Purdue @ Michigan State preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 14, 2009 ) Michigan State 40, Purdue 37

It won’t be a typical Senior Day at Spartan Stadium on Saturday when Michigan State plays Purdue in its final home game of the season. While sentiment will be high as 17 seniors make their final home appearance, the real focus will be on the bigger picture. No. 11 Michigan State can’t afford a letup if it wants to keep its Rose Bowl hopes alive.

Michigan State (9-1, 5-1 Big Ten) had last week off to reassess the final portion of the season, which ends on Nov. 27 at Penn State. The scenario is crazy; Michigan State is tied with Ohio State and Wisconsin for first place in the conference. The Spartans beat Wisconsin, but didn’t play Ohio State during the regular season. Regardless of how it shakes out, the Spartans need to win their final two games.

The crowd in East Lansing this weekend will recognize an accomplished group of seniors. During their tenure, Michigan State has gone 31-18 and will be going to a bowl game for the fourth consecutive season. That’s the most wins by any class in the 114-year history of the program. A win would also give the Spartans a 7-0 home record for the first time and a perfect home record at Spartan Stadium for the 16th time.

Michigan State has plenty of offensive weapons, led by sophomore tailback Edwin Baker, who has rushed for 979 yards and 11 touchdowns. Baker could become only the sixth sophomore in school history to rush for 1,000 yards. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has thrown for 2,277 yards and 15 touchdowns. Mark Dell (41 catches, four touchdowns) and B.J. Cunningham (41 catches, six touchdowns) are both career 1,000-yard receivers. Dell has been slowed by nagging knee and shoulder problems and left the game with Minnesota because of an ankle injury. He’s expected to be back at full strength.

Purdue (4-6, 2-4) has had trouble scoring points; the Boilermakers average only 17.4 points. Their rushing game is solid behind Dan Dierking (497 yards, three touchdowns), but the team averages only 136.8 yards through the air. Quarterback Rob Henry, thrust into the starting role after an injury to Robert Marve, has thrown for 555 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 466 yards and four touchdowns.

Purdue does bring a strong defense to the table. Defensive end Ryan Kerrigan forced two fumbles last week, giving him 14 for his career, the most in Big Ten history. He’s now tied for the all-time NCAA record with three other players. Kerrigan, a finalist for most of the major national defensive awards, has 62 total tackles, five tackles for loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery this year. He is considered a likely first-round NFL draft choice.

Michigan State leads the all-time series 31-28-3 and has won the last three games, including 40-37 last year. Purdue, which last beat Michigan State in 2006, has won seven of the last 11 games. Purdue could still become bowl eligible if it wins the final two games against Michigan State and Indiana.