Why Michigan State football faces an aerial test unlike any it has faced this year in WKU

Looking back at Michigan State football’s 23-20 overtime win over Nebraska and looking ahead to the Spartans’ homecoming matchup with Western Kentucky.

Next up

Matchup: Michigan State (4-0) vs. Western Kentucky (1-2).

Kickoff: 7:30 p.m, Saturday; Spartan Stadium, East Lansing.

TV/radio: Big Ten Network, WJR-AM (760).

Line: Spartans by 8.

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Know the foe

Western Kentucky gave Big Ten East foe Indiana all it could handle Saturday, with the Hoosiers hanging on for a 33-31 road win in Bowling Green, Kentucky. WKU posted 458 yards of offense behind quarterback Bailey Zappe’s 365-yard, three-TD performance — but also gave up 507, including 373 through the air to IU’s Michael Penix Jr. The 6-foot-1, 220-pound Zappe, a Houston Baptist transfer, ranks second in the country at 408 passing yards per game, third in passer rating at 192.2 and sixth with 13 touchdowns, while throwing two interceptions. His top target, Jerreth Sterns, is fourth nationally at 120 receiving yards per game, ninth with 7.7 catches per game. Fellow wideout Daewood Davis is a big-play target who has six catches for 164 yards and two TDs.

The Hilltoppers' offense ranks third in the nation at 57.7% on third-down conversion attempts but 129th on opponents' third-down attempts, with a 60% conversion rate. They have not lost a fumble and are disciplined, with just 148 penalty yards, good for 15th nationally. WKU also lost 38-35 at Army after beating Tennessee-Martin in its opener, 59-21. Their 41.7 points a game are tied for 14th in FBS. Defensively, the Hilltoppers allow 30.7 points, 104th nationally, and rank 109th in allowing 439.7 yards.

Three things we learned

Nothing easy: The Spartans’ offense, a juggernaut through three games, was shut down by the Cornhuskers in the second half — a total 14 yards on 15 plays, no first downs and five three-and-out possessions. The lone first down after halftime came on Kenneth Walker III’s wildcat 23-yard run on MSU’s first play of overtime; the Spartans finished with season lows in points, total yards (254) and rushing yards (71). In what appeared to be an attempt to keep the offensive line fresh, MSU rotated its first and second units late in the first half with some effectiveness. Neither group fared well in the second half, though quarterback Payton Thorne also threw behind Jalen Nailor a few times. The second unit opened the hole for Walker’s big run in OT.

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Durable defense: That offensive ineptitude forced MSU’s defense to be on the field for 23:18 in the second half. Still, the Spartans mostly contained quarterback Adrian Martinez on the ground and limited Nebraska to just 66 rushing yards (and 10 points) after halftime. Defensive ends Jacub Panasiuk and Jeff Pietrowski, along with defensive tackles Jacob Slade and Simeon Barrow, continually applied pressure as MSU got a season-best seven sacks and forced two critical turnovers — including Chester Kimbrough’s overtime interception.

Special night: On a night when former MSU punter Mike Sadler was honored posthumously, the Spartans’ special teams paid the best tribute possible. Jayden Reed’s 62-yard punt return was the program’s first for a touchdown in nearly a decade, with flawless execution by his teammates to divert the coverage away from him. Punter Bryce Baringer averaged 58.8 yards per punt, with kicks of 65 and 67 yards. And kicker Matt Coghlin provided three field goals, including the winner in OT, and continued to be a sneaky weapon with his kickoffs.

Chris Solari's three things to watch

Offensive response: It was the first true adversity this season for Thorne and Walker (though the running back remains the nation’s leading rusher at 554 total yards and a 138.5-yard average despite running for 61 yards on 19 attempts Saturday). Thorne admitted he missed some plays against Nebraska, finishing 14-for-23 for 183 yards with a flea-flicker touchdown and his first interception of the season. There should be plenty of opportunities to make up for it against the Hilltoppers. It also will bear watching what type of adjustments are made with the offensive line after Saturday's line-shift rotation.

Don’t get Zappe-d: MSU’s pass defense will need to play much better than it has against Zappe, who is eighth in the nation with a 73.1% accuracy rate and third with 29 completions per game. He is comfortable picking apart a defense in the Air Raid system, averaging 14.1 yards per completion to rank 22nd. MSU's bend-but-don't-break coverage has allowed 265.8 yards per game, which is 107th in FBS, and has struggled on third- and fourth-downs. However, the Spartans have yielded just five passing touchdowns while picking off four passes.

Keeping them chopping: It will be the second straight night game for the Spartans and their fans, and Tucker’s call for the crowd to arrive early, stay late and be loud throughout will no doubt be echoed this week after he said MSU had a decided home-field advantage against Nebraska. That noise could be significantly disruptive to a passing-heavy offense that relies on a lot of communication between Zappe, his receivers and his offensive line.

Contact Chris Solari: csolari@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @chrissolari. Read more on the Michigan State Spartans and sign up for our Spartans newsletter.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football faces an aerial test unlike any it has faced