Give it up for Jones & White; More MSU vs. Iowa previews

Adam Rittenberg of ESPN gives the Big Ten's mid-season defensive MVP award to Michigan State's Greg Jones, who leads the nation in tackles. And, if you saw his dominating, sideline-to-sideline and in-Kafka's-face performance vs Northwestern, you'd have to agree. He gives MSU's offensive team MVP award to Blair White, and sez MSU has already had "two seasons crammed into one through the first seven games."

Here are some more predictions and previews: Sports Network (Iowa 23-20); MSU - Iowa from ESPN; all the jokers at Rivals/Yahoo are picking Iowa over MSU; two of six pundits are picking MSU over at CFN/Scout;

Both ESPN and Rivals are projecting an Alamo Bowl matchup of MSU - Oklahoma/Nebraska. CBS Sports predicts a MSU - Clemson matchup in the Champs Sports Bowl. CBS Sports 120 ranks MSU at #41 overall... CMU is at #23 on their power rankings.

Here is a Michigan State-Iowa preview from the Big Ten Network:

Sagarin and the Spartans; Blair White gets POW

Let's take a look at the Big Ten under the loopy eyes of Jeff Sagarin last week and this week... Note, the Big Green has moved up to #42, a mere 37 spots below Iowa. Yet, 'tis an even spread, so certainly momentum, Dantonio, and "skinny" has lots to do with the current spread. SS = schedule strength.

Oct 19. / Oct 12.
#5. Iowa, SS = 20. / #9. Iowa, SS = 30
#19. Ohio State, SS = 35. / #8. Ohio State, SS = 37
#21. Joe Pa, SS = 106. / #28. Joe Pa, SS = 113
#32. Wisconsin, SS = 29. / #21. Wisconsin, SS = 31
#34. scUM, SS = 90. / #37. scUM, SS = 47
#42. MSU, SS = 32. / #44. Michigan State, SS = 26
#59. Minnesota, SS = 27. / #54. Minnesota, SS = 46
#76. Purdue, SS = 23. / #91. Purdue, SS = 23
#90. Indiana, SS = 79. / #86. Indiana, SS = 61
#100. Nwestern, SS = 125. / #95. Northwestern, SS = 139
#125. Illinois, SS = 34. / #112. Illinois, SS = 25

BLAIR WHITE WINS BIG TEN PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Here's a "no shit" no-brainer: Blair White won the Big Ten's offensive player of the week award:

"Blair White, Michigan State
SR, WR, Saginaw, Mich./Nouvel Catholic Central
White set career highs with 12 receptions and 186 receiving yards and matched a career best with two touchdowns to help Michigan State rally from a halftime deficit to a victory over Northwestern. The senior wideout averaged 15.5 yards per catch to record his third effort of 100 yards or more this season and the fifth 100-yard outing of his career. With the Spartans trailing 7-0 at the half, the hosts knotted the score on their first offensive possession of the third quarter, with quarterback Kirk Cousins hitting White on a 22-yard scoring strike. After a Northwestern punt, MSU struck again, with Cousins hitting White on a 47-yard touchdown toss to give the Spartans a lead they would not relinquish. White’s 12 catches equaled the fourth-best single-game total in school history while his 186 yards ranked 10th in program annals. The Michigan native earns his first career weekly award."

Michigan State thumps Northwestern, 24-14

It took at stalwart second half from MSU, but the Michigan State Spartans' finally woke up on offense and took advantage of Northwestern mistakes to win, 24-14. MSU is now on a three-game winning streak in the Big Ten, and sits tied for second in the conference at 3-1/4-3.

The Spartans played well defensively all day, and only allowed 80 yards rushing by the 'Cats -- 44 by their QB, Franz Kafka (ha ha). The Spartan D hurried the Wildcat spread offense all day and forced Kafka to throw on the run repeatedly; MSU ended up with three sacks but handfuls of hurries. Junior LB Greg Jones had one of his best games as a Spartan and was all over the field, constantly pressuring Kafka, stuffing the run, and making plays in the secondary. Jones finished with 14 tackles, 2 QB sacks, a pair of hurries, and a pass breakup. Statisically, he was outdone by fellow LB Eric Gordon with 15 tackes and 2 tackles for loss.

On offense, Michigan State had its most sluggish first half of the year and trailed at the half, 7-0. But the Spartans woke up in the second half and had several long drives to lead the way. Kirk Cousins returned at QB this week for MSU (after taking last week vs Illinois off to rest his ankle) and allowed Keith Nichol's bruised elbow to heal. He was rusty in the first half, but woke up and connected with Blair White on 12 passes for 189 yards and 2 TDs -- and White showed off his gluey hands by catching everything in sight. Cousins finished 21-31 for 281 yards. Also on offense, Larry Caper led the way on the ground with 63 yards on 16 carries; but, more impressively on came Edwin Baker. Baker dropped his redshirt and fumbled early, only to look like a bruising back as the game wore on. Yes, Spartan fans, Baker is the real deal, as his running was inspirational, powerful, and awesome at times. He finished with 44 on 12 carries -- but you will see his carries increase as his performance and bruising style was inspiring.

Michigan State looked good defensively, again. On offense, it started slow but came on as the game wore on. An awful fumble by NW on a kick return led to another MSU score, but MSU also left 14 other points on the field with Baker's fumble and a NW goal line stand on the first drive. The Spartans played well and dominated for the most part. Now, at 3-1 and 4-3, the Big Green has a chance to ruin Iowa's storied, undefeated season. Welcome Mr. Hawkeye.

More later.... but, great job Big GREEN!

(Below: WR Blair White catches a pass from Cousin on a right out route for a first down in the 3rd quarter).

Team Totals	NU	MSU
FIRST DOWNS	22	19
Rushing	5	6
Passing	14	13
Penalty	3	0
NET YARDS RUSHING	79	94
Rushing Attempts	29	34
Average Per Rush	2.7	2.8
Rushing Touchdowns	0	1
Yards Gained Rushing	104	128
Yards Lost Rushing	25	34
NET YARDS PASSING	291	281
Completions-Attempts-Int	34-47-0	21-31-0
Average Per Attempt	6.2	9.1
Average Per Completion	8.6	13.4
Passing Touchdowns	2	2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	370	375
Total offense plays	76	65
Average Gain Per Play	4.9	5.8
Fumbles: Number-Lost	3-2	1-1
Penalties: Number-Yards	4-25	4-46
PUNTS-YARDS	6-195	6-243
Average Yards Per Punt	32.5	40.5
Net Yards Per Punt	27.8	35.5
Inside 20	1	1
50+ Yards	0	1
Touchbacks	1	1
Fair catch	1	1
KICKOFFS-YARDS	3-202	5-305
Average Yards Per Kickoff	67.3	61.0
Net Yards Per Kickoff	38.7	44.0
Touchbacks	1	0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	2-10-0	1-8-0
Average Per Return	5.0	8.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	5-85-0	2-66-0
Average Per Return	17.0	33.0
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	29:03	30:57
1st Quarter	8:51	6:09
2nd Quarter	7:09	7:51
3rd Quarter	5:12	9:48
4th Quarter	7:51	7:09
Third-Down Conversions	8 of 16	5 of 14
Fourth-Down Conversions	0 of 2	0 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	2-2	1-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards	0-0	3-15
PAT Kicks	2-2	3-3
Field Goals	0-0	1-1

ES Game Day Preview: MSU 30, Michigan 27

Michigan (4-0, #22 AP, #30 Sagarin) at Michigan State (1-3, #59 Sagarin),

Saturday, October 3, 2009. 12 Noon.
TV: Big Ten Network
Weather: 51 degrees, 40% chance rain.
Latest Line: Michigan State favored by 2.

Tickets available.

ES will tweet from the game with comments posted in the right column; live chat will be available on the website.

Injuries: Michigan - QB Tate Forcier (shoulder), probable; C David Molk (foot), out. Michigan State - OL Joel Foreman (knee), probable; WR Mark Dell (shoulder), probable; S Trenton Robinson (doorknob), probable.

Prediction: MSU's Greg Jones blindsides scUM's Forcier in the first quarter, knocking him senseless and out of the game. MSU runs adequately behind Glenn Winston, but enough to free up QB Kirk Cousins to use his rocket arm to score TDs through the air to BJ Cunningham, Blair White, and Mark Dell. MSU's defense? Who knows, who cares. Michigan State needs to prove itself defensively, and scUM is overrated and untested on the road. The ES will split the difference, thinking Spartan DBs won't play great, but will play just well enough to win. Willthis scUM team actually go 5-0? Hey, go jump in a lake and take yer smelling salts. Spartan special teams will be the difference in the game, with a few FGs out of Brett Swenson. That's enough detail for me on this game.

Give it up to an improved coaching effort and better play out of MSU in its best game of the year, at home. There's a reason a 1-3 team is favored by 2 at home over a 4-0 team.

Halftime: MSU 14, scUM 14. Final Score: Michigan State 30, scUM 27.

ES Game Day Preview: Michigan State 31, Wisconsin 21

Michigan State (1-2, #78 Sagarin) at Wisconsin (3-0, #16 Sagarin)

Saturday, September 26. 12:00 pm noon EST.
TV: ESPN
Weather: 67, rain.
Latest Line: Wisconsin favored by 3.
Tickets available.

Injuries: Michigan State — C Joel Nitchman (knee), probable; LG Joel Foreman (ankle), questionable; RG J'Michael Deane (leg), doutful. Wisconsin — RG Bill Nagy (heel), probable; C John Moffitt (pectoral muscle), probable; C Travis Frederick (ankle), probable; DE Louiz Nzegwu (shoulder), probable; DE Brendan Kelly (groin), questionable; S Shane Carter (suspension), out; S Aubrey Pleasant (suspension), out.

MSU Roster Shakeup: First off, let's see the o-line shakeup for MSU. On the OLine, last week it was Cironi-Foreman-Stipek-Deane-Moss. This week, it's Cironi-Ruhland-Nitchman-Moss-Young. Addition of Nichman = Yeah; Loss of Deane & Foreman = Boo. And, Moss is moving further inside. On defense, the secondary has moved around a bit (in comes Davis-Clark, up the ladder moves Adams, down goes Rucker), but why Robinson continues to get the nod after his shitty performance vs. ND is beyond the ES.


ES predicts Michigan State 31, Wisconsin 21.

On offense, MSU seemingly has established itself with a capable running game with Caulton Ray and Larry Caper, and a very good passing game behind a Joe Montana-ish type accuracy of Kirk Cousins. Funny, Bleacher Report erroneously mentions Cousins mainly throws to two targets as a Wisconsin advantage by taking season statistics in aggregate, without realizing that Cousins actually DOES spread the ball around quite frequently (seven receivers caught passes at ND). MSU boasts four significant receiving threats in White, Cunningham, Dell, and Gantt. Sorry, B/R didn't do their homework - advantage MSU! The offensive line has been oft-injured, but played well beyond expectations. Wideouts had a great performance at Notre Dame, making great grabs and big plays all game long. The Wisconsin defense statistically seems similar to the Irish, giving up decent amounts through the air and land; but, they've played nobody (see below), so it is tough to tell what they hell they're made of.

On defense, MSU is hemorrhaging in its secondary - by far the biggest surprise and biggest disappointment in the Big Ten so far this year. What was to be a strength is seemingly a glaring weakness of lack of confidence. For the most part, Trenton Robinson has played poorly, as has Chris Rucker and Danny Fortener and Marcus Hyde. They all seem lost with passes zinging all around them, not to mention missed tackles. The rush defense has been good, and has made life tough with hard hitting vs the first three opponents (ND used its direct snap formation to break loose Armando Allen, though he had no major gains). Spartan LBs are playing well, now that Brandon Denson has taken a seat. The Spartan pass rush is largely ineffective so far without a blitz, which mean DBs need to make plays. Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema ain't happy with their running game, even though they piled up over 200 yards on the ground last week. Wisconsin backs John Clay and Zach Brown statistically are solid: Clay had four fumbles last week vs. Wofford while Brown was 12-63, but the week before vs Fresno State Clay ran for 143 yards on 21 carries (6.8 avg), including a 72 yard TD. ES figures our D-line will likely keep this somewhat in check, similar to the ND game around 120-130 yards, which will force WIS to go through the air. QB Scott Tolzien has been untested this year, period. His defensive competition has been nil; he should get a faceful and mouthful of Spartans this week, and likely he'll be rattled by an improved and determined Spartan secondary coverage. We ain't Fresno State. The ES expects at least 2 interceptions this week, or more, off of Tolzien. Note: Wisky was just 5-13 on third downs vs Fresno.

Special teams seems to be the Spartans' strength so far. Aaron Bates is kicking deep when asked, and has pinned punts, when asked. Brett Swenon has been very accurate (though MD should have called a timeout on Swenson's rushed, but barely-missed 52 yarder). Punt and kick coverage has been good, though we can kick the ball a bit deeper. Glenn Winston and Keshawn Martin have been excitingly close to busting loose with a TD return. For Wisconsin, their return game is nothing to brag about, averaging just 21 on kick returns and 8 on punt returns vs weak competition thus far. Their kicker, Philip Welch, is just 3-of-6 so far this year, and their net punting ranks 75th in the land. Huge advantage to MSU.

Opponents faced: Both teams whipped opponents out of their division (MSU over Montana State, Wisky over Wofford). Both teams faced a MAC opponent, with MSU losing to MAC-champion contender CMU while Wisky squeaked by MAC-midtier Northern Illinois. MSU lost at a tough annual rival, Notre Dame; it took Wisky 2 OTs at home to beat a Fresno State team blitzed by Boise State. Certainly, it is tough to tell how Wisconsin stacks up, while MSU has already encountered good competition and adversity. This should be a major advantage for the Spartans, and the Badgers can expect to see a can of whoop-ass opened up on Saturday by MSU. We're hungry, and we'll play extremely physical.

Actually, the ES feels comfortable about this game. I see Michigan State as a better matchup this week vs Wisconsin than last week vs ND with our defense facing a more typical offensive set; the balanced offense by Wisconsin should relieve some pressure off the Spartan secondary, and allow it to make plays (and INTs) against the Badgers. Kirk Cousins should rebound from last week, and he showed he has amazing, All-America capability in that arm with a very efficient receiving corps. Cousins should take advantage of a Wisconsin secondary that isn't as talented as the Irish. I don't expect the Spartan run game to be as effective this week, but a 120+ yard team effort is likely, and would be a solid contribution. Wisconsin will play a physical defense, as expected, but not outplay the Spartans as they did last year (and lost). Expect the Spartan defense to play better and for it to make enough plays to be a difference-maker. Michigan State is far above the caliber the Badgers have played so far, and it will show as the game wears on.

Halftime score: MSU 21, Wisconsin 14. Game MVP? Blair White will score 2 TDs from Kirk Cousins and have another 150 yards receiving, with 6+ catches.

Game Day Analysis on Wisconsin: USA Today, College Football News/Scout (WIS 27-23), The Sports Network (MSU 35-24), Big Ten Network (WIS 23-20), Bucky's Fifth Quarter (from WIS-WOF), Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel

What do you think? What will be the game's biggest surprise? Comment Below -

MSU, ND statistically...

About those Friggin Irish, statistically they lead the nation not giving up a sack. QB Jimmy Clausen is ranked #3 nationally in pass efficiency with a 196.31 rating. In the passing game, Michael Floyd is their home run hitter, averaging 5.5 rpg for 160 yards per game (#2 in the nation); Golden Tate is getting 6 catches per game for 87 yards. Armando Allen's 105 yards on the ground per game is #22 in the nation. DB Kyle McCarthy (#28) has a pair of picks through two games, ranking him #9 in the nation. He'll likely be placed on Blair White on Saturday.

After two games, a few Spartans are ranking near the top in national statistical rankings, most notably QB Kirk Cousins who at 186.71 is #6 in the nation in passing efficiency. Blair White is ranked #6 with 134 yards receiving per game, and #7 with 8 receptions per game. Greg Jones is ranked #3 with 14.5 tackles per game. And, with 2 tackes for loss per game, Jones is ranked 18th. Keshawn Martin is #22 in punt returns, averaging 12.3.

When MSU has the ball:

• MSU's rushing offense is ranked #72 (138 ypg) vs ND's rushing defense #88 (172 ypg).
• MSU's passing offense is ranked #26 (227 ypg) vs ND's pass defense #58 (197 ypg).
• MSU's total offense is ranked #48 (405 ypg) vs ND's total defense #78 (369 ypg).
• MSU's pass efficiency is #14 (168.7) vs ND's pass eff defense #54 (116.2).
• MSU is #52 in kick returns (22.2), #27 in punt returns (14.2), and #4 in net punting (43.4).

When ND has the ball:

• ND's rushing offense is ranked #54 (166 ypg) vs MSU's rushing defense #23 (64 ypg).
• ND's passing offense is ranked #10 (334 ypg) vs MSU's pass defense #79 (225 ypg).
• ND's total offense is ranked #17 (500 ypg) vs MSU's total defense #44 (289 ypg).
• ND's pass efficiency is #2 (195.5) vs MSU's pass eff defense #79 (127.0).
• ND is #10 in kick returns (30.8), #51 in punt returns (9.0), and #52 in net punting (37.4)

Michigan State 44, Montana State 3

Congrats to our opening, 44-3 whitewashing of Montana State. Yeah.

OK, we didn't learn much today -- which is why the ES traveled and spent the weekend at Disney World. But, from the stats and info from his Brudda, we learned the following: offensive line needs to run block better - it was a perceived weakness entering the fall, and vs a FCS team, it is confirmed. The longest run of the day was from Caulton Ray, with a 20 yarder. He was 12-71 (5.9). Our two freshmen studs, Larry Caper (7-34) and Ed Baker (8-27) sufficed but were nothing special.

Most of all, what we learned is that we need to STOP DROPPING PASSES. What's going on? The stats looks good, but official stats should also count dropped passes. According to my bro, we must have dropped 6-10 passes today, and it resulted in truncated drives. Blair White was 9-162, and BJ Cunningham was 3-62. What was more significant was that opponents (Mont St) could not keep Dion Sims off the field - and he caught 2-32 and 1 TD as a true frosh. He's a stud.

As for which QB is better? I have to go with my bro's opinion from personally witnessing game action and he said that Keith Nichol (9-18-0-135, 2 TD) looked to perform "a little bit" better than Kirk Cousins (10-17-0-183, 3 TD) and "seemed better in control of the offense."

Overall, Mich St outgained Mont St. 493-160. Just obliteration, as expected.

Montana State will receive at least $650,000 for traveling to East Lansing, enough to pay nearly a third of its annual football budget.

MONST - MSU

FIRST DOWNS................... 12 29
NET YARDS RUSHING............. 62 175
Rushing Attempts............ 28 40
Average Per Rush............ 2.2 4.4
NET YARDS PASSING............. 98 318
Completions-Attempts-Int.... 13-26-0 19-35-0
Passing Touchdowns.......... 0 5
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS........... 160 493
Total offense plays......... 54 75
Average Gain Per Play....... 3.0 6.6
Penalties: Number-Yards....... 7-55 5-46
PUNTS-YARDS................... 9-335 2-114
Average Yards Per Punt...... 37.2 57.0
Net Yards Per Punt.......... 28.6 51.5
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD. 1-11-0 5-58-0
Average Per Return.......... 11.0 11.6
Possession Time............... 29:19 30:41
Third-Down Conversions........ 2 of 14 7 of 13
Fourth-Down Conversions....... 2 of 2 0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances....... 1-1 3-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards........ 0-0 3-22

OK, and then I saw the defensive stats and WTF - Greg Jones was a hoss, with 14 tackles, including 2.5 for loss:

53 Jones, Greg        5    9   14  2.5/16   .   .     .      .    .   1.5/11   .
11 Hyde, Marcus       2    4    6     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

Link here for video of the matchup


Of those 92 who voted in the ES' poll of margin of victory, only 28% said that MSU would win by 36 or more. 40% said by 20-29 points, 18% said 30-35 points. 6% said 10-19 points, and 1% said 1-9 points. Four people said Montana State would win.

Spartans shakeup DB lineup, choose captains

If you tried the other URL, enlightenedspartan.com, you may have found a bandwidth issue - it is being restored, but if you bookmark this page (the original host), you will always find an ES home.

Of particular note is a shake up in the defensive backfield, where Jeremy Ware, Marcus Hyde, and Danny Fortener have solidified starting spots. The advancement of Ware and Hyde is a particular surprise and demonstrates the depth of our secondary, considering the ES figured on Ross Weaver and highly touted Trenton Robinson as starters. Still, expect lots of plying time out of those two, and add depth with Johnny Adams, Kendall Davis-Clark, and Ashton Henderson. The ES really was impressed at the hard-hitting ability of Hyde when he was inserted into situations last year; he is a solid tackler, and from his safety spot, he can provide great run support when asked.

2009 MSU Spartan Captains are Greg Jones, Blair White, Ross Weaver, and Kirk Cousins. ES wonders if the pick of Cousins will have any impact on the race for starting QB: either helping Cousins, or as a consolation prize for being a backup. It really shouldn't matter.

Punt and kick returners remain "up in the air"

A status report from the Lansing State Journal provided a few wrinkles to the projected starting lineup, particularly at punt and kick returner. The LSJ notes that Keshawn Martin and Mark Dell are the top two candidates at punt returner.... which is good, you need good hands at that position due to potentially being smacked down on a hanging punt and missed blocks, and Martin, Dell, and Blair White are the only players who could catch anything last year. At kick returner, Larry Caper, Ed Baker, AJ Jimmerson, Trenton Robinson and Glenn Winston, are all getting a look. Don't be surprised to see the senior, Jimmerson, back there to start the year as a reward for his years of service... but eventually, for Winston to take over by the ND game after the coaching staff feels he has enough practice and is ready to go.

Also, at LB, the coaches love Chris Norman to add depth to the linebacker position -- and has a bright future for the Green and White. But, the LSJ also reports that sophomore Drew Stevens and redshirt freshman Steve Gardiner are also getting a good look.