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Sports | Football

FOOTBALL

MSU football looking for revenge, big conference win

Dillon Davis
November 14, 2013

Darqueze Dennard has been asked about it more times than he can count. And now, he’s out for blood. Last season, the then-junior cornerback returned a 96-yard interception on a pass by Nebraska quarterback Taylor Martinez for a touchdown, which would have put the Spartans in the position to beat the Huskers for the first time in history. Instead, the play was called back on a penalty, opening the door for the Huskers to score on their final drive of the game to defeat the Spartans, 28-24.

FOOTBALL

With Martinez out, Spartans' defense prepares for Armstrong

Stephen Brooks
November 14, 2013

If Nebraska senior quarterback Taylor Martinez made the following statement about MSU, few would raise an eyebrow. “They are one of the best defenses in the country … but at the same time, they can be beat. Our offense, when we’re clicking, we’re clicking. I don’t think anybody in this country can stop us when we’re doing our thing.”

FOOTBALL

Three keys for Nebraska by The Daily Nebraskan's Nedu Izu

Nedu Izu
November 14, 2013

Nebraska is just about the only roadblock on the Spartans’ way to the Big Ten Championship. With kickoff two days away, fans from Lincoln, Neb. and East Lansing are itching to see how the game will pan out. To paint a clearer picture for Saturday, The Daily Nebraskan’s football reporter Nedu Izu compiled three keys to the game for the Cornhuskers to take home the victory. Here are the steps the Red and White need to follow to deliver a blow to MSU’s title game hopes.

FOOTBALL

Singled Out

Dillon Davis
November 14, 2013

Tony Mandarich has been called the n-word by some of his teammates. He’s also been told he’s a redneck and asked where he’s flying his Confederate flag.

FOOTBALL

MSU moves up to No. 14 in AP Poll

Stephen Brooks
November 10, 2013

After its second bye week, the MSU football team moved up three spots to No. 14 in the latest Associated Press Top 25. The Spartans (8-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) have slowly ascended the polls by building a five-game winning streak since their Sept. 21 loss at Notre Dame.

FOOTBALL

Big Ten recap: Nebraska downs U-M, still in Legends race with MSU

Dillon Davis
November 10, 2013

As the MSU football team took a bye week to catch its breath, the rest of the Big Ten carried on this weekend, providing matchups that could be strong indicators of how the conference will wrap up. Multiple teams made moves to jockey for a spot in the Big Ten Football Championship Game while others looked to move into bowl eligibility or salvage their respective season with a win.

FOOTBALL

Jairus Jones out for season

Stephen Brooks
November 7, 2013

Jairus Jones’ knee injury will keep him sidelined for the remaining of the season, head coach Mark Dantonio said before practice Thursday, implying the senior linebacker’s playing career at MSU likely has ended. When Jones went down in the Spartans’ game at Notre Dame on Sept. 21 with what was described as a medial collateral ligament, or MCL injury, he was originally given a six-week timetable to recover.

FOOTBALL

Dantonio's greatest hits

Dillon Davis
November 5, 2013

Through seven years at MSU, Mark Dantonio has been the catalyst of some of the most memorable moments in program history. One of the most successful Spartan coaches since Duffy Daugherty, Dantonio already has made footprints in the sand, winning two bowl games, a Big Ten championship, an appearance in the inaugural Big Ten Championship Game and five games against in-state rival Michigan.

FOOTBALL

Takeaways from MSU over weekend

Stephen Brooks
November 5, 2013

The man tasked with playing the role of Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner in practice was freshman Damion Terry during MSU’s preparation for the Wolverines. “Not too excited to wear number ‘98’ this week lol oh well” Terry tweeted at the start of the week.

FOOTBALL

Run This State

Dillon Davis
November 3, 2013

During Saturday’s game against Michigan, MSU paid tribute to Percy Snow. One of the most talented linebackers in program history, and the leader of MSU’s 1987 Gang Green defense, Snow became notorious for his nose for the backfield, earning him the Butkus and Lombardi awards, a Rose Bowl victory and eventually, a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. Few were more feared; few were more integral to their team’s success. Yet, a greater honor to one of college football’s hardest-hitting linebackers came in the game with the Wolverines, as the No. 18 Spartans physically punished Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner all afternoon, totaling seven sacks and holding U-M to -48 yardsCL rushing in a 29-6 win at Spartan Stadium.

FOOTBALL

A few seconds was difference in win

Dillon Davis
November 2, 2013

The difference between Connor Cook and Devin Gardner is a few seconds. Count slowly or it’ll pass you by. It’s the blink of an eye, a flash. Nothing more and nothing less than a brief moment in time.

FOOTBALL

Too Easy

Stephen Brooks
November 2, 2013

It was dirty. It was sloppy. And unlike the last time MSU and Michigan clashed in East Lansing, that only described the playing surface at Spartan Stadium. Between the lines, the on-field action was brutal and hard-hitting, similar in that regard to MSU’s dominant defensive performance of 2011 that was marred by some dirty play on both sides. The Spartans (8-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) outmatched the Wolverines physically, bullying their way to a 29-6 win – MSU’s fifth victory in the rivalry’s last six meetings.

FOOTBALL

Spartans lead rival U-M 13-6 at halftime

Stephen Brooks
November 2, 2013

Each team settled for field goals on their opening drives before failing to capitalize on multiple opportunities to take over the game, resulting in a 13-6 lead for MSU against rival Michigan at halftime. Sophomore quarterback Connor Cook’s accuracy was shaky until the last drive, when he took the Spartans 75 yards in 10 plays, capped with an impressive 14-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Bennie Fowler in the back corner of the end zone.

FOOTBALL

U-M fanbase refuses to move forward

Stephen Brooks
October 31, 2013

Let’s begin with a stroll down memory lane. That’s not too much to ask for a university and fanbase obsessed with the past, right? In fact, many of you never left. I understand most of you have simply gone along with the elitist, holier-than-thou rhetoric you’ve heard from Michigan fans and supporters all your life. The sense of superiority and arrogance has been passed along for generations. For those of you that picked it up from a real alumnus instead of in the Wal-Mart clearance section, good for you! That’s a rare feat. Slide those blue-and-yellow tinted glasses off and take a look at the real world, where quarterbacks don’t wear No. 98 and people don’t act like they reinvented the wheel for playing night games. Like the females in Ann Arbor, the past isn’t as glamorous when you take a longer look.

FOOTBALL

School rivalry feels different to outsider

Everett Cook
October 31, 2013

One of my earliest interactions with Michigan State started with a female Spartan screaming at me to suck a part of her body that she categorically cannot possess. This was during my sophomore year two years ago during the “touch” football game The Michigan Daily and The State News play every Friday before the real football players battle on Saturday. I grew up in California not knowing a thing about Michigan State or why there is such animosity (for MSU fans reading this, that means “bad blood” ) between these two schools. I’m not like a lot of my classmates, the ones that grew up with or knowing Spartan fans, or the ones who applied to both schools, just in case they don’t get into Michigan. Everything I know about Michigan State comes from personal experience — there were no preconceived ideas or stereotypes that come with growing up in this area.