When the MSU volleyball team needing someone to step up because of injuries, a 6-foot-3 redshirt freshman middle did just that this past weekend.
When former Spartan star T.J. Duckett declared for the NFL Draft, many knew it would have an impact on the Spartans’ offense. But no one knew how much. With Duckett in the backfield, the Spartans forced most teams to put eight defenders near the line of scrimmage to stop him from running wild, which opened up the passing attack. Last season, Duckett accounted for 77 percent of MSU’s rushing offense and finished third in the Big Ten in rushing. But many seemed to overlook his absence as the season neared.
He’s taken less than 50 snaps this season, but now sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell has to rise to the challenge of becoming MSU’s new leader. “I’ve got to be a leader for this team Saturday night,” he said in a statement released Thursday by MSU Sports Information.
Junior quarterback Jeff Smoker was indefinitely suspended Thursday for violating unspecified team rules and will not play in MSU’s nationally televised game Saturday against Wisconsin. “I can’t really go into any detail as far as what the extent of the problem was,” MSU head coach Bobby Williams said.
No. 21 Penn State at No. 4 Ohio StateThe biggest part of this game may be last year’s memories, but mixed in with those are this year’s ramifications.Last year, the Nittany Lions rallied from an 18-point third quarter deficit to stun the Buckeyes 29-27.
The MSU football team enters the eighth game of the season looking to gain some respect and pick up a win after two consecutive blowout losses to conference foes.The Spartans (3-4 overall, 1-2 Big Ten) were pummeled at Spartan Stadium last week in a 28-7 loss to Minnesota and two weeks ago were embarrassed by Iowa 44-16 in Kinnick Stadium.After the games, Golden Gopher (7-1, 3-1) and Hawkeye (7-1, 4-0) players questioned the Spartans’ toughness; and head coach Bobby Williams admitted his team needs to be tougher offensively and defensively in the running game.In last week’s defeat, the Golden Gophers’ running attack racked up 390 yards, while their defense held MSU to 51 yards on the ground.The Spartans face the prospect of losing their fifth game of the season - which would be as many as they had all of last year - and falling two games below .500.MSU has dropped four of its last five games - three of them lopsided defeats - and another loss would put its bowl hopes in serious jeopardy.The Spartans will try to turn things around against Wisconsin at 7:05 p.m.
So far this season there have been two predominant sources for finding where your favorite college football team stacks up in the country, the USA Today/ESPN Top 25 Poll and The Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
After jetting from MSU following his sophomore season to taste the NBA’s glory, Marcus Taylor was released by the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. Taylor was selected by the Timberwolves with the 52nd overall pick in the draft.
Last week Death Ro mimicked the Spartans as his downfall continued, while McSkinny took a two-game lead, as he was the first prognosticator to post a perfect week. With only the Trojans of USC claiming victory for Death Ro (21-17), DR went 1-4 for the second consecutive week.
As the MSU women’s tennis team gets set to host the Omni Hotels/ITA Midwest Regional Championship this weekend, the team is looking to build on its experience and success for the spring season. The tournament begins today at the MSU Indoor Tennis Facility, 3571 E.
The No. 5 field hockey team ended its home season with class, conquering its final opponent to retain a flawless 10-0 record at the MSU Field Hockey Complex. In a rough-and-tumble match against the No.
The men’s soccer team (10-5 overall, 3-2 Big Ten) rose to .500 on its month-long road trip with a 4-1 defeat of Western Michigan on Wednesday. Junior midfielder Nick DeGraw scored the Spartan’s first two goals just 1:31 apart for the only offense in the first half. In the second half, senior defender Scott Babinski found net for the first time this season to provide MSU with an insurance goal at 60:35. The Broncos aided the Spartans’ cause in the 77th minute, scoring on themselves to stretch the lead to four. Western managed to avoid a shutout thanks to forward Chad Wiseman, who booted one past senior goalkeeper Tyler Robinson at 80:44. The Spartans went 3-3 on the road for the month of October. MSU returns for its home finale at 1 p.m.
After two straight losses and countless questions regarding a lack of toughness, MSU head coach Bobby Williams decided this week was the time to mix things up in practice.So for the first time all season, the Spartans’ first-team offense squared off against the first-team defense on the practice field.“We get real excited when we get to go against the first-team offense,” sophomore linebacker Ronald Stanley said.
For one of the only times this season, MSU will be more experienced than its opponent this week.The youthful Lake Superior State Lakers are in town for a CCHA series at Munn Ice Arena on Thursday and Friday, and they almost make the green Spartans look like fossils.Laker head coach Frank Anzalone has a whopping 15 freshmen on his team, while MSU only has eight rookies.
The MSU volleyball team return to Jenison, after facing some tough Big Ten competition on the road. The No.
College hockey games have been as short as two hours this season, thanks to the NCAA’s new 15-second faceoff rule. The rule mandates that the visiting team puts its personnel on the ice no more than five seconds after a whistle.
MSU field hockey is just 70 minutes away from an undefeated season at home, and Kent State is the final obstacle in the Spartans’ way.In its inaugural season at the MSU Field Hockey Complex, MSU (15-2 overall, 3-1 Big Ten) has successfully defended its turf, winning all nine games.But numbers aside, head coach Michele Madison said today is just another tough game.“We’ll definitely have to bring our ‘A’ game to the field,” Madison said.
After MSU’s second consecutive blowout loss, head coach Bobby Williams said he would consider calling plays.
The men’s golf team wrapped up its fall season Tuesday with a sixth place finish at the Duke Golf Classic.
The MSU women’s golf team took eighth after posting a 313 on Sunday’s final round of play at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate Championship.