EAST LANSING - Wisconsin is looking to string together consecutive victories for the first time this season by extending its winning streak over Michigan State to three games.

BadgerBlitz.com breaks down its three keys to the game before the Badgers take the field against the Spartans on Saturday, Oct. 15 (3:00 P.M. CT, FOX).

When: Saturday, Oct. 15

Where: Spartan Stadium (capacity 74,866)

All-Time Series: Michigan State, 30-24

Series in East Lansing: Michigan State leads, 16-8, in East Lansing

TV: FOX (Tim Brando doing play-by-play, Spencer Tillman as the analyst)

Local Radio: Badger Sports Network (Matt Lepay doing play-by-play, Mike Lucas and Mark Tauscher as analysts, Patrick Herb as the sideline reporter)

Betting line: Wisconsin -7

In his first contest with major control of the game plan, offensive coordinator Bobby Engram had the unit firing on all cylinders. Contributing to the 515-yard output was the variety Engram had the offense show throughout the day.

To open up the game, Graham Mertz dropped back to pass the first two plays, which were part of six first-down passes in the first quarter. Throughout the afternoon, Skyler Bell and Vinny Anthony each had two carries, along with the continued mixing in of Braelon Allen taking snaps in the wildcat. The offense went to a pistol look for the first time this season and displayed play action a season-high 10 times as well.

"As an offense you get into a rhythm," Engram said. "Our guys are capable -- you’ve seen that in spurts all year but it’s the consistency. You talk about a rhythm and that’s everyone doing their job consistently."

Part of the optimism coming into the season was the depth of playmakers, whether at wide receiver with Bell, Anthony, Chimere Dike, Keontez Lewis and Markus Allen, or at running back with Chez Mellusi and Allen. In order to maintain success, Engram has to continue to mix it up and keep the Michigan State defense on its toes.

One of the questions that I posed in our weekly 3-2-1 column to start the week was how much of the performance a week ago was a product of going up against a 1-5 Northwestern squad. Well, against Michigan State, the competition, at least defensively, doesn't increase much.

Any statistic you turn to on the defensive end, it isn't pretty for the Spartans.

In the Big Ten, the defense is 11th in scoring defense (27.0), 13th in total defense (445.5 yards per game), 12th in rushing defense (153.5), 14th in passing defense (292.0), 14th in opponent first downs (23.7) and 14th in opponent third down conversion rate (44.3). Those ranks are out of 14 teams in the conference.

A week ago, Mertz went off for a career-high 299 yards, threw five passing touchdowns and completed 68.9 percent of his passes. Through six games of the season, Mertz has proven he is a real asset of the team and can keep the offense moving. Let the third-year starter continue to have success and be the catalyst for the offense.

This last key isn't a necessity for the Badgers to come away with a win. But against an inferior, struggling team, it'll be important not to give the Spartans extra opportunities.

As putrid as Michigan State is on defense, the offense isn't playing much better. Over the recent four game losing streak, the Spartans are averaging 41.8 rushing yards a game and have hit 100 rushing yards once over that stretch. Through the air, quarterback Payton Thorne has thrown for 132 yards or fewer in two of the four losses.

Part of what made Wisconsin successful a week ago was clean football. UW did not turn it over once against Northwestern, and Mertz was not hit once during the contest. The team was just penalized just six times as well with none of them being back breaking.

The Badgers can likely top Michigan State without a clean effort, but part of the recipe to an upset would be some turnovers and penalties in favor of the Spartans.

The betting line these past two weeks is a solid indication for Wisconsin that things can certainly be worse for Wisconsin. In the two weeks since making an in season coaching change, the Badgers have now been favored by at least a touchdown in each game while playing on the road.

Looking at Michigan State, defensively, the group has struggled mightily during a four-game losing streak. Offensively, the team is in a rut as well. An opponent on the road that seemed daunting now represents a very winnable game for a team that needs to stack wins. Look for Wisconsin to win comfortably on the road.

Wisconsin 31, Michigan State 17

Was last week a fluke or did we actually see Wisconsin turn a corner? I think a lot of it has to do with how bad Northwestern has played since its season opener, but the Badgers were more aggressive and appeared to have a little more creativity offensively with offensive coordinator Bobby Engram on the sidelines. That needs to continue moving forward.

Much like Northwestern, Michigan State looks like a mess. Losers of four straight, the Spartans haven't looked competitive in losses to Washington, Minnesota, Maryland, and Ohio State by giving up over 37 points per game.

Is UW back? Too early to say, but the Badgers beat up a bad team last week and should do so again today.

Wisconsin 34, Michigan State 14

Wisconsin seems to finally be trending in the right direction. Yes, it was just one game against Northwestern, but the Badgers played with a distinct sense of urgency that's been lacking all season. If Leonhard can keep them on that track, and they continue to play with that same fire, Wisconsin could start stacking wins.

Mel Tucker's Michigan State squad is reeling at the midway point of the season. The Spartans are still looking for their first Big Ten win, and they're heavily banged up, especially on defense. Both teams badly need this victory, but Michigan State may simply be undermanned against the Badgers.

Wisconsin 28, Michigan State 23

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