Leading up to Saturday’s matchup with Northwestern, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio preached about finishing the job and not allowing the Legends Division trophy to “lose its shine” by being sent to Ann Arbor to share with their in-state rivals.
Can you smell the roses? I can. Alright, maybe I’m getting a little ahead of myself with that line of thinking, but I bet the Spartans can too at this point.
Despite having a trip to the inaugural Big Ten championship game in the bag, the MSU football team hopes to finish the season strong at Northwestern.
As the first Big Ten team to be declared a division champion, MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio is not in the sharing kind of mood. Especially after last season’s co-Big Ten championship — which MSU shared with Ohio State and Wisconsin — Dantonio wants the Spartans to remain the out-right Legends Division Champions, vying to be the sole conference champion, and that requires the Spartans to defeat Northwestern on Saturday in Evanston, Ill. “We want to be in charge of this division,” Dantonio said at his weekly press conference Tuesday.
As the football team’s home schedule wrapped up Saturday, so did the pregame tailgating and the postgame partying that coincides with it.
The No. 12 MSU football team dominated Indiana 55-3 in a game that really didn’t necessarily reveal much about the Spartans.
A 55-3 demolition of Indiana, in which the Spartans didn’t allow a touchdown, won the Old Brass Spittoon, clinched the Big Ten Legends Division and a spot in the inaugural Big Ten championship game and finished off back-to-back seasons without a loss at home.
When senior wide receiver Keshawn Martin stepped out onto the field Saturday at Spartan Stadium, he was on a mission and not about to lose on Senior Day. Martin played like it was his last time with home-field advantage, finishing with eight receptions for 99 yards and one touchdown — while adding a rushing touchdown — toward No.
With a dominating 55-3 victory, the 17 seniors of the No. 12 MSU football team finished the final two years of their careers without a loss at home.
Mark Dantonio’s senior class has seen it all. The 17 Spartans — many of whom were in the head coach’s first recruiting class — have helped Dantonio begin to rebuild the MSU football program, and through that, they’ve faced adversity, overcame grueling challenges and had milestone accomplishments.
Four years ago, dressed in a sweater-vest his coaches now frequently make fun of him for, then-freshman Trenton Robinson stepped foot on MSU’s campus for the first time as a teenage boy.
As the all-time leader in career receptions with 194, senior wide receiver B.J. Cunningham has made some incredible plays — making him known for his athleticism, acrobatic moves and one-handed catches.
Facing the media Tuesday, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio was asked if he had it in him to root for Michigan over Nebraska so that (with MSU winning as well) the No.
After his career game in the No. 12 Spartans’ 37-21 victory over Iowa, senior tight end Brian Linthicum was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week on Wednesday. Against the Hawkeyes, Linthicum set a career high for receptions and receiving yards with five catches for 71 yards, and four of the five resulted in first downs for MSU.
Two wins to go for the No. 12 MSU football team — one if Nebraska loses to Michigan — before clinching a berth in the inaugural Big Ten championship game Dec.
Saturday afternoon, Mark Dantonio couldn’t stop smiling.
Led by the penetration from the defensive line, the Spartans held Iowa running back Marcus Coker to 57 yards — his second lowest total of the season.
Last season, the Spartans left Kinnick Stadium with their heads hanging as the Hawkeye crowd chanted “overrated.”
Kirk Cousins remembers the last time he played at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. He threw three interceptions — two in the first half — against Iowa in the Spartans’ 37-6 loss — their first of 2010.
This is the rematch the No. 13 MSU football team has waited for. After a little more than a year of waiting, the Spartans get their chance to redeem themselves of a 37-6 loss to Iowa in Kinnick Stadium last season. Similar to last year’s matchup, there are major implications in Saturday’s game.