I think they only threw one pass the whole drive. Good old fashioned smash mouth run-it-down-their-throat football. O-line and Montgomery came up big. It’s great to get the win but I think the NFL overtime rules are just awful. Totally unfair IMO that you can lose without getting a chance to score. But hey, I’ll take the win tonight.

The accolades continue to roll in for Michigan State true freshman wide receiver Nick Marsh

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I did a bit of research and found a nice article from Tom Shanahan on Prairie View and their history as a HBCU. Additionally touches on how Duffy Daugherty helped integrate the sport during the Civil Rights Era.
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MSU closes out non-conference play at the Grizzlies.​

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EAST LANSING, Mich. - After completing a four-game homestand, Michigan State men's soccer now hits the road to take on in-state rival Oakland on Monday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m.

The Spartans stand 1-2-2 so far this season after tying Air Force 1-1 on Friday. Junior midfielder Jonathan scored his first goal of the season in the tie.

ON THE STAT SHEET
Junior midfielder Jonathan Stout leads the team in scoring with one goal and one assist for three points. Senior midfielder Sean Kerrigan, sophomore forward Richie Ludwig and freshman forward Mohamed Saad have also found the back of the net this season.

LOOKING AT THE GRIZZLIES
Oakland is looking for its first win of the season after starting 0-4. OU opened the season with a 2-1 loss against Nebraska Omaha, The Grizzlies then lost a pair of road games at Michigan (2-1) and Butler (2-1). On Friday, Oakland was edged at home by UIC, 1-0.

Jack Klomparens leads the team in scoring with one goal and one assist for three points. Andriy Bilous and Francesco Mazzei have both scored one goal for OU this season. Alex Flowers has played every minute in goal this season, allowing seven goals for a 1.75 GAA.

SERIES HISTORY
Oakland leads the overall series with Michigan State 22-14-4. MSU has the slight edge at home 10-8-4, while the Golden Grizzlies lead at home 14-4.

Last year in East Lansing, No. 12 Michigan State tied Oakland 2-2. A Jonathan Stout header in the 88th minute drew the Spartans even. Jake Spadafora also scored for the MSU in the game. Current Spartan goalkeeper Michael Sly Jr. was the netminder in that match for OU.

GETTING IN THE LINEUP
Through five games this season, MSU has used four different starting lineups. In the first five games, six Spartans have started all five games in Zac Kelly, Shion Soga, Cristiano Bruletti, Jeremy Sharp, Will Eby and Josh Adam. Adam and Kelly played every minute this season.

BIG TIME B1G
Seven teams in the Big Ten are ranked in either the United Soccer Coaches Poll or the Top Drawer Soccer Poll. In the USC poll, UCLA is No. 6, while Northwestern and Wisconsin stand ninth and tenth, respectively. In the Top Drawer Poll, UCLA stands No. 4, while Indiana is No. 9. Oregon State (No. 23), Washington (No. 24) and Wisconsin (No. 24) round out the poll.

RULE CHANGES THIS SEASON
This season the clock will stop on substitutions with 15 minutes left if the game is tied or the winning team makes a sub.

Substitutions can be made during any stoppage of time. Another change is to allow teams six moments to make substitutions in a game. Current substitution exceptions for goalkeepers, injury caused by an opposing player who was cautioned or ejected, bleeding injury, blood on the uniform, concussion evaluation and a permanent medical condition will not count as a moment as long as no other substitutions are made at the same time by that team. If a coach has used all of their moments and there is an injury not covered by the current exceptions listed previously, the team will play short. For postseason overtime games, any unused moments will carry over and one additional moment for all of overtime will be awarded.

UP NEXT
The Spartans return home to take on Washington on Friday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

We were fortunate enough to get Jonathan Kim on the show after his HUGE Saturday to talk about his game-winner, how he was able to stay calm and collected, what the win means moving forward and a ton more

Hazelton helped the Texas staff assemble the defensive game plan to defeat Michigan.



(Below) Scottie is in the UM tunnel in burnt orange. It is a much better feeling this time than the tunnel incident.

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You are seeing more and more DB forearm breaks. You have RBs, TEs, and WRs running full speed at DBs who do not want to get targeting calls so they are being coached to arm wrap around the legs. The human leg is more powerful than the human arm and we are seeing the results with these forearm breaks.

I am guessing that is what happened to Rucker this weekend.

Not a ready made solution, however you can see a trend.

It might be easy for some to look ahead to that road game with No. 24 Boston College and the brutal stretch that follows, but that is absolutely not the mentality Jonathan Smith has against Prairie View A&M.

See what areas against Maryland he liked and the places he didn't here:

My three takeaways from yesterday's game including thoughts on the Aidan Chiles-Nick Marsh connection:

He is in deep water right now.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – Michigan State volleyball is set to open the Breslin Center for the first time in 2024, hosting the second annual Kathy DeBoer Invitational presented by Auto-Owners Insurance on September 6-8. Action gets underway for the Spartans on Friday night when they face Western Kentucky at 7:00 p.m.

Every match this weekend will stream on B1G+, including neutral site matches. All three games will have a live radio broadcast on MSUSpartans.com with John Kreger calling the action in his 20th season.

Parking is $5 in Lot 63 and Ramp 7. Re-Entry is allowed each individual day if wanting to attend multiple matches.

ABOUT WESTERN KENTUCKY (RV)​

Entering the weekend at 2-1, Western Kentucky is garnering votes in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll following wins over Morehead State (3-1) and Northern Kentucky (3-0) last weekend. The Hilltoppers dropped their lone match of the weekend at then No. 9-ranked Kentucky, 3-1. WKU finished the 2023 season with a 30-5 record and an unblemished 16-0 mark in CUSA matches en route to a second round appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Under the direction of Travis Hudson, Western Kentucky is one of the premier mid-major teams in the country with a 754-228 record over the last 30 seasons.

Kaylee Cox and Alivia Skidmore paced WKU in kills last week with 32 apiece, with Cox leading the team in points per set at 3.45. Callie Bauer handled the setting with 115 assists on the weekend, good for 10.45 per set. As a team the Hilltoppers hit .240 on 391 attempts.

Izzy Van De Wiele put up a strong block all weekend tallying 21 blocks on 1.91 per set. Van De Wiele ranks No. 10 nationally in blocks per set and No. 11 in total blocks as WKU ranks No. 17 in blocks per set as a team (3.00). Libero Abby Schaefer led the team in digs with 40 on 3.64 per set.

ABOUT MARIST​

Marist was 0-3 in its opening weekend of matches falling to Old Dominion (3-0), Virginia (3-0) and UTSA (3-0). The Red Foxes were 14-16, and 12-6 in the MAAC a year ago for head coach Sean Byron who is entering his sixth season at the helm.

Sara Dasic led Marist in kills last weekend with 15, hitting .104 on 48 attempts. Taylor Miller and Alyssa White both finished the weekend with 11 kills. White was the team's leading blocker with five blocks (three solo). As a team, Marist hit .008 over three matches. Jamison White tallied 54 assists on 6.00 per set. At libero, Katherine Thompson collected 21 digs for Marist on 2.63 digs per set.

ABOUT LOYOLA (CHICAGO)​

Loyola is 1-2 after defeated Loyola Marymount (3-0) in Kalamazoo, Mich. last weekend. The Ramblers were defeated by Clemson (3-0) and Western Michigan (3-1) to open the 2024 season. Head Coach Amanda Berkley is no stranger to the B1G as a 2008 graduate from Wisconsin, now in her seventh season as head coach at Loyola owning a 115-67 overall record.

Libero Jae Fitting ranks No. 24 nationally in digs per set at 5.10, helping the Ramblers to rank No. 38 in digs per set nationally as a program (16.5). Avary DeBlieck led Loyola in blocks last weekend with 11 on 1.10 blocks per set.

Offensively Loyola hit .181 as a team in Kalamazoo, led by Marta Cvitkovic's 31 kills and 3.50 points per set. Kate Maley (23) and Ann Marie Remmes (22) each finished with 20+ kills last weekend, with Remmes hitting a team-best .306. Bree Borum tallied 89 assists on 8.90 assists per set and posted a double-double against Western Michigan (39 assists, 13 digs).

SERIES HISTORY​

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Western Kentucky
- Michigan State is 2-0 all-time against Western Kentucky, last facing the Hilltoppers on the road in 2016 in a 3-2 victory over the then No. 23-ranked WKU.

- This is the second time WKU has played in an Auto-Owners Insurance sponsored invitational, falling to MSU 3-0 at the Spartan Invitational in 2014.

Marist
- MSU is 1-0 all-time against Marist, winning 3-0 at the San Diego State Aztec Invitational in 2016.

Loyola
- Michigan State is 2-1 against Loyola all-time, having never hosted the Ramblers in East Lansing. MSU is 2-0 in neutral site matches and 0-1 on the road.

- The Spartans last faced Loyola at the Western Michigan Invitational in 1999, winning 3-1.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

QUICK STRIKES FOR THE WEEK AHEAD ...

• Michigan State kicks off the home portion of the 2024 season this weekend when it hosts Vermont (Friday) and Ohio (Sunday). The two visiting squads will play a neutral-site game on Saturday (1 pm) at Ralph Young Field.

• Live statistics and webstream links can be found for both games on the field hockey schedule page at MSUSpartans.com.

• Vermont dropped both of its season-opening games, at Lafayette (3-1) and at Rutgers (5-0). Marie Dijkstra had the lone Catamount goal on the weekend, and UVM played two keepers - Ila Gunner made eight saves and allowed four goals in 90 minutes, and Merle Vaandrager let in three scores in 30 minutes of action, making seven stops. Kate Pfeifer enters her 11th season as head coach of the Vermont field hockey program, and owns a 66-110 record in that time.

• Ali Johnstone is in her seventh season as the head coach at Ohio (29-62-0). The Bobcats have begun the 2024 season with an 0-2 mark, dropping games to Stanford (4-1) and UAlbany (4-0). Both Macy Lotze and Ash Stephenson have each gotten a game in the goalcage for the Bobcats, each making five saves in their start. Natalie LaFleur scored the lone Ohio goal against Stanford last Friday.

• MSU opened the year with a split in games on the west coast. The Spartans outlasted UC-Davis in Friday's opener (4-3) before dropping a heartbreaker at Cal in overtime (2-1).

• Maddie Lawlor returned to the lineup after missing the entire 2023 season, and scored a goal in each of MSU's first two games. The two goals is her career best in a season. Her Friday goal against the Aggies stood as the game-winner.

• Bianca Pizano came off the bench to score a pair of goals for MSU in Friday's game. Pizano scored two goals for the Spartans as a freshman in 2023.

• Senior Ellie Rutherford earned a pair of assists last Friday at Cal. Rutherford is MSU's top returning scorer from a year ago (4-1-9).

• Freshman Lilian Knorr also had a two-assist effort on Friday, picking up two helpers in her first collegiate game.

• Sophomore Lyra Gavino played the entirety of both games in California. She earned her first win of the year on Friday without making a save, and then put up a career-best seven saves in the tough OT loss at Cal.

• Jillian Bonczewski gave MSU its fourth (insurance) goal in Friday's game at UC-Davis, putting the Spartans back up by a pair after the Aggies had cut MSU's 3-0 lead down to 3-2. It was her first goal since the 2022 season.

• Freshman back Caro Schäfer wasted little time in earning her first collegiate point, earning the assist on Lawlor's opening goal in the game at UC-Davis.

• Seniors Ellie Wheatley and Emma O'Neill picked up the first points of their senior seasons on Lawlor's goal at Cal. The trio converted on a corner play. O'Neill is MSU's second-leading returning scorer (3-1-7 in 2023), while Wheatley had a pair of assists a year ago.

• Michigan State goes back on the road for a contest at Bellarmine next Friday (12 noon) before hosting Colgate on Sunday afternoon at Ralph Young Field (11 am).

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Weekend Games Preview​

No. 5 Spartans Host Queens, Loyola Chicago to Wrap Up Non-Conference Play​

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Fifth-ranked Michigan State women's soccer wraps up non-conference action this week at DeMartin Stadium, beginning Thursday, Sept. 5 vs. Queens at 7 p.m. before hosting Loyola Chicago on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 1 p.m.

Both games will stream on B1G+.

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FIRST TOUCH
MSU (3-0-2) is still undefeated after a 1-0-1 showing at DeMartin last week, earning 1-0 win over Ole Miss on Aug. 29 and 2-2 draw with then-No. 15 Xavier on Sept. 1. Graduate midfielder Emily Mathews recorded the second-half game-winner for the Spartans against Ole Miss for her first goal of the season. Sophomore midfielder Bella Najera and junior defender Maggie Illig notched goals against the Musketeers, with graduate midfielder Justina Gaynor adding assists on both goals. MSU goalkeeper Kaitlyn Parks made a season-high eight saves in the draw with Xavier.

The Spartans sit in the top five of the United Soccer Coaches Poll for the second-straight week after earning a program-high ranking at No. 4 last week. MSU has played three top-15 opponents in its first five games.

MSU will look to go undefeated in the non-conference portion of its schedule for the second time in the Jeff Hosler era this weekend, last doing so in Hosler's first season in 2021. Since the inception of Big Ten women's soccer in 1994, MSU has gone unbeaten against non-league opponents four times - 2009, 2013, 2014 and 2021.

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SCOUTING THE ROYALS
Queens University of Charlotte is led by head coach Shannon Neely Noel, who is 10-17-13 in three seasons with the Royals. The Royals are 3-2-0 this season after most recently defeating Winthrop, 2-0, at home on Sept. 1. Neely Noel served as an assistant coach at Grand Valley State University from 2009-11. Hosler was the head coach of the Lakers from 2014-21, where he captured three Division II national titles.

Thursday's meeting will be the first all-time between the Spartans and Royals.

SCOUTING THE RAMBLERS
Interim head coach Angela Staveskie is in her first season leading the Ramblers, who sit at 3-1-1 this season after a 1-0 home win over Bowling Green on Sept. 1. Sophomore forward/midfielder and 2023 Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Zoe Hevey leads Loyola Chicago in scoring with five points from one goal and a trio of assists this season.

The Spartans are a perfect 7-0-0 against the Ramblers all time, including a 3-0 record in East Lansing. The two teams last met on Sept. 12, 2010, with MSU securing a 3-0 win at DeMartin Stadium. In the seven-game series, Loyola Chicago has only scored one goal, which came in a 10-1 win for the Spartans in Chicago on Oct. 22, 1993. MSU holds a 32-1 advantage in goals in the series, which dates back to 1986.

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UP NEXT
The Spartans begin Big Ten play at Maryland on Thursday, Sept. 12 at 7 p.m. in College Park. The game will stream on B1G+.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

CMD piling up the honors: College Hall of fame, Spartans Ring of Honor and now Rose Bowl Hall of Fame

Dantonio will be the third Spartan inducted in the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, joining All-America running back Lorenzo White, who led MSU to a win in the 1988 Rose Bowl over USC, and Dave Kaiser, who kicked a game-winning 41-yard field goal in the final seconds of the 1956 Rose Bowl over UCLA.


Dantonio and the Spartans won the 100th Rose Bowl Game on Jan. 1, 2014, with a 24-20 win over No. 5 Stanford.

MSU PLAYERS WHO MADE NFL ROSTERS:

1. AJ Arcuri (Los Angeles Rams)
2. Joe Bachie (Cincinnati)
3. Byrce Baringer (New England)
4. Kendell Brooks (Tennessee)
5. Josh Butler (Dallas)
6. Jack Conklin (Cleveland)
7. Kirk Cousins (Atlanta)
8. Will Gholston (Tampa Bay)
9. Connor Heyward (Pittsburgh)
10. Naquan Jones (Miami)
11. Jalen Nailor (Minnesota)
12. Taybor Pepper (San Francisco)
13. Jayden Reed (Green Bay)
14. Nick Samac (Baltimore)
15. Jacob Slade (Pittsburgh)
16. Ameer Speed (Indianapolis)
17. Ben VanSumeren (Philadelphia)
18. Kenneth Walker III (Seattle)
19. Cody White (Seattle)
20. Keon Coleman (Buffalo) * (MSU-FSU)

MSU PLAYERS CUT:

1. LB Brandon Bouyer-Randle (Cleveland)
2. RB Elijah Collins (Cincinnati)
3. LB Andrew Dowell (New Orleans)
4. DB Michael Dowell (Cincinnati)
5. OL Kevin Jarvis (Buffalo)
6. QB Rocky Lombardi (Cincinnati)
7. WR Tre Mosley (Cincinnati)
8. DT Mike Panasiuk (Indianapolis)
9. TE Matt Sokol (Pittsburgh)
10. DL Kenny Willekes (Washington)
11. LB Jacoby Windmon (Pittsburgh)

Threw 4 picks and Auburn lost to lowly Cal.

I don't wish ill on him because, in part, it was Tucker who probably drove him off. However, he has not done much at Auburn. I'm sure many around here have also noticed how well Jayden Reed is doing with the Packers...and he's in his 2nd year in the league.

One game does not change everything, but Coach Smith and his staff appear to be on the right track. Hopefully, the transfer portal exits will diminish substantially and recruits will look to come and stay at MSU. Coach Smith is employing the "Build Back Better" approach. Sorry, I couldn't help it.

Monday, Sept. 9
Men's & Women's Golf: Folds of Honor Collegiate (Grand Haven)
Discussion Thread

Men's soccer: at Oakland
7 p.m. ESPN+
Discussion Thread
L 0-3

Tuesday, Sept. 10
Men's & Women's Golf: Folds of Honor Collegiate (Grand Haven)
Discussion Thread

Wednesday, Sept. 11
Men's & Women's Golf: Folds of Honor Collegiate (Grand Haven)
Discussion Thread

Volleyball: vs. Western Michigan
6 p.m.
Discussion Thread
L 0-3

Thursday, Sept. 12
Women's soccer: at Maryland
7 p.m. B1G+
Discussion Thread
W 5-0

Friday, Sept. 13
Cross Country: Auto-Owners Insurance Spartan Invitational
Discussion Thread

Field Hockey: at Bellarmine
12 p.m.
Discussion Thread
W 4-2

Men's soccer: vs. Washington
7 p.m. BTN+
Discussion Thread
W 1-0

Saturday, Sept. 14
Football: vs. Prairie View A&M
3:30 p.m. Big Ten Network
Discussion Thread
W 40-0

Sunday, Sept. 15
Field Hockey: vs. Colgate
11 a.m.
Discussion Thread
W 5-0

Bold = home games

Defensive Player of the Game: Charles Brantley

Offensive Player of the Game: Nick Marsh

Special Teams Player of the Game: Johnathan Kim

Lineman of the Game: Tanner Miller

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Smith had plenty of things to say about the Spartans' win, ranging from being pleased with the road win to seeing lots of improvement his team needs to make. Catch the full recap on the homepage now:

Nice to see Texas steamrolling Michigan. Nothing like seeing a bunch Walmart wolverines with blank faces of disappointment. It’s the schadenfreude in me

PSU- I rest my case. Joke of a coach, joke of a program, most overrated football team, year in and year out. Period. I dont care if they come back and win this game. Penn State couldn't win the MAC. Franklin is a joke to his profession. I cant believe the # of people in the media that continue to talk about Penn State. What a joke...

UM? It's a real bitch when you dont know exactly what play the team is running offensively, play after play after play. I hope TEXAS hangs 50 on their weak asses. UM D-line is as soft as they come. TEXAS manhandling them the entire game. UM doesn't have a quarterback. Texas just playing base on defense.. Nothing special...

Michigan State quarterback Aidan Chiles, wide receiver Nick Marsh and linebackers Jordan Turner and Cal Haladay gave their thoughts following the win over Maryland.

“We’re building something special here,” Chiles said. “To all the people who didn’t believe in us, stay like that. Keep it that way.”

Chiles and Marsh had a strong connection on Saturday:

“I don’t know how to explain it, the chemistry was just there," Marsh said about his connection with Chiles. "We practiced for moments like that, and when it came, we were just able to execute."

Read more, via @austenflores:

WHAT BODES WELL FOR MARYLAND and WHAT BODES WELL FOR MSU:

For MARYLAND:

1. CONFIDENCE: The Terrapins are flying high after a thorough UCONN thrashing and will start the game with confidence being at home.
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2. PASS PRO: The offensive line has been great in Pass Protection, giving the quarterbacks all day to throw from clean pockets.
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3. RECEIVERS: Tai Felton is a big-time threat who caught seven passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns a week ago. Kaden Prather caught six balls for 60 yards.
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4. TRIO OF RUNNING BACKS: Nolan Ray from Birmingham Brother Rice (6/60yards), Roman Henby (14/66yards), and Colby McDonald (8/44yards) give the Terps three good RBs.
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5. QUARTERBACK: Billy Edwards is not as talented as Tua but is better under pressure.


FOR MICHIGAN STATE:

1. TRANSFORMATIVE SCORES: Maryland blew out UCONN 50-7, but last year, UCONN was blown out by bad or average teams. Tennessee 59-3, Duke 41-7, FIU, 24-17, James Madison 44-6, and Georgia State (Not Georgia) 35-14.
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2. TERPS SECONDARY: Receivers were running open for UCONN, and they were open last year when MSU lost 31-9. Last year, TE Franklin dropped a key pass, and Montorie Foster dropped a TD pass last year. Can MSU receivers hang onto the ball? Especially Montorie Foster. If not, we need to see more of Nick Marsh and Aziah Johnson.
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3. MSU REDZONE DEFENSE: Despite the lopsided score, UCONN made three red zone stops to force field goals, but its defense is not good. MSU has a shot to do better.
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4. AIDAN CHILES: If he can be better with touch, footwork, accuracy, and decision-making, there are plays to be made. Last week's deep ball was flat. Chiles has to be better. He can't be less effective this week, can he?
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5. EFFECTIVE RUNNING FOR MSU: UCONN did not run for many yards, but they were effective at times. I think with Kayron Lynch-Adams and Nate Carter, MSU will be much more effective.
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6. QB BELLS WERE RUNG: QB Billy Edwards got his bell run and lost his helmet. MJ Morris also took a big hit. I am sure Edwards is watching the MSU defense on film and wondering if he wants to stay in the pocket very long.