3 Storylines To Watch in MSU's Week 2 Game vs. EMU

EAST LANSING -- Michigan State football is looking to keep the losing side of its record clean heading into the second of two "buy" games this season.

The Spartans (1-0 overall) are paying Eastern Michigan (1-1 overall, 1-0 MAC) $1.5 million to play Saturday's game. Kickoff is set for 3:38 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network. Here are a few storylines hovering around this Week 2 battle:

Return of QB Noah Kim, Other Former Spartans

The biggest bullet point is quarterback Noah Kim's return to East Lansing. Kim was MSU's starter for the first five games of the 2023 season and spent four total years with the program (2020-23). He initially transferred to Coastal Carolina for the 2024 season, where he was the backup for his first and only year there. Kim then transferred again to Eastern Michigan, where he's been the starter since.

"A lot of my knowledge of football came from Michigan State under [former offensive coordinator] Jay Johnson," Kim said during MAC Football Media Days, via WILX. "I give a lot of credit for just teaching me the game of football. I've met some of my best friends, my roommates there. There's a lot of love for Michigan State and stuff like that."

It's tough to say there is much bad blood or many connections between Kim and MSU now. The tightest connection is probably between Kim and Spartan linebacker Caleb Wheatland, a new transfer from Auburn. They're both from Centreville, Va., and were childhood friends.

Throughout Michigan State's entire roster, only seven players were around at the same time as Kim: safety Khalil Majeed (joined the team in 2021), tight end Jay Coyne (2022), linebacker Jordan Hall (2023), tight end Brennan Parachek (2023), safety Caleb Gash (2023), wide receiver Jack Yanachik (2023), and EDGE Jaxson Wilson (2023).

Kim isn't the only former MSU player coming back to Spartan Stadium, though. EMU defensive back Caleb Coley was with the team from 2022-24. Long snapper Reeves Taylor was on Michigan State's roster in 2024. Offensive guard Cole Dellinger spent the first three years of his career with the Spartans from 2023-25.

Can MSU Start Quick in Second Half?

Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic takes a snap against Toledo at Spartan Stadium on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

One of the big problems against Toledo last Friday was a slow start in the second half. Michigan State had first-and-10 from the Rockets' 34-yard line on the half's opening drive, but a sack stalled the drive. The Spartans settled for a 54-yard attempt that was blocked.

Shortly after that, Toledo put together a six-play, 60-yard drive to score a touchdown and make it a one-score game. That was really the only time all game the Rockets put together a serious drive, with their other two touchdowns being from 60 and 71 yards out.

Michigan State head coach Pat Fitzgerald celebrates a play against Toledo with offensive lineman Trent Fraley (63) during the first half at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

That early-season script of Michigan State dominating early against a MAC team, but never totally pulling away, is relatively familiar. Eastern Michigan is probably a step below Toledo relative to the MAC, so an "acceptable" result for MSU would definitely require a larger margin of victory than what it had in Week 1.

Those first few drives in the third quarter will probably be important. That Week 3 game against Notre Dame is just in the background of this game, and the Spartans' coaching staff would probably like to play as many players as possible to try to keep the starters fresh for what might be Michigan State's most challenging game of the season. Getting that lead into that three- or four-score range early in the third would be ideal.

Explosive Plays

MSU] — Sep 4, 2026; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Toledo Rockets running back Connor Walendzak (8) runs with the ball as quarterback John Alan Richter (6) celebrates during the game against the Michigan State Spartans at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Generating explosive plays on offense and preventing them on defense is another thing to watch. That difference is why Toledo was right there with the Spartans in the fourth quarter. UT had those two long touchdowns, and MSU only had two plays of 20-plus yards all game. The longest play was a 26-yard catch by wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr.

In fairness, the lack of long plays, according to Pat Fitzgerald, was largely because of the Toledo safeties playing pretty far off the line of scrimmage.

Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic readies to take a snap against Toledo at Spartan Stadium on Friday, Sept. 4, 2026. | Starr Portice, Michigan State Spartans on SI

The good part is that Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic is not the type of quarterback to really force anything deep. Even though almost everything was underneath during Week 1, Milivojevic finished with 247 passing yards and one touchdown with no turnovers.

Showing the capability of throwing deep or popping a big run is still important, though. Explosives can be an equalizer when MSU plays an opponent more talented than it is in the future, just as it was for Toledo last week.

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