Michigan State will again be without Hall and Pretzlaff, and loses LT Murawski, vs Northwestern

Michigan State will face No. 25 Northwestern on Saturday with its injury list getting longer. Linebackers Jordan Hall and Brady Pretzlaff will miss another game, and left tackle Ben Murawski will sit out as well, according to the Detroit Free Press.

The timing is bad. Michigan State has lost four straight, and Hall and Pretzlaff are both missing again, so the Spartans go another week without two regulars in the middle of the defense. In the four losses the Spartans gave up 127 points, an average of nearly 32 per game. Losing Murawski also takes away the player protecting the quarterback's blind side, and that comes after the offense put up 3 points at Wisconsin and 13 against Nebraska.

The last result showed both sides of the problem. Michigan State scored 37 against Illinois, its best total in Big Ten play, and still lost 38-37. Through four losses the offense has 63 points, and more than half came in that one game.

Injuries are a theme around the state this week. Michigan Wolverines On SI reports that four of Michigan's five starting offensive linemen are on the Wolverines' initial report ahead of Penn State.

What it means for Saturday

Northwestern comes to East Lansing at 4-1 and playing about as well as anyone in the conference. The Wildcats have scored 35.4 points per game and allowed 16.2. They have won twice since their only loss, a 29-23 defeat at No. 5 Indiana, beating Penn State 34-13 and Ball State 45-14. That is a hard matchup for a Michigan State defense missing two linebackers, and an offensive line without its left tackle will face a defense that has held four of five opponents to 18 points or fewer.

The board on this site reflects the gap between the teams. At Novig, one of 11 venues on the game page, Northwestern is favored at -300 on the moneyline and Michigan State is +285. On the spread, Novig lists Northwestern at -7.5 (+102) and Michigan State at +7.5 (-108). The best number for the Spartans is at theScore Bet, which has them at +8.5 for -120, so the venues are about a point apart on the margin. Sportsbook hold on the spread runs from 4.0% to 6.7%.

The total is 48.5 at Novig, -111 on the over and even money on the under. Hard Rock Bet has the over at the same 48.5 for -110, and BetMGM has the under at 49.5 for -110. The total suggests a game in the 20s for the favorite, which is about where Northwestern has scored against Big Ten teams this fall.

For Michigan State, the question is less about the record than about how many healthy regulars it can put on the field. At 2-4, the Spartans need wins to stay in contention for a bowl. Northwestern's season so far suggests it will test the depth on both lines.