Michigan State big favorite over Eastern Michigan Saturday

EAST LANSING, Mich. – After having two weeks to stew over letting a nine-point lead slip away, Michigan State looks to rid itself of that sour taste when it hosts Eastern Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The 11th-ranked Spartans took a hit toward earning a spot in college football's four-team playoff with a 46-27 loss to No. 3 Oregon on Sept. 6. With a less-than-daunting schedule on the horizon, coach Mark Dantonio said he isn't interested in piling on the points in a bid to possibly tip the scale in his team's favor.

"We are going to play to win, and after that is accomplished, we're going to try to get our younger players playing and develop experience and depth on this football team," Dantonio said. "I'm not interested in taking a timeout before the end of the game to get another seven points. I'm interested in playing the game the way it's supposed to be played and letting it go." That could provide some solace for the Eagles, who have dropped all nine meetings against their intra-state rival and have been outscored 82-3 en route to losing decisions to Florida and Old Dominion.

TV: Noon ET, Big Ten Network. LINE: Michigan State -45 1/2

ABOUT EASTERN MICHIGAN (1-2): First-year coach Chris Creighton is choosing to look at positives despite seeing his team gouged for 211 rushing yards per game this season. "I really felt as though (the defense) kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win," Creighton said after surrendering a season-low 367 total yards in a 17-3 loss to the Monarchs. Offensively, senior Bronson Hill rushed for 78 yards on 16 carries last week.

ABOUT MICHIGAN STATE (1-1): Connor Cook is 41-of-60 for 628 yards with five touchdowns this season and looks to exploit an Eastern Michigan club that has permitted 868 yards passing. The ground game has yet to get untracked as Jeremy Langford has struggled to build off his record-setting performance last year following eight straight 100-yard games. The senior has been held under that plateau in each of his last three and has mustered just 143 yards on 37 carries.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Michigan State was limited to 37 yards rushing in the second half versus Oregon.

2. The Eagles held a 7-3 halftime lead before the Spartans scored the final 20 points in their last meeting on Sept. 22, 2012.

3. Michigan State WR Tony Lippett reeled in 11 receptions against the Ducks and leads the team with three touchdowns.