17 TACKLES FOR LOSS, led by Gholston

Adam Rittenberg over at ESPN deserves some kudos for writing what we all know:  the Spartan defense rocks.  He calls the Big Green Machine a "model to emulate" for other teams looking to compete on a national basis.  My God, that trench crew in our Outback Bowl win over Georgia --  DE William Gholston (#2), DT Jerel Worthy (#99), DT Anthony White (#98), Marcus Rush (#44) -- consistently pushed the Dog line back time and time again.  Right in their face.  Look at the DEFENSIVE STAT SHEET below, lit up like a Christmas Tree.  When three of your four tackle leaders are defensive lineman, it means you have a devastating defense.  (In the JLS-slapface era, our leading tacklers were SAFETIES). Lookit the stat sheet, by God - Gholston 7 tackles (5 TFL), Rush 6 tackles (2 TFL), White 5 tackles (3 TFL), Worthy 4 tackles (2 TFL) ... brings tears of joy to the ES.   17 TACKLES FOR LOSS by the Spartan defense... 17!!  Unreal, the effort. Gholston put on a First Team All-American effort the Spartan Nation can be proud of.  Denicos Allen, Chris Norman, Max Bullough all laid the wood in support where necessary... but this was a DEFENSIVE LINE led effort.  Gholston's post-game You Tube video ("everybody gotta eat") ain't too bad, either.  Lots to look foward to, Spartan fans, for many years to come...

Michigan State      
## Player               Solo  Ast  Tot  TFL/Yds  FF FR-Yd Intc BrUp Blkd Sack/Yds QH
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2  Gholston, William       7    .    7  5.0/16   .  1-6    .      1    .   2.0/10   .
44 Rush, Marcus            6    1    7  2.0/4    .   .     .      1    .      .     .
98 White,Anthony Rashad    5    2    7  3.0/7    .   .     .      .    1      .     .
39 Robinson, Trenton       5    1    6     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .
99 Worthy, Jerel           4    1    5  2.0/2    .   .     .      .    .      .     .
10 Norman, Chris           4    1    5  1.5/7    1   .     .      .    .      .     .
28 Allen, Denicos          2    3    5  1.5/6    .   .     .      .    .   1.0/5    .
31 Dennard, Darqueze       3    1    4     .     .   .    2-38    .    .      .     .
40 Bullough, Max           2    1    3     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .
52 Drone, Denzel           2    1    3  1.0/4    .   .     .      .    .      .     .
9  Lewis, Isaiah           1    2    3     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .
5  Adams, Johnny           2    .    2     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .
23 Jones, Jairus           1    1    2     .     .   .     .      .    .      .     .

Kiper under the pillow says: "Spartans are Undervalued"

So, here's da ES, sleeping in this morning, and with the radio under my pillow... ES starts to stir around 9:30 am.  Spin that dial to listen to something other than NPR or the BBC...and, there is Mel Kiper ALL OVER THE SPARTANS.  Just my luck.  He's just salivating over Baker, Cousins, Cunningham, Martin.  Barking out praises to Worthy, Robinson, Allen, the "pedigree" of Bullough.  Concerned about the O-line.

Kiper's one-liner:  "THE SPARTANS ARE EXTREMELY UNDERVALUED."

Love it, but maybe he should keep to the NFL Draft?

It should be noted Kiper and that other chum on ESPN radio picked Nebraska over Wisky in the Big Ten title game.  But, Kiper really hedged his bets on the Big Green - "so many offensive threats"... Nice!

Spartan Defense Blossoms, Learning Lessons Are Over. Dantonio Press Conference

ES had dinner with former MSU President John DiBiaggio the other night - he was at the Iowa game and he and I agreed on one thing: that was an excellent football game on Saturday, but "we should've won, dammit!"

First let the ES lay the criticism: Why DC Pat Narduzzi has to feel like he needs to scrap what is working for him all game long and go to a prevent defense on the last drive of the game is puzzling. Why Narduzzi couldn't keep after Iowa earlier in the drive is questionable (it didn't work) and unfortunate -- because the Spartans had bottled him up all game long. MSU jettisoned its game plan with the lead. Tisk, tisk. On the last series with 15 second left and from the 12 yard line and in, the Spartans sent eight defenders at Stanzi for four straight plays, and it worked for three of them, but unfortunately not the last play. The change in strategy was maddening, and yet another lesson learned.

But, enough negatives. Michigan State has a DAMN FINE football team. They're better than last year's team, although it is tough to tell at 4-4. It is a better team. Michigan State is three plays away from being 7-1 and in the Top 10 itself. It played even, or better, than Iowa, Notre Dame, and CMU. All three losses on the last play of the game.

I loved how Mark Dantonio handled the media after the game. He seems focused and determined. Best presser he has had since being a coach. Today's is scheduled for 11:30 am (watch live)

The defense is VASTLY improving, game by game. The Michigan State defense we saw on Saturday was dominant, and it was the best defensive performance in a decade by the Spartans. It was a slugfest, a bear-knuckles-brawl. We laid two Hawkeys out on a stretcher. They left with a W, but battered and bloodied. The defensive secondary played its best game since the glory days of George Perles -- you'd have thought Harlan Barnett dropped his earphones and climbed back onto the field. Excellent secondary play all game long. The pressure was in Stanzi's face all game long.

Jerel Worthy (photo above -- 4 tackles, 2 for loss) played his finest game as a Spartan. He dominated Iowa's interior and the Hawkeye's did not have an answer. Greg Jones was DOMINANT (12 tackles), once again all over the field. He should be a First Team All America. He is easily the best linebacker wearing Green and White since No Mercy Percy Snow.

Michigan State's offense left too many points on the field, again. But, this against an undefeated, #5/#6 team in the nation. Down to one final play. Yes it hurt, but now Michigan State MUST WIN OUT the remainder of its games. A victory at home over JoePa would seal the deal and get the Spartans closer to a "signature win" under Dantonio than its had to date. It would be nice to get a warm bowl game, play a hardy opponent, and get that W to put the Spartans firmly on the map.

These Spartans are focused and playing hard. They just need to finish. My guess is they will for the remainder of the season, and be rewarded with warm weather. It's time to take the next step. Learning lessons are over. We've learned them all. Now it is time to win.

Spartan Nation, what is your profession? WHOOOP, WHOOOP, WHOOOP!

Spartan Media Day Notes - ES Nuggets

The Big Green is underway for fall camp; lots of song and dance, as is typical early. Good news, knock on wood - everyone is healthy, and there is good depth across the offense and defense. A few nuggets the ES found of interest.

Dantonio on RBs, QBs: "The next two weeks, three weeks will tell the difference, tell the story there. But if not, I'm okay with that. I don't think the quarterback situation is a problem. I think our quarterback situation is as strong as it's been since I've been here. We lack game experience, and that's a big deal. "

More from MD on RBs by committee: "But somebody has to come to the forefront there. Somebody has to emerge, and really when you look at it, it's going to be an opportunity probably for two guys to get 150-to-200 carries each or for three guys to get 100 carries each, but whatever the situation dictates, that will play itself out."

From offensive coordinator Don Treadwell, expect more balance: "one of the things we hope to utilize is more balance because we have more veteran players in the bigger picture overall. So we don't have to look at the running back position to carry the load per say. With returning veterans at receiver and tight end, that should do well for us."

This summer, Brett Swenson trained with the best kicker in football history (college and pro), Morten Andersen. He stated "my flexibility is much better and think I'm more efficient in getting to the ball."

Defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi on LB Greg Jones: "as good as a linebacker as I have coached in 20 years. He has everything. He has a nose for the ball which is probably the most important thing and he has great instincts."

D-line coach Ted Gill on Jerel Worthy: "We spotted Jerel a couple years ago in camp. He has a lot of athletic ability. He can dunk a basketball, and he can change direction very well."

D-lineman Oren Wilson: "I feel like we are underrated. I mean we have a lot to work on, and a lot to prove. We have a lot of depth at every position."

Andrew Hawken has switched to FB from linebacker.

MEET THE SPARTANS

Meet the Spartans is schedule for Aug 18 - all you kids can head on out to Tuesday, Aug. 18 from 5:45-7:15 p.m. at Meridian Mall in Okemos, Mich.