Michigan State will wrap up its non-conference schedule on Saturday afternoon in East Lansing, Mich., before a matchup with Southern California in the Spartans’ Big Ten opener next week.
Michigan State will face a Football Championship Subdivision opponent in Youngstown State on Saturday, but Spartans coach Jonathan Smith said his team won’t take the Penguins lightly.
“Never been a believer in this idea of a trap game,” Smith said. “If you get into this trap game (mentality), you’re focusing in the wrong spot, whether it’s in the past or in the future. … Every time we get to line up against somebody, we respect them all, who we’re playing. We know we’re going to have to play well to go earn a win.”
The Spartans (2-0) are coming off a 42-40 victory over Boston College in double overtime last weekend.
Quarterback Aidan Chiles, who is in his second year at Michigan State, has thrown five touchdown passes without an interception in the first two games. He connected with Omari Kelly for the game-winning, two-point conversion against the Eagles and finished 19 of 29 for 231 yards and four TDs.
“He played, competed, he ran,” Smith said of Chiles. “Accuracy with the ball. Even the small things like some of the trajectory he had on some deep balls, and keeping the post safety out of the play — showing growth.”
The Penguins (2-0) notched a 56-17 win over Robert Morris on Saturday. They have a dual threat in Beau Brungard, who ran for four touchdowns against the Colonials and set a Missouri Valley Conference record for quarterbacks with 264 rushing yards.
Brungard has completed 70.3 percent of his passes in the first two games while rushing for 409 yards and six touchdowns.
“Having the opportunity to play a Big Ten team — they’re big, they’re physical — you can see how much better they are this year. For us, it’s a great challenge to see where we are,” Youngstown State coach Doug Phillips said.
Michigan State finished 5-7 last season.
