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Sports | Football

FOOTBALL

COLUMN: Spring game has become a cultural phenomenon

Geoff Preston
April 23, 2015

By Geoff Preston gpreston@statenews.com This Saturday green and white will fill the campus, grills will be lit and people will come from all across the state by the thousands to watch MSU play football. That might sound odd, considering the calendar says April and not September. Saturday will mark the annual Green and White game, which accounts for a glorified scrimmage in Spartan Stadium to send everyone into a football frenzy. About time too, the season is only a little more than four months away. Spring games across the country have become a spectate, what you will see in East Lansing on what is expected to be a cold, rainy Saturday afternoon will probably be tame in comparison to other places across the country. In Columbus, Ohio 99,391 people came out to see the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes play a game against each other.  

FOOTBALL

Rosters announced for Football's spring game

Zach Libby
April 23, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

Witness writes letter in support of Delton Williams following arrest

Zach Libby
April 19, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

Son of former Spartan wide receiver Andre Rison receives offer from MSU

Zach Libby
April 13, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

MSU football: Five things to watch during spring practice

Zach Libby
March 31, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

Mark Dantonio has shown that he has a history of developing two-star prospects into NFL players

Matthew Argillander
March 23, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

Despite not being invited to the NFL combine, Marcus Rush impressed at MSU pro day

Zach Libby
March 22, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

MSU players react to Delton Williams arrest

Zach Libby
March 20, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

MacGarrett Kings Jr. pretrial adjourned, no new date set

Matthew Argillander
March 19, 2015

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.

FOOTBALL

Breaking: Running back Delton Williams suspended, currently in custody at Ingham County Jail.

Matthew Argillander
March 17, 2015

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.