Ben Bredeson shares what he likes most about the Michigan – MSU rivalry

Michigan senior offensive lineman Ben Bredeson discusses the importance of winning the line of scrimmage against Michigan State.

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Michigan senior captain Ben Bredeson gave his take on the Michigan-Michigan State rivalry on Monday, and it wasn’t all that surprising coming from an offensive lineman.

The senior pointed to the battle in the trenches as the most important aspect of the game heading into Saturday’s matchup of the heated rivals.

“I think when you get in the offensive and defensive line in this rivalry, that’s really what epitomizes it,” Bredeson said. “Our defensive line against their O-line, vice versa. That’s my favorite part of the game, watching that matchup.”

Bredeson may be on to something, too.

While the forward pass may be taking over modern day football, rushing yards are often still the measuring stick on which team is controlling the line of scrimmage. That’s especially evident when the Wolverines and Spartans line up against one another.

Looking back at just the past 20 meetings between the two programs, the team that finished the game with more rushing yards has won 16 out of 20 games during that stretch.

If that trend continues on Saturday, the Wolverines offense has a slight edge. Michigan is 58th in the country averaging 170.7 rush yards per game, and their 4.2 yards per carry ranks tied for 77th. Conversely, Michigan State is averaging just 130.9 rush yards per game, ranking them near the bottom in the nation (106th). The Spartans also ranked tied for 95th in yards per carry (3.8).

Defensively, both teams have been stout against the run this season. The Wolverines are allowing 112.7 yards per game on the ground (21st), but only 2.9 yards per carry (T-9th). Michigan State allows 108.1 rush yards per game (16th), and 3.1 yards per carry (T-14th).

Michigan has a seemingly wide edge on the offensive line, with Bredeson, Jon Runyan Jr., Cesar Ruiz and Mike Onwenu each having started for two seasons beside one another. The Spartans, meanwhile, have shifted their offensive line personnel, and mixed in a couple freshmen on Saturday against Illinois.

However, both defensive fronts have been stout all season, and MSU’s front has Bredeson’s attention heading into Saturday.

“That entire defensive line of theirs is outstanding,” Bredeson said. “They’ve got great defensive front. Like I said before, when you play them enough times, you at each other enough times, we’ve always had a mutual respect there.”

A four-year starter, this is the senior’s fourth time playing in this rivalry game, and it’s one he said he had circled on his calendar each season.

“It’s one of my favorite games to play in every year,” Bredeson said. “I love the rivalry games, the big games. That’s what you play college football for. We’ve had some good games here in the last three years, some memorable ones for sure, and I’m looking forward to another one this Saturday.

“Owning the state of Michigan is always a big thing for the two programs. You battle for it every single year. Obviously, there’s the Paul Bunyan Trophy involved in it as well. There’s a lot of pride that goes into it for the fanbases, so it’s a cool rivalry just because you have that in-state factor of it and you get bragging rights for the year.”

In a rivalry game, it’s expected that emotions will run hot and tempers may flare at times, but Bredeson downplayed that on Monday, speaking instead of the respect he has for Michigan State’s defensive linemen after having facing them so many times.

“It’s definitely more emotional,” he said. “You just want to keep your head with it, keep your composure and don’t make any mistakes that can give them an edge in the game.

“I think there’s an extra intensity in the game, definitely. Everybody wants to make the tackle a little harder, block a little harder, things like that. I don’t think there’s too many cheap shots going on in the game.”

The Spartans have been eliminated from contention for a Big Ten title, and Michigan’s hopes for a conference championship look bleak as well. With that primary goal likely out the window for both teams, rivalry games like this take on an added importance as secondary goals for both programs.

Bredeson is eager to get on the field to try to put a checkmark next to the goal that reads, “Beat MSU”.

“Senior year, beating Michigan State at home, that’s a pretty good win in the senior campaign,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to doing that. That’d be an awesome win.”

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Michigan State lands 2020 3-Star WR Montorie Foster Jr.

MSU has landed a unique wide receiver prospect for their 2020 recruiting class.

We reported last week that Michigan State had offered a scholarship to 3-star wideout Montorie Foster Jr. Well, he was in town this weekend, and despite taking in a pretty terrible loss by the Spartans to Illinois he still committed play football in East Lansing in 2020.

Foster is a very intriguing, unique prospect in that he stopped playing football in middle school, but decided to return to the sport just before this season and has already become a 3-star in that short period of time.

Michigan State may be getting a steal here who slipped by other teams due to his lack of experience. If the Spartans can get him polished up he could be a huge weapon for Noah Kim down the road.

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Twitter reacts to the tragic passing of Michigan State legend Charles Rogers

It has been an unbelievably difficult couple of days for the family that is Michigan State athletics. First, news broke that Cassius Winston lost his brother Zachary on Saturday. This morning, we lost another member of the Spartan family as MSU …

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It has been an unbelievably difficult couple of days for the family that is Michigan State athletics. First, news broke that Cassius Winston lost his brother Zachary on Saturday. This morning, we lost another member of the Spartan family as MSU legend Charles Rogers passed away at the age of 38. Rogers’ friends, fans, alumni, teammates, and more all took to Twitter to remember the former wide receiver for MSU and the Detroit Lions.

RIP Chuck.

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Michigan State Football opens week as 14.5-point underdogs to Michigan

MSU will be a notable underdog to Michigan in their match-up on the road this weekend.

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This is not where we wanted to be at this point in the season. Michigan State continues its worst-case nightmare scenario football with a big matchup on the road against a Michigan team that is currently a huge favorite over the Spartans at 14.5-points. Not much of a surprise, Michigan State will be on the road against a seemingly much better team and will thus be big-time underdogs in this one.

Odds via BetMGM. Access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated 11/11/2019 at 10:30 p.m. ET. 

I’m going into this one with an open mind and if Michigan State can pull it off it’ll make the season much more bearable for me but I’m not exactly getting my hopes up here.

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

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MSU vs. Michigan: Scouting Report

Michigan State football travels to The Big House to face off against interstate rival, the Michigan Wolverines. Here is a scouting report.

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Michigan State football travels to Michigan Stadium or “The Big House” this weekend to take on their interstate rival, the Michigan Wolverines. This is the biggest game of both team’s seasons thus far. Michigan aims to add another win to their season and Michigan State aims to add some sort of satisfaction to their season.

Here is a scouting report of the Michigan Wolverines:

Shea Patterson

Michigan QB Shea Patterson is quite the enigma. Many wrote him off due to a poor start to the season. Now, some are skeptical even though Michigan boasts a winning record. Note, the numbers are rather favorable for Patterson. He is actually quite similar to a QB that you know all too well.

Through nine games, Patterson has tallied up 1,773 yards, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions. For comparison, MSU QB Brian Lewerke has put up 2,012 yards, 12 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Interestingly enough, Lewerke does indeed boast a higher QBR rating than Patterson. In my opinion, the QB matchup is dead even.

RB & WR Options

Michigan primarily relies on freshman Zach Charbonnet and sophomore Hassan Haskins. Through nine games, Charbonnet boasts 117 carries for 559 yards and 11 touchdowns. On the other hand, Haskins has rushed for 426 yards and two touchdowns on just 72 carries.

There are a few other RB options that eat on this team, but, Charbonnet and Haskins stand tall above all. Michigan may not always be able to rely on their passing game. Their running game is always a viable option though. So Michigan State must prepare themselves for a battle in the trenches.

Five different Michigan players have 20 receptions or more on the year. This includes WR’s Ronnie Bell, Nico Collins, Tarik Black, and Donovan Peoples-Jones. Nick Eubanks is the lone TE on this list with exactly 20 receptions on the year. Everyone but Bell has tallied up a touchdown. Note, Collins and Peoples-Jones have both recorded three touchdowns thus far. MSU’s secondary has been shaky, to say the least. Michigan may stretch the Spartan secondary thin this game.

Reliable Defense

The Michigan defense is not necessarily outstanding but they are certainly reliable. No team has scored more than 35 points against the Wolverine’s defense. All the while, Michigan shutout Rutgers in week 4. So Michigan State’s offense must execute well without errors. Lewerke and the company cannot cough up unforced errors that lead to turnovers in this game.

Remember, this Wolverine’s defense is not overwhelming. So the Spartans can definitely put numbers on the board. Especially if they run the ball well. Army ran the ball all over Michigan earlier on in the season. MSU must dominate the run game to open up the passing game for Lewerke and company.

The Michigan vs. Michigan State rivalry is still incredibly strong. Both teams want to show one another up. The fan sentiment towards MSU’s coaching staff is already pretty negative. If they lose to Michigan, it will be out of control.

Cheer on the Spartans this weekend. Kick-off is at 12 P.M. and the game is on Fox. Stay locked on SpartansWire for coverage all throughout the weekend.

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Michigan State Legend Charles Rogers Passes Away

In two career games against Notre Dame, Rogers was the best player on the field

38 years is way too short of amount of time for someone to get on Earth. That was my first reaction when I heard the news about former Michigan State receiver and 2003 number-two overall draft pick to the Detroit Lions, Charles Rogers.

TMZ reports it was a liver disease and cancer that wound up running its course.

Off the field issues get linked to Rogers who battled through more than just injuries during and after his NFL career.

Charles Rogers gets remembered by NFL fans for being a bust but college fans remember a legend.

Obviously Michigan State fans feel that way having watched him weekly but Notre Dame fans can’t name many players that tormented the Irish quite like No. 1 in green and white did.

Michigan State teammate and former NFL tight end Chris Baker remembered his friend on Twitter this morning:

In two career games against Notre Dame, Rogers was the best player on the field compiling 11 receptions, 291 yards and three touchdowns in those games.

Charles Rogers, No. 2 pick in 2003 NFL draft, dies at 38

Former Michigan State and Lions receiver Charles Rogers has died at age 38: https://t.co/tj9y5W5rSs pic.twitter.com/JbXJKfZId7 – Sports Illustrated (@SInow) November 11, 2019 One of the most highly drafted wide receivers in NFL history, Charles …

One of the most highly drafted wide receivers in NFL history, Charles Rogers has died at the age of 38.

A star at Michigan State, Rogers was selected No. 2 overall in the 2003 NFL draft by the in-state Detroit Lions. He was a first-team all-conference pick in back-to-back seasons, winning the Fred Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best wide receiver in 2002. He was also a unanimous All-American selection that season.

Unfortunately, Rogers’ college success never translated to the pro game. He only appeared in 15 games over three seasons with the Lions, catching 36 passes for 440 yards and four touchdowns for his career.

The Detroit Lions released the following statement:

Rogers dealt with multiple legal issues during his time in the NFL, and was suspended in 2005 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.

Though he played just two seasons for the Spartans, his 27 touchdown receptions are still the highest mark in school history, while he ranks No. 3 in career receiving yards.

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Michigan State Spartan legend Charles Rogers dies at 38

One of the greatest to ever play for MSU has died.

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One of the greatest to ever don the Michigan State green and white, Charles Rogers has died.

The former All-American was only 38.

Former Michigan State tight end Chris Baker confirmed the news on Twitter this morning.

Rogers starred at MSU from 2000-02. He finished his MSU career with 2,821 yards on 135 catches to go with 27 touchdowns. He also caught a touchdown in 13 straight games. Rogers entered the NFL draft early and was selected by the Detroit Lions with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft.

Injuries and drug problems kept his NFL career from ever amounting to what it could have been.

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