The biggest play of Saturday’s game came from the most unlikely of places, the Spartans’ special teams.With a little more than a minute to play in the third quarter and MSU leading by a score of 20-17, junior wide receiver Ziehl Kavanaght broke the game open with a 88-yard punt return for a touchdown.“When Ziehl ran that ball back the game was close,” junior quarterback Jeff Smoker said.
Although Ron Mason’s fingerprints are all over the MSU hockey team, new head coach Rick Comley appears to have a more hands-on approach than his predecessor.With one week of practice already in the books - and another underway - both the MSU players and assistant coaches are raving about Comley’s interpersonal skills.“Coach Comley has really gone out of his way to break down the communication barriers,” assistant coach Tom Newton said.
Statistically, junior wide receiver Charles Rogers had his least productive game of the season. But his presence created openings for teammates in both the running and passing attacks in the Spartans’ 39-24 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Head coach Bobby Williams said studying film revealed there would be chances for other players to make plays against Northwestern (2-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten). “We looked at the last two ball games and people have been really overplaying Charles,” he said.
The men’s soccer team rebounded Sunday from last weekend’s 6-1 beating at the hands of Indiana to defeat Northwestern 1-0 and earn its first Big Ten victory of the season.Defense and teamwork were keys in this weekend’s matchup, both things MSU (6-2 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) lacked in its last game.“We were more organized today, we weren’t jumping in,” head coach Joe Baum said.
Iowa City - It wasn’t the result the Spartans hoped for. However, the MSU volleyball team left the first weekend of Big Ten play with a 1-1 record.
The women’s soccer team lost its first Big Ten game of the season Sunday - a 3-1 decision at Wisconsin.
No, this isn’t the land of Make-Believe. Welcome to Michigan State University, otherwise known as Mister Charles Rogers’ Neighborhood. And it’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, where Mister Rogers has made us believers, posting the most impressive statistics possible in his green-and-white fairy-tale career here. And you can get here to watch King Saturday, MSU’s legitimate Heisman Trophy contender, by taking a magical Capital Area Transit Authority Trolley ride to the land split by the Red Cedar River. Won’t you join me in a short trip to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood?
The No. 9 MSU women’s cross country team dominated the Roy Griak Invitational on Saturday, placing first in the 22-team competition hosted by the University of Minnesota at the Les Bolstad Golf Course. Scoring 72 points to win the meet, MSU outdistanced second-place Arizona State, which finished with 107 points. Winning the invitational was a product of hard work and a preface to upcoming meets, head coach Jim Stintzi said. “We’ve been working hard all summer for this season,” Stintzi said.
Have you ever been so ashamed to be something in your life? I have, and you’d be surprised to know what that is.
PIGSKIN PROGNOSTICATORS McSkinny’s betrayal of the Spartans pulled him within a game of Death Ro as last week proved to be hard times for your Pigskin Prognosticators. Death Ro (12-7) came out of the weekend with a 1-3 mark, as the Spartans cost him another loss, USC (2-1) tanked and the Gators (3-1) shocked the Volunteers (2-1) in Knoxville. McSkinny (11-8) didn’t fair much better at 2-2.
After a month of nonconference games to start the season, the MSU volleyball team is getting ready for the real season. The No.
Although the MSU football team hasn’t measured up to preseason expectations, junior wide receiver Charles Rogers has stood tall. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder has posted 29 receptions for 634 yards and six touchdowns in four games, which has propelled him into the national spotlight.
Iowa (3-1) at No. 12 Penn State (3-0) The two most impressive teams in the Big Ten this year are arguably the Hawkeyes and the Nittany Lions. Both teams had their ups and downs last year, but neither moved into the spotlight like both are doing now.
No. 11 MSU men’s golf team will compete in the annual Northern Intercollegiate this weekend at the Indiana University Golf Course in Bloomington, Ind. The Northern Intercollegiate is a fall preview for the 2003 Big Ten Championship, which Indiana will host May 2-4. MSU tied for third place in the Inverness Intercollegiate Invitational Sept.
This Saturday marks the beginning of the Big Ten season, and for the third-straight year the Spartans open with Northwestern.
When Big Ten football fans hear the name Jason Wright, fear is the last thing that comes to mind. In fact, most simply ask, “Who?” Considering the 5-foot-10, 210-pound junior tailback carried the ball just three times his first two seasons at Northwestern, that’s a reasonable question. But Wright, who is attempting to fill the shoes of the Wildcats’ all-time leading rusher Damien Anderson, leads Northwestern (2-2) with 346 yards on 66 carries (5.2 yards per carry). “I’m not going to lie, it definitely feels good to be back at my natural position,” said the former first-team all-state tailback at Diamond Bar High, in Diamond Bar, Calif. That’s right, the reason many Big Ten fans haven’t heard of Wright is because he spent his first season and a half playing wide receiver for the Wildcats.
The MSU men’s tennis team will open its 2002-03 season this weekend in Muncie, Ind., at the Ball State Invitational. This is the second-straight season the Spartans have opened at Ball State. The team will be led by eight returning letter winners from last season, including seniors Adam Hourani, Jimmy McGuire and Goran Topalo, juniors Mike Jonckheere, Chris Mitchell and Eric Simonton, and sophomores Andrew Formanczyk and Cameron Marshall. The Spartans will travel to Nashville, Oct.
After five weeks of action, the Heisman Trophy race has been shaken, not stirred. Miami quarterback Ken Dorsey, the former front-runner, is being overshadowed by his own teammate.
As usual, the Big Ten season is loaded with unpredictability. The 107th year of conference play could go down as one of the most competitive in history. Michigan, Ohio State and MSU - voted by the Big Ten’s media to finish first, second and third, respectively - haven’t pulled away from the competition.
For Tyler Robinson, it was never a question of what college he’d attend, just what sport to play when he got there.As an all-American lacrosse player and three-sport athlete at Lansing Waverly, Robinson was recruited very highly.