Michigan State reveals throwback helmets, uniforms for Nebraska game

Michigan State is throwing it back for their conference game against the Cornhuskers on Saturday, and the Spartans showed off their look via a Twitter video this morning. 

Clash with the Cornhuskers 🌽 #GoGreen pic.twitter.com/VooyLsnqFD

— Michigan State Football (@MSU_Football) September 23, 2021

The helmets will have the block S on them instead of the typical Spartan logo, and the players will wear green jerseys and white pants. 

The game will be a “Stripe the Stadium” matchup, meaning fans’ tickets will indicate whether they are to wear green or white depending on their section. Michigan State began doing this in 2015 for select games. 

The Spartans are 2-9 all-time against Nebraska, but they have won two of the last four games. The last time the teams faced each other zero touchdowns were scored; Michigan State entered the fourth quarter with a 3-0 lead and allowed three field goals. The final score was 9-6. 

Nebraska enters the game 2-2 after an embarrassing loss to Illinois in Week 1 but a respectable one-possession loss to Oklahoma last week in Norman. The Cornhuskers put up an unexpected fight and held an explosive offense to just three scores, as the Sooners other two points in the 23-16 win came as a result of a blocked extra point. 

The Spartans are five-point favorites for the game that kicks off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FS1.

One of the country’s biggest surprises this year

After going 2-5 last year, head coach Mel Tucker returned for his second year in East Lansing with a roster peppered with transfers. It was expected that the new faces would take some time to mesh, but the opposite has been true. 

The Spartans enter Week 4 with a No. 20 ranking and a 3-0 record with wins on the road at Northwestern and Miami. The Spartans have more than doubled their average points per game from last year, moving from 18 in 2020 to 39.3 in 2021 thus far. 

Perhaps the biggest individual surprise this season is running back Kenneth Walker, a Wake Forest transfer who has racked up 493 yards on 57 carries and five touchdowns on the ground plus a receiving touchdown. His rushing yardage total leads the FBS. Surprisingly, Walker’s worst game came against the Spartans’ only non-Power-Five opponent this year, Youngstown State. He had 57 yards in that game but notched 264 yards in Evanston and 172 yards in Miami.

Michigan State plays four unranked opponents before they host Michigan on Oct. 30.