Wednesday, December 6, 2023

Sports | Football

FOOTBALL

Despite poor start, Gannon worth start against Cleveland

With four games in the past, it is all even between The State News homegrown fantasy football gurus. A new season begins in Week Six - known in college football as Separation Saturday - when fantasy players start showing whether they will be consistent forces each week. Look for good football in Week Six as three of the NFL's weakest teams - Cincinnati, Detroit and San Diego - take the week off.

FOOTBALL

Turnover margin key in 'U' success

Jon Styf
October 8, 2003

It seems simple enough, but in recent years, MSU has had a problem keeping control of the football.With the re-emergence of quarterback Jeff Smoker and linebacker Mike Labinjo, one of the major reasons for the Spartans' early success is winning the turnover battle.The past two seasons, the Spartans (5-1 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) gave up the football 52 times and gained it on an opposition turnover 44 times.

FOOTBALL

Spartans land recruit in speedy 6-foot-2 star

Patrick Walters
October 8, 2003

In the middle of a recruiting season marred with wavering interest and flip-flopping commitments, the MSU football coaching staff finally got some good news Monday night.Tom Dance, a speedy 6-foot-2 all-around athlete from Erie Cathedral Preparatory School, verbally committed to the Spartans after an official recruiting trip this past weekend.

FOOTBALL

Rogers injures collarbone

Detroit Lions wide receiver Charles Rogers broke his right collarbone in practice Tuesday. Rogers, a former Spartan who won the Biletnikoff Award last year at MSU, was taken to a hospital and is still being evaluated, according to Detroit Lions officials. Rogers "got tangled up" with cornerback Dre' Bly in the morning practice on Tuesday, head coach Steve Mariucci said. "(Rogers) went up for a pass and went down on his shoulder," Mariucci said.

FOOTBALL

2 Spartans awarded for play

For the third straight week, an MSU player was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week. Spartans senior defensive end Greg Taplin recorded three sacks to lead the MSU defense in shutting down Indiana, 31-3. Taplin moved into second place in the conference in sacks along with teammate and junior defensive tackle Matthias Askew with six for the season.

FOOTBALL

Spartans clobber Hoosiers, 31-3

MSU played its most efficient game of the season on both sides of the ball en route to a Homecoming victory over Indiana, according to head coach John L.

FOOTBALL

4 Spartans ticketed for alcohol violations

Jon Styf
October 3, 2003

Four MSU football players were charged with alcohol-related violations earlier this year.On June 26, Tyrell Dortch was charged with driving with an open intoxicant and Jeremiah McLaurin was charged with having an open intoxicant in a vehicle in East Lansing.Both charges were reduced to misdemeanor alcohol/stadium violations in 54-B District Court in East Lansing.

FOOTBALL

Kavanaght puts team above self

Jon Styf
October 2, 2003

He quietly runs his routes, perfect in form without a flashy strut or any trash talk. Fifth-year senior Ziehl Kavanaght goes about his business, out of the spotlight of media attention but in the sight line of special teams gunners looking to make one big play. But, through it all, the language barrier, the lack of passes thrown his way, the time on the sidelines his first four seasons and being hung out to dry as the punt returner, the 26-year-old Quebec native has no complaints. "I'm just trying to help the team," Kavanaght said.

FOOTBALL

'U' works to avoid letdown

As subtle as it seems, a win over Indiana this weekend could be historic for No. 25 MSU. The Spartans finished the 1999 regular season on a three-game winning streak, the last time they won three straight. Spartans players and coaches are glad to have beaten Notre Dame and Iowa but know they can't let their excitement and top-25 ranking get the best of them - or else the Hoosiers might on Saturday. "It's kind of too early for that kind of stuff," senior quarterback Jeff Smoker said of the Spartans debuting in the AP poll.

FOOTBALL

Blackhawk down

East Lansing was the capital of bizarro-world Saturday as MSU and then-No. 13 Iowa battled it out, resembling

FOOTBALL

Smoker guides 'U' past Iowa, breaks 3 records

Jon Styf
September 29, 2003

Two incompletions didn't spoil Jeff Smoker's day. All his receiver wanted was a little attention, so it didn't matter when he dropped the second pass. With a boyish grin on his face, something that seemed so far away during the past year, Smoker tossed a Frisbee with little accuracy to "Zeke the Wonder Dog," the black Labrador that usually is a halftime show but somehow became an invaluable portion of the postgame festivities after MSU's upset win over then-No.

FOOTBALL

Spartans' defense stuffs Hawkeyes

Fred Russell's final collegiate rush in his home state came to an abrupt stop Saturday. The Inkster, Mich., native needed only one-and-a-half more yards to reach his season average of 123.5 yards per game, and he was about to pick up a much-needed first down for the Hawkeyes on a fourth-and-one in the fourth quarter. But Kevin Vickerson would have none of that.

FOOTBALL

Game date against Minnesota pending

Patrick Walters
September 25, 2003

When the MSU football team ventures to Minnesota this October, it may need to alter its travel plans. Big Ten officials announced Wednesday the conditional change of MSU's scheduled game against the Golden Gophers at the Metrodome in Minneapolis from Saturday, Oct.

FOOTBALL

Safety happy he chose 'U' over Yale, Harvard

Had it not been for Michigan State swooping in and offering Eric Smith a scholarship to play in a BCS conference, the Groveport, Ohio, native might be playing football in the Ivy League right now."I thought about (playing for an Ivy League school)," Smith said.

FOOTBALL

Plummer, Bulger unlikely QB starts

Perennial superpro Marshall Faulk, the Rams running back, has a spot on the bench for several weeks as he nurses his knee and broken bones in his hand. Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb is nearing bust status if he doesn't return from his bye week to post big numbers in Week Four. Rams quarterback Kurt Warner is on the bench. Oakland quarterback Rich Gannon is playing like he should be on the bench. Redskins quarterback Patrick Ramsey has made 300-yard passing weeks a norm. And the ageless Jets passer Vinny Testaverde is posting big stats. The NFL has been anything but predictable so far this season. Stevie E.

FOOTBALL

Megaphone trophy returns

Monquiz Wedlow has never been happier to hold a cheerleader's megaphone. The only problem - no one had a camera to take a picture of him and MSU head football coach John L.