5. Zach Charbonnet – MICHIGAN
Freshman running back Zach Charbonnet is playing in his first MSU game and he has a tough task ahead of him. Michigan State has the 16th ranked rushing defense, something they pride themselves in when it comes to their defense. It won’t be an easy task to get yards on this defense, but Charbonnet might be able to crack the code like others have been able to this season.
Against Penn State, the third-ranked rushing defense, Charbonnet had 15 carries for 81 yards with two touchdowns. Against the fifth-ranked rushing defense though, Charbonnet only had two carries for six yards. While he was limited against Wisconsin, the running game wasn’t working at all that week and it shows that while one top rushing defense might not have an answer for Michigan, another might stop them dead in the water.
The Wolverines will be hoping they can work past the Spartans strength this week as the run game can help set up the passing game and make the defense question what is coming next. If the MSU defense is struggling to stop both the passing and the rushing attack for Michigan, it could be a long game for them.