Chris Solari

Detroit Free Press

Free Press sports writer Chris Solari breaks down and predicts Saturday's Michigan State-Wisconsin game.

Fast facts

Michigan State (2-0) vs. Wisconsin (3-0)

When: Noon Saturday.

Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network; WJR-AM (760).

Line: MSU by 5 1/2.

► Going to the game? Be wary of freeway ramp, lane closures near Brighton

Injury report

MSU: None.

Wisconsin: RB Corey Clement (left leg), questionable; RB Taiwan Deal (right leg), questionable; LG Micah Kapoi (foot), questionable; OL Jon Dietzen (right leg), questionable; DE Billy Hirschfeld (left leg), questionable; K Rafael Gaglianone (back), out; RB Bradrick Shaw (right shoulder), out; CB Natrell Jamerson (left leg), out; LB Chris Orr (right knee), out for the season.

Five things to watch

Hold the ball: Michigan State and Wisconsin offenses both thrive by keeping the ball away from their opponents. The Badgers rank first in the Big Ten and third in the Football Bowl Subdivision in time of possession at 38:25. The Spartans are third in the conference and 17th in the nation at 34:13, and they are coming off a 36-28 win at Notre Dame in which they had the ball for nearly 16 minutes more than the Irish.

Senior chemistry: After leaving in the first quarter of Furman game with hamstring tightness, receiver R.J. Shelton turned in a career game at Notre Dame with eight catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. The Beaver Dam, Wis., native took half of his passes from fellow senior Tyler O’Connor on flip passes directly in front of the quarterback, which picked up 41 yards and went with 16 rushing yards on three carries. His other four catches were downfield, including a diving third-down grab, and Shelton also drew a critical pass interference call on another MSU touchdown drive.

Double duty: MSU coaches decided to keep the redshirts on the true freshmen defensive linemen for at least another week, working tight end Jamal Lyles and offensive guard Brandon Clemons into the mix on the defensive side of the ball. Neither senior registered a tackle, but they are both experienced on that side. Lyles began his career at MSU as a defensive end and played there briefly during the spring game. Clemons played both defensive tackle and offensive line in the same game as recently as 2014.

Close quarters: The Spartans and Badgers have played some epic games during Mark Dantonio’s decade as MSU’s head coach. The seven meetings between the two schools since Dantonio was hired for the 2007 season have been decided by 34 combined points (4.86 per game). They haven’t played since 2012, when the Spartans edged the Badgers 16-13 in overtime. Dantonio holds a 4-3 edge in the series. The two schools split their two meetings in 2011, with MSU beating the Badgers at home 37-31 on Kirk Cousins’ last-second “Rocket” TD pass to Keith Nichol, then falling to Wisconsin in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, 42-39, about two months later.

Sadler honors:The Spartans will honor former punter Mike Sadler, who died in a car accident along with Nebraska’s Sam Foltz on July 23 near Waukesha, Wisconsin. The two were working at a kicking camp nearby. Sadler, the school’s first four-time Academic All-American, was inducted into the MSU Athletics Hall of Fame on Thursday, and his number is embedded in the Spartan helmet logo at midfield as a tribute. The Big Ten also is using a commemorative coin that honors both Sadler and Foltz for the pregame coin toss.

Know the foe

New quarterback? Fifth-year senior Bart Houston got the start during Wisconsin’s first three games, going 44 of 71 with two touchdowns and two interceptions while averaging 175.7 yard a game. Redshirt freshman Alex Hornibrook saw spot duty in a blowout win over Akron, then led two late scoring drives in a tight game against Georgia State last week. Hornibrook is expected to start this week, though Badgers coach Paul Chryst has said this week that he expects to play both quarterbacks against MSU.

Banged-up backfield: Badgers running back Corey Clement sat out last week’s 23-17 squeaker over Georgia State after rolling his left ankle against Akron. The senior was seen with a boot on his foot after practice earlier this week and is listed as questionable. He has run for 197 yards and three TDs in his first two games this season. Taiwan Deal also is questionable with an ankle injury for a Wisconsin team that averages 205 rushing yards a game. Wisconsin also will be without Gaglianone, who made three field goals in the win over LSU.

Dominating defense: Wisconsin’s defense has been among the Big Ten’s best in the early going, starting with its 16-14 stifling of LSU in which the Badgers held the Tigers to just 257 total yards of offense. The 261 yards per game Wisconsin allows ranks first in the Big Ten and 13th in FBS, while the Badgers’ 82.3 rushing yards per game allowed is second in the league and 13th nationally. Coordinator Justin Wilcox’s 3-4 defense is led by three of its linebackers – Jack Cichy has 17 tackles, T.J. Edwards 13 and T.J. Watt 12. Watt, the brother of NFL star and former Badger J.J. Watt, also has two sacks.

Scouting report

When Michigan State has the ball: Tyler O’Connor once again will have a chance to make plays down the field against a secondary that has some concerns. To do so, though, he’ll need the Spartans’ offensive line to play as good, or better, than last week at Notre Dame. The Badgers’ front seven can be disruptive and will be tough for LJ Scott and Co. to find running room against, which makes O’Connor’s intermediate to deep passing game critical.

When Wisconsin has the ball: Watch for the Spartans to bring more pressure than they have in the first two games with new quarterback Hornibrook under center. He’s shown to be an efficient passer in his limited action, so MSU wants to keep him uncomfortable and unable to look down field. Wisconsin’s offensive line will have its hands full protecting him and must show more of a push to aid a running game that has so many components banged up heading into the game.

Solari's prediction

MSU 27, Wisconsin 13: The Spartans may have griped about an early bye week, but the Badgers could really use it with their injuries. MSU rides the emotions of a Mike Sadler tribute to a dominating performance, making new Wisconsin starting QB Alex Hornibrook’s afternoon a frustrating debut, and O’Connor makes a few more plays downfield for the Spartans.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari.

Download our Spartans Xtra app for free on Apple and Android devices!