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Football
Big Ten Countdown - Number Six
By Tony Gerdeman

6. Michigan State Spartans

Predicted Finish

8-4 (4-4)

Two-Cent Overview

An offense that returns a high-quality quarterback and plenty of skill positions around him. The offensive line returns two starters, but has been reshuffled a bit. The defense will be led by All-American linebacker Greg Jones, who will try to set the tone for a unit that is looking to right an awful lot of wrongs from last season.

Schedule
Sept. 4 Western Michigan (W)
Sept. 11 Florida Atlantic (in Detroit, MI) (W)
Sept. 18 Notre Dame (W)
Sept. 25 Northern Colorado (W)
Oct. 2 Wisconsin (L)
Oct. 9 at Michigan (W)
Oct. 16 Illinois (W)
Oct. 23 at Northwestern (L)
Oct. 30 at Iowa (L)
Nov. 6 Minnesota (W)
Nov. 20 Purdue (W)
Nov. 27 at Penn State (L)

(Note: In our Michigan preview, we originally picked the Wolverines over the Spartans in their October 9th matchup. Since then, however, the wheels have started falling off the Michigan bus much faster than we initially expected. Because of this, we can't in good conscience pick Michigan State to lose to the Wolverines anymore. (Not that we were originally picking Michigan over Michigan State in good conscience to begin with, mind you.))

Team Motto

“What doesn't kill us only makes us wish we were dead.”

Goal

A Big Ten Championship. Mark Dantonio isn't shy when talking about what he expects at Michigan State, so we shouldn't be either.

Best Case

Ten or eleven wins and a Big Ten championship. The Spartans don't have to worry about Ohio State, and if they can get by their conference opener against Wisconsin, they could start the season 7-0. Add in the fact that they played Iowa down to the final second last season and they haven't lost in Evanston since 2001, and there is definitely potential for double-digit wins here.

Worst Case

Sparty happens and they fall a win short of bowl eligibility. In the 17 losses for Dantonio at Michigan State, twelve of them have been by eight points or less. In all, his record in games decided by eight points or less is 6-12. There should be quite a few games which will fall in that point range this season, and if tradition follows, there could be some sad Spartans this year.

Five Questions Looking For Answers

1. Can the wide receivers find some consistency and finally have their production match their abilities?
2. Will the offensive line come together in time for conference play?
3. How much of the 3-4 will we see on defense this season?
4. And even if the Spartans have the linebackers for it, do they have the defensive line?
5. Will this be the first time in 45 years that Michigan State gets a win in Happy Valley?

Something To Look For

Michigan State is going to try and implement a little bit of a 3-4 defense. They just don't know how much yet. This team is loaded with linebackers who need to see the field—including two true freshmen, but they have to find out what those young players can handle. They also have to figure out the best times to go to the 3-4. It would seem pretty easy to assume we could see it on passing downs, as one linebacker would perhaps move closer to the line of scrimmage (much like true freshman Chris Norman did last season). The ideal candidate would appear to be freshman William Gholston, who at 6'7” 250 pounds moves like a linebacker, but is obviously bigger than any other linebacker we've seen in a long time.

Returning Starters

Seven on offense, seven on defense and the punter.

Best Player

Middle linebacker Greg Jones. Jones has amassed 281 tackles over the last two seasons, and few inside linebackers can get into the backfield as well as he can. Asked to blitz quite a bit last year, Jones finished the season with nine sacks. The hope is to have him blitz fewer times this season, but don't expect to just see him sitting back and waiting for ball carriers like he plays for Iowa. All he knows is flying to the ball, no matter where it is. He's a great linebacker, but still has some room to grow to become a great MIDDLE linebacker. Expect him to take those steps this season.

Second-Best Player

Quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins tied for second in the conference in passing efficiency last year, and should do even better this year since he won't be splitting any meaningful snaps at quarterback. He could approach 25-30 touchdown passes this year if his wide receivers can hold on to his throws.

Best Chance For a Big Loss

At Penn State. People are down on Penn State right now because we don't really know much about them. And the prospects of the Nittany Lions starting a freshman quarterback isn't really the cure for that uneasy feeling. However, by the time November 27th rolls around, all the key pieces will be tested and vetted. Let's also not forget that the combined score of the last two meetings between these two teams has been 91-32 in favor of Penn State—and that was against Dantonio's two best teams to this point.

Most Important Game

Wisconsin. The game against the Badgers will set the tone for the Spartans' conference season, and getting the game in East Lansing makes it even more important. This is a game that Michigan State has to have if they want to be an actual threat in the race for the Rose Bowl.

Best Road Game To Pack Up The Family Truckster And Travel To

At Michigan. The last time Michigan State won three games in a row over Michigan was 1965-1967. And now it could happen again. What kind of parent would rob their child of such a memory? The best part is that now with the new construction, the noise no longer leaves the stadium at such a muted pace. Now you'll be able to hear the wails and moans of defeat and suffering coming from the thousands of Michigan fans in attendance. Don't take any of it for granted, either. During the game, take a moment with your son or daughter to block everything else out around you and just listen for the misery. And years after, when you are lying on your deathbed and your now grayed-with-age child is at your bedside, you can look them in the eye and tell them what you wouldn't give to just have one more day back at that stadium, soaking in the anguish and enjoying the symphony of sorrow. Then you would know true peace.

Best Reason They Won't Be Undefeated

Footballs take funny bounces, and Michigan State's footballs take the the Seinfeld of bounces. Basically, it would be a Festivus miracle if the Spartans made it through ANY season unscathed, and this one is no different.

Best Reason They Will Be Undefeated

There is nobody on this schedule that they can't beat. In fact, they arguably have more talent than anybody else they will face this season.

Game They Shouldn't Lose, But Could

At Michigan. The Wolverines came into East Lansing last season and took the Spartans to overtime. This year the game is in Ann Arbor and as long as Michigan doesn't lose the rest of the team to transfer, it's safe to assume they will do everything they can to try and stop Little Brother's winning streak.

Player People Are Expecting Too Much From

Wide receiver Keith Nichol. After moving from quarterback to wide receiver during bowl practice, Nichol is expected to be in the starting lineup from the get go this season. And with the departure of Blair White, who caught 70 passes and nine touchdowns last season, many are thinking that Nichol will be able to step in right where White left off. That's too much to ask of most receivers, let alone one who hasn't even been a receiver for an entire year yet. Heck, it was too much to ask of White until his FIFTH season as a Spartan receiver.

Player People Will Be Pleasantly Surprised By

Safety Trenton Robinson. Robinson started seven games (three at free safety and four at strong safety) last season as a sophomore and finished the season with 67 tackles, which is a pretty good amount considering Greg Jones doesn't leave many to be had. Dantonio has talked Robinson up quite a bit over the last month, and he's apparently having the type of practices to justify such talking.

Best Newcomer

Linebacker William Gholston. We'll go with Gholston here simply because of his versatility to play a couple of different spots, and do so in various situations. It seems every day following a practice, there is some level of amazement at Gholston's athletic ability coming from the coaches or players. If it's not Gholston, it will be fellow linebacker Max Bullough, who has been in since the spring and has fit right in with this defense. The problem, however, is finding room for both of them.

Something They Do Well

Utilize the tight ends. Last season, Michigan State's top three tight ends caught 53 passes for 747 yards and seven touchdowns. And they're all back again this year. With Blair White gone, Kirk Cousins may look for his tight ends even more this season.

Something They Don't Do So Well

Get pressure on the quarterback from the front four. Last year's starting defensive ends combined for only seven sacks last season. This meant that the Spartans had to blitz more than they would have liked, which left the secondary vulnerable. The implementation of a 3-4 defense may help in this regard, but there's probably still going to be too much reliance on the blitz this season as well.

What's Improved?

The focus of the offense. Now that Kirk Cousins is the definitive leader of the offense, everybody's roles have been clearly defined. Running backs Edwin Baker and Larry Caper know that they will be splitting carries, and Baker knows as the smaller of the two backs, Caper will likely get the ball inside the five-yard line. The receivers won't have to reacquaint themselves with multiple quarterbacks, or adjust on the fly. It's going to be the same football every time out of the quarterback's arm. And while Cousins is a mobile guy, the offensive line knows that he would prefer to stand in the pocket and throw the ball, as opposed to Keith Nichol last year, who is more of a runner than Cousins.

What's Gotten Worse?

The offensive line. Michigan State returns two starters on the offensive line, but only one of them will be playing in the same spot he did last year. Joel Foreman is beginning his third year as the starting left guard at Michigan State, but everybody else will have a new spot. D.J. Young started eleven games at right tackle last year, but will move to left tackle this season. The rest of the spots have some competition, but they're fairly set as of right now. Center John Stipek started three games last year, so he's at least somewhat experienced in making line calls.

Anything Else We Should Know About?

Receiver Keyshawn Martin could become a weekly highlight package. He's Michigan State's most dangerous player, but his touches don't reflect his threat. He only had 18 catches last year, but averaged 22.1 yards per catch. That number will go down this year, especially if his number of receptions goes way up. He will still return both kicks and punts, and can break one at any time. He averaged 28.9 yards per kick return last season, and scored once.

Anything Else?

There will be a battle of the Stars. Michigan State's defense utilizes a Star linebacker, which is basically a weakside linebacker in their scheme, but with the ability and agility to play the pass like a safety. True sophomore Chris Norman is likely going to be the starter, and he looked good at times playing in all thirteen games last season. Dantonio says he's a different player this year, so he's expecting big things from Norman. The other guy to keep an eye on here is redshirt freshman Denicos Allen, who came to East Lansing as a safety. You would think being a former safety, the coaches would like him at Star because of his ability to defend the pass. Instead, they love his ability to come off the edge on blitzes. So we may see the former safety coming in on passing downs, but it would ironically be done because of his ability to blitz.

One Prediction

Running backs Larry Caper and Edwin Baker will combine to rush for at least 1,700 yards this season.

Quote Mistakenly Attributed To Bizarro Mike Hart

"I think everyone gives each other mutual respect on the team. It's kind of like a big brother and little brother." – William Gholston

Coach Speak

“I've always said from day one in coming here, you expect to win championships. With that being said, it hasn't happened in a while.”

Translation

“I've always said from day one in coming here, you expect to win championships. With that being said, I mean c'mon...we're frickin' Michigan State. You want us to grow a horn on our forehead and prance around like a unicorn while we're at it? Get out of my face, Jerko!”

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