As a senior, I've now seen the Spartans lose to the Wolverines four straight times. And although I've seen it before, this one was the hardest to watch.
Quarterback Keith Nichol, an MSU commitment from the class of 2007, went 12-of-13 passing for 262 yards and three touchdowns in a 52-13 Homecoming win for Lowell High School on Friday, The Grand Rapids Press reported. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Nichol also scored two touchdowns on runs of 6 and 10 yards. "We're not surprised by Nichol's performance," Lowell head coach Noel Dean told the Press.
Michigan didn't need any extra help in its near-perfect 31-13 win against MSU on Saturday, but the Spartans gave them plenty. Penalties were a problem for the Green and White throughout the day, from early in the first quarter to the end of the game.
The Big Ten fined Illinois and MSU $10,000 each on Wednesday for a scuffle between players following the Spartans' 23-20 loss to the Fighting Illini on Saturday. After the game ended, Illinois players attempted to plant a flag at midfield in Spartan Stadium.
A day after being labeled as probable for the Michigan game, it seems MSU senior quarterback Drew Stanton will be starting under center Saturday. "I have no doubt (he'll play)," senior center Kyle Cook said after Tuesday's practice.
Each week, State News football reporter Ethan Conley offers his own Top 10 college football rankings. No.
The worst-case scenario is now reality. Sophomore running back Javon Ringer is out for the season. However, senior quarterback Drew Stanton is probable for Saturday's game against Michigan. During the second quarter of MSU's 23-20 loss to Illinois on Saturday, Ringer went down with an injured right knee after gaining three yards on a screen pass.
It was a game that wasn't supposed to be close. MSU was expected to put up big offensive numbers against Illinois Saturday, answering any questions about the lingering effects of the Notre Dame collapse. But after a disappointing 23-20 loss, the Spartans failed to respond to that question and raised many more about an offense that put up just 259 total yards. "We should be able to put up 40 points on Illinois," senior center Kyle Cook said.
Coaching is more than a simple task of motivating a group of 18- to 22-year-olds to play hard on Saturdays.
If you want to point fingers as to why MSU lost to Illinois, there's plenty of blame to go around.
On paper, the mismatches couldn't have been any more glaring. Illinois hadn't beaten MSU in its last nine tries, had only defeated one in-conference opponent in three years and had a true freshman nicknamed "Juice" taking the snaps from center. MSU had every reason to come out with guns blazing — what better way to erase the memory of last week's fourth-quarter implosion against Notre Dame than to drop 50 points on a Big Ten doormat? But what they lacked in talent, history and experience, the Fighting Illini made up for with the intangibles that seem to matter most in college football games. Intestinal fortitude.
Each week, State News football reporter Ethan Conley offers his own Top 10 college football rankings. No.
In football rivalry games, emotions often run high. Such was the case in MSU's game against Notre Dame on Saturday, when a late hit caused a sideline scuffle and an MSU investigation. Senior quarterback Drew Stanton was running out of bounds into the Notre Dame sideline in the second quarter when he was hit and got pinned under the opposing team's bench.
Jehuu Caulcrick ran through Notre Dame's defense like it didn't exist on Saturday. He may as well have had a list of Notre Dame defensive backs in his pocket so he could cross off the names of players he ran over. Tom Zbikowski: Check.
Three games that come to mind when I think of an electric atmosphere in Spartan Stadium. Two of those games are from 2004, when heavily favored Minnesota and Wisconsin came into East Lansing only to see each of its Big Ten Championship hopes crumble. The "go green, go white" chants coming from the student section were so loud that they drowned out the PA announcer.
There are a million possible excuses for MSU's fourth-quarter implosion — inclement weather, poor officiating, lucky interceptions — but none of them hold up. MSU's loss falls squarely on the shoulders of the coaching staff.
Notre Dame players were celebrating in the corner of Spartan Stadium, singing with their band and their fans.
What have you done for me lately? This phrase is used often in sports. Coaches are judged on a game-by-game basis, and players are often judged on what they do when the game matters. And the phrase couldn't have resonated any louder than on Saturday, when judging the play of the two quarterbacks. Notre Dame's Brady Quinn struggled early, throwing just 2-of-8 for six yards in the first quarter.
Correction: The story should say Notre Dame quarterback Brady Quinn completed just 2-of-8 first-quarter pass attempts for six yards. The Brady Quinn Heisman Hype Machine hit the wall Sept.
Each week, State News football reporter Ethan Conley offers his own college football Top 10 rankings. No.