Saturday Wrap-Up

After watching MSU lose big to Ohio State and Penn State, I have cme to the conclusion that there is a HUGE gap in talent from OSU and PSU to the rest of the Big Ten. Iowa beating Penn State was a big fluke. MSU was just slower than PSU and more thletic on the line. PSU protected Daryll Clark extremely well which led to great passes, and ultamately touchdowns. Another key factor was Penn State stopping the run, Javon could barley break the line of scrimmage. Penn State forced MSU to air it out. This is when Hoyer needed to step up and be the Senior leader, but he overthrew a lot of players and did not let his receivers try to make a play. One of the bright spots wa MLB Greg Jones. HE had 15 total tackles and currently leads the team in tackles with 115 tackles. The great thing is that he is only a sophmore. He is one of the many underclassmen that I see will help MSU is the next few years. With Coach D, MSU success will not end this year. Another thing I liked was Coach Dantonio calling his last two timeouts at the end of the game in retaliation to Penn State throwing the ball deep when the game was already out of hand. Some can argue that it was unsportsman-like, but wasn't PSU throwing it deep unsportsman-like? I thought it kind of loosend up the players let them think back on what a great season they had.

Even though MSU did not end their regular season on a high note, they still have a great bowl game to look forward to. They are projected to either play Georgia in the Capital One Bowl on January 1st, or South Carolina on January 1st. Personally, I hope they play South Carolina because I can't see MSU beating Georgia, but, you never know! The good thing is that both games are in Florida, a nice and warm place. I hope Spartan fans will travel down to support their team. They had a great season and they deserve our support.

Michigan State Basketball

MSU opened up their Men's Basketball season with a 100-62 blowout over Idaho. Chris Allen led the scoring with 21 points, 13 of which were in the second half. MSU looked like a new team from last year. They looked a lot faster than last year with some help with freshman Korie Lucious. With Lucious and Kalin Lucas in the backcourt, the Spartans boast the fastest backcourt in the Big Ten and possibly in the country. I know Idaho is not a good team, but MSU put up 100 on the board, the first time in 20 years the Vandals have given up 100. Their next real test will be on November 28th when they will most likely play Gonzaga. Then on December 3rd they have their big game against number 1 North Carolina. For the full MSU Men's Basketball schedule go to http://msuspartans.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/sched/msu-m-baskbl-sched.html .

BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP

This weekend, MSU will travel to Happy Valley to try and capture a share of the Big Ten Championship for the first time in 18 years. It won't be easy though. The Spartans will line up against the 8th ranked Nittany Lions. MSU's chances looked slim untill the unranked Iowa Hawkeyes upset PSU with a last-second field goal. For MSU to come out with a W, Brian Hoyer needs to have a great game. With the Nittnay Lions keying off the run with Javon Ringer, play-action passes should work. MSU's receivers need to catch the ball to help out Hoyer. Two weeks ago the receivers dropped at least 4 passes. The Defense needs to come out on fire like they did against Purdue. PSU has a high powered spread offence, but if the defensive line can put pressure on Daryll Clark and force him to make bad throws, I think the secondary will come up with some big plays. The D just needs to hold PSU to little points and give the offense time to make some plays. The bye week will do wonders for MSU, especially for Otis Wiley who is nursing a bum knee. MSU should be at almost full health this week.

Ringer for Heisman?

Last Saturday was another amazing day for Javon Ringer. He carried the ball a career high 44 times, racking up 198 rushing yards and added 1 touchdown. His 12 touchdowns on the season is the nations best.

The Heisman hype has already started in East Lansing. Ringer has performed at a high-level against decent opponents, not just tearing up inferior teams. If Ringer keeps it up, especially the amount of carries, he will have a legitimate chance to be invited to New York. Unfortunately, the quarterback play in the Big XII hurts Ringers chances. Chase Daniel and Sam Bradford are both playing unbelievably. If Javon has huge games against big time opponents, he might be recognized as the best player in the nation.