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Sports | Football 1000

FOOTBALL

Leaders lull

Eric Mckinney
October 14, 2002

Iowa City, Iowa - Saturday’s 44-16 beating at the hands of Iowa provided more than just embarrassment for the Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten), it also opened the door for a possible quarterback controversy. The door was unlocked roughly three minutes into the third quarter when MSU head coach Bobby Williams sent sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell into the game. On the Spartans’ previous possession, junior quarterback Jeff Smoker fumbled after a 3-yard scramble.

ICE HOCKEY

Goaltenders play gives team encouragement

James Jahnke
October 14, 2002

Omaha, Neb. - Amid the cheering for the victorious Denver Pioneers, one could almost hear the sigh of relief from MSU fans at the Omaha Civic Auditorium this weekend. Very rarely do Spartan fans take any solace from a one win, one loss weekend.

ICE HOCKEY

Team rebounds from first loss

James Jahnke
October 14, 2002

Omaha, Neb. - In the wee hours of Saturday morning, head coach Rick Comley watched the replay of MSU’s humbling 5-0 loss to Denver with a tally sheet in his hand.He was counting the number of turnovers his seventh-ranked hockey team made against the Pioneers in the first round of the season-opening Maverick Stampede on Friday.Comley’s final calculation: 110 MSU giveaways, including 50 by the defensemen, in 60 minutes of hockey.

FOOTBALL

Hype heading into season not being backed up

Say it ain’t so, say it ain’t so. Just six games into a much anticipated season, many are wondering how good is the MSU football team - or how bad? The facts say the Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) are average.

SPORTS

Spartans stay on pace with 2 home victories

Dawn Klemish
October 14, 2002

No. 5 MSU field hockey team had a tough matchup Sunday but came out on top, downing No. 11 Louisville 4-2.With the victory, the Spartans improve to 13-2 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten this season.“They really put their passing game together today,” head coach Michele Madison said referring to her team.

SPORTS

Women take No. 5 rank into weekend matchups

Dawn Klemish
October 11, 2002

The No. 5 MSU field hockey has compiled an 11-2 overall, 2-1 Big Ten record so far and is looking to finish its final seven games of the regular season the same way it always has - with convincing wins. This season the Spartans have dominated the competition, outscoring opponents 52-9.

SPORTS

Gridiron grades: A midseason report

Eric Mckinney
October 11, 2002

With college football at its midway point and the bye week behind the Spartans, MSU is ready to tackle the second half of its season. But MSU (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) was expected to be sitting with the big boys by this point in the season, at least according to most preseason predictions. The Spartans were ranked 18th in both preseason polls and selected by the media to finish third in the Big Ten.

SPORTS

Death Ro stays a head of McSkinny with good picks

For the second-straight week, Death Ro one-upped McSkinny. The Pac-10 matchup between Washington State and Southern Cal produced the only loss for Death Ro (19-9). McSkinny (16-12) benefited from Wazzu and Ohio State victories, while he watched his other picks - Wisconsin and Clemson - fall to Penn State and Florida State, respectively. Much to Death Ro’s delight, there aren’t any Pac-10 matchups on the Pigskin Prognosticators’ slate, but they do have four top-25 matchups to debate. MSU vs.

SPORTS

Conference play is where the action is, just watch it all unfold

Oh yeah, the college football year is rumblin’, bumblin’ and stumblin’ like a 320-pound defensive tackle who just scooped up the brown, oblong pill and ran it 60 yards to paydirt. It’s the second weekend in October and most teams already have a taste of conference play.

SPORTS

WEB ONLY: Womens golf places 6th in tourney

Emily Buckler
October 11, 2002

The women’s golf team placed sixth in the New Mexico State Give’Em Five Intercollegiate on Wednesday at the University of New Mexico Golf Course in Las Cruces, N.M. The Spartans shot a team score of 294 in the three-round tournament, rounding out at 915 (315-306-294) and trailing fifth place finisher Texas El Paso by two strokes.

SPORTS

Heisman watch

Andrew Fifer
October 11, 2002

The front-runners across the country didn’t do too much to bolster their standing last weekend, making the forecast for the Heisman Trophy even cloudier than before.

SPORTS

Penn State eyes Michigan in marquee matchup

No. 15 Penn State at No. 13 Michigan What’s better preparation, a relaxing bye week or a hard-fought victory on the road? That’s the question as Michigan and Penn State collide Saturday in Ann Arbor.

SPORTS

HARDY: Bye week bought time before key matchup

Is it a good bye or goodbye for the Spartan gridders? That question and many more will be answered come Saturday when MSU takes the field in Iowa City, Iowa, to match up with the ever-talented Old Gold and Black inside Kinnick Stadium. And the battered-and-bruised players enjoyed time to reflect on their questionable first half of the season with time outside Spartan Stadium, healing from grueling games against Notre Dame and California. The Spartans are 26-16-2 lifetime with at least 14 days of rest, dating way back when to 1896. I brushed off the dust on a few volumes of Spartan statistics to find that one. Yes, the gridders tied twice - a Nov.

SPORTS

Iowa running back leads all league rushers

Eric Mckinney
October 11, 2002

Fred Russell always dreamed of leading the Big Ten in rushing. The one-time Wolverine hopeful just never thought he would do it as an Iowa Hawkeye. But halfway through the Michigan native’s junior season, the 5-foot-8, 185-pounder is doing just that.

SPORTS

First road game wont be easy

Andrew Fifer
October 11, 2002

After five home games to start the season and a bye week, the MSU football team heads into its first road game of the season.In the last game of the homestand, the Spartans (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) defeated Northwestern 39-24 in the Big Ten opener on Sept.