After I found out I would be covering football this season, the first thing I did was check the schedule. I knew the majority of the games the Spartans would be playing, but I always like to take a quick gander at the schedule and determine which games MSU should win and lose.
Champaign, Ill - The first drive was not pretty. It featured a fumble and then a punt. The second drive, however, was quite different. Set on their own 25-yard line, the Spartans showed just how powerful and efficient their offense could be. Junior quarterback Drew Stanton dropped back, faked a hand-off, and then found senior wide receiver Kyle Brown 19 yards down the sidelines.
The Big Ten season opened with a win for the MSU women's soccer team (5-2-3 overall, 1-0 Big Ten) as they shut out Ohio State 1-0 at home. MSU head coach Tom Saxton attributed the shutout to the team's continuously strong defense.
I look down the bench and to my right sit Delco Rowley, Idong Ibok, Marquise Gray and Mo Ager. In front of us, Coach Izzo is spewing a fiery pep talk about being the best in the land. I must have stumbled into some parallel universe where has-been high school letter-winners get to live out their unfulfilled sports fantasies. I take a second glance at my teammates and realize I'm a good three to six inches shorter than most of these guys.
There's still almost a month until the MSU men's basketball team can officially practice for the first time, but for its student section, the season begins this weekend. Returning ticket-holders and lower-bowl hopefuls will stake out Munn Field on Saturday night for the Izzone Campout and a chance to secure their seats and spend some time with each other. "It's kind of like when you bring your family together for a family reunion," senior Associate Athletics Director Mark Hollis said. "It's a bonding situation." Students who were in the lower bowl last year are guaranteed lower-bowl seats again if they complete the campout.
The MSU men's soccer team (2-1-3 overall) hopes to keep its focus as they travel to Bloomington, Ind.
The MSU field hockey team (7-2 overall) will try to get back on track after losing to Wake Forest last Sunday, by kicking off their Big Ten season on the road against Indiana on Saturday. "We get excited for the Big Ten because of the competition and the rivalry," senior midfielder Jessica Miller said. Even though the Spartans have defeated Indiana in the past eight meetings, head coach Michele Madison stressed the importance of this conference opener. "This is the first new game of a new season and everything we do is in preparation for the Big Ten season," she said. Players have said that Big Ten competition this year will be tough and possibly better than last season. "Every program keeps getting stronger in the Big Ten," Miller said.
The MSU volleyball team (7-4 overall) will try to shake off a tough loss to Michigan when it travels to Bloomington to take on Indiana at 7 p.m.
MSU women's basketball coach Joanne P. McCallie was selected as one of five people to be inducted into the Maine Sports Legends Hall of Honors on Oct.
The chances are there for the MSU women's soccer team. The Spartans just aren't finishing. Despite outshooting their opponent for the fifth straight game, the Spartans squandered a 2-0 lead and could manage only a tie against Detroit Mercy on Wednesday. MSU head coach Tom Saxton said the team lacked focus, possibly because this was the last game the Spartans play before the Big Ten season. "I just felt we were flat as a team and as a coaching staff," Saxton said.
Freshman basketball guard Jenny Poff is one of 10 players to receive the Tomorrow's Winners Award, given to student-athletes for success on the field and in the classroom.
When senior forward Michelle Huynh-Ba first arrived at MSU, her knowledge of the field hockey program was minimal and playing the sport was far from her mind. After originally coming to MSU to play soccer, she decided to give field hockey a shot.
There's a first time for everything and tonight MSU volleyball head coach Cathy George will see first-hand just how deep the rivalry is between Michigan and the Spartans.
The MSU women's soccer team hopes its second close loss won't become a trend. The Spartans lost both of their games by a slim margin of one goal.
Gone are the days of 3 yards and a cloud of dust from the Woody Hayes-Bo Schembechler era. In are the days of the spread offense, increased passing and increased scoring. This offensive transformation has led to an increase in the length of games during the past few years. Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner expressed concern about the length of games in recent years. The Hoosiers' season-opening win at Central Michigan lasted 3 hours, 52 minutes.
Despite entering Big Ten play ranked No. 17 with a perfect 3-0 record, MSU head coach John L. Smith isn't pleased with the mistakes his team made Saturday in a 44-41 overtime win at Notre Dame Stadium. "As we look at what we did, we're definitely thankful we got a win without a doubt, but we played by no means our best game," Smith said.
This is a great time of year to be a sports fan. Baseball is heading into the playoffs with tight races.
South Bend, Ind. - Jason Teague made amends with his teammates, coaches and fans after rushing in the game-winning touchdown in overtime Saturday to lift the Spartans to a 44-41 victory. Head coach John L.
Indiana Pacers guard Anthony Johnson pleaded no contest Friday to a count of misdemeanor assault and battery stemming from last season's brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills. He's still awaiting sentencing on his 33 percent shooting performance against the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Saturday's instant classic 44-41 win over Notre Dame put MSU in the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season.
Two days after winning on the road for the first time this season, the MSU women's soccer team (4-2-2 overall) fell to Western Michigan (2-4-1 overall), 1-0, Sunday afternoon. Midway through the second half, Western Michigan's midfielder, Andrea Tyler, found midfielder Amy Letzgus for the only goal of the game.