Michigan State
Michigan State is 3-6 and No. 58 of 138 in the machine's ratings, 1.9 points better than an average FBS team. Last game: won 15-6 at Michigan in Week 10.
Week 11: vs Washington, Saturday, Nov 14: the matchup, unit by unit
Why Michigan State is No. 58
- Michigan State's rating is 1.9: the machine's estimate that Michigan State is 1.9 points better than an average FBS team on a neutral field. That is No. 58 of 138. For scale, 0 is an average FBS team: right now the closest to it is No. 68 Arizona State (0.2).
- It started the season at 0.3, ESPN's preseason Football Power Index from July. Its results since have moved it up 1.6.
- The biggest weekly moves: −2.0 after Week 5 (L 3-31 at Wisconsin) and +2.0 after Week 3 (L 10-27 at Notre Dame).
- Its record is 3-6. The 6 losses were to No. 5 Notre Dame, No. 23 Nebraska, No. 31 Wisconsin, No. 39 Northwestern, No. 40 UCLA, No. 42 Illinois, by 14.2 points on average. The 3 wins came by 15.7 points on average; the best was over No. 36 Michigan. The rating weighs how much a team won or lost by and against whom, not just the win-loss count.
- Its FBS opponents so far average No. 48 in the machine's ratings.
- Just above is No. 57 Memphis (2.1); just below is No. 59 West Virginia (1.9).
The rating, week by week
Strengths and weak spots
Head coach
Pat Fitzgerald is in his 1st season at Michigan State. This season: 3-6.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Team stats
Season totals and averages over 9 games, each with its national rank among 138 FBS teams (No. 1 = best). The game-by-game story is in the season, week by week.
Passing
| Completions-attempts | 164-254 |
|---|---|
| Passing yards | 1638 |
| Touchdowns-interceptions | 8-6 |
| Yards per attempt* | 6.4No. 118 of 138 |
| Explosive pass rate | 6.6%No. 133 of 138 |
| Sacks allowed (rate) | 8.0%No. 118 of 138 |
Rushing
| Carries-yards | 324-991 |
|---|---|
| Yards per carry | 3.1No. 133 of 138 |
| 10-plus-yard runs (rate) | 7.1%No. 138 of 138 |
| Stuffed at or behind the line (rate) | 18.0%No. 83 of 138 |
Scoring
| Points per game | 19.3No. 129 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play | 4.62No. 136 of 138 |
| Third-down rate | 39.0%No. 82 of 138 |
| Red-zone TD rate | 46.4%No. 124 of 138 |
| Giveaways | 11No. 65 of 138 |
Defense
| Points allowed per game | 23.6No. 60 of 138 |
|---|---|
| Yards per play allowed | 5.46No. 61 of 138 |
| Yards per pass attempt allowed | 7.2No. 73 of 138 |
| Yards per carry allowed | 4.0No. 69 of 138 |
| Sack rate | 6.3%No. 52 of 138 |
| Takeaways | 9No. 102 of 138 |
| Third-down rate allowed | 39.5%No. 83 of 138 |
Totals are the official box score. * Yards per attempt and the rates come from the play-by-play, where passing yards count on completions only, so they can differ from the box score by a play or two.
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Player leaders
The top 3 in each category over the same games. Passing yards count every completion (official box score).
Passing
- Alessio Milivojevic142-217, 1451 yds, 7 TD, 3 INT
- Leo Hannan9-15, 67 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
- Cam Fancher8-11, 59 yds, 0 TD, 1 INT
Rushing
- Jaziun Patterson76 carries, 327 yds, 5 TD
- Camryn Edwards64 carries, 304 yds, 3 TD
- Brandon Tullis36 carries, 139 yds, 0 TD
Receiving
- Chrishon Mccray35 catches, 381 yds, 1 TD
- Jayden Savoury29 catches, 271 yds, 0 TD
- Rodney Bullard Jr.22 catches, 253 yds, 1 TD
Tackles
- Devin Vaught55
- Dion Crawford52
- Nikai Martinez45
Sacks
- Anelu Lafaele3.5
- Eli Coenen3.5
- Ben Roberts2
Interceptions
- Devin Vaught2
- Kenny Soares Jr.1
- NiJhay Burt1
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
Who's playing
Based on who has actually played this season, from the box scores, not the team's published depth chart. Each bar is that player's share of the team's attempts, carries (quarterbacks left out), catches or tackles. The box score lists no positions, so there is no offensive line here.
Throwing
- Alessio MilivojevicMost passes in the last game8 games217 attempts85%
- Leo Hannan1 game15 attempts6%
- Cam Fancher4 games11 attempts4%
- Kayd Coffman1 game10 attempts4%
Carrying
- Jaziun Patterson6 games76 carries30%
- Camryn Edwards4 games64 carries25%
- Brandon Tullis5 games36 carries14%
- Marvis Parrish8 games35 carries14%
Catching
- Chrishon Mccray9 games35 catches21%
- Jayden Savoury8 games29 catches18%
- Fredrick Moore9 games22 catches13%
- Rodney Bullard Jr.8 games22 catches13%
Tackling
- Devin Vaught9 games55 tackles10%
- Dion Crawford8 games52 tackles9%
- Nikai Martinez9 games45 tackles8%
- Cam Stodghill7 games36 tackles6%
Data provided by CollegeFootballData.com.
The season, week by week
- Week 1 W 30–20 vs Toledo. The run defense was the strength: Toledo got 3.9 yards a carry, 1.0 under what it usually gains.
- Week 2 W 35–7 vs Eastern Michigan. The run game was the strength: 5.7 yards a carry, 1.6 more than Eastern Michigan usually allows. Its most yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 3 L 10–27 at Notre Dame. The run game struggled: 1.6 yards a carry, 1.4 less than Notre Dame usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 2.
- Week 4 L 13–31 vs Nebraska. The run game struggled: 1.2 yards a carry, 2.2 less than Nebraska usually allows. Lost the turnover battle by 3.
- Week 5 L 3–31 at Wisconsin. The passing game struggled: 3.1 yards an attempt, 3.3 less than Wisconsin usually allows. Its fewest yards an attempt of the season.
- Week 6 L 37–38 vs Illinois. The run defense was the strength: Illinois got 3.8 yards a carry, 1.1 under what it usually gains. The machine had Michigan State by 1.6 (55%), so this was a loss it did not see coming.
- Week 7 L 21–24 vs Northwestern. The run defense was the strength: Northwestern got 3.2 yards a carry, 1.7 under what it usually gains.
- Week 8 L 10–28 at UCLA. The pass defense was the strength: UCLA got 6.4 yards an attempt, 2.3 under what it usually gains.
- Week 10 W 15–6 at Michigan. The pass defense was the strength: Michigan got 5.1 yards an attempt, 2.3 under what it usually gains. The machine had Michigan by 11.0 (76%), so this was a win it did not see coming; Michigan State won the turnover battle by 4.