Michigan State Opens Big Ten Play Against Nebraska with Fitzgerald Seeking First League Win Since 2022
The short version
- Michigan State hosts Nebraska Saturday, Sept. 26, at 5 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network.
- Pat Fitzgerald has not won a Big Ten game since Oct. 16, 2022, with Northwestern — a span of 1,491 days.
- Fitzgerald's Northwestern beat Nebraska 28-22 in Dublin to open the 2022 season.
- Nebraska is 3-0 under Matt Rhule but has not faced a Power Four team or played away from home.
- Detroit Free Press writers are split: two pick Nebraska, three pick Michigan State.
Five Detroit Free Press writers split on Saturday's Michigan State-Nebraska Big Ten opener in East Lansing, a game carrying extra weight for Spartans coach Pat Fitzgerald.
Michigan State opens Big Ten play Saturday, Sept. 26, hosting Nebraska at 5 p.m. on Big Ten Network. The game marks the conference debut of Spartans head coach Pat Fitzgerald and carries a notable storyline: the longtime gap since his last Big Ten victory.
Fitzgerald's most recent conference win came with Northwestern in 2022, when the Wildcats beat Rutgers on Oct. 16 of that year. By the time Saturday kicks off, 1,491 days will have passed between that win and his first Big Ten game leading Michigan State.
There is some history working in Fitzgerald's favor. His Northwestern team beat Nebraska 28-22 in the 2022 season opener, played in Dublin, Ireland. That game was the final season opener for Cornhuskers coach Scott Frost, and both Fitzgerald and Frost were gone by the following season after Northwestern dropped its final 11 games of 2022.
Michigan State enters the game off a 27-10 loss to third-ranked Notre Dame, a performance several observers viewed as encouraging despite the defeat. The Spartans are in the early stretch of Fitzgerald's tenure and have shown positive signs, according to writers previewing the matchup.
Nebraska arrives 3-0 under Matt Rhule, now in his fourth season in Lincoln. The Cornhuskers have yet to face a Power Four opponent or play a road game this season, and Rhule's first three seasons at the school were considered underwhelming.
One statistical matchup stands out entering the game: Michigan State ranks No. 109 of 138 teams nationally in red-zone defense, while Nebraska's red-zone offense ranks No. 1 after scoring on every red-zone trip through its first three games.
Five Detroit Free Press sports writers offered predictions, and they are split on the outcome. Carlos Monarrez and Jeff Seidel both picked Nebraska, with Monarrez projecting a 24-19 Cornhuskers win and Seidel a 27-21 edge that he listed as 27-24.
Rainer Sabin, Chris Solari and Shawn Windsor each picked the Spartans. Sabin forecast a 28-24 Michigan State win, Solari predicted a 27-21 victory keyed by a strong fourth quarter from defensive coordinator Joe Rossi's unit, and Windsor called for a 23-20 Spartans triumph.
If Solari's pick proves correct, Fitzgerald would secure his first Big Ten win in nearly four years, capping a stretch in which improved pass protection has helped quarterback Milivojevic deliver downfield throws and opened running room for Edwards.
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