MSU football has added two primetime games to their 2015 schedule, including the first confirmed night game at Spartan Stadium. The Big Ten conference and TV networks announced that MSU vs.
The draft has concluded and the teams are set as the Spartans get ready to kick off the annual spring game at Spartan Stadium this Saturday. And while draft rooms are a place for strategic planning and on the fly decision making, the football program kept the excitement high at the Izzo Family Media Center as early as the first pick. Brian Allen, who was named a first-team Freshman All-American by the FWAA last year at guard and center, was taken first overall by the White team.
The MSU football team got some good news just days before the spring exhibition game.
Delton Williams was suspended indefinitely by head coach Mark Dantonio after being charged with flaunting a firearm on campus during a traffic incident on South Shaw Lane and Red Cedar Road on March 16. A month since his not guilty plea in East Lansing's 54-B District Court, the man who accused the running back of pointing a gun at him has asked MSU police to drop the charges on Williams. In a letter obtained by the Detroit Free Press, the man, 23-years-old, did research on Williams' past and discovered the tragedies he experienced during his upbringing in Erie, Pa., which led to speculation as to "why (Williams) would have a weapon." Williams, despite having a permit for the Smith and Wesson .40 caliber pistol, admitted to police that he raised the gun inside his car.
More than a month has passed since the February 28 incident involving the arrest of MSU wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr.
When asked who has stepped up as a vocal leader with spring practice heading into it's fourth week, head coach Mark Dantonio didn't hesitate to credit Montae Nicholson on defense. It's a role that's to be expected of the safety, despite having being on the MSU campus for less than two years.
Former Super Bowl champion and MSU wide receiver Andre Rison may get the opportunity to capture his son donning the green and white on Saturday's, as Ann Arbor Skyline incomer Hunter Rison picked up an offer from the Spartans on Thursday. Andre Rison played at MSU from 1985-1988 before being drafted in the NFL, he has said in the past that he doesn't want to have an influence on his son picking a school. "We've discuss things but I'm not going to push him towards a school," Rison told mLive.com. Rison took a visit to the campus and left with his first offer as a sophomore.
With the NFL Draft beginning at the end of the month, the final push for prospects hoping to get drafted is fast approaching.
As the MSU football program heads into its second official week of spring practice, plenty of buoyancy and confidence rides behind an upcoming season filled with inflated expectations and uncertainty leave the team asking themselves a few questions before the spring game at Spartan Stadium on April 25. Coming off of a miraculous Cotton Bowl victory over Baylor last season and winning their first Rose Bowl title in over 20 years back in 2014, the Spartans come into spring with a loaded senior class, led by quarterback Connor Cook, defensive end Shilique Calhoun and center Jack Allen. A combined 15-1 Big Ten record in the past two seasons, with the one loss coming from the hands of eventual NCAA national champion Ohio State, MSU remains as one of the elites in the conference, but that could change if the recent issues with police, the absence of NFL draft hopefuls and the uprising of certain programs in the conference continue to be a problem once the season gets underway. With that being said, here are five things to look out for this spring for the Spartans: Replacing Pat Narduzzi From 2011-2014, Pat Narduzzi was responsible for MSU becoming the only team to rank in the FBS Top 10 in total defense and rushing defense.
Maybe it was the familiarity of the location that gave former MSU linebacker, Taiwan Jones, the much needed edge to improve his results from February's NFL draft combine. Or maybe it was the low top gold plated cleats.
When you think of some of the biggest named players to come out of Michigan State as of late you think of running back Le'Veon Bell, quarterback Kirk Cousins, cornerback Darqueze Dennard and cornerback Trae Waynes. These guys have more in common than their former team, they all happen to be lower-end mostly two-star recruits. Bell was a two-star according to Rivals, Dennard was a two-star, Waynes was a two-star and Cousins was a three-star according to Rivals but he was considered a two-star on some platforms during his process. Bell, a second round pick in 2013, is coming off of a monster season in Pittsburgh in which he ran for 1,361 yards and eight touchdowns all while making 83 receptions for 854 yards and another three touchdowns.
When a quality college resume still wasn't enough to receive an invite to February's NFL combine in Indianapolis, that gave former MSU standout, Marcus Rush, a much needed edge during this past Wednesday's pro day. When he was forced to sit at home while his teammates strived to improved their draft stock inside Lucas Oil Stadium, that gave Rush a reason for NFL personnel to rethink their decision of leaving out the defensive end. Backing up why he started a program-record 53 games in his four years at East Lansing, Rush finished with a 4.68 40-yard dash, 24 bench reps and a 34-inch vertical leap. "It just gave me a chip on my shoulder," Rush said at the Duffy Daughtery Facility.
All was mute on the practice field inside the MSU football facility on Wednesday afternoon following the Spartans Pro Day for the NFL hopefuls, in regards to the recent arrest of Delton Williams. Williams, the sophomore running back, was arrested and charged earlier on Monday night of brandishing a firearm after an alleged road rage incident on Shaw Lane and Red Cedar Road.
By Matthew Argillander margillander@statenews.com Those expecting developments in the case of junior wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr will have to wait for a bit as his pretrial was adjourned and will be rescheduled in a few weeks for a date to be determined. The defense attorney representing Kings will be James T.
With the NFL draft fast approaching it is time for Spartans who are looking to go pro to show their ability.
Less than 24 hours after he was apprehended by MSU police, sophomore running back Delton Williams pleaded not guilty to one charge of brandishing a firearm in public after an alleged road rage incident on Monday night, according to 54B District Court documents.
The football team took a hit today as another player has run into legal trouble. Sophomore running back Delton Williams was taken into custody at the Ingham County Jail according to online records. Head coach Mark Dantonio released a statement on the sophomore running backs status with the team as of now. "Delton Williams has been suspended indefinitely from all team-related activities," Dantonio said. According to a report on the website isportsweb.com Williams was taken into custody for brandishing a firearm during a road rage incident at the corner of Shaw Lane and Farm Lane. There was an alert issued by the MSU Police Department detailing the incident before it was known Williams was involved. "MSUPD report a person displaying a gun from vehicle at Shaw/Farm in a road rage incident.
MSU wide receiver Macgarrett Kings Jr. was arrested over the weekend for drunken and disorderly conduct and obstructing, resisting, hindering or assaulting a police officer, according to court documents. The arrest occurred Saturday at 2:36 a.m.
An instate rivalry that has been historically commanded by MSU saw a different chance in scenery on Thursday night when a prolonged streak was shattered. Michigan, who haven't swept the Spartans in the regular-season since the 1999-00 season, squandered the historic run thanks in part to four of their starters finishing in the double-digit mark in scoring, silencing MSU on the road, 72-59. Despite being loaded with two of the top five leading scorers in the Big Ten in Aerial Powers (No. 2) and Tori Jankoska (No. 5), the duo was held to a combined 31-points, 25 of those recorded by Powers. Jankoska, who is the reigning Big Ten player of the week after scoring a career-high 28-points last week against Indiana, shot a mere 2-of-8 from the floor, failing to sink her first field-goal until the 10-minute mark in the second half. Coming into their 11th conference game of the season, Michigan's last win outside of Ann Arbor was back in January, 17 against Northwestern. On Thursday, a 20-2 run in the first half was enough to hold MSU's comeback late in the second, led by Powers. The Detroit native, who played the entirely of the game due to a lack of numbers on the bench for head coach Suzy Merchant, was able to keep the motor running, cutting the deficit to as low as nine with more than four minutes remaining. Anna Morrissey, the 5-foot-10 senior guard, followed suit by pulling up for a wide opened three-pointer to decrease the Wolverines' lead to six two minutes later, her only bucket of the evening. Powers also led the Spartans in rebounds (15) and finishing second behind Jankoska in assists (four). Katelynn Flaherty and Cyesha Goree were the leading scorers for the Wolverines, finishing with 19 and 17-points each. Goree also led the maize-and-blue with 10-rebounds. MSU's Becca Mills contributed 10-points, seven of which came in the first half. The frustrating loss at the Breslin Center for the Spartans ends their two-game home win streak, which began with a victory over Wisconsin on the 25th of January. They'll have a couple days off before hitting the road to face Minnesota, who have lost just twice this season in front of the home crowd.
National Signing Day has passed and the Spartans may have secured one of their most talented classes rankings wise in recent memory. The fact the Jimmy Clausen was a five-star recruit and largely considered the No.