Well another week has gone by. And there are some truths this week out of college football. Truth one, Michigan had a bye week. Truth two, I wish the NHL wasn't locked out.
-I watched the Penn State game at a Penn State bar here. The Penn State defense looks solid enough. They had no problem locking down Nathan Scheelhaase. Mike Mauti is the best defender in the B1G. He is a game changing line backer, able to stop the run, track down scrambling quarterbacks, and cover receivers. Along with that, Allen Robinson is the type of receiver every B1G team wishes they had. He can get up and grab the ball in the air - once he has it, Robinson has no problem making defenders miss in the open. I have watched a lot of Penn State this year they look solid.
-For the Wisconsin/Nebraska game, I was not really sure what to make of that. Montee Ball had 90 yards and 3 touchdowns but it took 32 carries to achieve that. The defense as a whole for Wisconsin looked really poor. Does that mean that the Nebraska offense is really potent? They are no slouches that's for sure. Martinez out rushed Ball and Burkhead had 86 yards on only 18 carries.
-Finally, MSU vs. OSU. There were some positives to take away from this game. The first is that the defense played really, they got some takeaways from a very good team. They were hold Ohio State to long spurts with little offense. The passing game made some strides as well. Lippett did not look totally lost, Maxwell did not turn the ball over and Kings could be developing into a stud receiver. Of course there were some real negatives as well. The running game was non existent. With that, the offensive line looks really weak as well. Travis Jackson broke his leg and will miss the remaining of the season. Coupled with the fact that Fou Fonoti is also gone for what should be most or all of the year and suddenly the offensive line is our weakest part of the team. With the pass game making some strides, they also continued to drop really easy passes. Fowler is not getting it done, the drops appear to be in his head.
I was a bit disappointed that we lost this game. There was no reason to lose it. As my preview pinted out, we just need to score points. 16 wont win you a lot of games. Of course there was also the Miller fumble that looked like a sure fumble recovery to touchdown. Instead of getting 7 points, we settled for 3. What a game changer that was.
I know a lot of people think my previous post was over reacting but when you take our season so far, you can't really count any game at this point as a sure win. Even if our two losses were against ranked teams. More on that tomorrow.
Showing posts with label ohio state. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ohio state. Show all posts
Monday, October 1, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Michigan State vs. Ohio State Prediction
So here we are, another sneaking up on me. The best game in the NCAA is at East Lansing as Ohio State pays the Spartans a visit. Along with that, College Game Day is there out front of Beaumont Tower.
OFFENSE: So what can I say that I have not already? Michigan State knows what it needs to do and that is establish Bell as an offensive threat. Ohio State should come in expecting that and they will want to make MSU a one dimensional team. Because of this, Maxwell will need to continue to be on point. However, the bigger concern will be what the wide receivers can do with that ball. Will they drop it? WIll they fumble it? Will they be able to lay a block for the running game? Look for MSU to try to establish the passing game to let OSU know they can indeed pass it. I expect Sims to have a big game and for one of the wide receivers to step up - just one. This Ohio State defense is the last ranked defense in the B1G right now so MSU needs to get it going, get confidence going early and put points on the board.
DEFENSE: The Spartan defense needs to remain stout. Braxton Miller is a dynamic quarterback with an incredible ability to run the ball. Along with that, his wide receivers have been good, making plays down field, catching ball and creating a space for Braxton to run. To throw him off his game, look for the defense to hide blitzes in an attempt to get their hands on Braxton early and often. From there, containment will be key. Dennard and Adams have had some poor showings lately in the defensive backfield, they will need to bring their A game today. So will the outside linebackers. With Braxton's size and speed, Allen and Norman will be active on the side lines. If MSU can limit the big plays out of Braxton that should go a long way towards defeating the Buckeyes.
The offense really needs to score points. If the defense is on the field all day it will be a long game for the Spartans. Very simply, the offense needs to score. I cant break it down any more than that. With the way things have gone this year for the Spartans I expect a lot of fire out the Spartans especially those from the state of Ohio. Call this one 24-21 MSU
OFFENSE: So what can I say that I have not already? Michigan State knows what it needs to do and that is establish Bell as an offensive threat. Ohio State should come in expecting that and they will want to make MSU a one dimensional team. Because of this, Maxwell will need to continue to be on point. However, the bigger concern will be what the wide receivers can do with that ball. Will they drop it? WIll they fumble it? Will they be able to lay a block for the running game? Look for MSU to try to establish the passing game to let OSU know they can indeed pass it. I expect Sims to have a big game and for one of the wide receivers to step up - just one. This Ohio State defense is the last ranked defense in the B1G right now so MSU needs to get it going, get confidence going early and put points on the board.
DEFENSE: The Spartan defense needs to remain stout. Braxton Miller is a dynamic quarterback with an incredible ability to run the ball. Along with that, his wide receivers have been good, making plays down field, catching ball and creating a space for Braxton to run. To throw him off his game, look for the defense to hide blitzes in an attempt to get their hands on Braxton early and often. From there, containment will be key. Dennard and Adams have had some poor showings lately in the defensive backfield, they will need to bring their A game today. So will the outside linebackers. With Braxton's size and speed, Allen and Norman will be active on the side lines. If MSU can limit the big plays out of Braxton that should go a long way towards defeating the Buckeyes.
The offense really needs to score points. If the defense is on the field all day it will be a long game for the Spartans. Very simply, the offense needs to score. I cant break it down any more than that. With the way things have gone this year for the Spartans I expect a lot of fire out the Spartans especially those from the state of Ohio. Call this one 24-21 MSU
Monday, September 24, 2012
Week 4 Blahs
This is a lot like the dog days of summer. You know that scene in Bruce Almighty where "Bruce" is controlling "Evans" mouth? aslkjdfaosfwjljalsflk sfjsaljfnvlkanfasf
(http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/bruce-almighty-gif)
That is how I am going to describe the MSU performance over EMU. Or as my dad pointed out, the Emu's. Get it? No? It's a play on words.
There was not a lot of positive to take out of it, other than our defense played OK and that Bell and Sims are the only thing keeping us from being 1-3. MSU looks like the 4th best team in the B1G right now. Behind OSU, Northwestern, Nebraska. Penn State might be as good as us as well, they can certainly pass the ball 100% better. Michigan I would put right about next to us as well.
-University of Michigan (no the) did not fair any better than MSU did against Notre Dame. Denard Robinson looked lost (MSU wide receiver level lost). Three of those picks were just plain bad. From what I can tell, Denard had room to scramble more on some of those picks, and maybe should have. Maybe that is the problem with trying to be a "Michigan" quarterback. Just be Denard, the best player in the B1G. Instead of Denard, the less good version of Braxton Miller (I went there). Along with that, the UM line did not live up to what it was once billed to be. That has a lot to do with the Notre Dame front seven being full on legit. Being a mostly outsider looking in on UM, every time I see UM struggle on offense, I think: why don't they just let Denard run the ball and get the juices flowing?
-Seriosuly though, Ohio State? Theye might be the biggest enigma in the B1G even though they appear, right now, to be the best team. For a team that was supposed to have one of the best defenses in the B1G, they love giving up points to wildly inferior opponents. Along with that, the offense is all Braxton. Take away his gashing run plays, and they are much less dynamic. I will break things if MSU loses next week.
-Penn State looked good against Temple. Temple is a solid Big East team (better than Eastern). Allen Robinson, looks like the best wide out in the B1G. McGloin still makes some bone headed passes/attempted passes but seems a lot more accurate when throwing down field. The running game is a bit up in the air right now. However, if the defense finally has turned it on, they could very well win the Leaders.
That was all the B1G I managed to watch.
Did I mention that CBS is ripping off what Pat already wrote? No seriously, Pat wrote this last Thursday. Now if only we could get the readers they do.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Michigan State DT's
I will start off with this story via black shoe diaries Thank the heavens Pat and I are not OSU fans. The second image in the comments is classic.
So here we are. MSU lost an all american defensive tackle in Jerel Worthy and someone who was getting a lot of draft interest before a knee injury in Kevin Pickleman. So where are we now? Your pre season starters are Anthony Rashad White at NT and Tyler Hoover at DT. For the MSU spring game, these two guys were each a senior captain. Tyler missed most of last year with a broken rib (he only played in the first game). Along with not much time played at the position last year; Hoover used to be a DE. I guess the thinking is that Hoover's speed will be a good counter for White's girth.
White is a massive man at 6-2 320. MSU fans may remember him best for blocking the Georgia FG in triple OT at last years bowl game. That is pretty much the bulk of his highlights. White has appeared in numerous games but has played behind Worthy to this point. The scoop on White is that the potential is there, he just needs to keep consistency up. Obviously with that size, he can plug holes in the middle. White will line up at the three technique which is between the guard and tackle.
--With these two, Hoover and White, there should be a lot of switching between positions during games and depending on match-ups. I know the staff wants Hoover to play at the three technique--
The third man on the list and probably the one to keep an eye on the most is James Kittredge. Kitt is a transfer out of Vanderbilt and this is his first year with the Spartans. Kitt will have three years of eligibility remaining for the Spartans. Out of high school, Kitt was a 4 star DT recruit, Vandy flipped him to the offensive line, and that may have lead to him wanting to leave. Here at MSU Kitt will be all DT all the time. People are very excited about this guy. Kitt was the first DT taken at the MSU spring game draft. With only a spring game and a season on the offensive line, there is not a lot to say about Kitt. However, MSU needs him to be a guy that is always playing at a high level. We cannot afford him to have off plays when he is in the game.
From there, MSU has Brandon Clemons (taken number 2 in the spring game draft), Damon Knox and Mark Scarpinto. All three of these guys are red shirt freshmen. Knox was twice named scout team player of the week last year. Most of the praise coming to these three that I have read has been directed toward Clemons. Though with this triad, the future is bright.
PREDICTION
I predict that Kitt will earn a lot of playing time while White and Hoover are both solid at the line. None of these guys are All American caliber. However, the starters are very seasoned and should know what to expect here in the B1G. I do not see a lot of big numbers, but there should be opportunities there because of our DE's (read here on Friday). White should play most to all of the games and should hit 40 tackles. I would say the biggest strength of the MSU DT position is that it is deep. There is a good mix of young and old talent.
So here we are. MSU lost an all american defensive tackle in Jerel Worthy and someone who was getting a lot of draft interest before a knee injury in Kevin Pickleman. So where are we now? Your pre season starters are Anthony Rashad White at NT and Tyler Hoover at DT. For the MSU spring game, these two guys were each a senior captain. Tyler missed most of last year with a broken rib (he only played in the first game). Along with not much time played at the position last year; Hoover used to be a DE. I guess the thinking is that Hoover's speed will be a good counter for White's girth.
White is a massive man at 6-2 320. MSU fans may remember him best for blocking the Georgia FG in triple OT at last years bowl game. That is pretty much the bulk of his highlights. White has appeared in numerous games but has played behind Worthy to this point. The scoop on White is that the potential is there, he just needs to keep consistency up. Obviously with that size, he can plug holes in the middle. White will line up at the three technique which is between the guard and tackle.
--With these two, Hoover and White, there should be a lot of switching between positions during games and depending on match-ups. I know the staff wants Hoover to play at the three technique--
The third man on the list and probably the one to keep an eye on the most is James Kittredge. Kitt is a transfer out of Vanderbilt and this is his first year with the Spartans. Kitt will have three years of eligibility remaining for the Spartans. Out of high school, Kitt was a 4 star DT recruit, Vandy flipped him to the offensive line, and that may have lead to him wanting to leave. Here at MSU Kitt will be all DT all the time. People are very excited about this guy. Kitt was the first DT taken at the MSU spring game draft. With only a spring game and a season on the offensive line, there is not a lot to say about Kitt. However, MSU needs him to be a guy that is always playing at a high level. We cannot afford him to have off plays when he is in the game.
From there, MSU has Brandon Clemons (taken number 2 in the spring game draft), Damon Knox and Mark Scarpinto. All three of these guys are red shirt freshmen. Knox was twice named scout team player of the week last year. Most of the praise coming to these three that I have read has been directed toward Clemons. Though with this triad, the future is bright.
PREDICTION
I predict that Kitt will earn a lot of playing time while White and Hoover are both solid at the line. None of these guys are All American caliber. However, the starters are very seasoned and should know what to expect here in the B1G. I do not see a lot of big numbers, but there should be opportunities there because of our DE's (read here on Friday). White should play most to all of the games and should hit 40 tackles. I would say the biggest strength of the MSU DT position is that it is deep. There is a good mix of young and old talent.
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