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Team must ignore Irish legacy, hype
Anytime a team plays Notre Dame, it must block out the hype and tradition that surrounds the Fighting Irish’s football legacy.
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Notre Dame/MSU rivalry dinner canceled
The College Football Hall of Fame canceled its Thursday reception and banquet that scheduled to honor the 104-year rivalry between MSU and Notre Dame.
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Racy Lacy and Vanilla Rice hold most of the jokes, predict remaining games
It seems trivial to pick the scores of this week’s games due to the horrific terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pa.
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Special teams say expect improvement
Even though head football coach Bobby Williams keeps his practices under wraps, everyone knows MSU must be focusing on special teams this week after Central Michigan blocked four punts in Saturday’s season opener.Special teams and linebackers coach Sal Sunseri took the blame for Saturday’s punt problems and said he should’ve lined up more athletic players in front of the punt team in practice.
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Knott not fazed by protest
Even though he didn’t play in Saturday’s home opener - a 35-21 victory over Central Michigan - about 100 protesters outside Spartan Stadium still felt Eric Knott’s presence. Knott said Monday that he was aware of the protests, but didn’t pay much attention to them.
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Monroe reinstated on football team
Head football coach Bobby Williams reinstated sophomore center DeMarco Monroe’s status on the football team after suspending him indefinitely Sept.
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Knott protesters march in tailgates
MSU’s gridiron matchup with Central Michigan was laced with controversy Saturday as about 100 people protested the university granting admittance and scholarships to Eric Knott and Damon Dowdell. Knott, a freshman tight end, was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct in June from charges extending from a 1999 incident involving a 13-year-old Detroit girl. Dowdell, a redshirt freshman quarterback, was charged with third-degree criminal sexual conduct in the same incident.
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Spartans stumble to victory
Saturday’s postgame buzzword from head coach Bobby Williams was “breakdowns” and there were plenty of them in the messy 35-21 win over Central Michigan.
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Special teams suspect in win
As special teams hampered the MSU football team during Saturday’s season opener against Central Michigan, it was the one weak spot that carried over from last season - despite an entire summer of troubleshooting.Central linebacker James King was the catalyst of the Spartans’ special teams debacle when he blocked senior punter Craig Jarrett in the first quarter.But when he blocked three more punts in the second half, he took his performance to another level by tying the NCAA Division I-A individual and team record for most punts blocked in a game.MSU head coach Bobby Williams said the problems with the punt team need to be rectified immediately.“The blocks all came off of the edge.
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Gridders top CMU despite early troubles
The Spartan Chariot arrived late for Saturday’s season-opening football game, bolting across the field mere minutes before kickoff.
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Rogers ready to flash smile on game day
For a guy with an outgoing personality and a winning smile, sophomore receiver Charles Rogers sure has taken plenty of flak lately from his fellow teammates.
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Spartans rally troops for season opener
When the MSU football team opens its 105th varsity season at 1 p.m. Saturday in Spartan Stadium against Central Michigan, it will be the fifth round of battle U.S.
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Sexual assault protest Saturday targets two student-athletes
MSU freshman tight end Eric Knott and redshirted freshman quarterback Damon Dowdell will not be welcomed by all to Spartan Stadium on Saturday.A group of MSU activists are organizing a protest against the two athletes.
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College football know-it-alls say MSU, Nebraska will win, split on rest
College football know-it-alls say MSU, Nebraska will win, split on rest Two weeks of college football have passed without MSU playing, but now fans can dust off their Spartan helmet grills and break out the rest of their tailgating gear.
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Tailgating Project gears up for season opener Saturday
The football players are gearing up to take on Central Michigan on Saturday at Spartan Stadium. But they’re not the only ones preparing for the game.As usual, tailgaters are getting fired up, and this year, members of the recently formed Tailgating Project are ready for them.The project, which was formed in May by university administrators, will be evaluating the activities that go on during tailgating.“This project gives us a snapshot of what is really happening at tailgates,” said Pat Enos, assistant to the vice president for student affairs and a member of the committee.The committee wants to make sure tailgating continues to be enjoyable, she said.“Tailgating is an important part of MSU,” Enos said.
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CMU no big deal? Think again before ruling Chips out; history can happen
With Saturday’s matchup between MSU and Central Michigan around the corner, the media, fans, players and coaches have been packing on the hype. But with every team comes first game jitters and questions marks.
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Van Dyke remaining positive as No. 1 spot awarded to Smoker
But Williams said senior quarterback Ryan Van Dyke took the news well, and both signal callers have made smooth transitions into their new roles.
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O-line raising eyebrows
While MSU football fans wait to hear who head coach Bobby Williams names as starting quarterback for the season opener against Central Michigan Sept.
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Labinjo and Stanledy join Thornhill to start season
The MSU football team has lost what seems like a player-a-day to injury or ineligibility, but at least its linebacker picture was cleared-up as the team concluded its second preseason scrimmage Tuesday.
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Offense smiling; time to expect changes
The specifics of MSU’s new offense have been kept top secret by the coaching staff, but it’s no surprise to many that changes are on the way.