MSU crushes CMU, needs help on interior O-line

OK - reality is that MSU won 45-7, should have won 100-0, and the Spartans were not that impressive... which means this was the worst CMU team I have ever seen. Chips were dreadful. As for MSU, yes, Cousins looked... bad. He missed 3-4 wide open recs, including Sims and Cunningham each without any Chip within 15 yards. But he DID hit Caper on a beautiful wheel route in the 3^rd for a TD. As for the O-Line. They stink. The interior of the off line is the biggest, major concern for this team to have any chance; injuries are affecting the play, and it shows. Without a decent O-Line we are a 7-5 team. It showed today, 100-0, 45-7, or whatever, we are in a bind along the front. As for the DEFENSE, well defense wins championships, and from front to back left to right, this is the best Spartan defense since 1988. Mark my word, best defensive UNIT in years.

Actually, the MSU defense was in CMU QBs face all game long.  Radcliff could have taken a sack, but instead stupidly threw the ball and it was returned for a pick-6; CMU was 2-12 on third downs, and hit only around 1/3 of their passes -- because of lots of pressure from Gholston, Pickelman, and Worthy.  How many, 4, 5, 6 passes were broken up at the line of scrimmage? The ES argues that sacks (or lack thereof) don't equal quality of D-line.  MSU was all over CMU.  4 INTs, all thrown off the back foot by both CMU QBs because MSU d-line was in their face. The Spartan d-line was strong in this game.  Lack of sacks may not show it, but the Green was dominant up front on defense, totally. Very impressive. MSU gave up just 21 yards rushing and only 91 yards passing demonstrate the major impact of the d-line.

Now, the Spartan Offense has some explaining to do, as far as all the missed open passes by Cousins, and only one run longer than 16 yards - against a bad team. But, we did win big time...

                   CMU      MSU

FIRST DOWNS...................        8       23
  Rushing.....................        3        9
  Passing.....................        5       12
  Penalty.....................        0        2
NET YARDS RUSHING.............       21      197
  Rushing Attempts............       18       47
  Average Per Rush............      1.2      4.2
  Rushing Touchdowns..........        0        3
  Yards Gained Rushing........       42      208
  Yards Lost Rushing..........       21       11
NET YARDS PASSING.............       91      284
  Completions-Attempts-Int....  12-33-4  20-30-1
  Average Per Attempt.........      2.8      9.5
  Average Per Completion......      7.6     14.2
  Passing Touchdowns..........        1        2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      112      481
  Total offense plays.........       51       77
  Average Gain Per Play.......      2.2      6.2
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      3-0      2-0
Penalties: Number-Yards.......     3-26     4-20
PUNTS-YARDS...................    7-266     3-87
  Average Yards Per Punt......     38.0     29.0
  Net Yards Per Punt..........     35.3     12.3
  Inside 20...................        1        0
  50+ Yards...................        0        0
  Touchbacks..................        0        1
  Fair catch..................        1        1
KICKOFFS-YARDS................    2-132    8-535
  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     66.0     66.9
  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     45.5     45.2
  Touchbacks..................        0        0
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.   1-30-0   4-19-0
  Average Per Return..........     30.0      4.8
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD  8-173-0   2-41-0
  Average Per Return..........     21.6     20.5
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..   1-28-0   4-75-1
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0
Possession Time...............    21:55    38:05
  1st Quarter.................     7:06     7:54
  2nd Quarter.................     6:38     8:22
  3rd Quarter.................     4:04    10:56
  4th Quarter.................     4:07    10:53
Third-Down Conversions........  2 of 12  6 of 15
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   0 of 1   1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      1-1      6-7
  Touchdowns..................      1-1      5-7
  Field goals.................      0-1      1-7
Sacks By: Number-Yards........      0-0      1-4
PAT Kicks.....................      1-1      6-6
Field Goals...................      0-0      1-1

Football notes:  

1) Alabama is the #1 team in the nation by a mile, Oklahoma friends and family are high on glue if they think they are in the same league as the Tide.  After watching the 38-17 crushing of AR-Kansas, methinks noone is near the southern elephant.   

2) Minny losing to N Dakota State.   Wow.  Ain’t it great the Gophers have a brand new stadium to stink up?

  

Hoops on the Carrier 11-11-11?   

Nice update by Katz/ESPN on the details for hoops on the USS Vincent, though the ES notes the idea first appeared publicly from the ES, when he tossed out a lie in March 2003 about a potential FOOTBALL GAME on an aircraft carrier a full year before any conception of a hoops game on a carrier..

Game Day: ES predicts MSU vs CMU

Central Michigan Chippewas (1-2) at MSU Spartans (2-1)

East Lansing, MI. 12:00 pm.

Rankings:  MSU #23 (USA Today), #26 (AP), #49 (Sagarin).  CMU #114 (Sagarin).

TV:  ESPNU

Weather: 65 degrees, sunny.

Line:  MSU favored by 23

ES pick:  MSU 45, CMU 14.
Stats of the week:  A vicious MSU pass rush collects 5 sacks and 4 turnovers.

Spartans drop to #23, favored by 23 over CMU

So, the Spartans drop to #23 in the USA Today coaches poll, and fall to #26 in the AP media poll. A well earned snubbing by the pundits.   Interestingly enough, the Spartans are also a 23-pt favorite over CMU this upcoming Saturday, as noted by VegasInsider.com.  Ohio State is favored by 16 over Colorado, Illinois by 13 over WMU, JoePa by 29 over EMU, Michigan by 9 over SDSU, Nebraska by 23 1/2 at Wyoming, Indiana  by 7 1/2 at North Texas, and Iowa by 18 over La-Monroe.  Here is the latest USA Today poll :

USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oklahoma (50)	2-0	1463
2	Alabama (4)	3-0	1402
3	LSU (5)	3-0	1373
4	Boise State	2-0	1212
5	Stanford	3-0	1208
6	Oklahoma State	3-0	1126
7	Wisconsin	3-0	1121
8	Texas A&M	2-0	1033
9	Nebraska	3-0	966
10	South Carolina	3-0	876
11	Virginia Tech	3-0	852
12	Arkansas	3-0	851
13	Oregon	2-1	804
14	Florida State	2-1	801
15	Florida	3-0	670
16	West Virginia	3-0	529
17	South Florida	3-0	485
18	Texas	3-0	464
19	Baylor	2-0	391
20	TCU	2-1	310
21	Michigan	3-0	243
22	Clemson	3-0	181
23	Michigan State	2-1	119
24	Georgia Tech	3-0	118
25	North Carolina	3-0	99

• Dropped from rankings: Ohio State 16, Arizona State 18, Auburn 19, Mississippi State 25

• Others receiving votes: Ohio State 92, Illinois 90, Houston 60, Miami (FL) 39, Iowa State 27, Missouri 22, California 21, Penn State 19, Utah 17, Arizona State 16, Auburn 14, San Diego State 14, Florida International 11, Vanderbilt 11, Mississippi State 8, Tennessee 5, Texas Tech 3, Notre Dame 3, Washington 3, Ohio 2, Northwestern 1

CMU Temple not Va Tech. D'oh!

Oops I did it again. Sagarin predicts a Central 1-point win at #59 Temple tonight; not Va Tech. What was I thinkin'? The CMU students pointed it out to me today.... duh.

The world according to Sagarin

OK, Jeff Sagarin was pretty accurate last weekend when it came to MSU and CMU last week. This week? Sagarin ratings predicts a 20 point victory for the Big Green in Ford Field (MSU #34 and FAU #85), while the Chips are a 15 point 'dog tomorrow night at Va Tech (Va Tech #21 and CMU #73).

CMU 33, Hampton 0 - report

Went to the CMU game last night vs. Hampton. Don't let the score, 33-0, fool you. CMU looked awful, they should have led 50-0 at halftime... offense was lethargic. Hampton self-destructed with a snap over the head of the punter that led to a safety, worst punting in history, including several 20 yard punts and one -5 yard punt (yes it went backward), CMU returned the safety kick 80 yards to the 2 yard line, Hampton QB fumbled and lost 35 yards on one sack, etc. Hampton's biggest play, a 60 yard slant pass, was called back due to an illegal formation. Hampton could do nothing right. CMU's average field position in the first half was about the Hampton 15 yard line... there were few sustained drives by CMU when they did have to go a distance, several missed field goals. New QB for CMU has no touch on his throws unlike Dan The Fever...

Central plays preseason MAC favorite Temple in Philly next week. Too many mistakes by CMU on offense, and nothing impressive. Put your money on Temple, unless Dan Enos can create a miracle in a week.

Enos named CMU coach. MSU -7 1/2 over Minny

How 'bout that? Dan Enos (center right) is the next head football coach at Central Michigan University. Enos was the RB coach and previously the QB coach at Michigan State; and was the last Spartan QB to lead the school to a Big Ten championship. How will it affect Michigan State? In the upcoming heralded class, Enos was the lead recruiter for Joe Boisture, Taylor Calero, William Gholston, Mylan Hicks, Nick Hill, Jeremy Langford, and Tony Lippett. Who will replace his fire as lead recruiter next year, who has the Spartan blood to sell the program? Further, next year, Michigan State will try to again inch itself into the Big Ten's upper tier -- ESPN makes very good note of the fact that Ohio State, Iowa, Wisconsin, and Joe Pa return an intact core and will be tough to jump on the leaderboard. Clearly, Enos is a good coach - as we saw his skill with both Ed Baker and Larry Caper coming on as the season progressed. Could be worse - we could be scUM or ND.

Spartan Hoops?
Michigan State is an early 7 1/2 point favorite over Minny tomorrow night at the Brezlin. Sparty will win that and improve to 4-0, rolling as the season moves on...

Dan Enos to CMU?

Interesting post on the ES message board; one individual reports that Dan Enos has interviewed to be the head coach at Central Michigan University. Enos is the running back's coach at Michigan State and one of the team's best recruiters. He was a quarterback at Michigan State at the end of our last glory years under George Perles; he helped lead the Big Green to its last conference title about 400 years ago (ok, back in 1990, which is 20 years ago).

As you know, Brian Kelly left GVSU for CMU, and then left CMU for Cincinnati, and then left Cincy for ND. When he left CMU for Cincy, the Chips hired Butch Jones. Jones just left for Cincy to fill Kelly's vacancy. So, will Enos be the next head Chippewa?

Yes, it would be a good pick by the Chips and a tough loss for MSU.

Michigan State defense: "is it soft?"

A few more thoughts on Michigan State heading into South Bend.

If (yes, "if") Michigan State had defeated CMU, likely there wouldn't be the amount of skepticism over the Spartans as there is currently. The Chips had the better game and deserved to win; but, they needed an onside kick recovery, soft Spartan defense, and a penalty to give them another shot at the winning FG. Let's be honest: if MSU wins, maybe ND would be favored by 3 or 4, but not by 11. That's a TD difference, and the Spartans only lost by two -- this doesn't add up. Furthermore, if I remember correctly, this is a ND team that was 7-6 last year that lost to an improved, but not invincible, 3-9 Michigan team from a year ago: that game last week wasn't USC vs Ohio State: it was a hype-fest of two "storied" programs both of which have coaches on the hot-seat.

As stated earlier, I think the CMU game was our first real game of the year; we didn't learn anything vs Montana State. Now, this week, is where MSU needs to make its biggest improvement; and it has the talent to do it. When folks state the Spartan defense is "soft," at this point I'm not buying it as the m.o. for the team -- with an experienced defense, expect them to play far better... which should be an improvement over last year. It was soft (vs CMU), not is soft (I hope). Don't get me wrong, the Spartan defense didn't play up to expectations... but D-ccordinator Pat Narduzzi needs to cut them loose and Lefevour had a solid game experience the week before (at Arizona) to adjust and improve for the trip to Michigan State. Against ND, the ES expects a tenacious Spartan defense that will play better - the Spartans gave up 7 points to ND last year (both teams with roughly the same players)... and y'all think we'll give up 30 this week? ???

The Spartan offense should be the major concern: can a team (ND) giving up 170 yards a game on the ground stop a rushing game (MSU) that has been relatively ineffective (3.4 ypc against CMU)? Can the O-line open a few holes, and can the RBs hit them for some gains and take some pressure off Cousins/Nichol? Can the O-line keep the ND defensive pressure at bay, and if not, can the offense better use its talented TEs and drop the ball to RBs in the flat (unlike last week)? Having Mark Dell and Joel Nitchman back are huge pluses... and hopefully MSU can stretch the field a bit more with its wideouts. They just need to hang on to the damn ball.

That said, this game really is in the coaches hands as far as how they handle their game plan for the Irish and focus this team to play how they are expected to play. Playing ND this week is perfect: we need to see how the Doctor handles adversity, and he's got it right in his face. The ES says, BRING IT ON!

SPARTAN PLAYERS MEETING
The ES doesn't read a whole lot into the Spartans having a players-only "team meeting" following the CMU debacle. That's all fine and dandy, and if that is how the captains determine they want to focus this team, then so be it. But, it isn't a panacea - rather it just shows that the players are taking ownership of the situation. They still need to block better, tackle better, catch better, and run better. A player's meeting won't fix that; but practice and focus will.

Dantonio presser: "you have to get hits on the quarterback"

Some important takes from Dantonio as we head down to kick the Leprechaun's smelly tail...

On the Spartan Defense: "It's important for our defense to get back on track. If you look at this past week, we didn't pressure CMU enough. We couldn't get there, whatever the case was, but we didn't hit the quarterback enough. If you're going to affect the quarterback, you got to hit him more. You've got to do more in coverage. Whatever it is, you have to get hits on the quarterback. So that will be important. I'm sure we'll see screens. I'm sure we'll see all the things that they do."

On Trenton Robinson getting the starting nod at safety over Danny Fortener: "Trenton had an outstanding spring. He makes a lot of plays. He came into camp, a little short on experience. We went with the other guy because of the experience. I don't think Danny Fortener has played badly, it's Trenton has played very well and has been very active. I think he had seven solo tackles and three assists on Saturday. He's an active football player, and he combines speed with that activity."

About the Spartan OL: "Some of it can be traced back to experience both on the (right side) offensive line and at running back. I know that Larry Caper cut back one time where he could have stayed on the outside with it, but that's (a lack of) experience. It's also about experience on the offensive line, getting the right guys up there. You've got to stay on your blocks and everything. We only had 56 plays on offense (against Central Michigan). We ran the ball 30 times for 107 yards. Again, we scored 27 points. We didn't turn the ball over. It was more a fact that we didn't get the ball enough. At the end, they took the clock and didn't leave anything left. "

On what to expect out of the Friggin Irish: " Obviously, Coach (Charlie) Weis is an offensive coach, so they will be very fundamentally sound. They're going to throw it up top. That's the nature of what they've done (in the passing game). They go deep a lot, but they've established the running game as well... Clausen is in his third year (as a starter) now, so he's an experienced quarterback. He knows where to go with the ball, and he gets rid of the ball quickly. They're going to throw it deep... Defensively, Notre Dame has six guys back with starting experience. Jon Tenuta is the defensive coordinator. He was at Ohio State before I had arrived there. He's known as a pressure coach, so he's going to pressure. He's going to play an under front predominantly."

Chippewas deserved to beat Spartans, 29-27

Dantonio wants adversity, he just got it. Michigan State was outplayed and, more specifically, outcoached by Central Michigan today, in CMU's surprising 29-27 upset over MSU in East Lansing. CMU deserved to win - today, they were the better team. Period.

Goes to show you what scheduling a DI-AA/FCS team does: nothing. We learned absolutely nothing from playing Montana State last week; if anything, MSU took two huge steps back in its loss today. What we did learn is that the Spartans exposed all their weaknesses vs the Chippewas: an awful offensive line, running backs that would rather dance than run hard, wideouts that have butterfingers, a defensive backfield that has more talk than walk, and a defensive coach that refused to turn his players loose on blitzes late in the game. And, what happened to Greg Jones today? Did someone put a sleeping pill in his gatorade; he made plays early and late, but in the middle of the game, he just kind of disappeared...

There really was only one positive: Kirk Cousins will be the starting QB, as he clearly outplayed a misfiring Keith Nichol for most of the game. Cousins led MSU on its best drive of the game, early in the 4th Quarter - when MSU last had the ball.

Give CMU credit. Now, MSU must play a pissed-off Notre Dame squad.

The ES wishes he was more pissed off - but he's not, because MSU didn't piss this game away; rather, the Spartans were just clearly outplayed all game long. The game ended the way it should have: an onside kick that CMU recovered; the Chips missing a FG, but getting another chance because MSU was offsides. Now THAT is the Same Old Spartans we know and love.

It is extremely disappointing, but this was basically our first game of the year. So, now let's see what improvement we can have now to next week.

Dantonio did NOT have his players nor his coaches ready. Period. They were looking ahead and should be ashamed of themselves. It's too bad.

Live Chat: MSU vs CMU

ES prediction: MSU 34, CMU 15 (half: MSU 17, CMU 7).
ES updates from the game as tweets (in right column).
Freep: MSU 34, CMU 17. MLive: MSU 38, CMU 20.

More MSU-CMU Previews, I-496, The Sad Story of Hubert Thompson, Hockey Cheer Axed

More previews of the Michigan State - Central Michigan contest (see the previous post as well): College Football Network/Scout (MSU 37-13), SpartyMSU (MSU 34-6), ESPN/Adam Rittenberg (MSU 37-17).

Also note: if you are coming to the game on I-496... well, MDOT says it's best to avoid it: "Motorists going to the Michigan State University football game in East Lansing on Saturday, Sept. 12, or motorists commuting into Lansing on Monday morning are strongly encouraged to seek an alternate route to their destination. Alternate routes include I-69 to US-127 to I-496, I-96 to US-127, and M-43 (Saginaw Street)." MDOT = dummies.

HUBERT THOMPSON RULED INSANE

Here's a strange, sad story out of Illinois about former Spartan gridder Hubert Thompson (pictured at right): "An Illinois judge on Thursday ruled Hubert D. Thompson was insane when he hurled 66-year-old James Malone to his death March 30, 2007. Thompson will be confined to a high-security state mental institution and receive treatment."

You may recall Thompson playing for MSU in the 2000 Citrus Bowl -- actually, being ejected from the game for fighting with a Florida offensive lineman. According to the AP, Thompson also attended a New Orleans Saints mini-camp, "but was cut for starting a fight over use of an exercise bike." Going back to the archives, you wonder if you can make a correlation of his mental state with his academic troubles as an underprepared student. In a 1998 press release, Thompson was ineligible to play for the Spartans in 1998 because he "did not meet the NCAA's satisfactory academic progress requirement for eligibility and competition."

NO MORE HOCKEY CHEER

Finally, the ES wants to say "Thank you idiots" to the students the last 10 years who decided to yell "Fuck (opponent)" before "Let's Go State" when the band played the MSU Hockey Cheer. So now, MSU administrators have eliminated it. Michigan State admins have been warning for years that the day will come for changes to be made in order to produce a little more civility at football games. Hey, the ES is all for a good time, but I've heard plenty of complaints about this and it is unnecessary. So, this was an easy decision - just eliminate it and play another song. Now, the hockey cheer is GONE. Thanks. My guess: give it 4-5 years, and when the next generation of students comes in, no students will remember and maybe MSU admins will bring the Hockey Cheer back. Sigh.

ES Game Day Preview: Michigan State 34, Central Michigan 15.

Central Michigan (0-1, #84 Sagarin) at Michigan State (1-0, #43 Sagarin, #26 USA Today).

Saturday, September 12. 12 pm noon EST.
TV: ESPN 2 (Biased analysis? Color commentary by former CMU linebacker Ray Bentley).
Weather: 76, sunny.

Injuries: Michigan State — DE Kevin Pickelman (leg), probable; WR Mark Dell (shoulder), probable; C Joel Nitchman (knee), questionable. Central Michigan — none.

ES predicts Michigan State 34, CMU 15. MVP of the game: Greg Jones. Why? MSU will see a tight game in the first half, and the Chippewa passing offense will be more determined to be efficient and produce points this week. It will be Jones mirroring LeFevour and constant pressure, putting a hard hat on his running ability as the game goes on to force three-and-outs and allow MSU's offense chances to pull away. Halftime Score: MSU 17, CMU 7.

Game Day Analysis on CMU: USA Today, Bleacher Report (MSU 38-14), CM Life, Best Damn Poll (MSU 35-20).

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

Roster update for MSU vs CMU

As of Wednesday morning, there are no changes in the depth chart from the season opener vs. Montana State to this weekend's contest against Central Michigan. Doctor Mark Dantonio stated the quarterback situation as a "status quo," though certainly the coaches hinted that Cousins was a little more efficient with his arm, via accuracy and strength, than Kirk Cousins. ES says expect Cousins to start again but both with plenty of playing time. As for Joel Nitchman, coach stated he was " day to day" with a sprained knee. But, it seems as if he is probable to doubtful, "He may not be able to practice much this week, but he may be able to be an emergency guy or he may not. We'll see on that." ES says watch for junior John Stipek and redshirt frosh Ethan Ruhland to step in.

Kickoff is set for noon, with the game on ESPN2. Temperature for now is forecast for 76 degrees and sunny.

Michigan State favored by 15 over CMU

Out of Leroy's Casino in Las Vegas, the MSU Spartans are an early 15-point favorite over CMU in next week's game in Spartan Stadium. NOTE: Less than 1,000 tickets remain for the game - it will likely sell out this week, so get your tickets over at msuspartans.com.

Joe Pa is favored by 28 at home over Syracuse; Northwestern is favored by 18 at home over EMU; Iowa is favored by 7 at Iowa State; Wisconsin is favored by 9.5 at home over Fresno State; Minnesota is favored by 5 at home over Air Force; Indiana is favored by 1 at home over WMU... The Big Ten underdogs in week 2? Notre Dame is favored by 5 at scUM; Purdue is a 10 point underdog at Oregon. FYI - Illinois plays out of the Division, hosting FCS team Illinois State this week, and no line is posted.

National statistical comparison of Michigan State after week 1:

Category	MSU Rank	Actual	National Leader	Actual	Conf Rank	Big Ten Conference Leader	Actual
Rushing Offense	47	175.00	Air Force	474.00	4	Purdue	315.00
Passing Offense	17	318.00	Arkansas	447.00	3	Penn St.	379.00
Total Offense	25	493.00	Tennessee	657.00	3	Purdue	535.00
Scoring Offense	20	44.00	Air Force	72.00	3	Purdue	52.00
Rushing Defense	22	62.00	Arizona St.	-5.00	3	Penn St.	28.00
Pass Efficiency Defense	24	81.66	Arizona St.	22.64	1	Michigan St.	81.66
Total Defense	14	160.00	Arizona St.	37.00	1	Michigan St.	160.00
Scoring Defense	10	3.00	Boston College	.00	1	Michigan St.	3.00
Net Punting	2	51.50	La.-Lafayette	53.00	1	Michigan St.	51.50
Punt Returns	32	11.60	SMU	79.00	3	Purdue	30.00
Kickoff Returns	87	17.00	Florida	65.50	10	Minnesota	28.00
Turnover Margin	T-43	.00	Arizona St.	5.00	4	Michigan	2.00
Pass Defense	12	98.00	Eastern Mich.	8.00	1	Michigan St.	98.00
Passing Efficiency	21	177.76	Notre Dame	290.44	2	Northwestern	179.41
Sacks	T-17	3.00	California	6.00	3	Indiana	4.00
Tackles For Loss	71	4.00	Southern California	16.00	10	Penn St.	13.00
Sacks Allowed	T-1	.00	Pittsburgh	.00	1	Michigan	.00
T=tied at this ranking

Individually, Greg Jones is 5th nationally in tackles per game at 14; Kirk Cousins is 6th in passing efficiency at 207.48; Blair White is 7th in receiving yards per game at 162 ypg; Keith Nichol is 35th in passing efficiency at 149.67...

Our next opponent: CMU falls 19-6 to Arizona

Our next opponent, Central Michigan, and their "scary" high-octane offense put up a measly 6 points at Arizona yesterday in a 19-6 loss. Dan LeFevour was just 13-18-1-108... just 108 yards passing??? Arizona outrushed CMU 246 yards to 74 yards and total offense was well in favor of the Wildcats, 448-182. And, Arizona isn't exactly in MSU's caliber. The game was delayed 43 minutes by lightening, maybe that had something to do with CMU's poor performance. HAHAHA.

Preview: Central Michigan Chippewas (Sept. 12). It's Lefevour Dammit!

(7 Aug 2009)--The ES has his master's degree from on up the road, at Central Michigan University. Fond memories of the Chips and some of the football games I've witnessed (although they sucked when I was there in 1996-1999). So, I searched the 'net and found a blog at MLive.com, with their resident blogger for CMU, Kyle Warber, who now lives in Pittsburgh, PA. Read his Fire Up Chips! by Kyle @ MLIVE. A few notes from the ES after each question... but a big THANKS - ES will likely make it up to Mt. Pleasant for a game this year... and, it IS LEFEVOUR, although I prefer Dan Le "Dr. Johnny" Fever.

1. As a Spartan football fan, we kind of think of CMU as the stray dog that won’t go away… sure you can kick their can most of the time, but every once in awhile they might be vicious (’91 & ’92). Matter of fact, until Appalachian State silented the scUM nation, our losses to CMU were seen as the whipping post by scUM fans about MSU. So, yeah, the stray dog analogy seems to fit. How do the Chips feel about the Spartans?

Like most residents of Michigan, the majority of CMU fans also follow U-of-M football so seeing any green in Mt. Pleasant is an anomaly.

Speaking as a fan who follows the football team very closely, it gets annoying when you guys poach one of our recruits like you did with Kevin Pickelman and Zach Hueter, then Mark Dantonio goes on the Huge Show and preaches about the sanctity of his recruiting tactics – he is as shady as they come.

Last year however all of our commitments held fast, even after MSU offers to Will Scwarz late in the game (stuck with CMU) and come-ons to Adam Fenton and Cody Pettit (stuck with CMU).

Personally I would just like to attend a regular season game MSU wins…I rooted for MSU against Notre Dame in 2006, in the rain, only to have defeat snatched from the jaws of victory. This is a true story, as all the fans are leaving the stadium in the rain, a kid I know who attends MSU yells to me across the departing crowd: “Now you know what it’s like to be a Spartan.”

ES: LOL re: "poaching." Dantonio is nasty. As for scUM - while up there, in all honesty, I can't remember meeting any Michigan fans, and have many MSU fans still up at Mt. Pleasant... so I argue Kyle's fandom argument... different crowds, obviously.

2. OK, let’s be real. If Dan Lefevre played a 10-game Big Ten schedule, he’d have a 40% completion mark, more INTs than TDs, and maybe 2,000 passing yards, and not even 500 rushing yards. Actually, he’d never finish a season – he’d be broken in two. Don’t you think?

Dan Lefevour is statistically better than any QB MSU has had this decade. Dan Lefevour will play in the NFL next year, not just hold a clip board for the Lions and do the night shift at Tim Hortons like Drew Staton.

Just compare the best mutual team we played last year when Brian Hoyer was your QB. Brian Hoyer throws one interception and no touchdowns against Georgia. Dan Lefevour throws 2 touchdowns. Now if MSU has more talent, why couldn’t Brian find the endzone?

ES: OK, dodging the question a bit here (it could have been better stated... but we'll go in your direction. Yes, let's compare. MSU lost to Georgia 24-12 (-12), and CMU lost 56-17 (-39). MSU didn't have more talent than Georgia, and Hoyer certainly wasn't that great of a QB -- not as good as Lefevour. But, alas, it is a team game, which is why MSU was in the Citrus Bowl with a 9-3 record, and why CMU was in the Motor City Bowl with an 8-5 record.

3. So, how many Chippewa fans are in Pittsburgh, or anywhere else in Pennsylvania for that matter?

ES: Kyle passed on this.

4. Why should the Big Green be scared of the Chips?

We have the best QB you will face all year, our D-line is better than yours, and you can’t cover Antonio Brown.

But forget what I just said, I think you guys should really be focused on Notre Dame. Don’t worry about us, we are just a tune up game for a “real team.”

5. History quiz: How many on the CMU roster went to East Lansing to witness the last time CMU beat MSU?

Your question doesn’t make sense, even on a rhetorical level…the last time we played was 2004 and nobody, from either teams current roster, was at that game.

ES: I threw you a bone, bummer, didn't read between the lines... but you made up for it with your excellent skinny elsewhere.

6. How is your offense? Who is good and who isn’t? Can you give Lefevre time to pass? Is your running game worth a damn?

You spelled Lefevours name wrong again. Our offense ranks ahead of MSU’s in every category so take every MSU starter on offense…make them better…and you have the CMU offense you will face.

7. What’s more impressive? The International Bowl or the Outback Bowl?

I would say the Citrus Bowl and the Silicon Valley Bowl….the only bowl games in 20 years that MSU has won. My parents live in Fresno and I was at the Silicon Valley Bowl, and there were 25 Michigan State fans and 45,000 Fresno State fans.

8. Who would you rather beat in any given year: MSU or WMU?

Since we have beaten both before…I will say both.

9. Since you will be using your kickers most of the game against MSU, are they any good? Why or why not? Do you have any trickery in that special teams bag?

Yes, we will be kicking-off most of the game.

10. Do you think MSU is any good? How good (in the Big Ten)?

I think MSU will be good enough to sneak into the Motor City Bowl before losing to the Ohio, Bobcats.

11. How good is CMU? If they were to play in the Big Ten this year, where would they end up (First #1 to Last #12)?

You compare everything to the Big 10, when the Big 10 is the worst BCS conference. How would MSU finish in the PAC 10, SEC, or Big 12?

ES: Answering a question with a question... But, I'll answer yours... MSU would finish 3rd Pac-10, 5th SEC, 4th Big 12, oh, and 1st MAC.

12. Defense wins championships; Big Ten and national championships anyways. How’s your defense – is it offensive? Who is good and who isn’t? Can you stop a mobile/option quarterback?

Why would a Michigan State fan be talking about Championships? That is a party foul…go drink.

ES: And he dodges the question again, like Lefevour dancing around a sack.

13. How many games do you get back to watch? How do you follow the Chips from afar – the MAC Network?

ES: Unanswered.

14. Bar question: It’s a post-game, late night atmosphere. Your choice - The Blackstone or The Green Spot. Why?

Okelly’s is the place in Mt. Pleasant, but if I wanted to smoke crack with Jeff Smoker it hit up an abandoned car behind Cedar Village.

15. Will you be coming down to EL to watch the Green spanking Lefevre?

I will be on the sidelines wearing a shirt that says: “I beat Charles Rodgers in the 40 yard dash and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt”

16. By the way, did you know this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Myron_LeFever

Sorry, I can’t bail you out anymore on how his name is spelled, your going to have to workshop this interview at LCC.

17. Your prediction?

The refs take away our touchdown in the 4th quarter and MSU wins 21 - 17.