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!

Swenson gets POW; MSU ranked #7 in nation in kick returns

Brett Swenson gets the Big Ten POW nod for his four field goals... although Keshawn Martin and his 250-all purpose yard performance, including his kick returns, should have garnered some recognition. Without the two of them and a blocked field goal, the Big Green may have lost by 20 points to Purdue.

Still, a pair of 52-yard FGs on the road, and a 4-for-4 performance was sweet. FYI, Swenson is hitting a blistering 90% (18-of-20) field goals this year. Ouch! Can you say "Lou Groza"?

So where does MSU rank statistically, nationally? Our best stat is, no surprise #7 in the country in kick returns. But, our rush defense at #24 and pass offense at #21 ain't half bad. Greg Jones is third in the nation in tackles at 11.45. Keshawn Martin is fifth in kick returns at 31.7. Kirk Cousins is #13 in pass efficiency at 149.7

Category	Nat'l Rank	Actual	Nat'l Leader	Actual	Big Ten Rank	Big Ten Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	67	139.73	Nevada	353.10	6	Wisconsin	208.00
Passing Offense	21	274.09	Houston	428.20	1	Michigan St.	274.09
Total Offense	34	413.82	Houston	562.60	1	Michigan St.	413.82
Scoring Offense	30	31.00	Boise St.	43.60	3	Michigan	31.27
Rushing Defense	24	105.91	Texas	50.40	4	Ohio St.	83.73
Pass Efficiency Defense	79	132.98	Florida	87.18	8	Iowa	96.02
Total Defense	50	350.91	Texas	232.30	6	Ohio St.	258.27
Scoring Defense	56	23.55	Florida	10.50	6	Penn St.	11.64
Net Punting	48	36.50	Georgia	43.73	5	Michigan	41.27
Punt Returns	60	9.10	Central Mich.	18.47	4	Minnesota	15.67
Kickoff Returns	7	26.81	Stanford	30.78	1	Michigan St.	26.81
Turnover Margin	88	-.36	Rutgers	2.33	9	Ohio St.	1.09
Pass Defense	94	245.00	Air Force	127.91	10	Iowa	165.73
Passing Efficiency	18	147.61	Cincinnati	170.01	1	Michigan St.	147.61
Sacks	19	2.73	Pittsburgh	4.10	2	Penn St.	3.09
Tackles For Loss	72	5.45	Cincinnati	8.80	10	Penn St.	8.27
Sacks Allowed	T-18	1.09	Boise St.	.50	1	Michigan St.	1.09

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)

QB/RB battle results, MSU #18 says NBC, ESPN gives cautious praise

Let's reflect on this past week's preparations by your Spartan gridders, with just 15 days left until we take on the Montana State Bobcats.

Obviously, the two main spots gaining all the attention are in the Spartan backfield - and a Monday scrimmage gives a better line on who may get the nod to start the season. It looks that Keith Nichol took the early lead in the QB race. Nichol completed 17-of-26 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns,; his counterpart, Kirk Cousins, hit 13-of-30 throws for 127 yards, two TDs and one interception. Stats may not be anything, but there's a wide disparity between the two here. At RB, sophomore Ashton Leggett led all rushers with 91 yards on 10 carries, including a 63-yard TD run (sans the long run, Leggett was 9-28, or 3.1 average). AJ Jimmerson had 38 yards on 10 carries, and Caulton Ray had 15 carries for 29 yards. Freshman TE stud Dion Sims had seven catches for 60 yards, and wideout Keshawn Martin caught five passes for 85 yards and a TD. Chris Rucker (who dropped about everything thrown his way last year) had four catches for 90 yards. On defense, linebacker Adam Decker was a standout with eight tackles. Along the line, Tyler Hoover had six tackles (two for losses) and recovered a fumble.

Over at MSUspartans.com, they posted an update late Thursday in advance of a Friday scrimmage, with comments from Cousins, Nichol, Joel Nitchman, and DL Coach Ted Gill.

THE PUNDITS ARE OUT - NBC LOVES MICHIGAN STATE

The Associated Press will release its preseason poll tomorrow, Saturday, Aug. 22. Over at NBC Sports, they list Michigan State #18 ("Dantonio’s program has an opportunity to take the next step — maybe even a giant step"), thusly, lowering expectations of the annual Spartan dispatching of their beloved #22 Irish on national TV. LSUfootball.net has published its final preseason compilation of preseason rankings, and lists MSU at #32.

Over at ESPN, they've got a preseason prognostication of Michigan State's postseason plans, with Bruce Feldman pitting MSU vs Kansas State in the Insight Bowl, and Mark Schlabach listing MSU vs Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl... Adam Rittenberg slots MSU in the Outback Bowl. All three would be a step DOWN for the Spartans this year. Rittenberg is the most prolific blogger on the Big Ten over at ESPN, and he also lists MSU at #4 in his conference power rankings: "The more I look at the Spartans' depth chart, the more I like their chances this fall... if Michigan State solidifies its offensive backfield, look out." And, can you say "team"? Michigan State is picked by most to finish either #3 or #4 in the conference, including by Rittenberg, yet the Spartans have only two players on the Big Ten's First Team All Conference, which ranks them tied with scUM for next-to-last.

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.