Report: Flu bug leaves Michigan State without 20 players for season finale

The Michigan State football team will be without up to 20 players in its season finale against Penn State on Saturday because of a flu bug, per Action Network’s Brett McMurphy. That includes between six and eight starters.

Although the flu outbreak is believed to be the main culprit, the Spartans are also dealing with a few injuries. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. ET in East Lansing.

After looking like the frontrunner to take the Big Ten East just a few weeks ago, Michigan State is now out of the race entirely. The Spartans started the year 8-0 but have since lost two of their past three games, including 56-7 this past week against Ohio State. The winner between the Buckeyes and Wolverines on Saturday will represent the division in the conference championship game.

The matchup against the Nittany Lions will be Senior Day, and it is unclear how many of the unavailable players are seniors. Penn State also lost to the Buckeyes earlier this year, though in a much closer 33-24 contest.

Star running back Kenneth Walker III entered last week against Ohio State with a nagging ankle injury. He seemed a bit hobbled by it, finishing with just six carries for 25 yards. As Michigan State’s season has taken a hit, so have his hopes of becoming the first Spartan to bring home the Heisman.

It has still been quite the performance for second-year coach Mel Tucker, who improved after leading the Spartans to a 2-5 record in his inaugural season. Although he was previously mentioned as a candidate to fill vacancies at LSU and Florida, he appears locked in East Lansing. The school and coach agreed to a massive 10-year, $95 million deal earlier this week.

Should the Spartans pull out a victory Saturday, it would be the first 10-win season for the program since 2017. However, that could prove difficult given the flu bug situation at Michigan State.