103rd in SP+ offense and 36th in defense, and their traditional statistics are even worse.

Michigan State ranks 121st in scoring offense and 111th in total offense, thanks to a 116th-ranked running game and an 81st-ranked passing game.

The Spartans rank 45th in total defense, 42nd in rushing defense, and 55th in passing yards allowed, but rank 79th in scoring defense. 42nd in rushing defense and 55th in passing yards allowed, but they are 79th in passing efficiency defense and 72nd in points allowed per game (26.6).

Nate Carter, a 5-foot-10, 200-pound sophomore from Rochester, N.Y., leads the Big Ten in rushing with 73.2 yards per game, and sophomore Jaden Sangham leads the conference with four interceptions.

4. The Spartans have struggled with quarterback stability.

Noah Kim started the season as the starter, but he was replaced in Week 6 by Katin Houser.

Houser started last week and threw for 165 yards and a touchdown, but Leavitt has appeared in all three games.

 

According to MLive.com, Barnett would not say what the quarterback plan is this week, but Leavitt will not play the final three games if he prefers to redshirt, and Kim is unavailable due to injury.

Last year, Leavitt was a four-star prospect at West Linn High School in Oregon, and he has played in four games, which is the maximum allowed to save a season of eligibility.

Houser is a four-star prospect who is a sophomore at St. John Bosco Prep in California.

Noah Kim started the season as the starter, but he was replaced in Week 6 by Katin Houser.

Houser started last week and threw for 165 yards and a touchdown, but Leavitt has appeared in three games as a substitute.

But MSU has a history of upsets, including four times top 10 Ohio State squads lost to unranked Michigan State (1971, ‘72, ‘74 and ‘98).

The second-ranked Buckeyes were riding a 24-game winning streak when they dropped a 34-24 decision to No. 10 Michigan State in the 2013 Big Ten Championship Game, and Michigan State stunned defending national champion Ohio State 17-14 in 2015 to snatch away a trip to the Big Ten title game and College Football Playoff.

The Spartans have not beaten the Buckeyes since, dropping seven in a row, and only a 17-16 decision in 2016 was a close game.

Ohio State has won the last six games by at least 20 points, including a 56-7 wipeout the last time the teams played in Columbus (2021) and a 49-20 final last season.

Ohio State leads the all-time series 36-15.