Sep 20, 2014; Laramie, WY, USA; Wyoming Cowboys defensive end Eddie Yarbrough looks around during the game against the Florida Atlantic Owls on Sept. 20, 2014, at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo. The Cowboys beat the Owls, 20-19. Photo courtesy of Troy Babbitt
Last week, it took No. 9 MSU fewer than five minutes to take control of the game in an easy win over Eastern Michigan. It might not be as easy this week when Wyoming comes to town to wrap up non-conference play.
MSU (2-1 overall) will host Wyoming (3-1 overall) at noon on Saturday as its homecoming matchup — the first as a non-conference game since 1952 — with the Spartans looking to take another step forward toward reaching the College Football Playoff.
However, an upset-minded Cowboys team will pose more of a threat than last week’s matchup against EMU.
“Wyoming is a very well-coached football team,” head coach Mark Dantonio said. “I think they play hard, they’ve got good players. They played Oregon (and) they played some other teams tough.”
Wyoming has proven it can win the close games, with all three of its wins being by single digits. Even more intriguing is the Pokes giving No. 2 Oregon trouble the week after the Ducks beat MSU, holding a seven point lead after the first quarter.
On top of Wyoming, MSU will be playing against itself this week as the Spartans get one final game under their belt before undefeated No. 21 Nebraska comes to town to kick off Big Ten play.
“We compete against ourselves as well as the opponent. Every time you step on that field, you’re being critiqued,” Dantonio said. “We’re trying to become better and better and better as we move through the process.”
Looking in the mirror
MSU’s scout team this week in practice will look no different then its normal offense. Wyoming, under first-year head coach Craig Bohl, runs a West Coast-style offense that Dantonio considers similar to what the Spartans run offensively.
“They are probably more like us than anybody we’ve played, actually, so I think that’s a positive for us,” Dantonio said. “They run the power. They’re going to keep it tight in the ‘A’ gap, be a downhill run team.”
It’s even fair to say some of the Cowboy offense is based off what the Spartans do successfully. When Bohl was with North Dakota State, Dantonio said Bohl and his coaching staff came to East Lansing to pick the brain of MSU’s staff and learn what made MSU’s offense click.
The familiar style of offense is something many on the defense are looking forward to playing against this week. After facing mostly up-tempo, passing-oriented offenses thus far, junior linebacker Riley Bullough said it’ll be refreshing to face a more run-focused offensive attack.
“That’s the kind of football I love, that’s the kind of football I grew up going against so it’s familiar to me, and you know, I don’t have to be spread out covering tight ends and receivers so that’s fun for me,” Bullough said. “I love to hit; our defense loves to hit, so going against a traditional pro-style offense will be fun.”
On the other side of the ball, MSU will look to exploit Wyoming through the passing attack. The Cowboys run a 4-3 “Tampa 2” look, playing a lot of cover two — something that gave MSU fits earlier this year.
Junior quarterback Connor Cook said MSU struggled to adjust earlier this season against No. 2 Oregon when the Ducks went to more cover-two coverage in the second half. But Cook is confident the offense will have more success this week thanks to more preparation for that coverage package then before.
“We weren’t really expecting it a whole lot, and the game plan and stuff we had was really meant for middle field close stuff, cover three, cover six,” Cook said. “So later in the second half we were pulling stuff out that we really didn’t work on during the week.”
Elite passing attack
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Last week’s 160 passing yards did the Spartan offense no justice, lowering the previous season average of 348.5 yards per game — a number that would rank 10th in the country.
While MSU’s passing average went down last week because of the more run-focused game plan — 60 rushing attempts compared to 19 passing — there’s no doubt the Spartans’ passing attack has emerged as one of the best in the Big Ten.
Junior wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. had a strong showing last week, compiling 108 all-purpose yards, including an 18-yard reception. Kings Jr. was rewarded for his performance by moving up to the starting ‘F’ spot as an “OR” starter with sophomore wide receiver R.J. Shelton.
Despite jumping up to the No. 1 line on the depth chart, Kings Jr. said for the receiving corps that can go six or seven deep it’s more about the team experiencing success than himself.
“Doesn’t matter who’s really in, we don’t really care as long as the job is getting done and we’re winning,” Kings Jr. said. “That’s all that matters.”
He added he’ll give tips to Shelton on coverage and what the other team is doing defensively whenever he is subbing out.
The same win-at-all-costs mindset can be said for senior wide receiver Tony Lippett, who currently ranks tied for third in the country for touchdowns. Lippett has become an explosive down-the-field threat this year for MSU with 345 receiving yards and five touchdowns through three games.
Last week, despite having a smaller role, Lippett was able to reel in two more touchdown catches.
“Believing in myself and believing in my capabilities and believing in this offense, believing in the quarterback and that all helps at the same time,” Lippett said. “I believe in my abilities, I believe I can go out here and play Big Ten ball and compete at the highest level.”
Final tune up
Saturday stands as the final opportunity for MSU to clean up some things before it embarks on its journey to repeat as Big Ten champions.
Big Ten play begins next week with Nebraska coming to Spartan Stadium for the prime time matchup, serving as a crucial game in MSU’s championship hopes.
In two of the three MSU games this year, Cook has been taken out early after the Spartans took a big lead. Cook only had six pass attempts in last week’s 73-14 win over EMU and this week he is looking to get more time under center to tighten up his game before Big Ten play.
“I just want to get as much work as possible no matter what the score is, whether it’s tight or a blowout,” Cook said. “I just want to be out there with my teammates and get as much reps as possible just so we can be ready once Big Ten play starts.”
The same can be said for the Spartan defense. Despite holding the Eagles to only 135 total yards last week, junior cornerback Trae Waynes said the defense is looking to continue cleaning things up on that side of the bally.
“Just cleaning up the system and technique and stuff like that,” Waynes said. “Getting a better understanding for everything. You’re not going to be perfect, but we’re trying to be as close to that as we can.”
