Although droves of Spartan fans flooded the streets of East Lansing Friday before and after the football home opener, crimes and calls for service were fewer than that of a normal football weekend, officials said.
Although being dressed and ready was enough for Arthur Ray Jr., senior offensive guard Joel Foreman thought more could be done for his inspiring teammate’s first game at MSU.
Friday night’s game was exactly what MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio and his No. 17 Spartans needed. After an offseason of hype surrounding Spartans, they were knocked back down to earth a little bit by Youngstown State
After hearing the preseason hype, MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio said playing a close game to start the season might be the best thing for his Spartans.
It wasn’t pretty, but after a long fourth quarter, the No. 17 MSU football team was able to defeat Youngstown State, 28-6.
Ever since he can remember, Ray had a dream of playing college football, but while his dreams were coming true during his senior year of high school in March 2007, everything was put on hold when he was diagnosed with osteosarcoma — a rare bone cancer most often affecting teenage boys. Since then, Ray has been anxiously waiting for his chance to play football for MSU, and today, his dream finally will come true.
The No. 17 MSU football team has endured 25 straight practices, and senior quarterback Kirk Cousins said the Spartans are growing restless.
At first glance, the MSU football team’s first game appears to be just another season opener against an inferior opponent. That’s not exactly how MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi sees it, however.
As roughly 75,000 green-and-white-clad fans prepare to descend upon Spartan Stadium for the first football game of the 2011 season, local authorities prepare for the increased amounts of traffic, drinking and parties on and around campus.
MSU’s pair of tenacious 6-foot-7 defensive ends — sophomore William Gholston and junior Tyler Hoover — likely will not be beating up on Youngstown State offensive tackles together Friday night. Not at the same time, at least.
Even with only three seniors leading the top 22 players of the MSU football team’s defense, head coach Mark Dantonio isn’t worried about how the lack of experience and leadership will affect the team.
Condolences go out to MSU football coach Mark Dantonio and his family as they mourn the death of Justin Dantonio, Mark’s father, who died Sunday at the age of 86.
Since the first day of training camp, Nick Hill has stood out as a redshirt freshman running back and has become a popular topic among the players and coaching staff.
When head coach Mark Dantonio watched the MSU football team’s first jersey scrimmage of preseason camp on August 13, he thought the team’s overall conditioning and energy level needed to improve. When he saw the Spartans scrimmage for the second time Sunday, he saw those improvements on both sides of the field.
Offensive line coach Mark Staten said Monday that redshirt freshman Travis Jackson has played most of the repetitions as the No. 1 center. Not far behind, however, is junior Blake Treadwell, followed by fellow junior Ethan Ruhland and sophomore Nate Klatt.
The MSU football team will hold its ninth annual Meet The Spartans event from 5-7 p.m. today in downtown East Lansing.
Now into the second week of preseason camp, the MSU football team had transitioned from practicing in shorts to wearing pads and having two-a-day practices leading up to the first preseason jersey scrimmage on Saturday. After the first week of camp and having analyzed the scrimmage, head coach Mark Dantonio recognized MSU’s successes — seen in senior quarterback Kirk Cousins’ performance and the progression of the youthful offensive line — but said the team not only needs to be more consistent in its game-situation performance, but also in the effort it puts forth. A notable area of inconsistency was with the players’ conditioning, particularly with the defense, which started off the scrimmage playing very well but cooled off as time went on. “When your conditioning goes, emotionally you go, as well — that’s what I saw,” Dantonio said.
With the first week of preseason camp under its belt, the MSU football team played its first jersey scrimmage Saturday at the team’s practice facilities just east of the Duffy Daugherty Football Building.
Standing tall at 6-foot-3 and weighing in at 310 pounds, junior defensive tackle Jerel Worthy is a powerful weapon to help anchor the MSU football team’s defense.
The popular Pure Michigan campaign advertisements will come to Spartan Stadium on Sept. 2 for the football season opener, partnering MSU with the state’s tourism efforts.