For the first time since 1990, the MSU football team will be playing its final game with a Big Ten championship on the line. The differences between 18 years ago and Saturday’s game, though, will be dramatic.
Linebackers get the tackles and defensive ends rack up the sacks, but the two most important players to the MSU rush defense might be the ones who don’t put up gaudy numbers. Defensive tackle Justin Kershaw, a 6-foot-5, 273-pound senior, and nose tackle Oren Wilson, a 6-foot-3, 288-pound sophomore, rarely show up on the stats sheet, but it’s beyond the numbers where their contributions shine.
Like a pendulum, he swings from side to side in one swift motion without skipping a beat.
Football players, especially quarterbacks, are constantly judged by their numbers. On the gridiron, Andrew Maxwell’s numbers speak for themselves.
Every reputable high school football ratings site is in agreement: MSU has one of the top Big Ten recruiting classes of 2009.
As a high school football prospect known for running, Edwin Baker can be defined by his walk. With his broad shoulders square, strong legs beneath him and chiseled upper body, Baker, a star high school senior running back, has no wasted movement in his gait.
A self-proclaimed “gargantuan high schooler” on his Facebook profile, David Barrent will soon be a gargantuan college student when he comes to East Lansing in the summer of 2009.
For Donald Spencer, actions speak louder than words. Spencer, a senior wide receiver at Ypsilanti High and verbal commitment for MSU’s 2009 recruiting class, is not the kind of kid who will get in your face to make a point or dress outlandishly to get attention.
As he trotted on the field for senior night, the crowd exploded with applause, recognizing it could be awhile before they see another player of Blake Treadwell’s caliber.
Balance, blocking ability and hands. According to recruiting Web site Scout.com, those are three strengths of Battle Creek Central High running back Larry Caper, a verbal commitment for MSU’s 2009 recruiting class.
When MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio first laid eyes on the 2008 schedule, he didn’t like what he saw. At first, not having a bye week until the 11th week of the season bothered Dantonio, but three months and one banged-up team later, he’s changed his mind.
For the first time this season, members of the MSU football team really complained about respect Saturday. Junior defensive end Trevor Anderson pleaded that MSU was “not the same old Spartans team.” Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer asked when the name would die.
When MSU beat Purdue 21-7 Saturday at Spartan Stadium, the home team made its way over to the southeastern corner of the stadium to do the traditional singing of “MSU Shadows” with the student section. After the final word had been sung, nearly all the Spartans headed to the locker room to celebrate their ninth win of the season.
With an ugly 21-7 win Saturday over Purdue, the Spartans are sitting pretty for a chance at a Big Ten championship. A stingy defense that held Purdue to 191 total yards and gave the Spartans offense superb field position on two touchdown drives propelled MSU to a win on Senior Day at Spartan Stadium.
On a warm November evening last week, senior offensive linemen Jesse Miller and Roland Martin were enjoying one of their last off days as MSU football players. The two most experienced and decorated MSU offensive linemen were at Ralph Young Field, experimenting with their most recent purchase — remote control cars.
Purdue head coach Joe Tiller is considered the father of the spread offense in the Big Ten, as he brought the pass-happy offense to West Lafayette, Ind., in 1997.
Purdue head coach Joe Tiller probably didn’t imagine going out like this. In his last season at the helm, the Boilermakers are at risk of missing out on postseason play for just the second time in Tiller’s 12-year career.
The dried blood on the inside of senior linebacker Ryan Allison’s helmet tells the story of his evolution the past six months.
When senior guard Mike Bacon arrived at MSU in 2004 as a preferred walk-on from Lansing, he looked more like a hockey defenseman than an offensive lineman.
In their four or five years at MSU, the Spartans football seniors have gone through more ups-and-downs than an elevator.