10:27 am
The Michigan State football team is dealing with a flu outbreak impacting players on both sides of the ball for Saturday's regular-season finale against Penn State, according to sources.
A source said the situation was pretty bad, and that every recent day had added to the list of players fighting flu symptoms. The quarterback room, offensive and defensive linemen, and some other positions are affected. Some players will try to play through their symptoms against the Nittany Lions.
The 12th-ranked Spartans are hoping for a 10-2 regular-season record and a New Year's Six bowl berth. More than 21 players were out for a game at Penn State last week because of the flu.
After the Rutgers win, James Franklin said it looked like a hospital ward. There were IVs everywhere. We didn't have a scholarship quarterback at Friday's practice. We weren't sure what was going to happen.
The Action Network first reported the flu situation at Michigan State on Friday, noting that the Spartans might be without six to eight starters against Penn State.
