3 Biggest Matchups To Know in Michigan State Opener vs. Toledo
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Michigan State put an interesting opponent at the beginning of its 2026 schedule.
The Spartans are starting the Pat Fitzgerald era against Toledo, another team that is debuting a new head coach: Mike Jacobs. Toledo has generally been one of the MAC's top programs for some time now.
The Rockets beat Mississippi State 41-17 during the 2024 season and were picked to finish third in the MAC's preseason poll (MSU's Week 2 opponent, Eastern Michigan, was selected to finish seventh out of 13 teams).
A couple of matchups in this game stick out as particularly important. Below are three to keep an eye on Friday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. ET on FS1.
MSU's Offensive Tackles vs. Toledo's Andrew Zock
Toledo's new coach, Jacobs, previously coached at Mercer for the past two seasons. He brought plenty of quality players with him from Mercer: 14 in total. Defensive end Andrew Zock is the most notable of the bunch. He won the Buck Buchanan Award last year, the FCS's Defensive Player of the Year.
Zock had 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks last season. He very well could've gone to a Power Four school, but Zock chose to stick with Jacobs, defensive coordinator Jahmal Brown, and defensive line coach Jimmy Long (Brown and Long both followed Jacobs from Mercer, too).
Michigan State's offensive tackles will have a heck of a time keeping Zock in check. UConn transfer Ben Murawski is the projected starter on the left side, while Rakeem Johnson is the expected starting right tackle.
MSU's Jordan Hall vs. Toledo's CJ Miller
The best way for MSU to make Friday stress-free is by quickly stopping the run. Expected Toledo starting quarterback John Alan Richter is in his fifth year with the program, but he's never been a full-time starter, and he's never been in a game against a Power Four team before. Making Richter beat you starts with success in early downs, and that dance will largely be between Toledo running back CJ Miller and Spartan linebacker Jordan Hall.
Miller is another Mercer convert. He ran for 957 yards and 14 touchdowns last year. Hall is Michigan State's star linebacker, leading the team with 88 total tackles and three forced fumbles last year. He'll still have his hands full with containing Miller in both the run and the pass, as Miller is a pretty good receiving threat for a running back.
MSU's Corners vs. Toledo's Adjatay Dabbs
Toledo will have to throw the ball to win it on Friday. The Rockets' likely go-to receiver is Adjatay Dabbs. He's a transfer from, you guessed it, Mercer. Dabbs is a serious big-play threat, catching 45 passes last year for 856 yards and eight touchdowns. He had catches of 63, 81, and 84 yards last season.
It'll be on Charles Brantley and Tre Bell to contain him, whichever corner ends up lining up against him. Brantley was a true CB1 for Michigan State in 2024, intercepting three passes and not allowing a touchdown, per PFF, but he's coming off a weird year at Miami (FL), where he only played in three games. Bell is an Iowa State transfer who stepped into a starting role midseason and performed pretty well.
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A 2025 graduate from Michigan State University, Cotsonika brings a wealth of experience covering the Spartans from Rivals and On3 to his role as Michigan State Spartans Beat Writer on SI. At Michigan State, he was also a member of the world-renowned Spartan marching band for two seasons.
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