Last weekend, a different MSU field hockey team showed up to play at Ralph Young Field. Instead of the usual team that failed to hold onto early leads and oft-suffered from defensive lapses, a team that found its offense early, closed out a close game and twice displayed mental toughness for 70 minutes showed up.
MSU junior running back Jeremy Langford has been named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week, MSU’s athletic department announced on Monday.
Sometimes, a tie can feel like a loss. That was certainly the case for the MSU men’s soccer team (7-1-2 overall, 1-0-1 Big Ten) after a 1-1 draw against Ohio State (2-6-4 overall, 0-2-1 Big Ten) Sunday afternoon at DeMartin Stadium.
When Indiana running back Tevin Coleman sprinted 64 yards to the house 61 seconds into the game, flashbacks of last year’s first-quarter scare in Bloomington, Ind., washed across the crowd of 73,815 fans, students and alumni on Homecoming weekend. Memories of the Hoosiers and their fast-paced offense racing out to a 17-point lead through one quarter came back into focus.
All season long, people have written off MSU’s offense. While navigating through a four-headed quarterback battle, a flurry of drops by the wide receiving corps and general ineffectiveness at key skill positions, the Spartans opened the door for criticism, leading many to believe the team’s path would mirror a disappointing showing from the previous year.
After improving to 3-0 in Big Ten play in a 3-2 double-overtime thriller over No. 18 Michigan on Friday, head coach Helen Knull said she feared the field hockey team would not be able to maintain the momentum against Ball State on Sunday.
A Big Ten Tournament berth still isn’t out of the question, but after Saturday’s 3-1 loss to Ohio State, the MSU women’s soccer team has serious work to do in the final five games of the season.
From the word “go,” it was immediately apparent why No. 7 Michigan State and No. 9 Nebraska were the last undefeated teams remaining in Big Ten play.
MSU’s offense has made positive strides in every game this season. Those steps have varied in distance, and some even went backward, but Saturday’s 42-28 Homecoming win against Indiana felt like a giant leap forward.
During his 11 seasons as head coach at MSU, George Perles was best known for a specific, run-heavy type offense. Run left, run center, run right.
At halftime, the Spartans (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) lead Indiana (3-2, 1-0), 21-14, with two of the team’s three offensive touchdowns coming in the red zone. Sophomore quarterback Connor Cook led the way with 152 yards and two touchdowns on 16-of-23 passing from the field.
With pink accompanying the usual green and white uniforms, MSU topped Iowa for their fourteenth straight win. During “Dig Pink Night,” a game dedicated to breast cancer awareness, the No. 7 Spartans (16-1 overall, 5-0 Big Ten) remained undefeated in Big Ten play as they beat Iowa (9-8, 0-5) in straight sets (25-14, 25-13, 25-21).
It took junior back Jenni Smith 13 games to register her first goals. Luckily for MSU, she saved them for their biggest game of the season.
The 2013 edition of MSU’s defense might be the best yet under head coach Mark Dantonio, and no one wants to talk about it.
To remain undefeated in Big Ten play, the MSU field hockey team (5-7 overall, 2-0 Big Ten) will have to overcome a familiar rival on Friday — No. 18 Michigan. Michigan (7-5 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) represents the toughest conference matchup thus far.
In the Spartans’ 4-1 exhibition win against Western Ontario, it wasn’t the seniors who had the biggest impact, but the underclassmen. All three stars were from the freshman and sophomore classes.
This weekend, the No. 7 MSU volleyball team (15-1 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) will stay at home as they take on Iowa (9-7 overall, 0-4 Big Ten) on Friday and No. 9 Nebraska (11-2 overall, 4-0 Big Ten) on Saturday.
Spartan Stadium isn’t just a building. Buildings don’t give hundreds of thousands of fans memories to talk about when they drive out of East Lansing on fall Saturday nights. Buildings don’t bring former head coach George Perles back to the emotional stories of the journey to the 1987 Rose Bowl. Buildings wouldn’t bring the hearty laugh of TJ Duckett as he recounts the hard days of summer practice on the hot turf. Spartan Stadium isn’t just a building — it’s a landmark.
It’s been around for 15 United States presidents. It’s had four different names and has quintupled in size since it opened. It cost $160,000 to build and has been home to hundreds of All-Big Ten honorees, 15 head football coaches and six national title teams. This weekend, it celebrates its 500th game. As the MSU football team (4-1 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) welcomes Indiana (3-2, 1-0) for a weekend of Homecoming festivities, the program also celebrates 500 games at Spartan Stadium and will welcome back the Rose Bowl-winning 1987 Spartans for a weekend of celebratory activities.
MSU plans to give students the opportunity to sport some pink with their green and white by partnering with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to raise awareness about breast cancer during this week’s Homecoming football game on Saturday. The nonprofit health care organization will provide attendees with reversible cheer cards in Spartan Stadium that read ‘Go Green/Go Pink’ or ‘Go White/Go Pink.’