Michigan State vs. Nebraska Week 8: 10 Things to Watch as Big Ten Heavies Meet

Michigan State travels to Lincoln this week to meet the Nebraska Cornhuskers in their first matchup as Big 10 competitors.

The Legends division title and a chance to play in the inaugural Big 10 Championship Game will be on the line as MSU holds a one-game lead over the Huskers.

There are many factors that will come into play this week and none are bigger than the Spartans ensuring they do not come out flat as they have in past Big 10 road games. William Gholston is set to make his return and Nebraska is looking for a signature win to validate its lofty national ranking.

While the nation may be more intrigued with the No. 8 Kansas State versus No. 9 Oklahoma contest, the Midwest will be intensely concentrated on the outcome of this Big 10 clash.

The following slides will outline the keys to this pivotal battle and provide the final score so you will have something to mock come Saturday evening.

William Gholston Is Humbled

William Gholston was not even allowed in Spartan Stadium for last week's win over Wisconsin after a couple of unnecessary indiscretions against Michigan led to a suspension.

Any player who has ever had to miss a game for any reason knows that it is a difficult experience.

If your team wins a big game without you, there is a duality of emotion. You are elated and proud of your teammates, but empty at the same time because you were not a part of it. 

It reminds the player that the best part of football is the camaraderie shared amongst teammates. Not being a part of such a dramatic victory like last week's will inevitably lead to a feeling of loneliness.

William Gholston Is Hungry

Michigan State, and probably William Gholston himself, will benefit from the emotional trial that the defensive end had to endure. 

He can take this experience and use it as motivation for this coming week and the rest of his career. He will be a leader in practice because he will be chomping at the bit to become a part of the team again. It's unlikely that anyone will work harder than him this week because he wants to prove that he is integral to the team's success.

All of this will translate to Saturday. Look for Gholston to come out and play with unmatched passion and sustain it throughout the contest.

Kirk Cousins Has Some Serious Momentum

Kirk Cousins had been enjoying a steady career that has seen him lead Michigan State to a couple of successful seasons. After last week's performance, the senior quarterback has been elevated in Spartan folklore.

Cousins was able to amass 290 yards and three touchdowns, none more important than his last-second Hail Mary heave to Keith Nichol to finish off the Badgers.

However, he did not play well in MSU's last big road game at Ohio State. In order to fully cement himself as a legend in East Lansing, he will need to be a part of the reason the Spartans win against Nebraska.

Taylor Martinez Needs a Big Game

Taylor Martinez hasn't had a bad season, but he has yet to match the start he had last year when he was an early-season Heisman candidate. He will need to have a stellar game if Nebraska is going to knock off the red-hot Spartans.

His completion percentage has hovered around 50 percent for all of his games except for one and he only broke 200 yards passing once. He has added three 100-yard rushing performances, but two of the three were against vastly inferior competition.

Martinez is going to have to step it up this week against the nation's top-ranked pass defense. 

Michigan State Has Had Success Against Running Quarterbacks

When Kirk Cousins and the Michigan State offense couldn't get it done in Columbus, the defense stepped up and simply shut down Ohio State's Braxton Miller.

Taylor Martinez will not reach 100 yards rushing despite his success against the Buckeyes.

MSU's defense is well prepared to handle a mobile quarterback.

It ended Denard Robinson's annual September Heisman campaign even though he is the best running quarterback in the country. Additionally, it also contained the best dual-threat quarterback in Russell Wilson.

Bo Pelini Needs to Keep His Composure

Bo Pelini has had some issues in the past controlling his anger with Taylor Martinez because of his occasionally ineffective play.

As discussed in the past couple of slides, Michigan State's defense should frustrate Nebraska's offense, specifically Martinez. 

It is imperative that Pelini keep his cool because players rarely respond well to a coach losing it. It takes the focus away from executing the game plan.

Mark Dantonio Must Keep His Boys Focused

Mark Dantonio has been known to make gutsy calls to push his team over the top.

Against Nebraska, Michigan State will probably not go too far off the beaten path because the Cornhuskers have no doubt been preparing for every sort of trick play. However, his big "call" this week will be to ensure that his squad does not begin the game flat.

Not coming out strong last year in Iowa City slightly derailed the season. MSU was somewhat lucky to recover from last week's slow start against Wisconsin, but that was in East Lansing.

Lincoln will not be so kind to the Spartans if they don't come out of the gate with a fire in their collective belly.

Lavonte David Belongs in the Big Ten

Lavonte David was dominant in the Big 12 last year, piling up 153 tackles and six sacks. Yet, there were some questions if he would be as effective in the Big 10 because his game was predicated on speed and not size.

The Big 12 plays a style that lends itself to quick, small linebackers as the offenses throw the ball seemingly on every play and most running plays are originated out of a spread formation. While the Big 10 isn't quite the same "three yards and a cloud of dust" style exhibited by Woody Hayes and Bo Schembechler, most teams still retain some form of a power rushing attack.

David has answered the call so far this year as he was recently named a Dick Butkis Award semifinalist. His play will be instrumental if Nebraska is going to slow down the physical rushing attack of Michigan State. 

Michigan State's Rushing Attack vs. Nebraska's Defense Is Key

Michigan State's rushing attack has been the bread and butter of Mark Dantonio's regime.

It was only able to rack up 109 yards against the Wisconsin Badgers and the lack of ball control contributed to the Badgers being able to get back in the game in the fourth quarter. 

Edwin Baker is only a couple of weeks removed from his dominant effort against Michigan when he put up 167 yards on 26 carries. He and Le'Veon Bell will see plenty of carries to try and keep the hostile crowd from affecting the game.

BJ Cunningham and Keshawn Martin Will Provide the Fireworks

B.J. Cunningham was all over the field last week, contributing 102 yards, a touchdown and being smart enough to let the ball deflect off his facemask on the final play. That might have been more luck than skill, but it was still his facemask!

Keshawn Martin hasn't just played second fiddle to Cunningham all season. While he is the second receiver and has fewer catches, he was huge against Michigan when he hauled in two touchdown passes. 

Nebraska's defense is giving up 25 points a game. It never recovered from the loss of Prince Amukamara to the NFL. Its passing defense ranks 53rd in the country this year and could very well drop even further after this week.

Nebraska does not appear to have any answers for MSU's playmakers on the outside and the loss of Jared Crick creates problems when trying to create pressure for opposing quarterbacks.

Prediction

Michigan State will not need a Hail Mary this week to come away with a crucial road win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

MSU has battled through an amazingly difficult October and picked up wins over Ohio State, Michigan and Wisconsin. Nebraska also beat Ohio State, but has not provided any reason to believe that it is as battle-tested as the Spartans.

Michigan State's seniors are not going to allow the team to fall into the traps they have in prior seasons.

MSU will pull through with a 27-13 victory.