3 Bold Predictions for Michigan State Football against Eastern Michigan

On Saturday, Michigan State football takes on in-state foe Eastern Michigan, the first time the two have played since the 2014 season. The Spartans enter off their opening 30-20 win over Toledo, with the Eagles sitting at 1-1 after splitting their matchups with Sacramento State and San Jose State.

While this is not projected to be a close matchup, the Spartans will have to show that they can finish in the red zone after settling for six field goal attempts in the opener.

That said, normal points of execution against a Mid-American Conference school feel redundant, in a way. Instead, what are three bold predictions heading into Saturday’s contest?

Michigan State Football Holds the Ball for 40 Minutes, Again

On Friday night, Michigan State football held the ball for over 43 minutes against Toledo. In fact, that time of possession led the country for the week. Against Eastern Michigan, an arguably worse defense that ranked dead-last in the FBS for rushing yards against in 2025, the bold take it that the Spartans do not punch the ball in too fast to keep possession of the football.

The Spartans had 40 combined carries between Cam Edwards, Jaziun Patterson, and Marvis Parrish last week. That came with both Edwards and Parrish suffering cramping during the game. In a much cooler weather game against the Eagles, there should not be the same issues. The Spartans should easily be able to hold onto the ball and keep former starting quarterback Noah Kim on the sidelines.

Five Running Backs Record Over Two Carries

In the same vein, the Spartans can look to distribute the ball more with Eastern Michigan’s defense less stout than Toledo. During Monday and Tuesday’s press conferences, Pat Fitzgerald and offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan each said that Cam Edwards “probably got a few too many carries.”

With Notre Dame, Nebraska, and Wisconsin as the next three opponents, it is easy to see a world where the Spartans go deeper into the running back room. In the opener, five running backs touched the field, but only three recorded a carry.

Additionally, during Monday’s press conferences, Fitzgerald mentioned wanting to have more players touch the field. The Spartans should be able to dig deeper into the depth chart than the 23 Spartans they played on Friday against Toledo.

Defense Records Five Sacks

This is the boldest take yet. On Friday night’s opener, the Spartans recorded pressure after pressure, with Eli Coenen and Anelu Lafaele combining for 8 pressures, but only recorded two sacks.

Last week alone, Eastern Michigan allowed 19 pressures to San Jose State. With the west coast Spartans are scrappy, as seen in their week zero game to USC, Michigan State bolsters more juice in the defensive line than SJSU.

Anelu Lafaele, Kenny Soares Jr., Eli Coenen, Mikeshun Beeler, and Trey Lisle are all among the players to watch on Saturday. Each had flashes during the opener, and a worse line presents more opportunity.