FOOTBALL
Picking up Texans' QB Carr off waivers good move
Last week was an absolute blowout, with Tennessee's Derrick Mason and the Miami defense assisting Stevie E.
BASKETBALL
Brutal nonconference schedule will prepare team for postseason
A nonconference schedule as difficult as the MSU men's basketball team's this season is giving head coach Tom Izzo and his team two options - do or die.With an updated urgency surrounding the Spartans to win a championship this season - not just games, as Izzo put it - games against heavyweights Duke, Kentucky and Oklahoma within state lines and road trips to Kansas, UCLA and Syracuse are giving MSU a chance to make an early mark as a national title contender.But is it best to play top teams and risk burning out early, or prepare for the best and learn from tough defeats?
FOOTBALL
7-1 start would be best since '66
Despite an early falter, this season's MSU football team has the opportunity to make history.With a win against Minnesota, this would be the best start for a Spartan team since they finished second in the polls in 1966.But with senior defensive end Greg Taplin questionable (sprained knee) for the game and junior defensive tackle Brandon McKinney out, the No.
VOLLEYBALL
Spikers tired of splitsville, looking for 2-win weekend
If the old adage "You're only as good as your last game" is true, then the Spartans look like one of the top teams in the Big Ten. The only problem - they're not. In each of the MSU volleyball team's two-match, nonconference weekends, the Spartans went on the road and swept both games.
SPORTS
Gridders get another commitment from Ohio
An online football recruiting database has reported that Garfield Heights (Ohio) High School running back/cornerback Tony Howard has orally committed to MSU.Howard, a 6-foot, 190-pound senior, reportedly told SpartanMag.com that he was committed to joining the Spartans' 2004 recruiting class.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers split in Ice Breaker tourney
MSU senior defenseman Joe Markusen took a puck in the jaw for this win. If he hadn't, the No.
VOLLEYBALL
Spikers split, sit .500 in conference
West Lafayette, Ind. - The No. 16 MSU volleyball team continues its roller-coaster ride through the season. For the third straight week, MSU (11-5 overall, 3-3 Big Ten) split its two matches.
SPORTS
Field hockey defeats No. 6 Iowa in Iowa City Women's soccer loses 4th straight contest
The MSU field hockey team won their fifth straight game on Saturday, upsetting No. 6 Iowa, 3-1, in Iowa City. After falling to a 1-0 disadvantage early on, the Spartans (10-3 overall, 3-0 Big Ten) rallied to knot the score at one just before the half.
SOCCER
'U' 2nd half not enough against U-M
By Bob Darrow Special for The State news The MSU men's soccer team has heard coach Joe Baum tell them that in order to win a game, they have to give 110-percent effort for the full 90 minutes. After Sunday's 4-2 loss to rival Michigan, the Spartans are likely wishing that half the amount of time would have been enough. The contest at Old College Field was a tale of two Spartan teams - one that was thoroughly dominated by Michigan in the first half, and the other that stormed out after halftime to score two quick goals and continue to threaten the Wolverines' lead for the duration of the game. For the first 46 minutes, the action belonged almost entirely to U-M.
FOOTBALL
The Great Green Hype
Urbana-Champaign, Ill. - On its return from pounding Illinois 49-14 Saturday, MSU left last season's disappointment in Urbana-Champaign, Ill., and leapfrogged Michigan in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. The No.
SPORTS
Violence, AL has no place in playoff baseball
Please note: This is a work of complete fiction. The scene is two months from now, Atlantic City.
FOOTBALL
Smith grabs interception, seals game
Urbana-Champaign, Ill. - Eric Smith might have stepped over the line Saturday, but head coach John L.
FOOTBALL
Dortch gets 1st career touchdown
Urbana-Champaign, Ill. - The trip was three-and-a-half years in the making. And when junior running back Tyrell Dortch reached the end zone for his first career touchdown, that wasn't enough.
SPORTS
WEB ONLY: Women's soccer hosts Purdue, Indiana
The MSU women's soccer team's home unbeaten streak will be tested this weekend against two Big Ten foes. The Spartans (7-4-0 overall, 3-3-0 Big Ten) will host No.
SPORTS
WEB ONLY: Cross country teams travel to Hudsonville
After being ranked No. 4 nationally this week, the MSU women's cross country team will travel to the Michigan Intercollegiate in Hudsonville on Friday with the men's team. The women's team is ranked 13 places ahead of Wisconsin to be the highest-ranked Big Ten team. The Intercollegiate will begin at 4 p.m.
SPORTS
WEB ONLY: Baseball begins Green & Gray World Series Saturday
MSU baseball will play a Green & Gray World Series beginning this weekend at Kobs Field to wrap up its fall practice and scrimmage run. Game one is at 2 p.m.
SPORTS
Icers kickoff season
This isn't the first time Findlay hockey head coach Pat Ford has been a part of the Ice Breaker Tournament against MSU. Findlay's second-year coach was a part of the inaugural tournament in Madison, Wis., as a Badgers assistant in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Spartans in 1997.
SPORTS
Spikers hit road for 2 games
After finishing the nonconference season, the No. 16 MSU volleyball team was hitting on all cylinders and was looking forward to starting the Big Ten season at home.
SPORTS
WEB ONLY: Men's tennis visits Ann Arbor, women's team hosts The Spartan Cup
Both MSU tennis teams continue with fall tournaments this weekend to prepare for the 2004 spring season. The men's team will visit Ann Arbor on Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the Michigan Invitational. The women will host The Spartan Cup beginning at 9 a.m.
SPORTS
Trannon emerging after big game
After sitting out all of last year and catching only nine passes for 64 yards in the first five games this season, sophomore receiver Matt Trannon finally busted out of his shell last weekend. And his coaches and teammates couldn't be more excited. "First of all, you got to remember he hasn't gotten very much time on the field, and I think you'll see him begin to continue to steadily improve each week," senior quarterback Jeff Smoker said.