In the 11th edition of the sports podcast, sports editor Chris Vannini and football reporters Jeremy Warnemuende and Jeff Kanan talk about the No. 11 MSU football team’s game against Purdue on Saturday (noon, Big Ten Network).
The guys talk about how last week’s bye week will impact the Spartans and offer predictions.
They also talk about Senior Day and what MSU’s senior class will be remembered for.
Aaron Bates’ career can be defined in so many more ways than just being one of the Spartans’ most accomplished punters.
The senior will graduate as one of the most prolific punters in school history when he takes the field at Spartan Stadium for the final time Saturday, but that doesn’t even begin to define the variety of characteristics he’s brought to the team.
Leader, reliable holder and well-rounded athlete all are attributes he possesses, and Bates’ late-game heroics are tied to several MSU victories this season.
“Aaron’s had a tremendous impact on our football team from start to finish,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “He’ll be missed, extremely missed here this next season.”
Bates will be remembered by many for the “Little Giants” fake field goal play in which he threw the game-winning touchdown pass to senior tight end Charlie Gantt on Sept. 18, but it’s his day-to-day leadership skills that will be sorely missed when he graduates, players said.
Bates is one of the team’s three captains, sharing the responsibility with junior quarterback and roommate Kirk Cousins, and senior linebacker Greg Jones. He is the first punter in MSU football’s 114-year history to be named captain, but Bates is entrenched in the growth of this team.
With two games remaining and the No. 11 Spartans in the hunt for a Big Ten championship, there’s so much more Bates wants to accomplish. But when he takes the field Saturday against Purdue (noon, Big Ten Network), he’ll do so knowing his touchdown pass and captaincy make him stand out from other punters in MSU history.
“It’ll be bittersweet, obviously,” Bates said. “We have so much to play for, I won’t even be thinking that this is my last game. I’ll be thinking about the next two and especially this weekend and what we have to get done.”
All-around player
Bates was a well-rounded player coming out of high school, but it took awhile for him to be a reliable leader.
The starting quarterback — as well as standout kicker and punter — at John Glenn High School in New Concord, Ohio, Bates entered his MSU career used to being a leader. But when he got to MSU, one of his biggest concerns about the college game was being known only as a punter and not a valuable member of the team, said Jon Bates, his father.
“He’s stepped it up and is more vocal,” Jon Bates said. “It’s been a great place for him. He’s probably exceeded what we thought he could do.”
Bates was the most highly-recruited player in the history of John Glenn High School, and received playing time right away when he came to MSU. He was recruited as a kicker and a punter, but Bates filled punting duties his freshman year, attempting 69 punts and averaging 39.7 yards per punt on his way to earning honorable mention Freshman All-America in 2007.
He continued to develop in 2008, averaging 42 yards per punt and being named Second-Team All-Big Ten by the media and averaging 41.6 yards per punt last season. This year, he was a candidate for the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation’s best punter.
He currently is second all-time in punts in MSU history with 244 and seventh in career punting average at 41.8 yards per kick.
Not bad for a player who wasn’t sure what his role would be when entering the program.
“He’s taken a huge step,” special teams and linebackers coach Mike Tressel said. “He’s always been a leader, but being given the role of captain has just allowed him to grab hold of that a little more and he’s done a great job with that. People respect him as if he was a quarterback or middle linebacker, or tailback. That’s the type of respect he has here.”
Master of fakes
What Bates will be remembered for most this season are the two fakes that led to MSU’s points in critical moments of the games against Notre Dame on Sept. 18 and Northwestern on Oct. 23. The “Little Giants” play served as the game-winning 29-yard pass to Gantt in MSU’s 34-31 win against the Fighting Irish. The “Mouse Trap” fake punt was a 21-yard pass to redshirt freshman wide receiver Bennie Fowler, which led to a fourth-quarter MSU touchdown that helped the team come from behind in a 35-27 victory.
Bates drew from his quarterback experience from high school to make two good throws in those crucial situations. However, he didn’t have much experience running fakes in high school, as he was better suited for pushing the opponent back deep in their own territory, his high school head coach John Kelley said.
Support student media! Please consider donating to The State News and help fund the future of journalism.
“He was a part of almost everything we did,” Kelley said. “His athleticism is such a weapon. … It’s a real special thing to watch, and he’s a topic of conversation throughout.”
Kelley said he thought Bates’ pass against Notre Dame was excellent and that the New Concord community has looked forward to his performances.
Bates’ passing numbers as a high school senior were 50-for-110 for 775 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.
Although he sailed a beautiful pass to Gantt and an effective throw to Fowler despite windy conditions, Bates has said he’s not going to take Cousins’ place any time soon.
However, he said he enjoys mixing it up a little bit as punters rarely get the opportunity to perform a trick play.
“That’s nice to have in your back pocket,” Bates said of his passing ability. “Passes are exciting. I’m glad Coach D lets us do that. It’s even more exciting because the other teams aren’t expecting it.”
Being a reliable holder and executing well at key moments of the game has allowed Bates the opportunity to be relied upon by his coaches.
“He feels like a permanent fixture right now,” Tressel said. “You don’t even think of it. … He’s taken a huge step.”
Good teammate
Bates’ multitude of talents have made him the only punter in MSU history ever to be named captain. He’s been instrumental in the growth of sophomore kicker Dan Conroy and redshirt freshman kicker Kevin Muma, both of whom are in the first seasons handling the kickoff and kicking duties.
Conroy is 14-for-15 on field goals this season and has been aided by Bates’ leadership as a holder and leader.
“I’ve talked a lot about having a valuable holder, and he’s been a huge impact to me personally, but more to the team with his punting,” Conroy said. “Aaron has been one of the best punters we’ve had at MSU, that’s saying a lot, especially with Brandon Fields and the other punters here.”
Bates has worked alongside so many great players, and his experience is benefiting his teammates in his final chance in 2010.
Being Cousins’ roommate for four years, the two captains can ask questions of each other and work in the team’s best interest.
“Aaron’s fakes are famous for what he did to help us win, but his punting and his holding have been exceptional,” Cousins said. “I would say for him, he’s not getting the same kind of respect as he should as a punter. He’s made a huge difference for our team. Not just in terms of is punting, his leadership.”
