The ES has been on a sabbatical the past few weeks and just getting caught up. Hope you all had a good Turkey Day. Go LIONS.
Yes, that’s right, MSU is actually favored by 2 points in this game. It’s basically a dead heat of two Big Ten bottom-feeders. If MSU wins or loses, it will likely stay home. With a win, MSU is “bowl-eligible” and probably goes to the GameAbove Sports Bowl on December 26 against a MAC team. They get another 20 days of practice, which they need. They should practice in the snow all the way to Christmas.
Here’s a statistical matchup:
MSU
RUTGERS
Off. Points per Game (Rank)
19.8 (121)
26.7 (83)
Def. Points per Game (Rank)
24.7 (61)
24.7 (61)
Turnovers Allowed (Rank)
18 (92)
8 (6)
Turnovers Forced (Rank)
11 (107)
11 (107)
ES likely not going to the game today… why? This Spartan team just isn’t inspiring and makes far too many turnovers. It’s a frustrating team to freeze and watch, let alone watch on tv with good weather indoors.
It’s a beautiful day here in East Lansing. No wind, about 55 degrees, and we have a running game. The loss at Michigan was tough, leaving 17 points on the board. ES thinks this running game is going to dominate all game long and wake up the Hoosiers fanbase. The Spartans have always kicked Indiana’s arse, and we’re the best team they’ve played all year. 8-0 and undefeated will fall. It’s quiet today from the MSU and ES faithful, which methinks is an omen for a quiet upset. I'm with Big Bob on this one.
Prognostications:
Sloth: 31-10, Hoosierdaddy.
Keith: 24-17 hoosiers
Big Bob: MSU 27-24
Kansas City Chiefs J: No More Undefeated! MSU in OT!!
Here's a list so far of all the record-breaking accomplishments by the Detroit Lions in 2024. More to come!
NFL League Records:
*Lions are the third team since the 1970 merger to have 13 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns to go along with a 100-point win margin through seven games of a season. The other two teams to do this were the 2009 New Orleans Saints and 1998 Denver Broncos, who both went on to win the Super Bowl.
*Goff has completed 84.3% of his passes over the past five games -- the highest completion rate over a five-game span in NFL history (min. 50 passes), per ESPN Research.
*Jared Goff is the first QB to ever throw at least two touchdowns while completing at least 72 percent of his passes and notch a QB Rating over 110.0 in five straight games.
*Goff became the third quarterback in NFL history with a passer rating of 125 or higher with a minimum of 15 pass attempts per game. The other two to do so are Russell Wilson in 2015 and Ryan Tannehill in 2019.
*Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs became the fourth player in NFL history to average five yards per carry on a minimum 10 attempts in six-straight games.
*Goff set an NFL passing record completing all 18 passes vs Seattle Seahawks, best in NFL history.
*Detroit’s 47-9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys was the Cowboys’ worst home loss in AT&T Stadium history,
*Goff completed 80 percent of his pass in three games in October, threw for 680 yards and eight touchdowns and amassed a passer rating of 149.8 over that stretch. That passer rating is the highest in league history in the month of October.
In win over Tennessee:
*The Lions put up 52 points vs Tennessee without even reaching 100 passing yards, which hasn't happened in the Super Bowl era. The last team to score 50 points with less than 100 passing yards was the 1955 Chicago Bears
*They're also the first NFL team to be outgained by at least 150 yards and win by at least 30 points since 1933, when yardage was first fully tracked.
*Jack Fox punted five times for an average of 61.0 yards, the first punter in NFL history to average over 60 yards with five punts in a game.
*Khalif Raymond was just 18 yards short of the NFL record for punt return yards in a game set by LeRoy Irvin (207) in 1981.
*Raymond is 1st player with multiple 60-yard punt returns in a game since Gunner Olszewski for the Patriots in 2020
*Kalif Raymond averaged 38 yards per return on his five punt returns, which is the highest average by a returner with at least five punt returns in a single game since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.
*Since 1941, only two other teams have produced a 90-yard punt return and a 70-yard kickoff return in the same game. The Lions did so with a 90-yard punt return by Kalif Raymond and a 72-yard kickoff return by Khalil Dorsey.
*The Lions accomplished a feat that no other team has done since 1941 when they scored 50 points despite totaling less than 225 yards of total offense.
Lions records:
*The Lions have now scored 172 points (43.0 points per game) over their past four games, the most points in a four-game span within a season in franchise history, according to ESPN Research.
*Khalif Raymond scored on a 90-yarder in the third quarter that tied for the second longest punt return touchdown in franchise history and longest in a home game since 1963. *Raymond's 90-yard punt return touchdown is the longest by a Lions player since Desmond Howard in 2000 (95 in Week 1 at Saints).
*Kerby Joseph is the first Lions safety to record five interceptions in a season since Glover Quin in 2014. He now has 13 career interceptions through the first three seasons of his career, tied for the third most by a Lions player since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.
*Six different players scored a touchdown on Sunday, tying a franchise record.
*Lions scored 50-plus points for just the fifth time in franchise history.
*Jack Bates nailed his 11th field goal in 11th tries, setting a new franchise record for most consecutive field goals to start the season.
Both teams have good defenses. That's not the issue.
Michigan can run the ball well but has three terrible quarterbacks. As the saying goes, if you have three quarterbacks you don't have any. Aidan Chiles played well for MSU - the best all year - in its win over Iowa. It helped the Spartan offensive line was excellent pushing around Iowa last week. That win over Iowa last week was a big surprise because of how the Spartans controlled the clock and dictated the game with a very strong running game, sprinkled with an efficient Chiles throwing the ball. The Spartan defense was a wall for most of the game, and that stout effort was impressive.
Bring on Michigan. If we hit Iowa in the mouth, then we need to decapitate Michigan.
ES has been out of pocket for the past two weeks, visiting the Great Northwest to take care of his ma. Now, back to EL and watching Indiana destroy Nebraska as he writes this. What the hell is going on? Hopefully, both Illinois and Michigan State can add to the pain to Big Ten champion contenders.
Well, Big Green TD Machine has had a week off to figure out Iowa, which kicked the shit out of Washington last week, 40-10. If MSU puts up 41 points tonight, that would be a miracle. As I have stated to many and another, MSU needs to get a QB coach whose sole job is to teach Aidan Chiles how to chill and set his feet when he passes. Luckily, the Spartans get all their receivers back in this game (Nick Marsh, Jaron Glover, and Antonio Gates), giving Aidan Chiles some significant targets to spell time from a struggling running game.
This game will be won in the trenches, particularly in two areas: turnovers (how much has Aidan Chiles learned?) and between Iowa’s OL with a good rushing game and MSU’s fairly stout DL. Upset in the making is the way the ES reads this…
Iowa
MSU
SOS rank
#20
#27
Pts PG
29.2
19.8
Pts Allowed PG
17.7
21
Rush Yds PG
222.8
120.2
Pass Yds PG
134.7
229.7
Rush Def PG
96.3
130.8
Pass Def PG
219.7
199
TO Margin
6
-6
3rd Dn Pct
45%
41%
3rd Dn Def Pct
35%
43%
Prognostications?
Big Bob: MSU 27-24
Pontiac Keith: Iowa 30-10
J Man: Upset!!!!! Victory for MSU
Sloth: MSU 6, Chickenhawks 3
This is what BuckNut deserves, a gut blow. Unfortunately, we're not #9. 2015.
Or this, $atan beating #1 Buckass in the HorseShoe. 1999.
Levi Jackson running 88 yards to beat #1 Ohio State in East Lansing. 1974.
We beat Ohio State about every 10-15 years. Is this the year?
It actually sucks writing this preview. First off, LOTS of complaints about this game on Peacock. I agree with you people. It is demonstrative of the changing times with streaming from antenna to cable to satellite to streaming. And it is costing ALL of us billions to fatten the wallets of the rich folk, in many ways I cannot count. But, while it is expensive for the providers, they really could give a crap about their consumers who are football-hungry. It's too bad, but it is reality. More content = more costs = more money. You want your football today, you've gotta pay for it. But, certainly worthy of Congressional investigation. That's another post.
Ohio State has absolutely throttled Michigan State at home the last several times I attended. I left at halftime. Half the stadium will be filled with Buckeye fans, who are complete a$$holes and abonoxioius as if Ohio State deserves to be in the NFL. I've encountered this many times in my life at MSU-OSU games, especially when MSU beat Ohio State in the Big Ten Title game to go to the Rose Bowl back in 2014. About 90% of the OSU fans I encountered in stadiums are rude, mean, and in-your face. That includes Buck-Nut. Not impressed with the F*uckeye fan base. No wonder why Kirk Herbstreit left Columbus to move to Cincinnati - even that Buckeye QB alum couldn't stand it anymore.
I think the Michigan State defense is pretty good, and might be able to hold up for a while, especially in the rain. Like the interior D, like the pressure and great play by LBs. The problem is the offense, and Aidan Chiles. He's a turnover machine and makes very bad throws under pressure; which may very well be today against the Buckeyes. The dude needs to learn how to take a sack and throw the ball away for another play. He has wheels, and may likely burn the Buckeyes a few times with his wheels... if he survives.
MSU, at this time under Jonathan Smith, is just a year or two away from moving up to the top half of the league. With the Spartans' laundry list of injuries (will this ever change? MSU is always more injury-bitten than most early in the season, leading to question marks about the level of talent brought to East Lansing), it is hard to identify where MSU wins, unless the defense creates massive turnovers, Jonathan Kim kicks 6 field goals, and the punting game puts the Buckeeys in long drives that lead to... turnovers. That's a tall ask.
Prognostications:
Tailgate Master J: OSU 42-7. We about to get Bitch Slapped with the pimp hand!
Pittsburgh Sloth: MSU pain and suffering. Ohio State 45-10
Big Bob and the ES saw these boys sing this live in EL about 20 years ago. Let it rain rain rain in Boston.
The ES is up at Mackinac Island for the weekend and will watch the game from the City. A bit distracted from football today, but will pop in to catch scores during the game around lunch, bicycling, the Grand Hotel, and fudge. 72 and sunny today here up north; better than the pouring rain expected during the game today in Boston.
First of all, BC has has two significant contests on the road: a win at wannabees Florida State and BC pushed #6 Mizzou to the limit last week. The Other Catholics have a great rushing attack, with a mobile QB with Nick Castellanos who also has 9 TD passes. The Boston College running game has been the key for the Eagles. Florida State transfer Treshaun Ward has 153 yards through three games, and the Eagles are averaging 205 yards per game on the ground and 5 yards per carry. The Spartan defense is 23rd in FBS in rushing defense, allowing 78 yards per game. This is key, especially in a rain storm.
Spartan QB Aidan Chiles has all the talent in the world, with wheels to boot. However, the young man has lots of coaching in front as he must learn to settle down and set his feet before he throws instead of behaving like Patrick Mahomes. Each time, this gets him into trouble resulting in overthrows and INTs. If he can settle in and MSU can find a way to use its run game, it should have a chance. But, MSU needs to stop the Other Catholic rushing attack. Watch Chiles try to lengthen the field to standout 17-year old Nick Marsh. One or two hits on this could be tremendous. Can the MSU defense hold up and create a few turnovers in the rain? Pray and find out.
This will be a challenging contest for the newbie, undefeated Spartan coach Jonathan Smith, who has MSU undefeated and sitting atop the Big Ten through three games.
Prognostications:
Big Bob: BC 28-24 MSU
Amsterdam CHock: My original pick was what Bob said. To be different, I'll say BC 27 - MSU 20
Keith: MSU 24-23
