<body><div><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3GRcFC_0poERsMR00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3GRcFC_0poERsMR00" width="1200" height="675" >Michigan State traveled to Indiana last weekend with fewer than 50 healthy scholarship players – with 16 names stacked under the “out” column on the pre-game availability report – and saw several more contributors get hurt during the course of its <a href="https://247sports.com/college/michigan-state/article/michigan-state-football-indiana-win-220674761/">24-21 victory over the Hoosiers</a>. Heading into the last game of the season, Friday night against Penn State in Detroit, the Spartans’ health outlook isn’t looking much better.Starting center <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/nick-samac-46051573">Nick Samac</a>, who was injured on the first possession at Indiana, won’t be available against the Nittany Lions, interim head coach <a href="https://247sports.com/Coach/harlon-barnett-98">Harlon Barnett</a> said. Nor will starting receivers <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/tre-mosley-46049019">Tre Mosley</a> and <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/jaron-glover-46113907">Jaron Glover</a>, Barnett said.There’s “a chance” starting running back <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/nathan-carter-46096604">Nathan Carter</a> could return, per Barnett, after leaving the game with an undisclosed injury in the third quarter. On defensive end <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/brandon-wright-46052552">Brandon Wright</a>, who was carted off the Memorial Stadium field in the second half, Barnett said “we’ll see.”Defensive tackle <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/maverick-hansen-46050136">Maverick Hansen</a> practiced in a limited capacity Monday and Barnett is hopeful the fifth-year senior will be back against Penn State.It’s typical this time of year for teams to taper off the amount of hitting they script into practices. In the Spartans’ case, their lack of depth leaves them no choice but to lighten the physical workload.“We’re maybe backing off a little bit more than we normally have, but we would still back off, because you gotta just get the guys to the game,” Barnett said. “We are slowing it down for our guys, not as much banging throughout the week, and it’s a shorter week, as well. Our guys, they know what’s going on. It’s more about mental reps than it is the physical reps.”Samac, who was accidentally rolled up on from behind by quarterback <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/katin-houser-46083377">Katin Houser</a>, is a fifth-year senior, a two-year full-time starter and one of the most respected voices in MSU’s locker room. He was replaced by redshirt junior <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/dallas-fincher-46049614">Dallas Fincher</a>, who started MSU’s season-opener while Samac came the bench after recovering from a preseason injury.The son of former MSU offensive lineman Mark Fincher, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/dallas-fincher-46049614">Dallas Fincher</a> did not appear in a game his first two seasons before playing in 11, primarily on special teams, in 2022.“He did a good job. Dallas is a good football player,” Barnett said. “He has great attention to detail, he’s gonna always try to execute to the very best of his ability, because he cares. He did a really good job. He’s gonna be a good player for us, and glad he’s on our team.”Carter, a first-year transfer from Connecticut, has shouldered the rushing load for MSU all season, with 753 yards and four touchdowns on 178 carries. Houser is second on the team with 41 rushing attempts.When Carter went down, fifth-year senior <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/jaren-mangham-92674">Jaren Mangham</a> saw the bulk of the work at running back the rest of the game, rushing 12 times for 27 yards and catching five passes for 33.“Jaren is a big back,” Barnett said after beating the Hoosiers. “… We’re getting late in the fourth quarter, guys aren’t trying to tackle that guy. You see what he does out there, pushing guys around and all that kind of stuff. He’s a big back with quick feet and a nice burst.”Without Hansen, MSU went to Bloomington, Indiana, with a three-man rotation of scholarship defensive tackles in Simeon Barrow, <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/derrick-harmon-46078903">Derrick Harmon</a> and <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/jalen-sami-46038601">Jalen Sami</a>. Barrow and Sami both got nicked up against the Hoosiers, which led to walk-on <a href="https://247sports.com/Player/ben-nelson-46125504">Ben Nelson</a>, a converted offensive lineman, receiving snaps. The return of Hansen, a fifth-year senior, would be welcomed against Penn State, which boasts one of the best rushing attacks in the Big Ten.“There are no excuses. The next man up, that’s what this team is,” Barnett said. “We had no problem putting (Nelson) out there, let’s go, and he did a decent job, as well. We hope to get Mav back, we got Simeon, we got D-Harm. We got those guys that will step in and do a good job for us.”Get the latest info on Michigan State football, basketball and recruiting sent straight to your inbox. Just enter your email address <a href="https://247sports.com/college/michigan-state/distribution/signup">HERE</a> to sign up for our free Spartans newsletter now!</div></body>

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Michigan State C Nick Samac out for Penn State game; 'a chance' RB Nathan Carter plays

Michigan State traveled to Indiana last weekend with fewer than 50 healthy scholarship players – with 16 names stacked under the “out” column on the pre-game availability report – and saw several more contributors get hurt during the course of its 24-21 victory over the Hoosiers. Heading into the last game of the season, Friday night against Penn State in Detroit, the Spartans’ health outlook isn’t looking much better.