Despite MSU's 32-19 loss to Ohio State, senior place-kicker Dave Rayner had a record-setting day - making the MSU all-time field goals record, with 60, and the all-time scoring record, with 312 points. "It feels good, but it would have felt a lot better if we would have won," Rayner said.
The frustration of back-to-back stinging losses is starting to wear on the Spartans and their coach. MSU blew a fourth-quarter lead for the second-straight game.
After MSU lost to Michigan 45-37 in triple overtime Saturday, head coach John L. Smith said there was no way to console his broken team.
Ann Arbor - As the MSU team buses sat outside Michigan Stadium, head coach John L. Smith stared back at the "Big House" with a glazed look on his face. Perhaps Smith was thinking about what could have been, if his Spartans (4-4 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) had held onto their 17-point fourth quarter lead.
Ann Arbor - When sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton walked down the tunnel at Michigan Stadium to begin the second half with his teammates, he wore a baseball cap instead of a helmet, sneakers instead of football cleats and MSU warm-ups instead of full pads. It was official - Stanton, after dissecting Michigan's defense almost at will in the first half, would not finish the game he started.
Senior running back DeAndra Cobb had a career high 205 rushing yards against Michigan, but after MSU's triple-overtime loss, he could only remember one play. MSU was four yards away from the end zone for a dramatic win against rival U-M.
5. Oct. 6, 1956 MSU 9, U-M 0 The Oct. 6, 1956 game between then-No. 2 MSU and then-No. 5 Michigan had a lot of defense and barely any offense. This game marked the first time attendance at Michigan Stadium exceeded 100,000 people.
Even when the annual Michigan-MSU rivalry has Big Ten title implications, as it does this year, there's always room for verbal jabs. "I don't like none of them over there," senior bandit Tyrell Dortch said.
For most football teams, there is an air of judgment that comes with the bye week. It can be bad for a team on a winning streak because the time off can potentially erode that positive momentum.
When head coach John L. Smith publicly scolded the Spartans for poor practice habits earlier this season, he probably wasn't talking about junior running back Jason Teague. "He's one of the hardest-working guys involved in the program," running backs coach Reggie Mitchell said. Teague's work ethic is a big reason why he has been MSU's starting running back all season, which is a minor surprise considering the sometimes-brilliant performance of redshirt freshman Jehuu Caulcrick. Caulcrick can be a bruising runner who consistently gains yards when he gets in a groove, as in the fourth quarter of MSU's 38-25 win against Illinois last Saturday.
The MSU special teams have had its problems this season, and it continued Saturday against Illinois. A blocked punt, a mishandled extra point snap and another missed field goal all led to a long day for Spartans kickers - sophomore punter Brandon Fields and senior place-kicker Dave Rayner. At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Fields seemed to take his time catching the ball before trying to punt it.
The trick play called for receiver Jerramy Scott to pass to quarterback Drew Stanton, and the defense was so fooled, both players knew there would be no excuse for failure. Scott, with the football in hand, after receiving a pitch from Stanton, saw his sophomore quarterback streaking toward the end zone, wide open.
Iowa City, Iowa - After completely dominating Indiana's offense in the second half last week, the MSU defense could not put on an encore performance at Iowa. The Spartans (2-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) gave up 464 total yards to Iowa (3-2, 1-1) - the worst offensive team in the Big Ten prior to this weekend. "As far as the defense is concerned, I don't think we played very smart today," senior linebacker and captain Ron Stanley said.
Iowa City, Iowa - Love was in the air Saturday. Terry Love, that is. The redshirt freshman caught his first career reception for 19 yards in the second quarter of MSU's 38-16 loss at Iowa on Saturday. Then he caught his second career ball on a 9-yard slant rout - good enough for another first down. His third career catch came two plays later, a 4-yard gain. After the next three plays, Love would add his fourth, fifth and sixth career catches. The only thing that could stop Love late in the second quarter was his shoe - which came off - forcing him to the sidelines. Love would add three more receptions to his not-so-long ago empty résumé in the second half, giving him nine on the day with 103 yards.
For the first time all season, no quarterback questions were asked to MSU head coach John L. Smith at his Monday press conference. Sophomore Drew Stanton is MSU's starting quarterback for Saturday's game against Iowa. Stanton is still recovering from the effects of his knee injury, but said for the first time in five weeks he did not have to get fluid drained out of his knee.
Bloomington, Ind. - As MSU's offense battled inconsistency and turnovers in the first half against Indiana, its defense held firm, eventually carrying the Spartans to a comeback win against Indiana. Sophomore quarterback Drew Stanton, with his spectacular running performance, was the face of MSU's 30-20 win, but the defense made his triumphant story possible. Coming out of the locker room at halftime, MSU (2-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) was losing, 20-7.
Judging from the way he played in MSU's loss to Notre Dame, sophomore Drew Stanton appeared to be the more comfortable and more productive of MSU's quarterbacks. But head coach John L.
The MSU offense turned the ball over six times, the wide receivers dropped passes and an offensive touchdown wasn't scored until the last minute of the game. "I told the team that we are all going to come in tomorrow morning to look at film from this game, and we are going to be very ill," MSU head coach John L.
The Spartans had battled back from a daunting deficit, the result of too many turnovers, and found themselves on the verge of creating another classic chapter in their rivalry with Notre Dame. But the flood of giveaways that had plagued MSU would not relent.