3 Keys and a Prediction for MSU against Boston College

The offensive line's play, particularly from the tackles, will be absolutely critical on Saturday. QB Aidan Chiles got sacked four times against Western Michigan, which resulted in a loss of 36 yards and one lost fumble.

MSU couldn't stop WMU's Nadame Tucker in pass pro, as he recorded three tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble. Boston College started Quintayvious Hutchins and Edwin Kolenge at defensive end last week against Fordham.

Against a stronger opponent, tackles Stanton Ramil and Conner Moore will need to have good days. Something that might help is that MSU probably won't rotate as much with the offensive line, which can help with the unit's communication and cohesion as the contest progresses. Moore split his snaps nearly down the middle between playing left and right tackle in Week 1, which is a very difficult thing to do.

Win/Tie the Turnover Battle

MSU has already proven that if it takes care of the ball, or at least does so about as much as its opponent, that it should beat Boston College. Last fall, the Spartans turned it over four times and only forced one BC turnover, yet Michigan State still only lost 23-19.

If the turnover margin was zero, minus-1, or maybe even minus-2, MSU probably would've won that game on the road. Chiles throwing three interceptions and Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams fumbling on the Spartans' own 5-yard line was the difference. Now, with the rematch in Spartan Stadium, playing clean will still be a need.

Excluding Alessio Milivojevic's pick-six, the turnover margin was zero, but Chiles still put the ball on the ground twice and saw one be recovered by the Broncos. MSU cannot afford those mistakes again.

Contain Boston College WR Lewis Bond

WR Lewis Bond is perhaps the top player that Boston College returns from last season, and it shows in his statlines from his game against Michigan State last fall and his day against Fordham last weekend.

Despite the fact that BC only attempted 16 passes all game, largely due to the rain, Bond caught six passes for 102 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles and now-Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos threw for a total of 140 yards, which meant that Bond's game was about 73% of that.

Bond also made the winning play, getting behind MSU's defense with less than two minutes to go for a 42-yard touchdown that flipped a 19-16 Spartan advantage into a 23-16 Boston College lead that held.

He also just had a monster game against an FCS opponent, totaling 11 receptions for 138 yards against Fordham.

Prediction: Michigan State 28, Boston College 20

This is a game that Michigan State should win. The Spartans have a deeper, more talented roster on paper and get to play this game at home.

We've seen two different versions of this MSU team -- a grade-A one in the first half against WMU and probably about a D+ in the second half, the plus solely being because of the defense pitching a shutout.

MSU needs to play a full 60 minutes in this one, and I think they will do so this time. Chiles seemed calmer under pressure in Week 1 than he did last year, and I think the home crowd will do enough to push MSU over the top, especially with Boston College quarterback Dylan Lonergan making his first-ever start on the road. Another little nugget is that the Spartans will have Nick Marsh this time, too.