INDIANA NOTES:
SETTING THE SCENE • Indiana will play at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. ET in Spartan Stadium (74,866) on Peacock. • The two programs first played met in 1922, with the first edition of the Old Brass Spittoon rivalry taking place in 1950. The two teams have split last four games in the series. • Michigan State leads the all-time series, 50-18-2, and won last year’s matchup, 24-21, in Bloomington in 2023. The Hoosiers won the last game in East Lansing, defeating the Spartans, 39-31, in double overtime in 2022. • This will be the 14th consecutive season where the two programs face off, dating back to the 2011 season, and the 66th time for the Old Brass Spittoon.
NEWS & NOTES • Indiana enters the game with an 8-0 record after defeating Washington (10/26), 31-17, in Week 9. This is Indiana’s second time in program history starting a season 8-0 (2024, 1967). • Curt Cignetti is the only Indiana head coach to start his head coaching tenure with a 8-0 record. • Cignetti is the first ever Division I head coach to start 8-0 in consecutive seasons at different schools (James Madison, 10-0, 2023; Indiana, 8-0, 2024). • Indiana is one of eight undefeated teams in the FBS (Indiana, Army, Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Penn State, BYU, Iowa State, Oregon). • The crowd of 53,082 vs. Washington tied for the fourth-largest crowd in program history with the Week 8 crowd versus Nebraska and they are the largest crowds since Nov. 17, 1979 (53,202). • Senior running Justice Ellison went for 123 rushing yards and a touchdown against Washington. His rushing score marked seven consecutive weeks with a touchdown. It is the longest streak since Tevin Coleman scored in nine-straight games in 2013, which was part of a 15-game streak that spanned the 2013-14 seasons. • Junior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt moved his consecutive games with a catch streak to 33-straight games with his 12-yard reception in the first quarter against Washington. • Redshirt junior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara owns at least one tackle in all 31 career appearances and at least a half tackle for loss in 28 of 30 career games. • Sophomore D’Angelo Ponds had a career-high two interceptions –– including a pick-6 in the first quarter –– in the Week 9 win against Washington (10/26) to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. He is the first Hoosier to record two interceptions in a Big Ten game since Jamar Johnson at Ohio State (2; 2020). • With its double-digit win, Indiana extended its longest streak of double-digit wins in program history to eight-straight games. • With 31:27 in time of possession against Washington, Indiana held the edge in TOP for the seventh time in eight games. • IU is one of four teams nationally to have scored first in each of its games played (Indiana, Army, Ole Miss, Boise State) and is one of two teams to not trail in a game this season (Army). • The Hoosiers didn’t allow a tackle for loss for the first time since 2013 versus Navy and just the second time since at least 2005 in the Washington win. • Through Week 9, Indiana is the only FBS program to not allow a first quarter point in 2024.
The Old Brass Spittoon has been awarded to the winner of the Indiana-Michigan State football game since the trophy’s inception in 1950. Initiated by the junior and senior classes and student council at Michigan State, the trophy was quickly accepted by the Indiana Student Senate. The spittoon came from one of Michigan’s earliest trading posts and is widely believed to be nearly 200 years old. Legend holds that the spittoon was around when both institutions were founded (Indiana – 1820, Michigan State – 1855). Indiana and Michigan State have faced each other since 1922 and the trophy became a part of the series 28 years after the first meeting.
MICHIGAN STATE NOTES:
Michigan State faces its third ranked opponent of the season as No. 13/13 Indiana heads to East Lansing on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. in Spartan Stadium. The game will be streamed exclusively on Peacock with Paul Bermeister (play-by-play), Colt McCoy (analyst) and Zora Stephenson (sidelines) on the call. • MSU fell to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the Big Ten following its 24-17 loss at Michigan last Saturday night in Ann Arbor. MSU opened the season 3-0 with wins over Florida Atlantic, Maryland and Prairie View A&M. The Spartans lost at Boston College in Week 4, 23-19, on a late fourth-quarter touchdown before falling to No. 3/3 Ohio State on Sept. 28 and at No. 6/6 Oregon on Oct. 4. Michigan State bounced back after its bye week with a 32-20 win over Iowa on Homecoming on Oct. 19. MSU will have its second bye week of the season following the Indiana game. • Under first-year head coach Curt Cignetti, Indiana is off to its first 8-0 start since 1967 and is also 5-0 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers beat Washington in Bloomington last Saturday in Memorial Stadium, 31-17. • Saturday’s game marks the 71st meeting between Michigan State and Indiana. The Spartans lead the all-time series against the Hoosiers, 50-18-2, including a 26-8-1 record in East Lansing. MSU defeated IU in Bloomington last season, 24-21, for its 12th win in the past 15 games in the series. • Since 1950, the winner of the Michigan State-Indiana game has been presented the Old Brass Spittoon. The brass spittoon came from one of Michigan’s earliest trading posts and is widely believed to be more than 200 years old. Legend has it that the spittoon was around when both institutions were founded – Indiana in 1820 and MAC in 1855. The trophy was initiated by the junior and senior classes and student council at Michigan State, and soon accepted by the Indiana Student Senate. Since 1950, Michigan State leads the series, 50-15-1. • Following a run of five consecutive night games, Michigan State is playing its first afternoon game since Sept. 14 against Prairie View A&M. The Spartans have played a total of six night games this season and will host Purdue at 8 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 22. • Redshirt junior running back Nathan Carter rushed for a season-high 118 yards and one TD on 19 carries (6.2 avg.) at Michigan last Saturday night. Carter also collected a season-high 174 all-purpose yards as he caught two passes for a career-high 56 yards.
TEAM NOTES OFFENSE:
AIDAN CHILES RECORDS CAREER-HIGH COMPLETION PERCENTAGE IN BACK-TO-BACK GAMES • Sophomore quarterback Aidan Chiles has passed for a career-high completion percentage in back-to-back games for the Spartans. Chiles was 22-for-30 passing for a career-high 73.3 completion percentage in the win over Iowa on Oct. 19 to earn Spartan Offensive Player of the Week honors. His 256 passing yards were the second most this season (career-high 363 at Maryland on Sept. 7). Chiles also compiled 307 yards of total offense with 11 carries for 51 rushing yards, including a career-long 26-yard rush in the third quarter. • Chiles was 17-of-23 passing (.739) for 189 yards and one TD at Michigan last Saturday night. He is 39-of53 (.736) passing the past two games against the Hawkeyes and Wolverines. • Chiles is off to a 4-4 start as the starting quarterback for the Spartans. He has completed 61 percent of his passes (125-of-205) for 1,657 yards (207.1 ypg), seven touchdowns and nine interceptions. The Long Beach, California, native is in his first season in East Lansing after playing in a back-up role as a true freshman at Oregon State in 2023. He ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 27th in the FBS in passing yards per completion (13.3). • Chiles is also tied for the team lead with three rushing touchdowns; he has a net of 172 rushing yards on 64 carries (21.5 ypg). ►SPARTANS FEATURE A PAIR OF 2,000-YARD CAREER RUSHERS IN THE BACKFIELD • Michigan State features two running backs – sixth-year graduate transfer Kay’ron Lynch-Adams and redshirt junior Nathan Carter – who have both rushed for more than 2,000 career yards. Carter (2,193) and Lynch-Adams (2,347) are one of eight duos on the same team in the FBS to have more than 2,000 career rushing yards (Missouri, Ohio State, UCF, Ole Miss, Penn State, Michigan State, Auburn, South Carolina). • Lynch-Adams, who transferred from UMass over the summer, leads the Spartans in rushing after eight games, averaging 57.4 yards per game (92 carries for 459 yards; 5.0 avg., 2 TDs). He surpassed the 2,000-career rushing milestone with 46 yards on 10 carries at Maryland; he now has 2,347 career rushing yards – 32nd among active players in the FBS – and 18 rushing TDs in 56 collegiate games. • Lynch-Adams and Carter have combined for 65 percent of the team’s overall rushing attempts (178 of 272) and 94 percent from the running back room (178 of 190). • Michigan State rushed for a season-high 212 yards against Iowa on Oct. 19, averaging 5.3 yards per carry (40 carries). MSU followed up with 163 yards on 42 carries at Michigan on Oct. 26.
TEAM NOTES DEFENSE:
►SPARTANS RANK 23RD IN FBS IN TOTAL DEFENSE • Michigan State ranks 23rd in the FBS in total defense, allowing 315.9 yards per game. The Spartans have held five opponents under 300 yards of total offense this season (Florida Atlantic, 248; Prairie View A&M, 140; Boston College, 292; Iowa, 283; Michigan, 265). ►LINEBACKER CAL HALADAY EXTENDS STARTING STREAK TO 31 STRAIGHT GAMES • Fifth-year graduate senior linebacker Cal Haladay has started 31 consecutive games, the longest active streak on the team. He is currently tied for second on the Spartan defense with 40 tackles; his 347 career tackles rank ninth most in MSU history and fifth among active players in the FBS.
TEAM NOTES SPECIAL TEAMS:
SPARTANS EXCEL IN KICKING GAME • Michigan State features one of the best kicking duos in all of college football with sixth-year graduate placekicker Jonathan Kim and redshirt sophomore punter Ryan Eckley. Kim is 16-of-18 on field goals for the season to rank first in the Big Ten and tied for third in the FBS in made field goals. Eckley, who is on the Ray Guy Award Watch List, ranks second in the Big Ten with his 48.4-yard punting average; 14 of his 26 punts this season (54 percent) have been for 50-plus yards. • Kim earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors and was named one of the Lou Groza Award three stars of the week and after setting a school record with six field goals in the win over Iowa. A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Kim connected on six of his seven field-goal attempts, including a season long 55-yarder in the fourth quarter. He also was good from 42, 43, 36, 29 and 46 yards out. It also tied a modern-day Big Ten record, matching Jake Moody of Michigan with six field goals vs. Indiana (11/17/18); E.C. Robertson of Purdue owns the overall record with seven field goals on Oct. 27, 1900, vs. Rose Poly. With 20 points overall against Iowa, including two PATs, Kim also set a top scoring mark in modern-day Big Ten history by a kicker, bettering the 19 points by Moody in 2018 vs. Indiana.
►STAT LEADERS Michigan State: Rushing – Gr.-6 Kay’ron Lynch-Adams (92 carries for 459 yards, 5.0 avg., 2 TDs, 57.4 ypg) Passing – So. Aidan Chiles (125-of-205, .610, 1,657 yards, 7 TDs, 9 INTs, 207.1 ypg) Receiving – Sr.-5 Montorie Foster Jr. (31 receptions for 418 yards, 13.5 avg., 2 TDs, 52.3 ypg) Tackles – Sr.-5 LB Jordan Turner (48 tackles, 7.5 TFLs, 3.0 sacks, 1 INT) Indiana: Rushing – Sr.-5 Justice Ellison (102 carries for 637 yards, 6.2 avg., 9 TDs, 79.6 ypg) Passing – Sr.-6 Kurtis Rourke (135-of-181, .746, 1,941 yards, 15 TDs, 3 INTs, 277.3 ypg) Receiving – Jr. Elijah Sarratt (33 receptions for 590 yards, 17.9 avg., 3 TDs, 73.8 ypg) Tackles – Jr. LB Aiden Fisher (75 tackles, 3.0 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, 2 PBUs)
►QUICK GLANCE AT NO. 13 INDIANA (8-0, 5-0 BIG TEN) • The Hoosiers are ranked No. 13 in both the AP Top 25 and the AFCA Coaches Poll as one of eight unbeaten teams in FBS, bringing an 8-0 overall record to East Lansing for the battle for the Old Brass Spittoon. Indiana is tied with No. 1 Oregon atop the league standings with 5-0 B1G ledgers. • IU improved to 8-0 for the first time since 1967 with a 31-17 win over Washington last Saturday afternoon, capping an event-filled day with national attention, starting with ESPN College GameDay on site and ending the day with 15 run-plays in a row to seal the win in front of a sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium.
• The Hoosiers were slightly outgained by the Huskies in total offense, 318-312, but turned two interceptions by sophomore defensive back D’Angelo Ponds into two TDs, starting with a 67-yard pick six in the first quarter to open the scoring and the other coming early in the second stanza to set up a 42-yard TD pass two plays later and a 14-0 IU advantage. • Redshirt sophomore back-up quarterback Tayven Jackson filled in for redshirt senior starter Kurtis Rourke, who was out with a thumb injury, and threw one TD and ran for another. Jackson is 23-of-37 passing for 349 yards (69.8 ypg) for the season with four TDs and one INT. • Indiana leads the B1G and ranks second in the FBS in scoring offense at 46.5 points per game, while ranking second in the conference and seventh in the country in scoring defense, limiting the opposition to 14.1 ppg. • The Hoosier offense leads the league and ranks sixth in the nation in total offense (487.6 ypg), ranking second in the conference and 25th in the country in rushing offense (200.6 ypg), along with fourth in the B1G and 21st in the FBS in passing offense (287.0 ypg), including topping the league and ranking eighth in the nation in passing yards/completion (14.4). • Indiana’s defense is third in the conference and fifth in the country in total defense (269.5 ypg), leading the B1G and ranking fourth in the FBS in rushing defense (86.1 ypg) and seventh in the league and 24th in the nation in passing yards allowed (183.4 ypg). The Hoosier defense also tops the conference and ranks 14th in the country in team sacks/game (3.0). • Individually, Rourke leads the nation in passing efficiency (188.7) and ranks second in both the B1G and FBS in completion percentage (.746), along with topping the conference and ranking ninth in the country in passing yards/completion (14.4), and fourth in the league and 15th in the nation in passing yards/game (277.3). Rourke is 135-of-181 passing for 1,941 yards with 15 TDs and three INTs. •Senior running back Justice Ellison is fourth in the B1G and 22nd in the FBS in rushing TDs with nine, in addition to ninth in the league and 49th in the nation in rushing yards/game (79.6) with 102 carries on 637 yards. • Junior wide receiver Elijah Sarratt is sixth in the conference and 42nd in the country in receiving yards/ game (73.8), with a team-leading 33 receptions for 590 yards, ranking third in the league and 41st in the nation in yards/reception (17.9) with three TDs. • Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. is first in the B1G and fourth in the FBS in yards/ reception (22.7), on 20 catches for 453 yards (56.6 ypg) with four scores. • Redshirt junior defensive lineman Mikail Kamara leads the B1G and ranks tied for eighth in the FBS in total sacks (7), as well as second in the league and 11th in the nation in sacks/game (0.88). Kamara is also second in the conference and tied for 18th in the country in total tackles for loss (10.0), including third in the league and 21st in the nation in tackles for loss/game (1.3). • Junior linebacker Aiden Fisher is third in the B1G and 15th in the FBS in tackles/game (9.4) with 75 total stops, adding 3.0 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, with three QB hurries and two pass break-ups. • Hoosier head coach Curt Cignetti is the first Indiana head coach to start his head coaching tenure 8-0, and is also the first FBS head coach to post back-to-back 8-0 starts at two different schools after coming to Indiana from James Madison, where he posted a 52-9 mark there in his five seasons leading the Dukes. Cignetti has a 127-35 overall record in his 14th season as a collegiate head coach.