Indiana Football vs Michigan State: 5 Spartans to watch out for on Saturday

BLOOMINGTON, IN - SEPTEMBER 22: Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans looks to throw the ball under pressure from Charles Campbell #93 and Nile Sykes #35 of the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - SEPTEMBER 22: Brian Lewerke #14 of the Michigan State Spartans looks to throw the ball under pressure from Charles Campbell #93 and Nile Sykes #35 of the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on September 22, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
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EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 14: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils has the ball knocked out of his hand by Kenny Willekes #48 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half of the game at Spartan Stadium on September 14, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Arizona State defeated Michigan State 10-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 14: Jayden Daniels #5 of the Arizona State Sun Devils has the ball knocked out of his hand by Kenny Willekes #48 of the Michigan State Spartans in the second half of the game at Spartan Stadium on September 14, 2019 in East Lansing, Michigan. Arizona State defeated Michigan State 10-7. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

4. Kenny Willekes

When it comes to the defensive line, look no further than Kenny Willekes. Already with 19 sacks in his 31 career games played, with four coming this season, Willekes is a monster up front.

If Willekes isn’t taking the QB down, he is creating havoc in the backfield. With 6.5 tackles for loss this season, and 10 other quarterback hurries, he is a headache for opposing offenses.

With Indiana’s offensive line in flux after the loss of senior leader Coy Cronk last week, I would expect to see Tom Allen and Kalen DeBoer throw double-teams Willekes way for most of the game.

If Willekes can get in the backfield early and often on Saturday, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Indiana offense shy away from the running game and keep a back in to block on most occasions.

Willekes was an All-American in 2018 and is well on his way to another All-American selection in 2019.