Michigan State vs. Northwestern 2017 live stream: Time and how to watch online

Coming off two Big Ten wins in a row, the Northwestern Wildcats will try to replicate their victory over Iowa on their home turf as hosts to the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans, this Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN (live stream).

The Wildcats are coming off an overtime win against the Hawkeyes last week and are hoping that they’ll be able to get their offense going early against the Spartans. Neither Northwestern or Michigan State boast impressive offenses, so whichever team can get the momentum early will likely be the one to end Week 9 with a win.

The Spartans have hit the twenty point mark once in Big Ten play, on the back of a huge performance from LJ Scott against Minnesota. The offense has struggled mightily in three other conference matchups, with a profile that looks eerily similar to Northwestern’s. The Wildcats rank 92nd in offensive S&P+ while Michigan State sits at 90th.

Brian Lewerke has thrown for 185 yards or less in three straight games. He has failed to surpass 120 yards in two of those contests. Lewerke also did not post a completion percentage better than 55 percent in any of those games. We were blaming it on the weather in the prior contests, but the passing game just may not be there yet.

But you know what? Lewerke didn’t turn the ball over. He, once again, made the plays when it counted. It was an ugly win. But that’s OK.

Instead, I can’t get past the notion that this mid-season surge, with the division out of reach ever since that September 30th loss to Wisconsin, is going to do the same thing it did last year when the Wildcats won three straight after a 1-3 start.

It’s going to prevent necessary changes to the offensive coaching staff from being made, isn’t it?

The Spartans are surprisingly only a one-loss team — surprising since no one is really talking about them — and are so far undefeated in conference play. Their biggest conference challenge so far this season has been against the Wolverines, but they emerged victorious and recorded Big Ten wins over Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota.

Things could change for the Spartans after this week, though, facing a back-end schedule that includes Big Ten East leaders Penn State and Ohio State, before finishing the year with Maryland and Rutgers.

This game will come down to which team’s offense can actually get into the end zone. Northwestern showed promise coming out of the Wisconsin game earlier this season, but will likely struggle against the Spartans’ top-tier defense. Michigan State comes away with the win, leading to a 7-1 record (5-0 in the Big Ten).