The start of Michigan State football’s 2020 season is still more than seven months away.
How the Spartans will fare in a new year will play out in the fall but the road they face is already set. Michigan State has a difficult schedule that includes nonconference games at BYU and at home against Miami and three straight Big Ten games at Iowa and at home against Michigan and Ohio State. That stretch is followed by outings at Indiana and at home against Minnesota – both programs on the rise – before the lone bye week of the season in early November, then a trip to Penn State. Eight of Michigan State’s 12 opponents reached a bowl game this season.
Mark Dantonio declines to speak with reporters as questions about potential staff changes remain
Michigan State is coming off its second straight 7-6 season and coach Mark Dantonio announced in November he plans on returning for his 14th season leading the program. He believes he can lead the Spartans back to the lofty success they experienced during his tenure, which includes posting a combined record of 36-5 from 2013-15 with a pair of Big Ten titles and a trip to the College Football Playoff. However, the Spartans lost plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, including starting quarterback Brian Lewerke, their top two receivers and eight starters on defense.
Here’s a breakdown of Michigan State’s 2020 schedule:
Sept. 5 vs. Northwestern (3-9 in 2019)
There’s no easing into the schedule with a weak nonconference game. It will be the first time Michigan State opens with a Big Ten game since 1996 when it beat Purdue 52-14 in coach Nick Saban’s second season leading the program.
A year after winning the Big Ten West Division and losing to Ohio State in the conference championship game while finishing 9-5, Northwestern fell to 3-9 and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2014. The Wildcats lost seven straight at one point, a losing streak that started with a 31-10 defeat at home against Michigan State. Northwestern finished 124th in the nation out of 130 teams in total offense (297.1) and 126th in scoring (16.3) and that resulted in coach Pat Fitzgerald firing longtime offensive coordinator Mick McCall and replacing him with Mike Bajakian, who had the same position at Boston College.
The Wildcats used three different starting quarterbacks in Hunter Johnson, a former five-star recruit and Clemson transfer, Aidan Smith and Andrew Marty. All three struggled as the team finished last in the nation in team passing efficiency but all three are slated to return. Additionally, quarterback TJ Green, who suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener, was granted a sixth year of eligibility to return in 2020.
Northwestern has won four of the last six games against Michigan State, including three straight in East Lansing. The Spartans own a 38-20 advantage in the all-time series.
Sept. 12 at BYU (7-6)
For the second time in three years, the Spartans will make an early trip out West, following a loss at Arizona State in the second game of the 2018 season. This game will mark the completion of a home-and-home series with the Cougars. BYU won 31-14 in East Lansing in 2016 in the only other meeting between the two programs.
After getting off to a 2-4 start this season, BYU won five straight, highlighted by a victory against Boise State, before dropping its last two, including a defeat against Hawaii in the Hawaii Bowl. The Cougars are coming off back-to-back 7-6 seasons under coach Kalani Sitake and reached a bowl game in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
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BYU started three different quarterbacks in Zach Wilson, Jaren Hall and Baylor Romney. Each led the team to at least one win and all three are slated to return. Wilson, who missed four games with a thumb injury, completed 62.4 percent of his throws for 2,382 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions and the Cougars were 28th in the nation in total offense at 443.8 yards per game.
Sept. 19 vs. Toledo (6-6)
Michigan State will face a MAC team for the fourth straight season and this is a rare matchup. It will be just the second meeting between the two programs and first since the Spartans won 58-0 at home in 1925.
Toledo opened this season 4-1 and that streak included home wins against BYU and Western Michigan. However, the Rockets, under coach Jason Candle, lost five of their last seven games to finish 6-6 and were the lone bowl eligible team in the nation not selected for a bowl game. That snapped a streak of five straight bowl appearances.
Quarterback Mitchell Guadagni suffered a season-ending injury that resulted in him missing the last six games and graduated and the Rockets now have an open competition at quarterback with Eli Peters, Carter Bradley and Dequan Finn as the top options. The team ranked 18th in the nation in rushing at 224.5 yards per game and returns its top two running backs in Bryant Koback and Shakif Seymour. Koback had 195 carries for 1,187 yards and 12 touchdowns and Seymour had 154 rushes for 741 yards and five scores.
Toledo struggled defensively and allowed at least 30 points in each of the last six games. The Rockets finished 102nd in the nation in scoring defense (32.2) and 123rd in total defense (475.7).
Sept. 26 vs. Miami (6-7)
This marks the first game of a home-and-home agreement between the programs that will conclude with the Spartans playing at Miami on Sept. 18, 2021. The Hurricanes own a 4-0 mark in the all-time series and won the last matchup 26-20 in East Lansing in 1989.
Miami has a national brand but posted double digit wins just once in the last 16 seasons. The team finished this season 6-7 under first-year coach Manny Diaz and closed with a losing record for just the third time since 1998. The late slide featured three straight defeats to end the year, including to Louisiana Tech in the Independence Bowl.
The Hurricanes ranked 13th in the nation in total defense (309.8) and 23rd in scoring defense (20.2) but were 90th in scoring offense (25.7) and 98th in total offense (367.2). That resulted in first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos, a former Michigan State quarterback and assistant under Dantonio, being fired and replaced by Rhett Lashlee, who had the same position at SMU.
Miami appeared unsettled at quarterback heading into 2020 but this week landed a commitment from graduate transfer D’Eriq King. The former Houston star chose to shut it down after four games this season and take a redshirt for the year and retain a year of eligibility. That was after he completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 2,982 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions and rushed for 674 yards and 14 scores in 11 games in 2018.
Oct. 3 at Iowa (10-3)
Michigan State returns to Big Ten play with a divisional crossover game that features the program’s first trip to Iowa since a 26-14 win in 2013. The teams have met just once since the Spartans beat the Hawkeyes in the 2015 Big Ten championship game and that was a 17-10 win for Michigan State in East Lansing in 2017.
Iowa’s lone three losses this season came against top-25 teams as it was defeated by Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin by a combined margin of 14 points. The Hawkeyes knocked off then-unbeaten and No. 8 Minnesota to start a four-game winning streak to end the season that closed with a victory against USC in the Holiday Bowl.
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Kirk Ferentz, heading into his 22nd season leading the program, is the longest-tenured coach in the nation. He will have to replace three-year starting quarterback Nate Stanley, who graduated, and backup Spencer Petras is the frontrunner to take over. The Hawkeyes barely cracked the top 100 in the nation in total offense and scoring this season but finished fifth in scoring defense (14.0) and 12th in total defense (308.2).
Oct. 10 vs. Michigan (9-4)
Jim Harbaugh has a record of 47-18 in five seasons leading the Wolverines but is coming off another year in which the team suffered notable defeats in marquee games. Michigan was routed at Wisconsin, came up short in a rally at Penn State, was hammered by Ohio State to close the regular season and Alabama pulled away for a win in the Citrus Bowl.
Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a 44-10 blowout win against Michigan State in Ann Arbor this season. It was Dantonio’s most lopsided loss in the rivalry and first time he dropped two straight in the series.
Michigan must replace key players on both sides of the ball, including two-year starting quarterback Shea Patterson. Receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones and center Cesar Ruiz left early for the NFL draft but receiver Nico Collins is returning for his senior season. The Wolverines made strides offensively under first-year coordinator Josh Gattis and finished 11th in the nation in total defense (307.2) and 25th in scoring defense (20.7).
Oct. 17 vs. Ohio State (13-1)
After replacing Urban Meyer, all Ryan Day did in his first season leading the Buckeyes was guide them to their third straight Big Ten championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. They lost to 29-23 to Clemson in a semifinal.
Since an upset win at Ohio State in 2015 en route to a Big Ten title and trip to the CFP, the Spartans have dropped four straight in the series and two of the last three weren’t even close. Michigan State was blown out 48-3 at Ohio State in 2017 and the Buckeyes racked up 24 points and 296 yards in the second quarter alone while rolling to a 34-10 win in Columbus this season.
Ohio State returns quarterback Justin Fields, who posted ridiculous numbers during his first season with the program while finishing third in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. The former transfer from Georgia completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,273 yards, 41 touchdowns and three interceptions and rushed for 484 yards and 10 scores. J.K. Dobbins, who topped 2,000 yards rushing this season, and defensive end Chase Young, who was also a Heisman finalist, were among three players on the team who departed early for the NFL draft but the Buckeyes have as much talent as nearly any program in the nation.
Oct. 24 at Indiana (8-5)
In his third season as head coach, Tom Allen led the team to eight victories for their first winning record since 2007 and most wins since posting eight in 1993. The Hoosiers were 7-2 before losing three of their final four, including against Tennessee in the Gator Bowl.
Michigan State has won 10 of the last 11 against Indiana. The Spartans held on in East Lansing this season with a go-ahead field goal by Matt Coghlin with five second left and Michael Dowell recovered a fumble for a touchdown on a desperation play as time expired for a 40-31 win.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix made only six starts before being suffering a season-ending shoulder injury. He was impressive and completed 68.8 percent of his throws for 1,394 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions and rushed for 119 yards and two scores. Penix was 33-for-42 passing for 286 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a score against the Spartans.
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With Penix out, Peyton Ramsey, the starter in 2018, filled in down the stretch and completed 68.0 percent of his throws for 2,454 yards, 13 touchdowns and five interceptions and rushed for 252 yards and seven scores. Penix and Ramsey give the team a pair of proven options in 2020 to be used by new offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan, who was promoted from tight ends coach after Kalen DeBoer left to become the head coach at Fresno State.
Oct. 31 vs. Minnesota (11-2)
P.J. Fleck, in his third season at Minnesota, led the program to double-digit victories for the first time since 2003 and notched the most wins since the 1904 national championship team finished 13-0. The Golden Gophers won their first nine games before dropping two of the final three in the regular season to finish behind Wisconsin in the West Division. They closed with a victory against Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
Quarterback Tanner Morgan had an impressive season after taking over as the full-time starter and completed 66.0 percent of his passes for 3,253 yards, 30 touchdowns and seven interceptions while Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman combined for 146 catches for 2,537 yards and 24 touchdowns. Johnson was a senior but Morgan and Bateman, the Big Ten Receiver of the Year, will both return in 2020 for a team that finished 21st in the nation in scoring (34.1).
Michigan State has won five straight against Minnesota but the teams played just once in the last six seasons. The Spartans won 30-27 in the last matchup at Minnesota in 2017.
Nov. 14 at Penn State (11-2)
Coach James Franklin led Penn State to 11 wins for the third time in the last four seasons. The Nittany Lions started 8-0 before splitting their final four games of the regular season, with losses at Minnesota and Ohio State, to finish second in the East Division behind the Buckeyes. They closed with a win against Memphis in the Cotton Bowl.
In his first season as the starter, quarterback Sean Clifford completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 2,654 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions and had 116 carries for 402 yards and five scores while Journey Brown led the team in rushing with 890 yards and 12 touchdowns on 129 carries. Both will be back in 2020 but Penn State lost a pair of players early to the NFL draft in explosive receiver KJ Hamler and defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos.
Michigan State has won five of the last seven meetings against Penn State, including upsets against top-10 teams in 2017 and 2018. However, the Nittany Lions jumped out to a 28-0 lead in East Lansing this season behind four touchdown passes from Clifford while rolling to a 28-7 win.
Nov. 21 vs. Rutgers (2-10)
The Scarlet Knights posted their fifth straight losing season and second in a row without a Big Ten win while coach Chris Ash was fired in September. However, there’s hope for the program after Greg Schiano was hired in the offseason. The New Jersey native led the program from 2001-2011 before leaving to become the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Schiano posted a record of 56-33 in his last seven seasons at Rutgers combined and that stretch included six bowl appearances and 11 wins in 2006.
Rutgers got the coach it wanted but Schiano inherits a program that has been one of the worst in the country. The Scarlet Knights finished this season 129th in the nation in both total offense (273.1) and scoring (13.3) and were 98th in total defense (433.6) and 123rd in scoring defense (36.7). Schiano has been active landing players through the transfer portal, including Wisconsin receiver/returner Aron Cruickshank and Michigan defensive tackle Michael Dwumfour.
Michigan State is 6-0 against the Scarlet Knights since they joined the Big Ten. The Spartans won 27-0 at Rutgers this season to snap a five-game losing streak.
Nov. 28 at Maryland (3-9)
Under first-year coach Michael Locksley, the Terrapins started 2-0 and were ranked in the top 25 but then lost nine of their last 10 games. It was their fifth straight losing season.
Maryland ranked 109th in the nation in both total offense (343.4) and total defense (449.2). And the program lost its top two running back as early entries to the NFL draft in Javon Leake and Anthony McFarland. The two combined for 216 carries for 1,350 yards and 16 touchdowns this season. The team does return its top receiver in Dontay Demus, who had 41 catches for 625 yards and six scores.
Michigan State is 5-1 against Maryland since the program joined the Big Ten. However, needing a win to become bowl eligible in the regular-season finale this season, the Spartans had to rally in the fourth quarter and got a late field goal by Coghlin to pull out a 19-16 victory and avoid an embarrassing loss.
Related Michigan State football stories:
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Brian Lewerke and Darrell Stewart Jr. stand out in NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Mark Dantonio’s $4.3 million bonus day is here
Two seasons in, NCAA transfer portal has been mostly a one-way street for Michigan State
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