Northwestern quarterback Kain Colter was part of an offense that performed well enough last season to beat Michigan State 23-20, and despite the 4-6 Wildcats' struggles this season, he is hoping his team will remain confident.

"It should give us confidence that we are facing the same guys we faced last year," Colter told The Daily Northwestern. "They're the same guys we moved the ball on last year."

But Michigan State now features the nation's No. 1 defense and has avoided some of the close losses that plagued the Spartans last season and the Wildcats this season.

Northwestern has lost six in a row, including the last four by a combined 21 points and two of those games being lost in overtime. In Saturday's 27-19 loss in three overtimes to Michigan, Colter ran for 78 yards and a touchdown while Trevor Siemian threw for 153 yards.

"It almost feels like we're cursed," Colter told Inside Northwestern, adding he thought the team would keep fighting and couldn't pout because the Wildcats were close to getting over the hump.

Colter, a senior, looks to help his team do so and get a win against Michigan State on Senior Day would keep its hopes of bowl eligibility alive.

"The guys are working their tails off," Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald told reporters. "It just comes down to making one more play. I don't know if there's another team in the country that can get socked in the gut the way these guys have and respond the way that they have. I think that shows the character of our program."