How will Michigan State football fare against Indiana for a year and a half without LB Jordan Turner?

EAST LANSING – Loss to Michigan. Michigan State football One of the best defenders throughout 45 minutes of football

An unwarranted defeat at an unfortunate moment; Next up is No. 13 Indiana’s powerful offense.

Defender Jordan Turner will not play in the first half of Saturday’s game. Hoosiers (3:30pm, Peacock), leaving Spartans Without leading team players at the heart of their highly developed and mobile defence.

“It’s such a shame. It’s kind of a crazy decision in my opinion,” linebacker Jordan Hall said Wednesday. “But we’ve got to keep moving forward, keep moving forward. We’ll miss him in the first half, but we’ll continue to prepare throughout the week and get ready for him to contribute like he always does in the second half.”

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Last game of the third quarter We lost to the Wolverines 24-17 on Saturday.Turner fell as U-M’s Alex Orji took a shotgun hit and faked a pass. Turner met Orji in the hole, and the running quarterback made first contact by returning it for a 3-yard gain.

During the TV break between quarters, replay officials reviewed the hit and noted a targeting penalty from Turner. He was ejected from the game because he missed the last 15 minutes. UM then scored four plays later, with Donovan Edwards throwing a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Colson Loveland as the Spartans’ linebackers and safeties hyped the run with Turner out of the game.

“We try to make tackles with the right form, so it’s not like, ‘Oh, I’m making a thousand tackles, I need to keep my head up.’ “It’s just something we practice and it becomes routine,” Hall said. “Sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment, depending on angles and other things. I think that happened a little bit in JT’s case.”

MSU coach Jonathan Smith said Monday that the school appealed the call to the Big Ten after the game and that league officials denied MSU’s appeal. Per NCAA targeting rules, Turner will be eligible to play in the second half for the Spartans (4-4, 2-3 Big Ten) against the Hoosiers (8-0, 5-0).

This will likely move sophomore Hall to Turner’s spot next to Cal Haladay in the middle of Joe Rossi’s defense; That held UM’s leading rusher, Kalel Mullings, to just 18 yards on 13 carries on Saturday and limited Iowa star Kaleb Johnson to 98 yards (75 yards). He came up with a late touchdown run on 14 lead attempts a week ago. This will also expand the already growing role of seniors Darius Snow and Wayne Matthews III.

Turner leads the Spartans with 48 tackles, five of them coming into Saturday’s game at UM. The 6-foot-1, 231-pound fifth-year senior, who transferred to MSU from Wisconsin in the offseason, also has three sacks, an interception and two QB hurries.

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“That’s really important. Obviously you’ve seen the plays he’s made,” Snow said of Turner. “He’s not only a good football player, he’s a great leader and vocalist. We’re going to have to play and get him back in the second half, which is great. But I have confidence in Jordan Hall, he’s I think he’s a great player.”

MSU ranks 45th in the nation in run defense, allowing 129.6 yards on the ground, and ranks 23rd nationally in giving up 315.9 yards per game. The Spartans will look to continue that trend against Indiana’s high-powered offense, which ranks sixth in total offense (487.6 yards), 24th in rushing yards (200.6) and second in the Football Subdivision in scoring (46.5 ppg).

Hoosiers’ starting quarterback Kurtis Rourke injured his thumb in a game two weeks ago and was sidelined in Saturday’s 31-17 home win over Washington. Rourke had surgery last Monday, but the Ohio University transfer is expected to play against the Spartans, according to ESPN.

Backup Tayven Jackson was 11-of-19 for 124 yards with passing and rushing TDs against the Huskies, and Justice Ellison, a Wake Forest transfer, rushed 29 times for 123 yards and a score.

“All I know is they’re going to have a quarterback,” MSU sophomore coach Blue Adams said Wednesday. “My approach is that the guy they hire is the guy that’s going to give them the best chance of winning. And I think in college football, especially at the level we play at, I think every quarterback is a legitimate quarterback. They can throw the ball well, they can call plays and they can run the game well.

“So the only thing I can prepare for is that this guy is going to be a good player and we’re going to attack him that way.”

Contact Chris Solari: [email protected]. follow him @chrissolari.

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This article was first published in the Detroit Free Press: Michigan State football prepares for game against Indiana minus LB Jordan Turner

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