Michigan State football game predictions vs. Minnesota: This one could go either way

Free Press sports writers share their predictions on the Michigan State Spartans' game against Minnesota on Saturday (3:30 p.m., Big Ten Network):

Carlos Monarrez

Watch out, Spartans fans! Don’t let those TV cameras catch you looking sad if the Gophers start piling up the points, which is almost a certainty under P.J. Fleck’s high-flying offense, which ranks eighth in scoring and second in total offense in FBS. At least quarterback Tanner Morgan isn’t Michael Penix Jr., so at least the East Lansing Fire Department won’t be called to put out the flames in MSU’s secondary this week. The pick: Minnesota 37, Michigan State 30.

Rainer Sabin

After the Spartans failed their first major test in a loss at Washington last Saturday, head coach Mel Tucker vowed there would be changes. Whether he can fix a porous pass defense, fortify a shaky offensive line and restore his team’s confidence in a week’s time is uncertain. But he deserves the benefit of the doubt based on last year, when MSU suffered a brutal defeat at Ohio State and came back a week later to beat Penn State by a field goal. The pick: Michigan State 26, Minnesota 23.

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Jeff Seidel

The Spartans’ pass defense was exposed against Washington. The good news for MSU? Minnesota relies on a running game. Think back to MSU’s goal-line stands against Washington and that’s what I see for this game. A stalemate in the trenches. To win this game, MSU will need a huge dose of Thorne and winning the line of scrimmage. Which is exactly what will happen. The pick: Michigan State 27, Minnesota 24.

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Chris Solari

Mohamed Ibrahim hammers away at the Spartans’ banged-up defensive line, giving Morgan enough cushion to then spread the ball around to his other targets and put MSU’s secondary on its heels again. Thorne keeps things close with his arm and legs, which helps free some running room for Jalen Berger and Jarek Broussard but not enough to sustain drives consistently. The pick: Minnesota 31, Michigan State 27.

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Shawn Windsor

When Mark Dantonio had things rolling, this was the kind of game he won regularly when his Spartans had to play a sneaky-tough opponent after a big-stage loss. If Tucker is what he appears to be, MSU will find a way to eke this out. To do that, Tucker and his staff need to give the ball to Thorne and let him win it. The pick: Michigan State 26, Minnesota 24.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football game predictions vs. Minnesota: A toss-up