William Gholston looks to make life difficult for Joe Southwick on Friday night. (US Presswire) |
On offense being conservative should work best for the Spartans this week. While Boise State returns only two starters on defense, Michigan State only has running back Le'Veon Bell returning at any of the skill positions. So with Bell and four of five starters on the offensive line returning, Michigan State should focus on its ground game Friday night.
The Broncos will also have to stop the run and do so quickly. Boise State's front seven on defense is entirely new in 2012, and a matchup against Michigan State and Le'Veon Bell will be a difficult test. With so many new starters on both sides of the ball, it's imperative that the Boise State defense stops the Michigan State run game and forces new Spartan quarterback Andrew Maxwell to beat the Broncos with his arm.
X-FACTOR: Joe Southwick. Southwick becomes the first quarterback not named Kellen Moore to start a game for Boise State since 2007, and he has some very large shoes to fill. Starting a game on the road against a defense as strong as Michigan State's is not the ideal way to begin your career as a starter, but if Southwick can stay composed and execute the offense then Boise State might surprise a lot of people.