The Michigan State Spartans are a dismal 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten – and may have the conference right where they want it.
Consider: When the Spartans finish the month of September with one league win, when they also face Michigan in the fifth game on the schedule and win that game, good things have followed.
It was the same unlikely scenario for the program’s last three Big Ten titles.
In 1978, MSU shocked its in-state rivals 24-15 in Game 5 and went on to tie the Wolverines for first place. In 1987, the Spartans held off Michigan 17-11 and went undefeated the rest of the way, finishing with a win over Southern California in the Rose Bowl. And in 1990, in the famous “No. 1 vs. no one” game, MSU won 28-27 over the Wolverines and earned a one-fourth share of the conference crown.
The Spartan Stadium scoreboard continued to post the final of Michigan State’s 26-20 victory last Saturday over Michigan well into Tuesday morning. It was cleared about a half hour before Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio held his weekly press conference with the media.
quipped when asked about the scoreboard and the program’s obsession with beating Michigan. “I thought they said we were going to keep it up for a year, but I guess they turned it off early.”
Rather than concentrating on Michigan, maybe history proves the Spartans should be looking ahead to Pasadena.
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NO JUICE OUT WIDE: With Juice Williams starting under center, Ron Zook has frequently put athletic backup QB Eddie McGee at receiver, where he has six catches for 44 yards in his two-plus seasons at Illinois.
But with McGee getting his first start at QB this week, don’t expect Williams to line up at WR, RB or anywhere else.
“It’s not as easy as to stick a guy at a running back or a wide receiver,” Zook said. “Does (Williams) know the offense? Absolutely. I think when you get into the techniques of the position it’s not quite as easy as people might think.”
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LEE’S KNEES: No hedging this week by calling LB Sean Lee “possible” or “doubtful,” as Penn State coach Joe Paterno had declared the previous two games for the team captain – though Lee probably wouldn’t be needed even if he were healthy with FCS school Eastern Illinois coming to Happy Valley.
“Wouldn’t make any difference who we were playing,” Paterno said this week when asked if Lee’s status was dependent on Penn State’s opponent.
with a sprained left knee, and fellow standout LB Navorro Bowman on the field at the same time. Bowman sat out most of the first three games with a sore right groin.
Bowman returned two weeks ago for the Iowa game – the same contest that Lee first sat out after injuring his left knee against Temple. Lee doesn’t need surgery, but time to rehab.
“The kid’s been a great asset in this program, and he’s got a future that goes beyond intercollegiate football,” Paterno said. “We certainly don’t want to jeopardize that.”
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PROUD TO VISIT: Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema brags to recruits about Camp Randall Stadium and the other venues they’ll play in the Big Ten.
Bielema often mentions the Buckeyes’ Ohio Stadium, the Wolverines’ Michigan Stadium and Penn State’s Beaver Stadium. He believes that Minnesota’s TCF Bank Stadium will be another selling point to national recruits.
“I really use the entire conference. I would be very shocked if other schools don’t do this,” Bielema said. “This is just another element of the Big Ten that hopefully enhances our whole conference.”
Still, Minnesota can’t touch Wisconsin when it comes to competition on the field or capacity crowds.
ttle more than 50,000.
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NEW FACES, OLD PLACES: Due to the quirkiness of the Big Ten schedule, Iowa and Michigan haven’t faced each other since 2006, when the Wolverines beat the Hawkeyes 20-6 in Ann Arbor.
Iowa hasn’t changed much since then, but Michigan’s a different story. Lloyd Carr’s more traditional pro-style offense has been replaced by Rich Rodriguez and the spread option.
Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said one thing hasn’t changed.
“It’s like every Michigan team that I can remember seeing on the field, it looks like they’ve got an awful lot of good players right now,” Ferentz said. “They’re playing their schemes well right now, and this young freshman quarterback has done a fantastic job. He’s got a presence out there and plays well beyond his years.”
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IN SEARCH OF: Despite such praise from Saturday’s opponent, Michigan has many problems on defense ranging from a lack of experience and size to the apparent confusion created by playing for a third defensive coordinator in three seasons.
The Wolverines’ most pressing issue seems to be finding a CB to play on the opposite side of standout Donovan Warren.
Boubacar Cissoko started the first three games and after getting benched during the third contest for getting burned on one too many passes, J.T. Floyd earned a shot last week against Michigan State.
for the first time in four-plus decades – Rodriguez said he’s still looking for a player who won’t get picked on by opposing teams.
“That position is still open there,” said Rodriguez. “Really, that will be an ongoing battle.”
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QUICK HITTERS: The rest of Saturday’s schedule includes Michigan State at Illinois, Purdue at Minnesota, Wisconsin at No. 9 Ohio State and (out of conference) Indiana at Virginia and Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern. … Players of the week: Wisconsin RB John Clay and DE O’Brien Schofield, Northwestern P/PK Stefan Demos and Penn State P Jeremy Boone. … Wisconsin has started 5-0 five times in the last 10 years. … Illinois has been outscored 41-7 in the third quarter this season.
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AP Sports Writers Luke Meredith in Iowa City, Iowa; Colin Fly in Madison, Wis.; and Larry Lage in Ann Arbor, Mich.; and Associated Press Writers Genaro Armas in State College, Pa.; Tim Martin in East Lansing, Mich.; and David Mercer in Champaign, Ill.; contributed to this report.
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