EAST LANSING– Just two weeks into the young college football season, Michigan State football is already faced with a game featuring massive implications for its season. Boston College flies into East Lansing looking to make it two straight over the Spartans, while MSU needs to keep its season on track early.  

While this matchup could be seen as a revenge game after last year’s loss, junior linebacker Jordan Hall is making it clear the Spartans are keeping their emotions in check.  

“We’re a new team this year and of course, you keep certain aspects of it, you know that is a game that got away,” Hall said. “But if that’s your approach, we need to win this game because we lost it last year, that approach isn’t good enough to win a football game. My approach is we are going to win this game because we want to win this game individually to be better off during the year.”   

While the Spartan offense looked smooth and poised in the first half against WMU, a major key for them against BC will be sustained success for all four quarters. Junior quarterback Aidan Chiles finished game one with 17-23 passing for 155 yards and a touchdown but led the offense to zero points scored in the second half. The defense kept up a suffocating performance all the way through while the offense sputtered and looked a little unfocused.   

Against a higher quality of opponent, MSU needs to find consistency on the offensive side of the ball and take control of the game. This is something they failed to do last year as MSU saw a seven-point halftime lead evaporate within minutes after two giveaways in plus territory.   

Chiles has the opportunity to show real growth as a player and leader on Saturday night against this same Eagles team. The second-year starter also has more weapons at his disposal with senior wide receiver Omari Kelly, a transfer with seven receptions and 75 yards last week.  

He will also be equipped with sophomore wide receiver Nick Marsh this time around, as the breakout star missed last year’s game due to injury. Sophomore running back Makhi Frazier is an emerging piece to the Spartan offense and someone Chiles can hopefully lean on. Frazier made himself a great option in the backfield with 103 yards on 14 carries against the Broncos, making a dual-threat offense a true possibility this season.  

However, the game may come down to Chiles’s endurance as a decision-maker and play–maker. If successful, MSU could prove this is a new team with a new energy behind them and silence some doubters. BC on the other end is looking to prove something similar in this massive early season tilt.  

Scouting Boston College 

While it is difficult to pull a lot from BC’s dominating 66-10 win over Fordham, the Eagles made their offensive priorities clear. With the exit of senior quarterback Tommy Castellanos to Florida State, sophomore quarterback and Alabama transfer Dylan Lonergan makes his entrance in the starting role. Lonergan looked comfortable in the role against the Rams, throwing for 268 yards on 26-34 passing. He was also able to spread the ball around to 11 different pass catchers in his first start.  

The big difference in assignment for the Spartan defense comes from this change at quarterback. Last year, MSU had to account for a dual threat, while Lonergan made himself known as a true pocket passer and gunslinger.  

“I think they’re a good team, they present some issues for us and so it’ll be interesting and kind of neat to see how we handle those adversities or those new wrinkles they have in their offense,” secondary coach Blue Adams said. “Not as much quarterback run stuff anymore because of the guy who left [Castellanos] who was a menace, but they still present some things in terms of getting the ball downfield that’s paired up to their run game extremely well.”  

Lonergan missed practice on Tuesday and may not be playing at 100% strength but senior backup Grayson James is a more than capable option with a similar skillset. He started five games and finished last season with 1,202 yards on 106-166 passing, six touchdowns, and two interceptions.  

Along with a changed yet confident quarterback room, the Eagles are bringing some important returners at receiver. Senior wideout Lewis Bond had his best game last season against the Spartans with six catches for 102 yards, 42 of which coming on a long ball touchdown in the fourth quarter. He returned with 138 yards on 11 catches in last week’s opener.  

The Eagles are also looking for the emergence of junior wide receiver Jaeden Skeete, who had two catches for two touchdowns with 24 yards. Skeete may be a redzone option in the passing game, as the MSU defense hopes to turn the BC attack one-dimensional.  

Sophomore running back and first year starter Turbo Richards struggled somewhat in week one. BC coasted in their win over FU, yet Richards only amounted 48 yards on 16 carries for an average of three yards per carry. Richards was the Eagles’ leading rusher on the day.  

He will go up against an MSU front seven that held the WMU running game to 29 total yards and forced a safety off a handoff in the endzone. If this group is flying around with confidence and effectiveness, that can force BC into a play-calling box.  

From there the Spartans secondary and pass rush will be put on the spot. Both areas had solid jumping off points against the Broncos, as WMU only came away with 188 passing yards between two quarterbacks. MSU may also be adding to the secondary as senior defensive back Nikai Martinez could return from injury and make his first appearance of 2025.  

The Spartans also collected four total sacks on opening night featuring eight QB hurries. While MSU feels their pass rush has improved, they want even more synergy with the secondary and are looking for more against a BC squad constantly seeking long balls.  

“I feel like with the guys that we got now we have a little bit more time,” junior defensive end Jalen Thompson said. “Because like I said, second year, same scheme so guys know what to expect.” 

With season expectations and aspirations on the line for both teams in this matchup, the end result may come down to which quarterback can out duel the other. MSU and BC will have very different game plans for Chiles and Lonergan, but the question becomes whose play style and leadership will come out on top.  

The Spartans and Eagles will play under the lights in East Lansing with kickoff set for Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Listen for the live radio broadcast with Jacob Maurer and Kyle Keegan over the air on 88.9 FM or stream live at impact89fm.org/listen-live/.