ICE HOCKEY
Spartans tie Wildcats, win shootout
In the MSU hockey team’s first conference game the Spartans got a taste of the CCHA’s brand new shootout rule.
FOOTBALL
Breakdown: Michigan vs. Michigan State
Michigan vs. Michigan State. The in-state rivalry is by far the biggest game of the year for the Spartans, and the players aren’t afraid to admit it.
FOOTBALL
'Four' your information: Spartans face off against Wolverines Saturday
With a 2-5 record, the Wolverines are at risk of snapping their streak of 33 consecutive bowl game appearances — the longest in the nation.
FOOTBALL
Spartans look to come back from Ohio State loss with victory against rival
Ohio State exposed MSU’s biggest flaw that everyone already knew about — speed kills the Spartans. With Michigan becoming the latest Big Ten team to employ a version of the spread offense, this could theoretically be another long day for the MSU defense. That being said, U-M’s offense lacks playmakers, and the Spartans — with the exception of last week — have played their “bend but don’t break” defense to perfection.
FOOTBALL
Dueling columns: MSU/Michigan football reporters face-off
Every year, football reporters from The State News and The Michigan Daily engage in an epic war of words to rally their respective schools before the MSU vs. U-M football game. Read on for this year’s not-so-lighthearted exchange of jabs.
FOOTBALL
Dueling columns: MSU/Michigan football reporters face-off
Every year, football reporters from The State News and The Michigan Daily engage in an epic war of words to rally their respective schools before the MSU vs. U-M football game. Read on for this year’s not-so-lighthearted exchange of jabs.
BASKETBALL
Women's hoops team vies for better season, trip to Big Dance
Ever since that fateful day when the MSU women’s basketball team found out it wasn’t headed to the Big Dance, it’s wanted to prove to the nation that a mistake was made. The Spartans, who finished 23-14 overall, felt they deserved to be in the 2008 NCAA Tournament.
SOCCER
MSU wins fourth straight, beats Cincinnati 2-0
The No. 24 MSU men’s soccer team entered Wednesday’s nonconference game having won three straight games against top 20 teams. But MSU head coach Joe Baum was worried his team might underestimate Cincinnati and come out flat in the midweek game.
SOCCER
Spartans look to get back on track after tough loss
After two maturity-gaining road losses in the beginning of October, it looked as if no one could stand in the way of the MSU women’s soccer victory train. But after three straight quality conference wins, the Spartans (13-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) hit a break in the tracks when traveling to Wisconsin — getting shut out 2-0 on Sunday against the Badgers.
ICE HOCKEY
Icers anticipate tough series with Wildcats
Last season, one-third of the MSU hockey team’s losses came against Northern Michigan. Four of the icers’ 12 defeats came at the hands of the Wildcats, including back-to-back losses to eliminate the Spartans from the CCHA Tournament.
FOOTBALL
Press conference shows Dantonio gets U-M rivalry
Between his light jabs at Michigan, the coy smiles and the pounding of the podium in advance of the day’s practice, it was obvious Tuesday that MSU football head coach Mark Dantonio takes Michigan week seriously.
BASKETBALL
Izzo keeps players on their toes with early practices
So early on, truly anything flies. That’s been MSU men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo’s mindset throughout the team’s first four official practices, playing every single one of his players in various positions to get them comfortable with moving around and responding to adversity when the team needs it most.
SOCCER
Spartans looking to finish season strong
The men’s soccer team is on fire. The Spartans have six wins in their last seven games and have only allowed seven goals in that span. But MSU head coach Joe Baum doesn’t want his team to get too confident just yet, especially after the Spartans went 0-5-1 to finish last season.
SPORTS
Miller having successful freshman season
Chantae Miller could be playing field hockey in Europe right now instead of suiting up for MSU. The freshman forward was a three-time All-American in high school and the only player in U.S. high school history to score 100 goals and notch 100 assists, totaling 148 goals and 135 assists in her career. When she knew she would graduate early, she weighed her options.
BASEBALL
Teams took long road to Fall Classic
The MSU football team is in the midst of its most exciting season in recent memory, and, fresh off Midnight Madness on Friday, the MSU men’s basketball team has fans pumped for yet another potential NCAA Final Four run. But as leaves fall from trees and the air continues to cool, there is only one thing that truly keeps me going.
FOOTBALL
Fall from grace
MSU head coach Mark Dantonio made it clear Saturday that, if healthy, senior quarterback Brian Hoyer will start next week after missing most of the second half of MSU’s 45-7 home drubbing against Ohio State.
SPORTS
Don't count Spartans out of season yet
In a matter of hours Saturday, the national and local perception of the MSU football team drastically changed. The No. 20 Spartans fell to No. 12 Ohio State 45-7 in front of 77,360 fans at Spartan Stadium and a national television audience.
ICE HOCKEY
Freshmen will benefit from early ice time
I’ll be the first to admit, I was very skeptical of the outlook for this hockey season after seeing the Spartans get smoked 3-0 by UMass-Lowell in their home opener Thursday night. The icers looked more like a peewee team than the No. 11 team in the country. The communication was off, passes were sloppy and the offense couldn’t even get into the zone.
SOCCER
Grand finish
Junior midfielder Tim Granaderos couldn’t have dreamt of a better time to score his first collegiate goal. Granaderos’ goal came off a header with 12:27 left in the game to give the MSU men’s soccer team the 1-0 lead — a lead they would hold onto until the end of the game to defeat No. 18 Michigan and keep the Big Bear Trophy in East Lansing.