After Ohio State blowout, Michigan State football gets winnable game at Indiana

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Looking back at Michigan State football’s 38-3 loss at Ohio State and looking ahead to the Spartans’ final road game of the season Saturday at Indiana.

Three things we learned

Not close: Interim coach Harlon Barnett said “we got a ways to go” to catch up with the Buckeyes, the third top-10 opponent the Spartans have faced this season. That’s an understatement. In games against current No. 3 OSU, No. 2 Michigan and No. 5 Washington, MSU was outscored 128-10 and 98-3 by halftime. Those three opponents outgained MSU in yardage, 1,720-625, and had an 82-36 edge in first downs. The Buckeyes beat the Spartans for the eighth straight time, a streak with a 320-77 scoring margin and a 205-42 differential in the past four meetings.

Tough task: With sophomore Dillon Tatum done for the season with an undisclosed injury, true freshman cornerback Chance Rucker lined up against All-American and Heisman Trophy candidate Marvin Harrison Jr. It wasn’t a contest for anyone the Spartans put on the OSU receiver, who had seven catches for 149 yards and scored the Buckeyes’ first three touchdowns — a 19-yard run, then scoring catches from Kyle McCord of 26 and 9 yards. McCord torched MSU for 335 yards and three touchdowns. OSU has thrown for 1,179 yards on the Spartans in the past three meetings.

Their Houser: Katin Houser completed 12 of 24 passes for 92 yards, but Barnett said the redshirt freshman will remain MSU’s starting quarterback for the final two games. That’s because true freshman Sam Leavitt plans to preserve a redshirt season after playing in four games in 2023, leaving Houser and redshirt junior walk-on Andrew Schorfhaar as the Spartans’ active quarterbacks. Junior Noah Kim, who started the first five games, remains out with an undisclosed injury and did not travel to Columbus. In his five starts, Houser is averaging a meager 121.6 passing yards and completing 57.3% of his attempts (67-for-117) with one interception. He has three touchdown passes in those starts. MSU ranks 127th out of 130 Football Bowl Subdivision teams in scoring at 16.7 points per game, and its offense is 121st at 305.4 yards per game.

Next up: Hoosiers

Matchup: Michigan State (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) at Indiana (3-7, 1-6).

Kickoff: Noon Saturday; Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network, WJR-AM (760).

Line: Hoosiers by 4½.

Know the foe

The Hoosiers’ quest for bowl eligibility likely ended Saturday with their 48-45 overtime loss at Illinois. Quarterback Brendan Sorsby threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns but Indiana allowed 507 passing yards and 662 total yards to the Illini. Coach Tom Allen's team ranks 106th in both scoring offense (21.4 points) and total offense (324.3 yards). The Hoosiers' 30 points allowed per game is 101st, and the 391.1 yards given up ranks 83rd.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Following route, Michigan State football gets winnable game at Indiana