1. Joe Bachie
Fresh off of the best game of his already great career, Bachie is the leader of the Michigan State defense, and quite honestly could be the Spartans best overall player on the roster.
He is a do-it-all linebacker that already has 40 tackles on the season – coming off of 14 against Northwestern – 1.5 sacks, four pass breakups and an interception.
The Spartans’ defensive line is already tough, but if a running back is able to get by the front four, they rarely ever make it past the second line of defense run by Bachie.
Bachie is not someone who will just stay in one spot of the field, however. On Saturday, you will see him flying from sideline-to-sideline, break up plays in the backfield, and probably knock down a couple of passes that could have gone for big plays.
One interesting matchup would be if Indiana goes with four or five wideouts, and still have Peyton Hendershot run a route, how Bachie will be utilized.
The Bachie vs Hendershot matchup could come into play multiple times on Saturday, and if Hendershot is able to utilize his skills to win that matchup, it could not only take Bachie out of the game, but also lead to an Indiana offense that beats up on the Spartans’ defense.