Tag: Michigan State Football

Great Wisconsin moments of the 2010s: 2016 Michigan State

2016 Wisconsin-Michigan State

The 2016 season wasn’t as great as the 2017 season for the Wisconsin Badgers football program, but it was loaded with great moments. The season-opening win over LSU was immensely satisfying and validating. The season-ending Cotton Bowl win might have come against Western Michigan, a “no-glory” assignment in a New Year’s Six game against the Group of Five champion (somewhat akin to what Penn State faces this December against Memphis), but it was still a New Year’s Six bowl win. Those are always moments to cherish.

In the 2016 season, there was one other moment which stood out from the rest, a moment important enough to highlight in our review of great Wisconsin achievements in the 2010s. The 30-6 beatdown of the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing reverberates through the Big Ten landscape today.

When Wisconsin and Michigan State played on that sun-drenched, late-September afternoon in 2016, Wisconsin was ranked 11th and MSU No. 8. Michigan State was riding high, having just won on the road at Notre Dame and coming off a 2015 season in which it made the College Football Playoff, having won the Big Ten title over Iowa in Indianapolis. Michigan State had won the Big Ten and the Rose Bowl in the 2013 season. Two years later, MSU reached the playoff and climbed over Ohio State in Columbus to do it, dethroning the defending national champions and making their own powerful statement. Mark Dantonio was at the height of his powers. Michigan State was the 1-B in the Big Ten compared to Ohio State’s 1-A. Wisconsin was the third-best program in the conference, a cut below the Buckeyes AND the Spartans in the Big Ten pecking order.

What happened in that 24-point win over Michigan State reflects more on the Spartans, in a sense, than the Badgers. Yes, this victory put Wisconsin on track to win 11 games, a division title, and a New Year’s Six bowl, sustaining the Paul Chryst era and forming an on-ramp to the brilliant 2017 season which would follow. Yet, in many ways, this game marked a turning point more for Michigan State than UW… and not in a good way. Michigan State did win 10 games in 2017, but that has become the aberration, not the norm, for the Spartans.

The blowout loss to Wisconsin in early 2016 led to a disastrous domino effect for Dantonio, whose team plummeted to 3-9. Michigan State has lost at least six games in each of the past two seasons (bowl game included), and many people in and around the Big Ten feel that Dantonio is on his last legs. His program clearly doesn’t have the strength or resilience it once owned.

Wisconsin clearly weakened Michigan State’s program in 2016. It didn’t deliver a finishing blow, but it began a process of erosion which is in evidence to this day. Few in the college football industry would be shocked if 2020 is Dantonio’s last season on the job.

Michigan State hasn’t been back to the Big Ten Championship Game since 2015. It hasn’t returned to a New Year’s Six game. It hasn’t kept up in the Big Ten, whereas Wisconsin has supplanted the Spartans as the second-most successful team in the conference, with Penn State also having an argument to make on that front. Wisconsin and Ohio State have met in two of the last three Big Ten Championship Games, and the Badgers are playing in their third New Year’s Six game in the past four seasons, matching Penn State in that category.

The 2016 Michigan State game will be viewed as an important moment in the story of Big Ten football 20 years from now. Wisconsin authored the story, but its biggest development affected the team the Badgers bludgeoned.

Russell Wilson beat Kirk Cousins Monday – and in the 1st B1G title game

Recalling Russell Wilson versus Kirk Cousins in the 1st Big Ten Championship Game between the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan State Spartans

Monday night — December 2, 2019 — Russell Wilson’s team defeated Kirk Cousins’ team, 37-30, in a big December game which would help determine where the respective teams would play in January.

Saturday night — December 3, 2011 — Russell Wilson’s team defeated Kirk Cousins’ team, 42-39, in a big December game which would help determine where the respective teams would play in January.

Deja vu, baby. Russell Wilson doesn’t have a perfect record against Kirk Cousins — the Seattle Seahawks lost to the Washington Redskins at home in the 2017 NFL season (but only because Seahawk kicker Blair Walsh missed three field goals in a game the Redskins won, 17-14) — but Wilson does keep winning the biggest meetings between the two quarterbacks. The Seahawks and the Minnesota Vikings are both playing for division titles and home games in the NFL Playoffs (with the possibility of a first-round bye included). Monday night’s game in Seattle was high-stakes poker.

Eight years earlier, Wilson and Cousins met in a supremely important game, the first Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis. Wisconsin’s first trip to Indy started something special. The Badgers are returning to the Hoosier State for their sixth Big Ten title game appearance. Michigan State has made three such trips, but the Spartans haven’t been back to Lucas Oil Stadium since 2015.

That Big Ten title game — played in a dome instead of freezing outdoor weather — invited conditions suitable for a track meet. That’s exactly what the game became. Moreover, it began a full decade in which Big Ten title games have usually been high-scoring rather than grind-it-out slugfests. This is proof of the evolution of college football. It is also proof that the old Big Ten of Woody and Bo no longer lives among us.

Get this: Of the eight Big Ten Championship Games which have been played, only two have involved fewer than 58 total points, only one with fewer than 48 (Michigan State 16, Iowa 13, in 2015). If you told a 1985 Big Ten fan that the most important Big Ten game of the season in the decade of the 2010s would average 64.25 points scored per game, s/he would have laughed at you. Yet, that’s the reality we have.

Russell Wilson and Kirk Cousins got the party started in 2011.

Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Both men threw for three touchdowns that night, in a seesaw game which was pure popcorn. Wisconsin took a 21-7 lead in the first quarter. Michigan State stormed back with 22 points (yes, a 2-point conversion on a fake extra point) in the second quarter. The teams went to the fourth quarter with Michigan State maintaining an eight-point lead at 36-28, but guess what happened? Russell Wilson took over in the fourth quarter, leading two touchdown drives for a come-from-behind 42-39 victory. It’s what he did then. It is what he is still doing now with the Seahawks. Some things never change, right?

Wisconsin won the Big Ten in 2010, the last year without divisional play. That was due to a tiebreaker involving Michigan State. In 2011, the Badgers and Michigan State settled it on the field, and in the end, Russ won, Kirk Cousins lost. Cousins was not at fault for Michigan State’s loss that night, but as Green Bay Packer fans could tell you, Cousins has not owned the fourth quarter in the NFL the way Wilson has, or the way Aaron Rodgers so often has. He tried his best Monday night, but Wilson had the final say.

Russell Wilson usually gets the last word… and such was the case in the first Big Ten Championship Game, part of a streak of three straight Big Ten titles the Badgers won from 2010 through 2012. It is delicious for Wisconsin-based football fans to see a Badger hurting the Vikings and helping the Packers these many years later. The fun began on one night in Indianapolis, eight years ago.

Big Ten Championship Game: Wisconsin is part of a B1G trinity

Reflections on the Wisconsin Badgers’ sixth appearance in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Minnesota is in the rearview mirror. Let’s now move to the Big Ten Championship Game this upcoming Saturday against Ohio State. We have plenty of time to unpack numerous angles related to this contest. Let’s start with some aspects of Big Ten Championship Game history at the end of the first decade for this standalone event, which began in 2011.

It is fitting that Wisconsin and Michigan State played in the first Big Ten Championship Game, with Ohio State stuck for one season between the end of the Jim Tressel era and the beginning of the Urban Meyer era. Ohio State’s 2011 mess and its 2012 lack of eligibility for postseason play are why the Badgers have the most Big Ten Championship Game appearances at the end of the decade, with six. A 6 of 9 “shooting line” is 67 percent from the field, so to speak. That will do. It speaks to Wisconsin’s consistency and dependability as a program.

The surprise is not that Wisconsin has been consistent. It was consistent in the late 1990s. It was consistent in the several seasons immediately preceding the 2011 campaign, the first year with a Big Ten Championship Game. Wisconsin has generally been a 10-win program over the past two decades, with a brief period of drift in the early 2000s and an occasional ho-hum season (such as 2018 for Paul Chryst) in which a lot of things went wrong.

No, the surprise is not that Wisconsin has been consistent, or that Michigan State and Ohio State have also made multiple return trips to the Big Ten Championship Game in this decade, which is about to end. The surprise is that no one else in this conference has been particularly consistent at the higher end of performance.

Yes, Penn State has become fairly strong in recent seasons, and the Nittany Lions could become the team which makes an upward move among the Big Ten’s best teams in the 2020s. Yes, Michigan has not been terrible; its biggest sin under Jim Harbaugh is that it can’t match the juggernaut Urban assembled, and Ryan Day sustained this year, at Ohio State. Nevertheless, Michigan has not been relentlessly consistent in the way it used to be under Lloyd Carr. Yes, Minnesota could become the fresh new face in the top tier of the Big Ten in the coming decade.

Yet, all of them haven’t truly maintained a regular annual home in the top tier of the Big Ten. The first nine seasons of divisional play and a Big Ten Championship Game reveal that Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State are the ONLY three programs to make the Big Ten title game more than once.

Does that surprise you? Maybe the current pecking order in the Big Ten — with a second Wisconsin-Ohio State B1G championship showdown in three seasons — casts that statement in a different light. Maybe it is so expected that Ohio State and Wisconsin will win their respective divisions that the above fact doesn’t resonate very strongly. Fair enough.

Yet, I ask you to pause for a moment. Just absorb this question and what it means: In 2011, when the first Big Ten Championship Game was played, were you prepared to think that Michigan would not play in ANY of the first nine B1G title games?

Were you prepared to think that Nebraska would play in only one, and go seven years (and counting) without so much as a division title? Were you prepared to think after 2015 that Iowa would not get back to this game in the remainder of the decade?

The fact that we have had nine Big Ten title games (including this upcoming 2019 edition) means that 18 berths in the Big Ten Championship Game have been allotted in the past nine seasons. The leaderboard looks like this:

  • Wisconsin, 6 berths
  • Ohio State, 5
  • Michigan State, 3
  • Nebraska, Iowa, Penn State, and Northwestern, all with 1 apiece

The top two aren’t surprising at all, and in 2012, Ohio State would have qualified had it been eligible. The surprise is how few Big Ten programs have returned to Indy… and Michigan State, after so many strong seasons, is a program in decline, with Mark Dantonio’s career seemingly out of gas.

Wisconsin and Ohio State, it can reasonably be argued, are not only the two most reliable programs in the Big Ten; they might be the ONLY reliable programs in this conference.

MSU Football vs. Maryland: Three Things To Watch

Michigan State Football has its final regular season game against Maryland this Saturday, Nov. 30. Here are three things to watch.

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The Michigan State Football regular season finale is upon us. The Spartans are set to take on the Maryland Terpins this Saturday, Nov. 30. For many fans, this game comes as a sign of relief.

Here are three things to watch:

Bowl Eligibility

MSU must win this game against Maryland to become bowl eligible. This would be the twelfth time in Mark Dantonio’s tenure as head coach. Note, he has been the Spartans head coach for 13 years. This year was not as enjoyable as the others. A win against Maryland puts MSU at 6-6 on the year. On the other hand, a loss puts them back at rather pitiful 5-7 on the year.

Fan Reaction

Fan reaction to a Maryland loss is rather easy to predict. On the other hand, fan reaction to a Maryland win is certainly unpredictable. Will fans be happy? Does bowl eligibility matter given their deflating performances all year long?

If I had to guess, I’d say bowl eligibility is met with strong apathy. Unfortunately, many fans will not care. Furthermore, I think fans react with vitriol to a bowl game loss. I hope, for Dantonio’s sake, MSU finishes strong against Maryland and the potential bowl game opponent who comes after. This will at least guarantee some favor in the eyes of fans until next year.

Signs Of The Future

Despite the negativity surrounding this season, there are positive signs for the future all around. In particular, there are positive signs on the Football field. All three freshman RB’s will likely improve heading into next year. Most notable is Elijah Collins, a proven stud. Collins racked up numbers this year even though the offensive line suffered numerous injuries.

C.J Hayes returns next year as does Cody White. Behind them, the receiving core features Jalen Nailor and Tre Mosley. That is a solid group of young receivers to pair with a new QB. If MSU blows out Maryland, we might even see someone besides Brian Lewerke at QB.

Firing a head coach is easier said than done. Especially when there is no viable replacement. Let’s pump the brakes on the Dantonio talk until the start of next season.

Tune in Saturday at 3:30 P.M. on FS1 to cheer on the Spartans. Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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Michigan State Football landed commitment of two 3-star recruits this week

Michigan State has had a big start to Thanksgiving week, nabbing two 3-star linemen in two days.

Kind of like I will be doing with some stuffing and mashed potatoes in a few days, Michigan State went for second helpings this week, but instead of carbs they are double-dipping on 3-star football recruits. Mark Dantonio landed the commitment of two 3-star linemen this week, one on the offensive line and one on the defensive side.

First, the Spartans received a verbal commitment from Justin Stevens, a 3-star offensive tackle from Mississauga, Canada on Monday. Stevens is the 129th ranked tackle in the 2020 class.

Then, just a few hours ago, defensive end Avery Dunn of Shaker Heights High School (Ohio) announced his official commitment from his Twitter account.

Dunn is the fifth 3-star defensive end in the 2020 class. Some have criticized MSU for failing to land a big five-star recruit for this class, but they have started to stockpile a well-rounded class.

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MSU Football vs Maryland: Scouting Report

Michigan State Football takes on Maryland this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 30. Here is a scouting report of the Maryland Football team.

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Michigan State Football squares off against Maryland this weekend on Saturday, Nov. 30. The Spartans come into this game after a 27-0 victory against Rutgers. Maryland, on the other hand, is fresh off a 54-7 loss to Nebraska.

Here is a scouting report for the Maryland Terpins Football team:

Offensive Side Of The Ball

Maryland is…not a good football team, however, their offense isn’t absolutely terrible. Maryland has a solid QB by the name of Josh Jackson. Jackson has racked up 1,133 yards and 11 touchdowns on 180 throwing attempts.

While Jackson has a strong arm, it is certainly not accurate. He has thrown five interceptions on the year. Furthermore, Maryland has scored one touchdown or less in four different games. Michigan State’s defense can exploit his inaccuracies for their own gain. Much like they did with Johnny Langan last week against Rutgers.

Junior RB Javon Leake and sophomore RB Anthony McFarland shoulder the load for the run game. Leake has 92 carries for 716 yards on the year with eight touchdowns to boot. McFarland, on the other hand, has tallied 480 yards and seven touchdowns on 106 attempts. The Spartans must dominate the trenches to shut down Maryland’s run game.

Defensive Side Of The Ball

Maryland, much like Rutgers, is really weak on defense. Opponents average 36 points per game against the Terpins. Furthermore, Maryland suffers horrendous losses at the hands of high-end collegiate programs.

Penn State dropped 59 total points on Maryland. Michigan put up 38 points. Ohio State devastated the Terpins in a 73-14 loss and as I mentioned earlier, Nebraska blew them away 54-7.

Yes, Michigan State has struggled in the past offensively. This should not persist against Maryland though. Instead, the Spartans should have a field day on offense Especially given how hot the Brian Lewerke and Cody White connection is as of late. At the very least, MSU Football ends the year on a high note with a blowout victory.

The game kicks off on Saturday at 3:30 P.M. and you can catch all of the action on FS1. Stay locked on SpartansWire for more coverage to come.

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Locked On Spartans Podcast: MSU FOOTBALL IS BACK, BABY!

MSU football gets back in the win column against Rutgers. MSU hoops takes on Virginia Tech.

Wil and Matt revel in Michigan State’s glorious win over Rutgers. Then they make fun of Greg Schiano a little bit and preview Michigan State vs. Virginia Tech.

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

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Mark Dantonio: Joe Bachie’s Michigan State Football career is officially over

After losing his appeal to the NCAA, Joe Bachie’s Michigan State Football career has now concluded.

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On Saturday, Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio made it official. The Spartans star linebacker Joe Bachie, who was recently suspended after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, will never play another game for Michigan State. His collegiate career is over.

This comes after his appeal to the NCAA was denied, Mark Dantonio told reporters on Saturday. It remains unclear what substance Bachie tested positive for. Bachie finished the season with 71 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, 3.5 sacks, and an interception. Bachie was a three-year starter and two-time captain.

“We lost a great linebacker, as you guys know, in Bachie,” Dantonio said. “We’ve sort of been working through it. It just depends on who we play (for) where we play people.”

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MSU Football routes Rutgers: Three Key Takeaways

Michigan State football handled Rutgers in a 27-0 victory yesterday. Here are three key takeaways from this game for the Spartans.

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Michigan State Football took care of business against Rutgers yesterday in a 27-0 victory. On paper, this score may offer up some positive sentiments. Upon further review, I’m not quite sure I feel all that great about this victory.

Here are three key takeaways from this game:

Summary Of The Season

Michigan State put up 395 yards total in this game against Rutgers. Again, this seems impressive on the surface, but they only scored 27 points on that 395 yard total. That is not good. The Spartans strung together long drives that often ended with punts or field goal attempts.

The Spartans defense showed up to play, per usual. One sequence, in particular, was a perfect representation of this MSU football season. Sophomore Xavier Henderson snagged a nice interception and set up the offense with a rather favorable field position. Unfortunately, the Spartan’s offense could not score. Instead, Matt Coghlin came out and missed a field goal.

This sequence represents MSU’s consistent defensive success and offensive woes. I’m still on the Mark Dantonio coaching train, he should not go anywhere. His staff, on the other hand, must go. There should be significant turnover within the coaching staff before the start of next season.

Cody White Looked Like A Pro

Cody White had two touchdown catches coming into this game. He tallied three touchdown receptions against Rutgers for five on the year and 11 in his career. White was walking human highlight reel. He made catch after catch, ending the game with 11 receptions and 136 yards.

White went above and beyond against Rutgers. A few catches were made on really bad passes from QB Brian Lewerke. MSU WR Darrell Stewart is out with injury. So, the Spartans really needed Cody White to step.

Here are all three of his touchdown receptions:

Hope For The Future?

Freshman RB Elijah Collins had a solid game against Rutgers. Granted, he has suffered from offensive line injuries. Nonetheless, Collins makes the most of every play. He is certainly the RB option of the future for Michigan State and that is a positive takeaway from this season.

Freshman Tre Mosley, sophomore Jalen Nailor, and Julian Barnett are incredibly intriguing for Michigan State’s future. Mosley has looked great so far when given chances. Barnett is rather impressive as a WR and has 10 receptions on the year. Lastly, Nailor returned from injury against Rutgers and played well. Nailor ended the game with 5 receptions and 27 yards.

Why bring them up? They are Michigan State’s future WR core. It is possible that MSU loses both Darrell Stewart and Cody White next year to the draft. This leaves MSU with the aforementioned players and WR C.J. Hayes. I think Dantonio should give all the younger receivers some snaps as the season winds down.

Michigan State Football is back in action next weekend on Nov. 30. The game kicks off at 3:30 P.M. and you can catch all the action on FS1.

Stay locked on SpartansWire for coverage of this game and all things MSU Football.

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Michigan State football No. 40 in ESPN’s latest SP+ rankings

The Spartans don’t move much after a pretty neutral win over Rutgers.

A win over Rutgers didn’t do much for Michigan State in the eyes of Bill Connelly’s computer.

The Spartans are at No. 40 this week in Connelly’s SP+ rankings. Michigan State ranks 86th in offense, 12th in defense and 114th in special teams. MSU is a projected 7.6 points better than an average college football team on a neutral field.

MSU’s upcoming opponent, Maryland, is rated 88th in SP+, although the Terps have been in a bit of a free fall lately. They’re ranked No. 73 on offense, No. 82 on defense and No. 127 on special teams. They’re a projected 5.7 points worse than an average college football team on a neutral field.

SP+, according to Connelly, is “(A) tempo- and opponent-adjusted measure of college football efficiency.”

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