Game Notes: Michigan State
11/13/2023 4:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With two games left in the regular season, there is plenty to play for as the first of two trophy games arrives with the Battle for the Brass Spittoon on Saturday (Nov. 18) inside Memorial Stadium when the Indiana football program hosts Michigan State. The 66th showdown for the spittoon will kick at noon on Big Ten Network.
In the final home game of the 2023 season, Indiana will honor its seniors in a pregame ceremony.
INDIANA (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) hosts MICHIGAN STATE (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten)
Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Ind.)
Saturday, Nov. 18 | Noon ET
TV: Big Ten Network | RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting the Scene
• The 66th Battle for the Brass Spittoon will take place at Memorial Stadium on Saturday between Indiana and Michigan State on Big Ten Network at noon. The all-time series sits at 49-18-2 in favor of MSU, with a 49-15-1 edge for the Spartans for the spittoon.
• After a 2022 double-overtime victory at Spartan Stadium, Indiana will look to retain the brass spittoon for back-to-back seasons for the first time since it won three straight between 1967-69.
• The Battle for the Brass Spittoon began with the 1950 meeting and the two schools have met in 66 of the last 74 seasons, which includes 13 straight seasons. During that stretch, the two teams did not meet in 1971-72, 1979-80, 1999-2000 and 2009-10.
• The road team has won each of the last three meetings with Indiana winning in East Lansing during the 2020 and 2022 campaigns and Michigan State winning at Memorial Stadium in 2021.
By The Numbers
9 - Receiving yards by junior Donaven McCulley at Illinois for his first career 100-yard receiving game. MORE ON PAGE 10
16 - Tackles for loss or no gain by Aaron Casey per Pro Football Focus to lead all Power 5 tacklers. MORE ON PAGE 12
19 - Of the 23 scholarship transfer student-athletes made their Indiana debut on the season. Of those, 18 appeared in the season opener and 10 have made at least one start in 2023.
2016 - Is the year of the last 100-tackle season by a Hoosier defender, as Aaron Casey is on pace to become the next to reach the mark with 86 stops through 10 games.
News & Notes
• Redshirt senior Aaron Casey has at least one tackle for loss in seven of the last eight weeks and has produced five straight games with at least eight tackles. He's on pace to post the first 100-tackle season since Tegray Scales in 2016 with 86 stops entering Week 12.
• Casey piled up 4.0 tackles for loss with 2.0 sacks as part of a nine-tackle effort in the win over Wisconsin in Week 10 to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. His 4.0 TFLs are the most by a Hoosier since 2016 and rank tied for No. 9 in a single game in 2023.
• His 86 tackles rank No. 5 in the Big Ten entering Week 12 and he leads the Big Ten with 14.5 tackles for loss, which ranks No. 9 in the FBS. Casey's 16 tackles for loss or no gain lead the Big Ten and the Power 5 per Pro Football Focus.
MORE ON PAGE 12
• Redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby has accounted for 12 touchdowns over the last four weeks - all starts - with eight passing and four rushing scores. Over the last three weeks, Sorsby has rushed and threw for a score in each game.
• Sorsby became the first Indiana quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple passing touchdowns of 60-plus yards in a single with two scoring strikes over 60 yards at No. 10/10 Penn State as part of a three-touchdown day from the pocket.
MORE ON PAGE 8
• Per Pro Football Focus, redshirt senior Andre Carter ranks No. 11 in the Big Ten with 26 total pressures (sacks, QB hits or hurries).
• With 2.0 tackles for loss in each of the first two games of the season, Carter's 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Hoosier in the first two games of a season since 2004 when Kyle Killion posted 5.5 tackles for loss.
MORE ON PAGE 13
• Redshirt senior Josh Sanguinetti pulled in his third career interception in the fourth quarter at No. 10/10 Penn State to set up the game tying score and end Drew Allar's FBS record for attempts to start a career without an interception (311 attempts).
• Senior Louis Moore grabbed his first career interception in the second quarter versus Akron and followed that with his first defensive touchdown in the third quarter versus the Zips. He added his first Big Ten interception at Illinois in Week 11.
MORE ON PAGE 15
• The first career 100-yard receiving game for junior Donaven McCulley came at Illinois, as he piled up 11 catches (17 targets) and 137 yards with two touchdowns. He has 30 catches for 300 yards over the last three weeks.
MORE ON PAGE 10
• The Indiana special teams units blocked its first kick of the 2023 season at Maryland to move its streak to 12 straight seasons with at least one blocked kick. Special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin's crew has blocked at least one kick in each of his four seasons as the corps leader.
MORE ON PAGE 17
In the final home game of the 2023 season, Indiana will honor its seniors in a pregame ceremony.
INDIANA (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) hosts MICHIGAN STATE (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten)
Memorial Stadium (Bloomington, Ind.)
Saturday, Nov. 18 | Noon ET
TV: Big Ten Network | RADIO: Indiana Hoosiers Sports Network
Setting the Scene
• The 66th Battle for the Brass Spittoon will take place at Memorial Stadium on Saturday between Indiana and Michigan State on Big Ten Network at noon. The all-time series sits at 49-18-2 in favor of MSU, with a 49-15-1 edge for the Spartans for the spittoon.
• After a 2022 double-overtime victory at Spartan Stadium, Indiana will look to retain the brass spittoon for back-to-back seasons for the first time since it won three straight between 1967-69.
• The Battle for the Brass Spittoon began with the 1950 meeting and the two schools have met in 66 of the last 74 seasons, which includes 13 straight seasons. During that stretch, the two teams did not meet in 1971-72, 1979-80, 1999-2000 and 2009-10.
• The road team has won each of the last three meetings with Indiana winning in East Lansing during the 2020 and 2022 campaigns and Michigan State winning at Memorial Stadium in 2021.
By The Numbers
9 - Receiving yards by junior Donaven McCulley at Illinois for his first career 100-yard receiving game. MORE ON PAGE 10
16 - Tackles for loss or no gain by Aaron Casey per Pro Football Focus to lead all Power 5 tacklers. MORE ON PAGE 12
19 - Of the 23 scholarship transfer student-athletes made their Indiana debut on the season. Of those, 18 appeared in the season opener and 10 have made at least one start in 2023.
2016 - Is the year of the last 100-tackle season by a Hoosier defender, as Aaron Casey is on pace to become the next to reach the mark with 86 stops through 10 games.
News & Notes
• Redshirt senior Aaron Casey has at least one tackle for loss in seven of the last eight weeks and has produced five straight games with at least eight tackles. He's on pace to post the first 100-tackle season since Tegray Scales in 2016 with 86 stops entering Week 12.
• Casey piled up 4.0 tackles for loss with 2.0 sacks as part of a nine-tackle effort in the win over Wisconsin in Week 10 to earn Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. His 4.0 TFLs are the most by a Hoosier since 2016 and rank tied for No. 9 in a single game in 2023.
• His 86 tackles rank No. 5 in the Big Ten entering Week 12 and he leads the Big Ten with 14.5 tackles for loss, which ranks No. 9 in the FBS. Casey's 16 tackles for loss or no gain lead the Big Ten and the Power 5 per Pro Football Focus.
MORE ON PAGE 12
• Redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby has accounted for 12 touchdowns over the last four weeks - all starts - with eight passing and four rushing scores. Over the last three weeks, Sorsby has rushed and threw for a score in each game.
• Sorsby became the first Indiana quarterback since at least 1996 with multiple passing touchdowns of 60-plus yards in a single with two scoring strikes over 60 yards at No. 10/10 Penn State as part of a three-touchdown day from the pocket.
MORE ON PAGE 8
• Per Pro Football Focus, redshirt senior Andre Carter ranks No. 11 in the Big Ten with 26 total pressures (sacks, QB hits or hurries).
• With 2.0 tackles for loss in each of the first two games of the season, Carter's 4.0 TFLs were the most by a Hoosier in the first two games of a season since 2004 when Kyle Killion posted 5.5 tackles for loss.
MORE ON PAGE 13
• Redshirt senior Josh Sanguinetti pulled in his third career interception in the fourth quarter at No. 10/10 Penn State to set up the game tying score and end Drew Allar's FBS record for attempts to start a career without an interception (311 attempts).
• Senior Louis Moore grabbed his first career interception in the second quarter versus Akron and followed that with his first defensive touchdown in the third quarter versus the Zips. He added his first Big Ten interception at Illinois in Week 11.
MORE ON PAGE 15
• The first career 100-yard receiving game for junior Donaven McCulley came at Illinois, as he piled up 11 catches (17 targets) and 137 yards with two touchdowns. He has 30 catches for 300 yards over the last three weeks.
MORE ON PAGE 10
• The Indiana special teams units blocked its first kick of the 2023 season at Maryland to move its streak to 12 straight seasons with at least one blocked kick. Special teams coordinator Kasey Teegardin's crew has blocked at least one kick in each of his four seasons as the corps leader.
MORE ON PAGE 17
Players Mentioned
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