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Iowa football 2024 early opponent preview: Michigan State
Spartans experience heavy roster turnover as Jonathan Smith begins tenure
Editor’s note: Seventh in a 12-part series previewing each of Iowa’s 2024 regular-season opponents.
IOWA CITY — Michigan State has often been a competitive foe for Iowa football over the last two decades.
Of course, there was Iowa’s nail-biting 16-13 loss to the Spartans in the 2015 Big Ten championship game. Games in 2007, 2009, 2012 and 2017 also were decided by one possession. The 2007 and 2012 games went into double overtime.
The Spartans have been in a rough stretch recently, though, going 5-13 in Big Ten play over the last two seasons. Conference foes outscored them, 555-286, during that span.
Jonathan Smith has taken on the task of rebuilding the program after six seasons at Oregon State. His teams finished in the top 20 of the College Football Playoff rankings in his last two seasons in Corvallis.
As often is the case with coaching changes in the transfer portal era, Smith will be working with a largely new group. The Spartans lost 36 players to the portal and gained 23, according to recruiting site On3’s database.
Quarterback Aidan Chiles moved with Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State after going 24-of-35 with four touchdowns and no interceptions as a true freshman. 247Sports ranked Chiles as the No. 7 quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class.
Nate Carter is one of the few returning players who had a significant role on last year’s team. The 5-foot-10 running back averaged 4.3 yards per carry last season while taking 185 carries — the third-most in the Big Ten.
The Michigan State defense received help from the transfer portal at all three levels. On the line, the Spartans’ additions include former Georgia Tech starter D’Quan Douse. Wisconsin’s Jordan Turner and Old Dominion’s Wayne Matthews III join a linebacker corps already anchored by incumbent Cal Haladay.
The secondary’s portal additions include Ed Woods from Arizona State and Lejond Cavazos from North Carolina. Jeremiah Hughes also joined the Spartans after appearing in all 13 games as a true freshman at LSU.
Iowa vs. Michigan State: 3 things to watch
- Nate Carter vs. Iowa’s defensive front. Carter averaged 5.2 yards per carry in the Spartans’ wins last year. When the Spartans lost, Carter averaged 3.9 yards per carry.
- How does Michigan State’s transfer-heavy defense gel? The Spartans have several new pieces after their transfer portal shopping spree. How they click will be essential as the Spartans face a difficult schedule, including their Oct. 19 game against Iowa.
- Who wins the turnover battle? A Michigan State team that finished 4-8 last year hung in there against the Hawkeyes partly because of a 42-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the third quarter. Take out that turnover (and corresponding touchdown), and the game would not have been close for as long as it was.
2024 prognosis
Michigan State could quite possibly still be without a Big Ten win at this point in the year. That’s unlikely to change against the Hawkeyes on Oct. 19.
Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com
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