Following a dominant win over Washington last weekend, the Iowa football team sits at 4-2 overall and 2-1 in Big Ten play at the halfway point of the season.
Now, the Hawkeyes turn their attention to a road contest against Michigan State, who enters the matchup with a pedestrian 3-3 overall record and 1-2 in Big Ten play under new head coach Jonathan Smith.
The Spartans had great success under head coach Mark Dantonio in the 2010s but dealt with struggles both on and off the field under former coach Mel Tucker, who was fired in the middle of the 2023 season.
Smith previously served as the head coach of his alma mater Oregon State for six seasons and revitalized the struggling program, leading them to a 34-35 overall record and three consecutive winning seasons.
Smith seemed like a lock to stay in Corvallis for the remainder of his coaching career, but the demise of the Pac-12 left too much uncertainty surrounding the future of the Beaver program, so Michigan State swooped in and hired him following the 2023 regular season.
The Spartans haven’t produced the results their rabid fanbase expected them to reach under Smith in 2024, but the team still presents a difficult matchup for Iowa.
This marks the first trip to Spartan Stadium for the Hawkeyes since 2017, which resulted in a 17-10 Michigan State victory. The game will be televised in prime time with kickoff set for 6:30 p.m. CT on NBC.
To fully digest this matchup, let’s take a deeper look at the Spartans.
Offense
One of Smith’s prized moves in the offseason was sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles, who spent his freshman campaign as a backup to DJ Uiagalelei at Oregon State. Chiles was a highly touted recruit out of Downey High School in California and was named a four-star recruit by 247Sports.
Chiles followed Smith over to Michigan State to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2024 and earned the nod just a few days before the season-opener against Florida Atlantic on Aug. 30.
Despite lofty expectations, the 19-year-old Chiles has struggled to adjust to college football, tossing five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Turnovers have been a major issue for Chiles through the first six games, as he has lost three fumbles in addition to the eight picks.
The Spartans enter this game fresh off a bye week after being demolished by Oregon, giving Chiles time to prepare and reset before facing a tough Iowa defense.
If Chiles can get his turnover problems under control, he has a solid supporting cast of wide receivers to throw to.
Nick Marsh, Montorie Foster Jr., and Jaron Glover have all recorded touchdowns and over 150 yards receiving, while tight end Jack Velling has chipped in over 200 yards and 19 receptions of his own so far.
The run game has been solid, with Kay’ron Lynch-Adams leading the charge with 338 yards and two touchdowns on 67 carries. Nate Carter follows close behind with 245 yards and one touchdown on 58 carries.
Chiles is also a prolific rusher, tallying 115 yards and three touchdowns on 45 carries. The Hawkeyes have historically struggled to stop dual-threat quarterbacks, so watch out for Chiles in this one.
Defense
Michigan State has allowed 21 points per contest and leads the Big Ten in total tackles with 379. The Spartans have also been strong in the secondary, collecting seven interceptions the fourth-most in the league.
Joe Rossi enters his first season as the defensive coordinator following seven seasons at Minnesota under P.J. Fleck, spending five of those as the defensive coordinator. Rossi was a finalist for the Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football, in 2021. He runs a traditional 3-4 defense that is known for mixing different packages up front.
Linebacker Jordan Turner has recorded a team-high 37 tackles, while cornerback Charles Brantley has led the way with three interceptions. Turner transferred in from conference rival Wisconsin and has not only produced on the field but has also given this team a vital leader in the locker room.
Brantley battled injuries during the 2022 and 2023 seasons but has responded this season with 23 tackles to go along with his three interceptions.
Brantley’s best game of the season was MSU’s contest against Oregon on Oct. 4, earning nine tackles and one interception on the road against the No. 6 Ducks.
Special teams
Sixth-year placekicker Jonathan Kim has done his job all season, knocking in all nine of his field goal attempts and only missing one extra point.
Second-year punter Ryan Eckley has also played well, averaging 48 yards per punt on 23 attempts.
Final analysis
Iowa has far more talent than Michigan State, but the Spartans are coming off a bye week and look to claim a signature win as they push for bowl eligibility.
The Hawkeyes will be favored here, but expect Michigan State to make this a close, hard-fought game to the final buzzer.