Spartans football landed yet another top junior college recruit for the 2004 season. Kenny Jackson, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound wide receiver from Bakersfield College in Bakersfield, Calif., said he couldn't have pictured himself anywhere but East Lansing. "Going to MSU was something I had always been interested in," Jackson said.
The newest addition to the Spartan football 2004 lineup said the main thing he hopes to accomplish in his freshman year is to keep the team on track for another winning season. Justin Kershaw, a 6-foot-5, 235-pound, strongside defensive end from Reynoldsburg High School in Columbus, Ohio, committed on Saturday to play for the Spartans.
Matthias Askew's decision to enter the 2004 NFL Draft has left both fans and analysts divided. The junior defensive lineman announced Monday he would forgo his senior season in order to pursue a professional career. Stewart Mandel, an online reporter for Sports Illustrated, said Askew will probably be a third or fourth-round pick, not faring as well as former Spartans who also left early.
A familiar name will be part of the MSU football team next season. College of the Canyons defensive end Domata Peko said he plans to make a verbal commitment to head coach John L.
Spartan football's fall lineup is going to add some much-needed bulk, now that defensive tackle Daniel Zynn has committed to play. The 6-foot-4, 303-pound Zynn was one of the best defensive tackles coming out of high school, and was ranked second at the California Nike Camp.
While many leagues are starting or preparing to begin the playoffs, The State News prognosticating battle was clinched last week.Styf beat Stevie E.
Reports from The Grand Rapids Press on Tuesday named former MSU head football coach Bobby Williams - along with MSU running backs coach Reggie Mitchell - as two of six finalists for the Eastern Michigan head coaching position. Neither Williams nor Mitchell were available for comment Tuesday, although Eastern Michigan athletics director David Diles maintained that the Eagles would not be confirming reports considering their vacant coaching position. "I will not confirm or deny anything regarding (the position)," Diles said.
Toward the end of last season, MSU head coach John L. Smith was leading Louisville to its fifth straight bowl game.
Turkey Day means the fantasy season is drawing to a close.The highlighted week usually is an indicator of the waning clock on the season.
After more than two months of mourning and mystery, officials still are attempting to figure out what caused the seizure-like episode that ended Brian Ottney's life. Ottney, a former MSU football captain, died at 12:59 a.m.
Ending the season with eight wins, head coach John L. Smith finished with the most wins a first-season MSU football coach.
They patiently waited for him to finish the celebration.One last time cheering in the corner with the students, singing the fight song with the band.
MSU's seniors went out with a bang in their final home game. Led by quarterback Jeff Smoker and defensive end Greg Taplin, the Spartans (8-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) beat Penn State (3-9, 1-7) Saturday, 41-10, finishing the season with their best record since 1999 and snapping a three-game losing streak.
As the game clock wound down at Spartan Stadium on Saturday, MSU players added the final chapter to what has become a storybook season.
Welcome to the home stretch. It's week 12 - time to make the final push to reach the playoffs.
Junior place-kicker Dave Rayner is enjoying a career season. His point total for kicks is top in the Big Ten, and his foot has put the Spartans' special teams on the national stage.Too soon to think about a replacement?
As MSU's season moves downhill with three consecutive losses, injuries continue to plague the team.One of the downfalls of the past week occurred on Thursday, when sophomore safety Eric Smith came down wrong, twisting his knee when defending a pass thrown to senior wide receiver Ziehl Kavanaght.On Saturday, head coach John L.
Madison, Wis. - It began with a flash of brilliance, but as the season has carried on, MSU's hopes have dimmed. Mistakes and injuries wore on the Spartans again as they lost their third straight game, this time a 56-21 loss to Wisconsin on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium. The loss likely dropped the Spartans (7-4 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) out of contention for a New Year's Day bowl game and also dropped them out of The Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today top 25 polls. "We got our tails kicked, right up between our shoulders," head coach John L.
Madison, Wis. - As far as blowouts go, MSU has seen plenty in the past two seasons. But this year was supposed to be different. With a new coach and a new attitude, the Spartans were supposedly beyond getting torn apart.
Madison, Wis. - MSU lost any remaining chance of tying for the conference crown as the Spartans fell, 56-21, to Wisconsin on the road. The Spartans (7-4 overall, 4-3 Big Ten) looked lackluster from the start, giving up 28 first-half points en route to losing their third straight Big Ten game Saturday. "We weren't ready to play," MSU head coach John L.