FOOTBALL
A step behind
Something unusual happened Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The MSU defense came to play. It forced a turnover and brought pressure on the quarterback.
FOOTBALL
Wiley: Smith's ouster 'unprofessional'
The Spartans had enough trouble winning games without any extra distractions looming overhead. On Saturday, they played their first game after being hit with a midweek knockout punch — they learned they would finish the season under the direction of a coach whose days were numbered. Athletics Director Ron Mason announced the firing of John L.
FOOTBALL
Word from the podium
"I've learned from him, not just as a football player, but as a man." senior center Kyle Cook "There was no real tipping point." Athletics Director Ron Mason "You can't simply win on X's and O's.
FOOTBALL
Smith's midseason dismissal could be blessing in disguise
John L. Smith didn't need to say a word in the press conference that followed MSU's 46-21 loss to Indiana on Saturday.
FOOTBALL
Word on the street
"I hope we get a winning program from a new coach since we had so much talent on the team as it was.
FOOTBALL
Penalties continue to haunt MSU
After scoring on an 80-yard drive to start Saturday's game against Indiana, MSU's offense got the ball back with a chance to jump out to an early 14-3 lead.
FOOTBALL
No comeback this time
Bloomington, Ind. — First, it was Illinois' Juice Williams. Then, Ohio State's Troy Smith. On Saturday, the MSU football team made another opposing quarterback look like a transcendent talent, allowing Indiana's Kellen Lewis to pass for five touchdowns and run for a sixth in a 46-21 defeat at Memorial Field. "He's a great athlete — running and passing," said junior defensive end Ervin Baldwin.
FOOTBALL
Spartans Stalled
Bloomington, Ind. — The question all week was whether the momentum from MSU's 35-point comeback last week would carry over to Saturday's game at Indiana. It looked like the Spartans had delivered a decisive answer on the game's opening possession.
FOOTBALL
No inspirational halftime speech needed here
Saturday's game had all the necessary ingredients to be made into a Hollywood film. One team struggled and faced an almost insurmountable deficit.
FOOTBALL
Beyond Belief
Evanston, Ill. — When MSU was down 38-3 against Northwestern midway through the third quarter, things looked hopeless. It looked like it could be John L.
FOOTBALL
For once, breaks go Spartans' way
Evanston, Ill. — It takes a lot to overcome a 35-point deficit in less than 22 minutes.
FOOTBALL
Fall from grace
Drew Stanton entered this season with a career completion rate of 65.7 percent — the highest all-time for an MSU quarterback.
FOOTBALL
Spartans secure Ohio offensive line recruit
The MSU football team has received another verbal commitment from the class of 2007, this one from Mark Wetterer, an offensive lineman from Anderson High School in Cincinnati, Ohio. Prior to the season, Wetterer had offers from 12 Division-1 schools, including West Virginia and Maryland, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer. He is ranked 28th in the state of Ohio by recruiting service Rivals.com. The Web site also ranks him as a three-star recruit out of five.
FOOTBALL
Adams, Warrick swap positions as part of defensive shuffle
After surrendering 772 yards and 69 points combined in its last two losses, MSU's defense will get shaken up for Saturday's game against Northwestern. Most glaring are the position changes for two Spartans who have started every game in 2006.
FOOTBALL
MSU might not win again this season
Confidence. It can make all the difference in the world in football, and MSU is no exception. The team always seems to need only one big play — be it a long pass, a broken tackle, a fumble recovery or a vicious hit — to get the wheels turning. But the team has had such a horrendous stretch of games that every last bit of confidence has disappeared, and you have to wonder if the players can get it back this season.
FOOTBALL
Sea of red
Despite being more than 250 miles from home, Ohio State's football team almost had home-field advantage Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Fans clothed in scarlet and gray dominated the stadium's north end and dotted virtually every other section. "They're the No.
FOOTBALL
No more talk, Spartans just win
It's tough to defend this MSU football team. I want to. I want the Spartans to win. I want them to run the table the rest of the way.
FOOTBALL
MSU squanders opportunities
If MSU had scripted the beginning of Saturday's game against Ohio State, it probably couldn't have turned out any better than what actually happened. After forcing the Buckeyes to start at the 20-yard line, the Spartans defense caused a turnover, giving the offense the ball deep in Ohio State territory. On MSU's first offensive play, junior running back Jehuu Caulcrick caught a screen pass and rumbled just short of the goal line.
FOOTBALL
Heisman hopeful Smith shines
Many questions are up for debate in college football, but there's one truth that is nearly indisputable: Regardless of where he's playing or whom he's playing against, Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith is always the coolest guy on the field. Smith proved himself unflappable in early-season road games against Texas and Iowa.
FOOTBALL
Trannon out for OSU game
After losing three consecutive games, it doesn't get any easier for the MSU football team. The Spartans host No.