The Spartans get a huge update for the Michigan clash
The Michigan-Michigan college football rivalry hasn’t been as competitive lately, but the Spartans will be in better shape for that game than they have been all season. Jonathan Smith’s team will be as close to full health as possible in Week 9 with left tackle Stanton Ramil and safety Nikai Martinez returning to the lineup.
Ramil and Martinez were both confirmed return on game day morning, ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported. Neither player has taken the field since Sept. 20, when Michigan State suffered a 45-31 loss to USC on the road.
Both absences were felt by the team. Without Ramil, Michigan State struggled to protect Aidan Chiles, who finished fourth in the Big Ten with 18 through seven games.
Martinez’s absence has also been felt on the back end, as the Spartans are currently allowing 251.4 passing yards per game, the second most in the Big Ten. Although Martinez is not officially a team captain, he is one of Smith’s clear defensive leaders as the most experienced player in the secondary.
The Spartans can only hope that the return of both players to the lineup will give them a spark. Michigan State is off to a 3-0 start over Youngstown State, Boston College and Western Michigan, but enters Week 9 on a four-game skid.
Michigan State is looking to end its losing streak against Michigan
Entering the game in 2025. Michigan State hasn’t beaten its in-state rival from 2021, when the then No. The eighth-ranked Spartans suffered a 37-33 defeat at home. The last time the teams met in East Lansing, Michigan walked away with a dominant 49-0 victory.
It will be tough to snap a three-game losing streak, especially with all the momentum against the Spartans. Under second-year head coach Smith, Michigan State is just 3-10 against Big Ten opponents entering Week 9.
Regardless of the recent lopsided results, the Wolverines are still the biggest rival in college football in the state of Michigan. The Spartans also have a long history with Penn State, but there’s no team they despise more than Ann Arbor.
2025-10-25 14:13:00
