Thursday, January 15, 2026

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Sports

FOOTBALL

Maize flags leave MSU feeling blue

Michigan didn't need any extra help in its near-perfect 31-13 win against MSU on Saturday, but the Spartans gave them plenty. Penalties were a problem for the Green and White throughout the day, from early in the first quarter to the end of the game.

FOOTBALL

MSU QB recruit has near-perfect Homecoming

Quarterback Keith Nichol, an MSU commitment from the class of 2007, went 12-of-13 passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-13 Homecoming win for Lowell High School on Friday, The Grand Rapids Press reported. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Nichol also scored two touchdowns on runs of 6 and 10 yards. "We're not surprised by Nichol's performance," Lowell head coach Noel Dean told the Press.

VOLLEYBALL

Spartans split weekend matches

After sweeping Illinois on Friday, the MSU volleyball team ended on a sour note by losing to Northwestern in five sets Saturday at Jenison Field House. After starting the season 10-1, MSU (11-5 overall, 2-4 Big Ten) has dropped four of its last six matches. Behind a spirited home crowd, the Spartans won the first and third games Saturday, but lost the second, fourth and fifth games to drop their third five-game match of the season. MSU head coach Cathy George and the Spartans were visibly upset when they emerged from the locker room following the loss.

ICE HOCKEY

Top line shines in exhibition blowout

After a subpar performance in Tuesday's Green and White intrasquad scrimmage, the message from MSU head coach Rick Comley to the junior forward line of Jim McKenzie, Bryan Lerg and Chris Mueller was loud and clear. "He obviously wasn't happy with how we played," Lerg said.

FOOTBALL

Monday musings

Ricky Williams suffered a gash on his left heel last week when a locker room door slammed shut behind him. Team doctors said Williams is in stable condition but strangely is still asking for medicinal marijuana. NBA commissioner David Stern received a proposal last week to expand the league to Europe in the near future. The sticking point: How would Dwyane Wade's 30 free throws a game translate into euros? The Miami Dolphins started former Detroit Lion Joey Harrington at quarterback Sunday in place of the struggling Daunte Culpepper. Not to be outdone, the Lions pulled their starting quarterback and replaced him with Scott Mitchell. New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball caught his 51st career touchdown pass Saturday, breaking Jerry Rice's NCAA Division I-AA record. Still safe: Marcus Vick's NCAA career arrests record. The Detroit Tigers wrapped up an American League Divisional Series victory on Saturday — their first playoff series win since 1984. In a touching tribute, Tigers closer Todd Jones was wearing the same pair of underwear he had on the last time Detroit won a playoff series. After that loss, Yankees owner George Steinbrenner wants manager Joe Torre fired, according to media reports. The leading candidate for Steinbrenner to replace Torre with: A big bag of money.

SOCCER

MSU scores 1st, but ends with 1-1 tie against U-M

Ann Arbor — It was all guts and no glory for the MSU men's soccer team (6-4-2 overall, 0-2-2 Big Ten) on Sunday, as the Spartans walked away from their game against Michigan with a 1-1 tie. The high stakes of the intrastate rivalry motivated players on both teams through an extra 20 minutes of play, but neither team was able to net the game winner. "I was afraid the minutes were going to haunt us and maybe they'd sneak one with fresher legs," MSU head coach Joe Baum said.

FOOTBALL

MSU, Illinois fined $10K for flag-planting fight

The Big Ten fined Illinois and MSU $10,000 each on Wednesday for a scuffle between players following the Spartans' 23-20 loss to the Fighting Illini on Saturday. After the game ended, Illinois players attempted to plant a flag at midfield in Spartan Stadium.

VOLLEYBALL

Big Ten has been rude awakening for MSU

After winning a majority of its nonconference games, the MSU volleyball team finds itself struggling heading into its weekend matches. The Spartans have lost three of their four Big Ten matches, giving them a 1-3 record in the conference. "I think we have had great opportunities to win every game," head coach Cathy George said.

ICE HOCKEY

Jeff Lerg shines in net in Green and White scrimmage

It didn't take long for MSU head coach Rick Comley to say what everybody at Tuesday's Green and White intrasquad hockey scrimmage was thinking when the final horn sounded at Munn Ice Arena. "I thought (sophomore goaltender) Jeff Lerg played really well," Comley said smiling.

ICE HOCKEY

Student season ticket sales up; new 8-game option available

For the 2006-07 Spartans hockey season, two different student-ticket packages are being offered. The packages are similar to those for football and allow for an upgrade into the official MSU hockey student section, Slapshots. One package offers admission to all 17 regular-season home games, excluding the CCHA playoffs, should the Spartans host a home series.

FOOTBALL

Ringer out for season; Stanton probable for U-M

The worst-case scenario is now reality. Sophomore running back Javon Ringer is out for the season. However, senior quarterback Drew Stanton is probable for Saturday's game against Michigan. During the second quarter of MSU's 23-20 loss to Illinois on Saturday, Ringer went down with an injured right knee after gaining three yards on a screen pass.

SPORTS

Monday musings

Monday Musings For the first time in more than 30 years, Notre Dame will make 5,000 season tickets available to football games starting next season. The fee for the tickets will help pay for more than $40 million in repairs to Notre Dame Stadium, as well as Charlie Weis' months of post-slap therapy. Tennessee Titans defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was ejected from his team's game Sunday after stomping on Dallas center Andre Gurode's face. Haynesworth said he plans to appeal any suspension because, come on, Gurode's face does kind of look like a Dance Dance Revolution board. For the second straight season, only selected MSU football players will be available to the media before this Saturday's game against Michigan. Team officials said the rest of the team will be unavailable to give interviews because they'll be busy making sure no one plants any flags at Spartan Stadium.

FOOTBALL

Out-juiced

On paper, the mismatches couldn't have been any more glaring. Illinois hadn't beaten MSU in its last nine tries, had only defeated one in-conference opponent in three years and had a true freshman nicknamed "Juice" taking the snaps from center. MSU had every reason to come out with guns blazing — what better way to erase the memory of last week's fourth-quarter implosion against Notre Dame than to drop 50 points on a Big Ten doormat? But what they lacked in talent, history and experience, the Fighting Illini made up for with the intangibles that seem to matter most in college football games. Intestinal fortitude.