After Friday’s game, it only got worse. The passing game took a backseat to Bell’s monstrous performance, as the Spartans struggled to move the ball through the air. Three interceptions and a fumble by sophomore wide receiver Tony Lippett later and MSU doesn’t appear to boast the same wideout pedigree it has in the past.

But junior wide receiver Bennie Fowler isn’t buying it.

“We read the defense right, (and) we had the right decisions; it was just timing. Maybe the receiver broke too early or (junior quarterback Andrew) Maxwell might have thrown a bit early, but it was all little mistakes,” he said.

For Lippett, those mistakes seemed to pile up. After he bobbled a pass that ended up in the hands of the defense, Lippett fumbled after a 35-yard reception, ending a potential scoring drive.

However, the Detroit native already has moved on.

“I’ve just got to pay a little more attention to detail and just come out, stay humble, stay hungry and grind.”

Lippett added he needs to focus on getting his head around to see the ball when it’s in the air and knowing when to tuck the ball when defenders are around.

Bell-hop
One of the most electrifying plays of Friday’s game came when Bell took the handoff up the middle on the opening drive, broke into the open field and hurdled a defender for a 23-yard gain.

It’s not the first time the former high school high jumper has taken to the air for extra yardage, but fellow running back senior Larry Caper said he cringes every time he sees Bell go up and over.

“I hate seeing him go in the air,” Caper said. “I mean, it works for him, it makes the crowd go, ‘Woo,’ but I don’t like seeing him go in the air because anything can happen.

“I feel like his big brother or something; I don’t want him getting hit in the knees or getting hit in his privates or something.”

Still, Bell said his hopping ability gives him an advantage on defensive backs who may be looking to stop him in the open field.

“Because I’m bigger, guys want to go for my legs,” he said.

“Especially in the open field, you have smaller (defensive backs), and I know those guys want to go for my legs, and I feel like I have the jumping ability and I can go over them.”