The Spartans needed a whole lot to go right for them this season to have a successful year. Give Pat Fitzgerald's squad credit; they're playing hard despite essentially everything going wrong injury-wise
Michigan State is extremely banged up heading into Week 5. The big headliner injury is to star tailback, Cam Edwards, who Fitzgerald announced is done for the season at the beginning of the week. As probably the best player on the entire team, that injury has gotten the most attention.
But that's not where the Spartans' injury issues end - not even close. Their Big Ten availability report reads like a Costco shopping list. Michigan State could be without a large handful of starters Saturday morning in Madison, and seven players have already been ruled out for the Spartans.
But an injury I'm keeping a particularly close eye on? Linebacker Jordan Hall, who's currently listed as doubtful.
Michigan State's Jordan Hall. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
Hall is arguably the Spartans' best defender. Despite only playing in three games, he's second on the team in tackles with 21. A whopping 13 of those tackles have been "stops," or plays that constitute a failure for the offense, per Pro Football Focus. He had eight stops alone against Notre Dame.
Michigan State uses Hall like a traditional inside backer. He lines up almost exclusively in the box, and he's hardly sent after the quarterback to aid the pass rush. But he has a tremendous nose for the football and sets the tone for the Spartans' run defense.
Without Hall, I see Michigan State having a very tough time containing the legs of Colton Joseph.
Penn State Nittany Lions linebacker Tony Rojas. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Wisconsin hasn't used Joseph's legs as often as many folks expected it to this season. Last fall at Old Dominion, Joseph had 367 rushing yards through four games. He has just 121 thus far in 2026.
But Michigan State sans Hall could be the perfect opportunity for Joseph to run wild. As mentioned, the linebacker is the Spartans' tone-setter in the ground game. He has a nose for the ball, and an ability to drop ball-carriers proficiently once he reads out the play.
That was poised to cause some problems for the Badgers' ground game, which relies heavily on read options with Joseph. The chess match between Hall and Joseph was going to be a huge key to this game, but now that it appears Hall is out, the Spartans' run defense doesn't look nearly as intimidating.
Wisconsin's halfbacks, namely Darrion Dupree and Abu Sama if the latter is healthy, could also have an easier time finding creases in the defense come Saturday. But that has more to do with how the offensive line blocks for them. With Joseph, when he pulls the ball out of his running back's gut and races around the edge, how much running room he finds is oftentimes a result of how well the inside backers read the play.
Michigan State could be a step behind without Hall, and Joseph could be poised for his best rushing output in the Cardinal and White.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/wisconsin as The Key Michigan State Injury That Could Allow Colton Joseph to Run Wild .
