The Spartans’ season continued to plummet on the heels of a 28-7 defeat to the Golden Gophers on Saturday. “Nothing good came out of that football game,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said.
For the second straight week, the MSU football team had a successful start, but sputtered the rest of the game.
The Spartans’ gridiron woes continued Saturday. MSU (3-4 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) was plagued by crucial penalties and allowed Minnesota (7-1, 3-1) 543 yards of total offense and 390 rushing yards in the 28-7 loss. It was the Spartans’ third defeat in their last four games and second straight in conference play. “We’re not a good football team right now,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said.
John Hannah was president, Ralph Young was athletics director and Michigan State was still a college. The year was 1953 and the Spartans were beginning their first season of Big Ten football. “I remember when we got into it,” said Frank “Muddy” Waters, a 1950 graduate and football head coach from 1980-82. “I was a student at the time. “It was a very exciting time.
The season for the MSU football team has not developed the way anyone could have imagined. The Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) have dropped three of their last four games - two of which have been blowout losses. “We’re not anywhere near where we should be or where I expected this team to be,” head coach Bobby Williams said at a Tuesday press conference.
Iowa City, Iowa - Under rolling gray skies, the Spartans couldn’t weather the Iowa storm on a dreary Saturday in Hawkeye country. Five turnovers coupled with MSU’s worst offensive performance - 249 total yards - the Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) extended their losing streak at Kinnick Stadium to 14 years with a 44-16 loss to a talented Iowa squad (6-1, 3-0). “It’s really very, very hard to play over the number of turnovers we had and give up big plays like we did,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said. And unless the Spartans begin to execute like the team expected to come out of the preseason, the forecast for the rest of the season is dismal, as MSU still has to play top-ranked programs Michigan and Penn State. “Obviously, they have an up field battle,” ESPN analyst Bob Davie said.
Say it ain’t so, say it ain’t so. Just six games into a much anticipated season, many are wondering how good is the MSU football team - or how bad? The facts say the Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) are average.
Iowa City, Iowa - Saturday’s 44-16 beating at the hands of Iowa provided more than just embarrassment for the Spartans (3-3 overall, 1-1 Big Ten), it also opened the door for a possible quarterback controversy. The door was unlocked roughly three minutes into the third quarter when MSU head coach Bobby Williams sent sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell into the game. On the Spartans’ previous possession, junior quarterback Jeff Smoker fumbled after a 3-yard scramble.
After starting the season with five straight home games for the first time since 1918, MSU is finally taking to the road this season. The Spartans (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) travel to Iowa City for a showdown with the No.
By no stretch of the imagination did Deborah Randall limit her son’s options while he was growing up. Before sophomore tight end Jason Randall started high school, he had been participating in baseball, basketball, football and soccer.
With the bye week in their rear-view mirror the Spartans have their sights set on the Iowa Hawkeyes.And with the Big Ten’s leading rusher, Fred Russell, lining up in Iowa’s backfield, MSU’s run defense will again be put to the test.“I think with these two weeks we have a good opportunity to prepare for Iowa,” junior linebacker Mike Labinjo said.
After five consecutive home games to start the season, the MSU football team will enjoy a bye this weekend. The Spartans (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) opened Big Ten play with a 39-24 victory over Northwestern on Saturday at Spartan Stadium.
The biggest play of Saturday’s game came from the most unlikely of places, the Spartans’ special teams.With a little more than a minute to play in the third quarter and MSU leading by a score of 20-17, junior wide receiver Ziehl Kavanaght broke the game open with a 88-yard punt return for a touchdown.“When Ziehl ran that ball back the game was close,” junior quarterback Jeff Smoker said.
MSU got back on the winning track Saturday with its 39-24 win against Northwestern. But once again, it was junior wide receiver Charles Rogers who stole the show. The 6-foot-4, 205-pounder only pulled down three receptions for 53 yards - by far his worst outing of the season - but his 21-yard touchdown with 6:10 to play in the first half made history. The tally marked Rogers’ 14th-straight game with a touchdown, breaking the Big Ten record he shared with Michigan’s Desmond Howard (1990-91). It also marked his 13th-straight regular-season game with a touchdown, breaking the NCAA record he shared with Marshall’s Randy Moss (1997), Pacific’s Aaron Turner (1990-91) and Howard. “Just to be among these guys is a great accomplishment for me,” Rogers said.
Statistically, junior wide receiver Charles Rogers had his least productive game of the season. But his presence created openings for teammates in both the running and passing attacks in the Spartans’ 39-24 victory over the Wildcats on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. Head coach Bobby Williams said studying film revealed there would be chances for other players to make plays against Northwestern (2-3 overall, 0-1 Big Ten). “We looked at the last two ball games and people have been really overplaying Charles,” he said.
The Spartans opened up Big Ten play today, drubbing Northwestern 39-24 at Spartan Stadium. MSU (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) not only snapped a two-game skid, but showed drastic improvement in its running game with 276 yards on the ground.
Spartan junior wide receiver Charles Rogers set the NCAA and Big Ten records with 13 consecutive regular-season games with a touchdown catch today as MSU (3-2 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) toppled Northwestern (2-3, 0-1), 39-24.The 6-4, 205-pounder caught a 21-yard pass from junior quarterback Jeff Smoker with 6:10 left in the second quarter to break the record previously shared by Marshall’s Randy Moss, Michigan’s Desmond Howard and Pacific’s Aaron Turner.On the day, Rogers was held to a mere three catches for 53 yards, ending his MSU-record streak of eight 100-yard games.For more information about this report, see Monday’s edition of The State News.
Despite suffering bruised ribs in MSU’s loss to No. 10 Notre Dame, Charles Rogers plans to play against Northwestern on Saturday. “Even if I’m not 100 percent, I’m still able to go out there and be a decoy,” Rogers said.
For the second game in as many weeks the MSU football team faced a double-digit half-time deficit. It has been a re-occurring theme this season.
For the second consecutive week, the Spartans watched the opposing team triumphantly celebrate on their home field. This week it was the last-minute heroics of No.