Tag: Michigan State Football

Locked On Spartans Podcast: Cassius Winston is special

Michigan State takes down Charleston Southern

Wil and Matt talk about MSU beating Charleston Southern, even though neither of them saw the game. Then they talk about Cassius Winston addressing the Breslin Center crowd after the game.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Michigan State Football falls to no. 72 in latest USA TODAY NCAA 1-130 re-rank

MSU continues to fall in USA TODAY’s 1-130 NCAA re-rank after their huge loss to Michigan Saturday.

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Do you guys remember when Michigan State Football was still hanging around in the top-25 in the NCAA? Well, it’s been well over a month since MSU’s last win and that has led them to continue their catastrophic fall down almost every conceivable type of college football rankings. That includes the USA TODAY 1-130 NCAA re-rank, where MSU has fallen three more spots to number 72.

After losing to Illinois, MSU tumbled to number 69. After getting beatdown by Michigan they are now 72. A win versus Rutgers this weekend probably won’t do much more than stop the bleeding for now.

Not much more to say on this right now aside from it just being incredibly depressing for us diehard fans.

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Michigan State continues fall down ESPN’s SP+ College Football Rankings, now no. 40 after U of M loss

Michigan State fell another five spots in the ESPN SP+ College Football Rankings after receiving a beatdown at the hands of Michigan.

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Michigan State Football hasn’t won a football game since late September and their poor play has led to their continued fall from grace in the eyes of the ESPN SP+ College Football Rankings. After their big loss to Michigan on Saturday, they fell five spots down to number 40 overall.

Their defense, which is still respected in the rankings, has finally started to slip and is now ranked down at number 17. The offense is rightfully ranked down at number 84 and perhaps the biggest disappointment of the season is the special teams unit, which is now ranked at 111th out of 130 teams due to continued struggles on both punts and field goals.

Michigan State will try to rebound this Saturday against Rutgers.

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Michigan State Football stuck at no. 9 in latest Big Ten Power Rankings after loss to U of M

Michigan State is ranked all the way down at number 9 in the Detroit Free Press’ latest Big Ten Power Rankings after their big loss to Michigan.

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I could take the Wisconsin loss. I dealt with the Ohio State loss. The Penn State loss? Still coping but I was getting through it. Losing to Michigan? Nope. Cannot handle it. Absolute despair is being inflicted on my fandom. Michigan State’s loss to in-state rival U of M not only crushed the fanbase, it will also cement MSU as one of the teams at the bottom of the Big Ten Power Rankings from the Detroit Free Press, where they are currently stuck at number 9.

Here is what the Free Press said about the Spartans:

“There was a time this season when Michigan State was ranked. Hard to believe, right? Spartans haven’t won since late September, and in many of their recent games they haven’t been competitive. Take for instance Michigan State’s 44-10 loss to Michigan last Saturday. That one turned ugly – much like the mess Mark Dantonio’s program has become.”

Yikes.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: A sad sandwich: Seton Hall, Michigan, Charleston Southern

Wil and Matt talk about the weekend that was for MSU sports

Fresh off a busy sports weekend Wil and Matt make a sad sandwich with happy, sad, and happy segments in that order.

  1. Seton Hall.
  2. Michigan
  3. Charleston Southern

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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Michigan State Football opens week as massive favorite over Rutgers

The Michigan State Football season has been going through an epic rough patch the last month and a half or so, so Michigan State is probably due for a win, right? Vegas thinks MSU will be the winner against Rutgers Saturday and has them at 23-point …

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The Michigan State Football season has been going through an epic rough patch the last month and a half or so, so Michigan State is probably due for a win, right? Vegas thinks MSU will be the winner against Rutgers Saturday and has them at 23-point favorites over the Scarlet Knights.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 11/18/2019 at 10:20 a.m. ET.

If Michigan State can’t get past lowly Rutgers, I don’t know what to tell you guys.

“Want to get in on the action? Place your bet now at BetMGM.” 

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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MSU Football’s blowout loss to Michigan: Three Key Takeaways

Michigan State football suffered an incredibly tragic defeat at the hands of Michigan, 44-10. Here are three key takeaways from this game

Michigan State Football suffered an a horrific loss at the hands of interstate rival Michigan, 44-10. The Spartans kept it relatively close at first, but, the Wolverines took over in the third quarter. This lead to a landslide victory for the University of Michigan.

Here are three key takeaways from this game:

Paradigm Shift

Remember the start of this season? When Mark Dantonio surpassed Hugh Daugherty as the most winningest coach in Spartan history. Those days now seem long gone. Nearly every Michigan State fan has turned on Dantonio.

There are certain fans that want Dantonio to retire, others want Dantonio to be fired. Does it have to be this way? I understand the frustration. He had a chance to clean house in the offseason and start fresh but did not do so. Does his success not warrant any good faith from fans?

It is possible to chalk up this season to the coordinator staff, injuries, and lack of talent. The Ohio State loss clearly displayed the disparity in talent between the Buckeyes and the Spartans. The offensive line is absolutely depleted and Joe Bachie is suspended. WR Darrell Stewart went down with an injury just as WR CJ Hayes came back.

I know it is easy to succumb to frustration, but, coaching decisions must be backed by logic and rational thoughts. Do not think about just the present, instead consider the future. Who will replace Dantonio? Are they a better coach? If not, then you set yourself up for failure by firing him.

The Rivalry Is Strong

Michigan and Michigan State offer up one of the most heated rivalries in all of sports. The players do not like each other, the fans do not like each other. This was on full display yesterday. The game started out chippy and it only grew from there.

Later in the game, Jacub Panasiuk hit Shea Patterson late and was flagged for roughing the passer. The referees ejected Panasiuk from the game for this hit. No doubt this was the culmination of frustration for Michigan State.

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In between the chippy play, there were celebrations galore. Cody White was flagged for taunting after a nice catch over a Michigan defender. On the other hand, Michigan WR Tarik Black was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct after flexing on Josh Butler. This rivalry has not taken a step back whatsoever.

Curtain Call For Brian Lewerke

I’ve spent almost all year defending Brian Lewerke. Last week, I gave this up. I cannot do this anymore. Lewerke is not a terrible QB, but, he is certainly not a winning QB. He had an absolutely horrendous outing against the Wolverines.

Michigan QB Shea Patterson won the QB duel yesterday against Lewerke. Patterson dropped 384 yards, completing 24 of his 33 pass attempts. This lead to Patterson throwing four touchdown passes, three more than Lewerke. Brian only put up 166 yards, completing 17 of his 30 attempts.

It is not easy to bench a senior QB and maybe that won’t even happen. Personally, I think it’s time for Rocky Lombardi and Theo Day to get some snaps. Especially late in a blowout game. These reps can help shape the offseason perspective and QB scenario moving forward. It’s time to think about the future.

Michigan State football travels to SHI Stadium to play against Rutgers University on Nov. 23. The game starts at 12:00 P.M.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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MSU Football crushed by Michigan 44-10: Twitter Reactions

MSU football was absolutely pummeled by the Michigan Wolverines, 44-10. Here are a handful of Twitter reactions to this game.

Well, here we are. The worst possible outcome of the MSU vs. Michigan game is now a reality. Michigan absolutely pummeled Michigan State, 44-10. The game was close for less than one quarter before the Spartans lost control. Shea Patterson and the Michigan offense carved up Michigan State’s defense.

Here are a handful of Twitter reactions to this game:

Michigan State faces Rutgers next Saturday on Nov. 23. The game starts at 12 P.M. and you can catch all of the action on FS1.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for more football coverage to come.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: Michigan vs. Michigan State preview

Previewing Michigan State vs. Michigan

Matt is back! Wil and Matt talk about MSU vs. Michigan of course. They talk about how MSU can possibly win this game and why Jim Harbaugh is the most reliable coach in college football.

You can find the episode on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcasts.

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What Michigan State is saying about Michigan before their matchup

Michigan football takes on Michigan State this week, check out what the Spartan’s have been saying about the Wolverines before Saturday.

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Last year before the Michigan vs. Michigan State game, MSU had its players walk together with their arms locked down the field, and an altercation happened between them and former Michigan linebacker Devin Bush, and current linebacker Josh Uche as MSU head coach Mark Dantonio was seen smiling as it happened.

There was lots of talk after the game about the incident and both sides took jabs at one another. This year though, the talk has been quiet and quite respectful from both ends. Dantonio even said Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh was a Hall of Fame football coach. While Harbaugh praised Dantonio with his way of motivating players.

Besides saying Harbaugh is a Hall of Fame head coach, Dantonio had more to say about him and the Michigan football team.

“I think he does a great job,” Dantonio said. “I think he’s truly committed to every single play on the football field. He’s going to think outside the box. … You have seen him do different things in the past that create adjustments for you, and then you’re going to have to adjust within that football game. Is extremely competitive, intense. But you know, I think most coaches are.”

There hasn’t been much trash talk between the two schools this year, as both schools seem to want to move on from last year’s antics.

“I’ve chosen just to try and be respectful towards the rivalry and I sort of take the high road,” Dantonio said. “And, I think our players have tried to do that, as well. I’m sure there’s something going on always, but that’s the nature of this game a little bit too.”

Dantonio knows how intense the rivalry is between the two schools and how much the Spartans build it up in East Lansing.

“You’re going to compete against them in everything that we do, whether it’s recruits in the state or everything on the field, or on the basketball court or whatever it is, the hockey rink,” Dantonio said. “It’s the way this is built here.”

The players even know it as safety David Dowell added to what Dantonio had to say about the Wolverines.

“The one thing we talk about, even in the offseason, is do something every day to beat Michigan,” Dowell said.

Quarterback Brian Lewerke also spoke about the Wolverines as he’s played them three times already, and has been on both sides of the spectrum.

“Every game has had its ups and downs,” Lewerke said. “We’ve had games where we played well and games where we played bad and you kind of take what each gives you, I guess, and try and play well every time you go into the game.”

“It probably wasn’t until the first time I played back in ’16,” Lewerke said. “In ’15 I wasn’t part of that crazy game. I didn’t travel and didn’t really play in it, so I wasn’t really quite sure yet. But the first time you get game experience, that’s when it really hits you.”

Lewerke wants to finish his career with a winning record against Michigan, as he is 2-2 during his time in East Lansing.

“Obviously, a win would be incredible,” Lewerke said. “I’m sure that’s what everyone in our senior class would say coming into the last one. So that’s what we want to be able to do is get a win.”

Michigan takes on Michigan State at noon on Saturday in Ann Arbor and the game will be broadcasted on FOX.

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