You've probably heard and read a lot about Desmond King this week.

Below is a bit of a deeper read into MSU's overall recruiting picture at the time they were keeping King on the back burner:

How Desmond King Got Away from MSU

Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher

EAST LANSING - So how did Iowa cornerback Desmond King get away from Michigan State?

The All-Big Ten cornerback from Detroit had interest in becoming a Spartan, camped at Michigan State and visited MSU for at least one home football game during his senior year.

But he signed with Iowa in February of 2013, became a starter as a true freshman, third-team All-Big Ten as a sophomore and leads the nation interceptions this season. He is the Big Ten's Defensive Back of the Year, and is a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award and Walter Camp Award.


King will lead a tough Iowa secondary when the No. 4 ranked Hawkeyes (12-0) face No. 5 Michigan State (11-1) in the Big Ten Championship Game, Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

"I would say for sure, looking at Iowa's defense, their secondary is their strong suit," said Spartan quarterback Connor Cook.


Spartan head coach Mark Dantoniohas a reputation for turning lightly-recruited prospects into All-Americans and bowl champions. But even Dantonio took a jab at himself during his weekly press conference on Tuesday about overlooking King, who starred at Detroit East English Village High School.


"(From) right here from Detroit, still can't believe he got away," Dantonio said. "But anyway, (he) is an outstanding player, eight interceptions, kick returner, punt returner, has been a very good player for them.

"Great cover guy, great tackler, great ball skills, very confident. You can tell he has football leadership skills on the field, and he's been a mainstay on the back end."

Michigan State's defensive backfield is recovering from a shaky first half of the season, caused in part by injuries. It's possible that MSU's main area of question - defending the deep ball - might not be an issue this season if King had become a Spartan in 2013.

King hasn't been available for teleconferences leading up to Saturday's Big Ten Championship Game, and is never available for Iowa's weekly media access on Tuesdays due to a class conflict. He is available for interviews only after games, often following another stellar performance.

King (5-11, 200) is most-often found as the right cornerback in Iowa's zone coverages. He excels in off coverage with smart feet and a keen ability to break on routes and make plays on the ball. And he plays with physicality.


As a right CB, he will match up with any Spartan receiver that comes to his sideline. He isn't likely to match up man-to-man, all over the field, on Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year, Aaron Burbridge, the way Michigan's Jourdan Lewis did.

Burbridge had a memorable back-and-forth battle with Lewis during Michigan State's 27-23 victory over Michigan on Oct. 13. Burbridge won't see as much of King in this game, but they will cross paths.

Iowa will often come out of its zone and match up in man-to-man on third-down situations. King vs. Burbridge battles might become more common in those situations.

"He's a good player, I'm a good player, we'll go at it this weekend," said Burbridge, whom Iowa's Rivals.com site reports is cousins with King. "He's one of the best corners in this conference. I look forward to the match-up this weekend."

How Did MSU Miss?

What were Spartan recruiters missing when they scouted King? Pretty much the same thing every Big Ten recruiter missed that year, including Iowa, up until the final hour of the 2013 recruiting campaign.

"Every Big Ten team came into our building," Detroit East English Village coach Ron Oden told ESPN.com in October. "But no one wanted to take a chance on a midsize guy. I told them, 'Do you want a 6-foot corner who runs a 4.3, or do you want a football player? Because Desmond King is a football player.'"

King had 12 interceptions as a high school junior. He participated in the Sound Mind Sound Body Camp. He is the type of player who excels when the pads go on, and not necessarily in shorts and shirts camp environments.

"I can't remember whether we had him in camp or not," Dantonio said. "He was one of those guys we had to make a decision on as a junior, coming out of his junior year."


By the time he camped at MSU prior to his senior year, the Spartans had early-spring commitments from Ohio DBs Darian Hicks and Jalyn Powell.

Dantonio warned in those days that college coaches would increase their chances of getting burned by incomplete evaluations due to the increasingly early nature of scholarship offers and commitments. That prophecy is applicable to King's recruitment. His athleticism blossomed as a senior, when many Big Ten programs had already filled their scholarship slots.

Iowa decided not to offer King during the summer and fall. Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz admits he thought King was a safety prospect.

So King committed to Ball State in July prior to his senior year.

Then King rushed for 2,368 yards at tailback with 32 touchdowns, and had seven interceptions on defense. His 29 career INTs is a state high school record in Michigan.



"At that time we were sort of filled up in the secondary, but he had an outstanding senior year, and he was right there," Dantonio said. "We were close to offering Desmond."

Michigan State held one scholarship for a pure corner, and had its eye on two CBs in Florida. MSU gained an October official visit from D'Cota Dixon, of New Smyna Beach. Dixon indicated he would wait until signing day to decide. MSU opted to offer another Florida CB in the meantime, Justin Williams. Williams boasted a verified 10.5 in the 100 meters.

MSU kept tabs with King. He took an unofficial visit to MSU for its Senior Day loss to Northwestern in 2012. But he was still committed to Ball State.

MSU offered Williams during his Jan. 17 official visit to MSU. He committed within hours of receiving the offer. That closed the MSU scholarship window for Dixon and King.

Dixon ended up committing to Wisconsin on signing day. He is a regular in the Badgers secondary at safety.

Williams never broke into the two-deep at Michigan State and transferred to Hampton in August.

In December of 2012, Iowa commitment Delano Hill, a defensive back from Detroit Cass Tech, de-committed from the Hawkeyes. He had committed to Iowa in April of his junior year. Prior to that, Hill was hoping for a Spartan offer, and attended several Michigan State junior day events and camps. But he bit on the Iowa offer as a spring commitment.

When Iowa abruptly fired its Detroit recruiter, Erik Campbell, in December of 2012, Hill reopened his recruitment. He soon changed his commitment to Michigan.

With Hill gone, Iowa had an opening. The Hawkeyes brought King in for an official visit during the last week of January, just days before signing day, and offered him a scholarship. He changed his commitment from Ball State to Iowa.

Stopping A Trend

Michigan State's incomplete courtship of King coincided with Michigan State's weakest point of recruiting in the Detroit area of the Dantonio era. In the spring of 2012, when MSU was evaluating King, it had been two years since MSU's primary recruiter in the Motor City, Dan Enos, had left to become head coach at Central Michigan. Enos had experienced more success recruiting Detroit than any Spartan assistant in the 85-scholarship era, dating back to 1993.

Dantonio sought to replace Enos with a committee of recruiters in Detroit. But MSU lost traction in Detroit. In the spring of 2011, Michigan State recruiting had become increasingly sleepy in Southeast Michigan, with former Spartan leans Devin Funchess and Mario Ojemudia surprising MSU coaches by committing to Michigan.

When King hit the recruiting circuit a year later, the Spartans found themselves trailing Michigan for the A-list in-state recruits that year as well, and missed out on offering King and Walled Lake Western DBJoshua Jones, who is on track to become a four-year starter at North Carolina State.

MSU's recruiting class of 2012 (the current true juniors and redshirt sophomores) is likely to yield the fewest starters and All-Big Ten players of any Dantonio recruiting class at Michigan State.

As for King, he followed the example of past MSU stars such as Le'Veon Bell, Kirk Cousins, Joel Foreman and Darqueze Dennard, in earning an 11th-hour scholarship from a Big Ten school and turning it into Cinderella success - but he's doing it for the Hawkeyes, not the Spartans.

King enrolled at Iowa in August of 2013. That same month, Dantonio hired Curtis Blackwell as the program's new director of college advancement, largely for the purpose of keeping a better ear to the ground on recruiting development in the Detroit area.

Lot of respect from Ferentz for Michigan State program. He spoke at length about Connor Cook's emergence as a playmaker in the Big Ten opener at Iowa in 2013, and how he has never looked back. Ferentz has a ton of respect for the d-line and the o-line.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1831775

Here is a story on Cook's return from injury. All-Around impressive game by him. Obviously, the fact that he didn't get knocked down once was big. The balance between the run and passing game also helps a ton.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1831450

Here is Robert Hendricks' photo gallery from Michigan State's win over Penn State.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=951&fid=51976

Knox is very excited about his health and how well he is playing. He was not 100 percent last year, and football wasn't a lot of fun. He's having fun now.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1830096

Here is a notebook from Dantonio's conference call tonight.
https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1829090

Here is a Tyler O'Connor story that I wrote
https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1828889

TURNING POINT: Blitz change-up keyed Bullough Pick-Six


Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher


EAST LANSING - A slight change of tendency yielded a major change in the direction of Michigan State's 24-7 victory over Maryland on Saturday.

Michigan State coaches changed the Spartans' blitz pattern on Maryland's 37th offensive snap of the game, Saturday, and it resulted in Riley Bullough's turning-point interception and 44-yard return for a touchdown.

The pick-six gave Michigan State a 14-7 lead on a day when both teams struggled mightily to move the ball on offense. Bullough's TD came with 2:07 left in the second quarter, altering a game that had been mired in a defensive tie for most of the first half.


Bullough's touchdown changed the momentum of the game and served as one of only two touchdowns the Spartans would score through the first two-and-a-half quarters of the game. It also supplied all the points MSU would need on this day, breaking a 7-7 tie and putting Michigan State up for good.

So how did MSU make it happen?

Well, the Spartans set things up by blitzing its inside linebackers as part of a six-man rush far more frequently than Michigan State has all season, or at any point in the Mark Dantonio era.

Blitzing two inside linebackers through the A-gaps is one of MSU's favorite blitzes. But it was rare to see MSU run variations of this blitz on such a frequent basis. MSU sent Bullough and Jon Reschke on interior blitzes as part of a six-man rush on 15 of Maryland's first 36 offensive plays.

"We ran that blitz way more than usual," Reschke said.

And then on the 37th snap, Michigan State brought Reschke along with a cornerback, but didn't blitz Bullough. This was the 18th overall blitz of the day for MSU, but the first time MSU dropped Bullough into the flat in pass defense as part of an overall blitz scheme.

MSU played a three-deep (cover three) zone behind the ILB blitzes on all 15 occasions, prior to this play.

The weakness of the cover-three blitz is along the sidelines. An offense usually has a window to attack a three-deep zone with comeback routes at the sideline.

Maryland QB Perry Hills tried to attack the sideline on this play.

Hills saw MSU telegraph the corner blitz prior to the snap. Hills called an audible that he thought would beat the blitz. MSU left the blitz on, rather than check out of it.

Hills expected a void along the left sideline, with the corner blitzing. Hills likely assumed that Bullough and Reschke would be blitzing up the middle, as they had done 15 times up to that point in the game.

But Bullough didn't blitz on this play. He dropped to the sideline, right where Hills attempted to throw his hot route pass.

"I was the hot player on the short side of the field," Bullough said, meaning he was assigned to take away any short blitz-beating "hot" routes. "I didn't have much field to work it. I read the quarterback, made the catch down the sideline."

When SpartanMag.com asked Bullough if he felt the QB was confused by MSU's changing its tendency and dropping him into the flat for this play, Bullough agreed.

"Yeah, I think it might have," he said. "We were showing our blitz and the quarterback kind of checked it. I think we confused him a little bit, he thought we might have changed the blitz to the other side but we kept it on. I was able to read the quarterback and make the play.

"Darian Hicks made a great block for me, so I was pretty open. Just tried to get in the end zone."

SpartanMag.com unofficially charted MSU with running the two-ILB blitz in front of cover-three zone on 30 of Maryland's 73 offensive plays on the day. That's not counting at least five 5-man blitzes, and this one crucial CB/LB blitz with Bullough dropping into the flat for the turning-point interception.

"The (inside) linebacker blitzes were working well," Reschke said. "But they were exhausting.

"Those blitzes weren't something we talked about all week. They weren't a part of the game plan as far as we knew. I think we used it a couple of times early and the coaches like how it looked and kept calling it."

Here is a story I just put together on McDowell.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1826015

Good stuff from Robert Hendricks as always.
https://michiganstate.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=951&fid=51863

Dantonio says in this article that "he'll probably be able to go on Tuesday."

But that's all we have at this point.


Could Cook miss practice time for OSU?

Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher


EAST LANSING - One week prior to the most important regular-season game of his career, Connor Cook is dealing with the first injury of his career.

Cook, Michigan State's third-year starter and owner of the 2014 Rose Bowl MVP Trophy, missed the second half of Saturday's 24-7 victory over Maryland due to a forearm/shoulder injury.


Cook says he is fine. But head coach Mark Dantoniofelt the senior QB lacked velocity after being driven to the turf by a Terrapins defensive end in the second quarter.

Cook played the remainder of the first half while hampered by the injury. Dantonio made the decision to seat Cook for the second half.

"I just landed on it funny and dinged it up a bit," Cook said. "Nothing too bad, it was just for precautionary reasons, wanted to get some of the younger guys involved like Damion (Terry) and Tyler (O'Connor).It was a coach's decision and we just wanted to play it safe."

Dantonio said Cook played a part in the decision, too.

"Coming out in the second half, he just didn't have the arm strength to be able to go full go," Dantonio said of Cook. "So, he was the one that said, `Hey, you've got to go with the other guy.' It was either, you can do the job or you can't do the job.

"That was my sense. Then coming out in the third quarter, I still didn't see that. You got to be able to throw the ball effectively. I think he was functional, but he wasn't what he usually is.

"I don't think it's anything long term or anything like that, but he couldn't throw the ball effectively, so we needed to make a change at that point."

Michigan State coaches and officials were not specific on the nature of the injury.

"There was no popping out of any sort," Cook said. "They looked at it a little bit. I'll be fine to go next week. I'll be good. There was a little pain here and there, but it was nothing where I couldn't deliver a pass."

Cook, of Hinckley, Ohio, is 1-1 in two career starts against his home-state Buckeyes. No. 15-ranked Michigan State (9-1) and No. 3 Ohio State (9-0) will play for supremacy in the Big Ten East and the inside track toward the Big Ten Championship Game, and possibly a berth in the College Football Playoff.

Dantonio didn't seem concerned about the possibility of Cook being hampered for the Ohio State game.

"On a scale of 1-10, I'm a 9.5," Dantonio said, when asked on a 10 scale how confident he is that Cook will be fine next Saturday. "I'm pretty confident in him. I think if we would have chosen to run the football, he could have hung in there. I just don't think he had the velocity on his ball that he usually has and I think that was bothering him. That's my personal opinion. I think he was frustrated with that. We went the other direction (with junior back-up QB Tyler O'Connor).

"We'll be all right," Dantonio added. "Connor [Cook] will be all right. I don't think there's any sense that there's long-term things there, he'll probably be able to go on Tuesday and I think he could have gone, but he felt like if he threw it hard, it would set him back a number of days more. I think that was more of an indication, at least, as he talked. So, got to go with that."

Here is a notebook that I put together from interview with Harlon Barnett today

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1824791

Here is a notebook from Dantonio presser.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1824017

I put this together quickly as a little bit of a change of pace. Will have a notebook in a little bit.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1823958

Today's DotComp is less emotional, less about story telling.

It's more clinical, and maybe boring, possibly repetitive as I don't have an editor to read this thing, and likely not at all cathartic.

But it's the way I see things, this Sunday morning:


https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1823117

I got together with HOL publisher Sean Callahan for a Q&A on Nebraska. Here is what he had to say:

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1821941

Good story by Rico Cooney on what Brian Allen's been up against:


https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1821973

Jack's back but younger brother held his own

Ricardo Cooney
SpartanMag.com Staff Writer


EAST LANSING - Senior center Jack Allen was in no danger of losing his starting job after sitting out two games - against Michigan and Indiana - to heal from an ankle injury.

But there was an interesting dynamic in play, literally, during his absence as he confirmed his return to the starting lineup Tuesday as No. 6 Michigan State prepares for its 7 p.m. contest against Nebraska on Saturday night in Lincoln, Neb.

And that was the fact that younger brother Brian Allen took over the reigns in the middle of the Spartans' offensive line during his brother's two-game absence.

Interesting because it was the first time the younger Allen had subbed for his brother with Jack Allen, confirming that the duo never even played together during their prep days at Hinsdale (Ill.) Central High School.



Sophomore center Brian Allen stepped in for his brother Jack for two games and held his own.

And interesting because while you could sense a tinge of pride in the elder brother's voice, he admitted he had to handle the situation like he would with any of MSU's other linemen, who aren't one of his siblings.

"Yeah, I definitely cheer for him more but at the same time I'm cheering for all of the o-line guys out there,'' Jack Allen said. "It's not like I'm cheering for one guy more then the other. I want everybody to do well and for us to win.''

And his assessment of his brother's two-game performance at center?

"I think he did a great job,'' said Jack Allen, one of the Spartans' captains. "When you're a young guy, yeah, he did play a little last year, but he wasn't a full time starter like he is now so it's more responsibility on a younger kid like that. So I think he did a great job of jumping around from position to position."

Brian Allen is regularly the first-string left guard. He moved to center to replace his brother. And Brian also returned to left guard as junior Benny McGowan worked some snaps at center against Indiana. Brian has also seen time at right guard.

"There's guys that are o-linemen in this country that are true sophomores and they have trouble with just one position," Jack said. "But jumping through three of them, that really adds on to it. But I thought he did a great job fighting through adversity and things like that.''

While Jack Allen praised his younger brother's graduated role, one that required the younger Allen to assist in calling out the blocking assignments, along with Benny McGowan, Brian Allen was a little more critical of his substitute role.

"It's definitely a lot different,'' Brian Allen said. "For the Michigan game that was probably the most complex defense we would play so that was definitely tough, just all of the fronts they would bring us. They were in defenses we see over the span of a couple games, not one game. So coming into the Michigan game it was tough just to understand all of the points and just to account for everyone because the center obviously sets up all of the blocks. It was definitely a lot more responsibility going into that one but I've just got to get more consistent with stuff like that. You take steps so it's just knowing what I have to every play.''

No matter which assessment you are more inclined to believe, Jack Allen confirmed the most important aspect of his brother's stint at center.

"Yeah, it was frustrating (being out with the injury) but at the same time all I cared about was us is winning. As long as we won, I could care less. I could be sitting on the sideline in a wheelchair just as long as we win.''

Of course, Brian Allen's abbreviated run at the center spot brought up another question for next season.

Will he be the heir to his brother throne at center?

"I just did all right playing center but next year, if that's where I happen to move, hopefully I'll be playing a lot better then I did these last two games. I've played center here before, maybe 60, 70 snaps, but not like the last two games. Now I know what's it's like to start a game at center and finish it at center. So it just helps me understand the responsibility of playing that position.''

Been there, done that

The fortunes or misfortunes, if you will, of the Huskers' 2015 season had many of the Spartans feeling some compassion for Saturday's opponent.

Most of the team's seniors had no problem recalling the difficulty of 2012 when MSU lost five games by a combined total of 13 points - with three of those losses being especially painful.

The double overtime Homecoming loss to Iowa, a two-point defeat at the hands of rival Michigan and a one-point setback to Ohio State made 2012 the most difficult season of Mark Dantonio's tenure.


Associated Press

Although Darien Harris sympathizes with Nebraska's tough season, that won't stop him from doing his job.

MSU needed two road wins - an overtime win at Wisconsin and a regular season-ending victory at Minnesota - just to become bowl eligible.

The Spartans had just two wins in their last six games that season before squeezing out 17-16 victory over TCU in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.

"We kind of get that same vibe, which helps us a lot because we know what that feels like and we know the level of intensity they're going to have to have and we know that we're going to have to match and then exceed that intensity because we've got our own goals in front of us as well,'' said 5th-year senior linebacker and captain Darien Harris. "They're going to be at home and they're going to be hungry. They've got to win these last games to make a bowl game which is huge for them and huge for that program. So we understand all that and recognize all of that but we've got our own dreams and aspirations and it starts with Nebraska this week in November.''

Nebraska's situation with first-year coach Mike Riley is a bit more dire then MSU's was that season.

The Huskers already have six losses and would need to win out just to become bowl eligible.

Included in Nebraska's miseries this season is a three-point overtime loss to Miami-Florida, a one-point setback at Illinois, and two-point losses to Wisconsin and Northwestern.

"We definitely understand where they're at but we definitely want to come just as hard as they're going to come,'' said senior defensive tackle Joel Heath.

Inner strength

Self motivation has been the mood of the week for MSU, which still has tons to play for because the team's performance in these last four games will determine if the Spartans earn a bid to the four-team College Football Playoff.


Calhoun

And much of that motivation comes from the fact that Nebraska's polite fanbase doesn't usually give their team's opponents any fodder for hate or dislike.

"It's tough, (because) you've got to kind of create your own energy and your own controlled rage, as Coach Bowman would call it for how we have to play football,'' Harris said. "You can't grasp motivation from the fans as you would at a Michigan or Ohio State away game where you know as the bus is rolling in you're going to have stuff thrown on you and things like that that will obviously get you heated. So, you've got to find motivation from your teammates, gather it from the older guys who understand what's really riding on the season in these and at the end of the day it's always going to be about us and creating our own intensity.''

With a fanbase that is more likely to cheer for their Huskers and pay respect to Dantonio and his team rather than boo any opponent visiting Memorial Stadium, many of MSU's upperclassmen admitted to still being spooked by the genuine kindness and respect Husker fans have become known for throughout the years.

"I just think we're not accustomed to people being polite to us when it comes to football, especially opponents fans,'' said 5th-year senior defensive end Shilique Calhoun. "But we'll play off each other so someone's going to have to take the lead. And at the end of the day, it's still a football game that we want to win so I think we'll be able to drive that energy and create that madness.''

Another one of MSU's 5th-year seniors went a step further.

"At the end of the day, it's all about us,'' Heath said. "Not the way fans boo at you but the way Coach D and all of the coaches motivates us. That's what gives us the most energy.''

Here is a notebook from today's press conference. As an aside, I think Dantonio is getting tired of talking about the Big Red Machine of yesteryear. It is amazing, however, how great the Nebraska program was during its glory years. It's never going to be like that again.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1821256

MSU sent out a press release with quotes from DuPree and DeLamielleure on Eric Allen, Friday night.

I put a new lead angle on the story and used their quotes.

The same general info can be found at MSUSpartans.com, but the following is what we have on the front of SpartanMag this morning:



DuPree, DeLamielleure mourn loss of Eric Allen

Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher


EAST LANSING - Three days after the passing of a Spartan legend, other Michigan State greats have eagerly come forward to praise the talents and accomplishments of the late Eric Allen.

Allen passed away on Tuesday at Tidelands Hospice in Georgetown, South Carolina. He was 66.

Allen, a former Michigan State All-American and Big Ten MVP, is best-known for setting NCAA single-game records for rushing yards (350) and all-purpose yards (397) against Purdue in 1971. Allen's mark has been broken a number of times since 1971, but his legacy as a Spartan has lived on.

A three-year letterman (1969-71) and two-time team MVP (1970-71) for legendary head coach Duffy Daugherty, Allen accounted for 4,446 career all-purpose yards and 30 touchdowns. He led the Spartans in rushing and all-purpose yards as both a junior and senior.

Former Spartan All-Americans and NFL Pro Bowl legends Joe DeLamielleure and Billy Joe DuPreeexpressed their admiration for Allen late this week.

DeLamielleure, a former All-America offensive guard at Michigan State, was saddened by the news and had strong statements about his former Spartan teammate.



Eric Allen was MSU's all-time leader in rushing yards when he graduated in 1971.
"I played with four unbelievable running backs during my career: O.J. Simpson (Buffalo Bills), Mike Pruitt (Cleveland Browns), Greg Pruitt (Cleveland Browns) and Eric Allen," DeLamielleure told MSUSpartans.com. "All four of those guys were great players.

"Eric had a remarkable senior year and he performed on a national stage. He put on a show while setting the NCAA single-game rushing record at Purdue. I almost felt guilty because I literally had to hold my block for only a second and he was gone. It was like being asked to babysit when the kids were already asleep. He was so shifty, like a rubber-band man. Eric ran wild against a Purdue defense that featured a number of great players, including Dave Butz, Gregg Bingham and Steve Baumgartner. All three of those guys became NFL Draft picks.

"Eric had a couple of nicknames, including 'The Flea' and 'Easy.' We called him 'Easy' because of his running style. He was such a peanut, but he wouldn't back down from anyone. Eric almost had a split personality. He was so friendly off the field, but he was so little, yet so tough. Eric was a great team player; he was never concerned about individual honors."

DuPree, a former Michigan State All-America tight end, said Allen had amazing talent.

"Eric Allen was one of the best running backs MSU's has ever had. 'The Flea' was his call sign," Dupress aid. "I can recall him rushing for - at the time - the NCAA record against one of the Big Ten's best defenses (Purdue). He was a multi-talented athlete and a good teammate. It was my pleasure to have played part of my college football career with such an outstanding athlete."

As a senior co-captain in 1971, the 5-foot-9, 161-pound Allen broke two NCAA, four conference and nine school records en route to being presented the Chicago Tribune Silver Football award as the Big Ten's most valuable player and selected first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). He finished 10th in balloting for the Heisman Trophy. Overall, he led the Big Ten in rushing (1,494 yards), rushing TDs (18) and scoring (110 points), becoming the first player in league history to crack the 100-point milestone. His 1,283 rushing yards against Big Ten opponents also set a league single-season record. Allen ranked among the NCAA Top 10 in rushing TDs (tied for fifth with 18), yards from scrimmage (fifth with 1,769) and rushing yards (sixth with 1,494). He ranked second on the team with 18 receptions for 275 yards (15.3 avg.) and returned nine kickoffs for 193 yards (21.4 avg.). Allen accounted for a then-MSU record 1,962 all-purpose yards as a senior.

After Allen was named Big Ten MVP, Daugherty told reporters, "Eric is the finest running back I've ever seen and we've had some great ones. He's got the ability to make tacklers miss by the barest of margins. He seemingly runs into their arms and then gets away. He changes direction so fast. He's only a blur in the films."

The 5-foot-9, 161-pound Allen made significant contributions as a sophomore in 1969, finishing second on the team in rushing with 349 yards (76 attempts) and two touchdowns. He recorded the first 100-yard rushing game of his career in the season opener against Washington, gaining 113 yards on 28 carries. Allen also returned 29 kickoffs for 598 yards (20.6 avg.).

As a junior in 1970, Allen earned second-team All-Big Ten honors from the league's head coaches after leading the team in scoring (10 TDs/60 points) and all-purpose yards (1,511). He rushed 186 times for 811 yards (4.3 avg.) and eight TDs. Allen produced five 100-yard rushing games, including a season-high 156 yards (23 carries) at Michigan. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark in each of the last four games: vs. Indiana (24-102), Purdue (28-121), Minnesota (31-142) and Northwestern (32-108). Allen also caught 10 passes for 125 yards (12.5 avg.) and two scores and returned 24 kickoffs for 549 yards (22.9 avg.).


The Georgetown, South Carolina, native recorded seven 100-yard rushing games in 1971, including a then-NCAA single-game record 350 yards on 29 carries at Purdue. Allen also set a then-NCAA record with 397 all-purpose yards. He scored on TD runs of 24, 59, 30 and 25 yards against the Boilermakers. Thanks to his record-setting performance at Purdue, Allen was named to the United Press International's National Backfield of the Week.

His other 100-yard rushing efforts came against: Illinois (37-104), Oregon State (21-119), Wisconsin (21-247), Iowa (19-177), Minnesota (34-188) and Northwestern (29-112). Allen was selected UPI Midwest Back of the Week after gaining 177 yards on 19 carries in MSU's 34-3 Homecoming win over Iowa, including TD runs of 9 and 53 yards. He scored multiple touchdowns in five games, matching his career-best with four rushing TDs in his final home game against Minnesota.

He closed out his career as MSU's all-time leader in rushing attempts (521), rushing yards (2,654), rushing TDs (28) and all-purpose yards (4,446). Today, Allen still ranks among the school's all-time Top 20 in all-purpose yards (seventh), rushing TDs (tied for ninth), total TDs (tied for ninth with 30), rushing yards (11th), rushing attempts (12th) and scoring (tied for 18th with 182 points).

Following his senior season, Allen participated in the East-West Shrine Game and Hula Bowl.

A multi-sport athlete, Allen earned two letters in track and field and emerged as one of the Big Ten's top triple jumpers, posting a personal-best 50-5 1/4 at the 1971 outdoor championships.

He was selected as a wide receiver by the Baltimore Colts in the fourth round (No. 104 overall) of the 1972 National Football League Draft. Allen opted to play in the Canadian Football League and spent four years with the Toronto Argonauts (1972-75). He accounted for 4,270 career all-purpose yards, averaging 15.2 yards per touch (281 touches). Allen had 130 career receptions for 2,401 yards (18.5 avg.) and eight TDs.

Born May 18, 1949, Allen is survived by his mother Rebecca Allen, brothers Nathaniel Allen and Phillip Allen, and sister Ruth Naomi Allen.

Arrangements are being completed by McKnight Fraser Funeral Home. Visitation is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 1 from 5-7 p.m. at Walter S. Fraser Memorial Chapel in Georgetown. The funeral service will be held on Monday, Nov. 2 at 1 p.m. at Bethel A.M.E. Church (417 Broad Street) in Georgetown, with burial at Morning Glory Cemetery.

MSUSpartans.com contributed to this report. Find more on Allen at MSUSpartans.com

Lot of great photos in this gallery from Robert Hendricks. One of my favorite is the Sudfeld fumble in the pouring rain. Loved that pic. I also liked the photo of Dantonio screaming at official. That is as heated as I've seen Dantonio with an official.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/photofeature.asp?SID=951&fid=51739

Here is Josh VanDyke's weekly recap of the Mark Dantonio Show.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1817465

quotes from Dantonio on their progress, and a breakdown of their best and worst moments from the Michigan game:


Developmental Update: Willis & Miller

Jim Comparoni
SpartanMag.com Publisher

EAST LANSING - Mark Dantonio would rather not make drastic changes to his starting lineup midway through a season - especially if the best alternatives are true freshmen.

But he has done it in the past. Last year, Dantonio started rookie Montae Nicholson in place of R.J. Williamson for three games at mid-season after Williamson had problems with his tackling and coverage. Williamson eventually tightened up his techniques and regained his job in time for the Spartans' run to a Cotton Bowl victory and eventual Top 5 finish.

This year, with Williamson out for the rest of the regular season with a biceps injury, Nicholson has experienced continued problems with tackling and coverage assignments. Dantonio replaced him in the starting lineup last weekend at Michigan, with true freshmen Khari Willis taking the strong safety job. Dantonio moved swing DB Demetrious Cox to cornerback and put another true freshman, Grayson Miller, at free safety.

With Willis and Miller at the safety positions, it marked the first time in the Dantonio era that two true freshmen have started in the deep middle for the Spartan defense.

"I thought they played excellent, for true freshmen playing their first game at Michigan in such a big series with so much on the line," Dantonio said. "I thought they played outstanding."



Willis began to emerge as a nickel back and reserve safety against Central Michigan on Sept. 26.

Miller and Willis were not perfect at Michigan, but they were solid enough to apparently have the inside track toward another starting job this weekend when the Spartans play host to Indiana (4-2), at 3:30 p.m. at Spartan Stadium. Miller and Willis were listed as the starting safety tandem in the official depth chart released Tuesday.

Miller had six tackles at Michigan, including one tackle for loss. He showed excellent speed and tackling ability in chasing down athletic players in tough situations.

"I think Grayson is an outstanding athlete, great ball skills," Dantonio said. "He's big. When he came here at camp, he had one scholarship offer, Western Kentucky. And we looked at him at camp and after he long jumped 10-6 and verticaled 37 inches and ran two 4-4s; and then went outside and caught the ball and did the drills, and he was 6'2 and a half, 205, we thought, maybe we just ought to offer him a scholarship."

No one figured he would be starting as a true freshman. But an injury to Williamson, combined with Nicholson's struggles, the need to move Cox to cornerback due to injuries, and the suspension of Mark Meyers, resulted in Miller being the next-man-up sooner than expected.

Key Tackles Late

Miller's best moment as a tackler came when he ran down speedy Michigan WR Jehu Chesson on a fly sweep for a gain of one in the fourth quarter. This came on the first play after a 16-yard punt return put the Wolverines at the MSU 28. Michigan went for a big strike on the sweep to Chesson, a play during which he scored on a 60-plus yard run one week earlier at Maryland. But Miller read it, converged with speed, and made an aggressive form tackle.

Two plays later, Willis assisted Shilique Calhoun in tackling Jabril Peppers on a third-and-nine bubble screen. Willis was solid and correct with outside-in leverage in helping get Peppers on the ground and forcing a three-and-out field goal attempt after the long punt return. That field goal gave Michigan a 23-14 lead, but the three-and-out stoppage - keyed by Willis and Miller - kept the Spartans in the game.

Despite missing almost all of his senior season at Georgetown (Ky.) Scott High in 2014 with a knee injury, Miller has made an impressive return to the field at the college level.

"He is everything that we thought he was going to be," Dantonio said. "He's an outstanding tackler and he's only going to get better. He's a very quick learner. Both those guys (Miller and Willis) are very quick learners. And they are not intimidated by the situation and they are hungry.

"So they are active players at a young age, but I think both those guys could be very, very good players for us."

Keys In Containing Butt

Willis and Miller had good and shaky moments in coverage on Saturday.

On a third-and-nine sack in the second quarter by Calhoun, Miller and Willis were in the area to cover Michigan's favorite chain-moving target, tight end Jake Butt, on a choice route near the sticks. Miller and Willis discouraged the pass attempt while linebacker Darien Harris also dropped a bit deeper than usual in MSU's base zone, having no respect for Michigan QB Jake Rudock as a scrambler.

Rudock had to hold the ball too long and Calhoun got to him on a coverage sack.



Miller had several key moments against Michigan, including having a hand in the game-winning touchdown on Michigan's botched punt.
Miller came up big versus Butt later in the game. On first-and-goal at the 18 with 3:00 left in the third quarter, Miller stuck with Butt on a corner route off a play-action fake. Miller honored the run, but didn't bite on it too hard. He stayed with Butt while Calhoun converged again. Rudock eventually attempted a hurried pass to Butt, but it fell incomplete with Miller on the spot.

One of Willis' best moments in pass coverage came on a third-down incompletion in the red zone in the first half. Willis got over to the sideline as MSU broke away from its usual press quarters (cover-four zone) and instead ran cover-two zone.

Cover-two gives the safeties half of the field to cover, rather than a quarter.

A week earlier, Cox failed to get over to the sideline in cover-two against Rutgers, resulting in a bust and a completion of more than 20 yards. Cox was playing safety at the time.

This time, Willis played like a veteran in getting the signal and carrying it out. With Willis playing a deep half, cornerback Arjen Colquhoun rolled up to play the flat. Colquhoun and linebacker Jon Reschke were in the area along the short sideline when Rudock attempted a pass to Butt on third-and-five. Reschke broke it up.

Willis was not in the area where the ball arrived, but his coverage of the high receiver over the top in defensing Michigan's high-low smash concept influenced Rudock to try to force a pass underneath. But Willis' teammates were also on task.

Butt, Michigan's second-leading receiver on the season with 23 catches, had just one reception for 4 yards on the day.

Pass Defense Lessons

Miller nearly had an interception with 5:48 left in the game when he knifed in front of Michigan WR Amara Darboh on a slot out route. Miller gained depth at the beginning of the route, then read the play and broke on Darboh quickly - quick enough to undercut the route and get both hands on the ball.

Miller didn't get credit for a pass break-up as Calhoun was flagged for being off-side on the play. But Miller's range and ability to break on the ball were nicely apparent on that play.

One play earlier, Chesson torched Willis on a deep go route. Michigan matched up its fastest receiver, Chesson, on the safety by putting him in the slot and occupying the play-side corner (Cox) with a short decoy route to Darboh.

With Willis isolated on Chesson, the play-side linebacker Reschke failed to get a bump/reroute on the speedy WR as he came off the line of scrimmage. Reschke was briefly distracted by tight end motion to his side and a play-action fake.

Willis doesn't have the speed to stay with Chesson, especially when Chesson is able to get on his quickly and unobstructed. He'll need more help, and a quicker hip turn and top-end acceleration to stay with a guy like Chesson in that situation in the future.

In the second quarter, after a Peppers 57-yard kickoff return, Willis gave up a 23-yard pass to Chesson on a key play leading to a Wolverine field goal.

On this play, Willis bit on a play-action fake while there appeared to be no receivers in his area.

However, Chesson had lined up as a tight end on the other side of the formation. Chesson ran a bender route behind Willis as Willis bit up on the play-fake. Chesson made the catch in Willis' vertical quarter.

Using Chesson as a tight end was a new look for Michigan. His speed getting into a route from the tight end position caught Willis off guard, when combining it with the play-fake.

Miller came over to tackle Chesson in Willis' assigned area.

Willis, who had three tackles against Michigan, is sure to get tested in the weeks ahead, especially in the hip-turn and speed department.

Miller gave up a moon-shot 32-yard reception to Darboh on a third-and-nine pass in the third quarter. Darboh came back for the pass, which was slightly underthrown. Miller will learn to play a ball that stays in the air that long better in the future.

"Both of them have a couple things they have to clean up," Dantonio said. "But they were active, they were productive, and they're very good players and I thought they were beyond their years in terms of how they handled things, in terms of adjustments and just the intensity of the football game. So I thought they did very, very well."

Nicholson played nickel back against the Wolverines on Saturday, without incident. He played that role most of last season.

Nicholson was coming off another shaky performance at Rutgers. He showed improved tackling in the first half of the game at Rutgers, but he was the responsible party on two of Leonte Carroo's three TD receptions against the Spartans.

Nicholson also missed a tackle on a third-and-long QB scramble late in the game.

Against Michigan, Nicholson failed on a tackle opportunity during Peppers' 57-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.

Willis also missed a tackle on Peppers on a shovel sweep in the third quarter. Peppers beat linebackerRiley Bullough and Willis to the edge in turning the corner for a 28-yard run.

Willis has looked like a more natural, reliable tackler in the past two weeks than Nicholson. But Willis will need to remain solvent, and continue to make progress, in order to hold Nicholson off for the job.

Tyson Smith, Next Man Up

Cox is expected to remain at cornerback at least a while longer as Darian Hicks continues to recover from an apparent head injury suffered at Rutgers. Hicks started against the Scarlet Knights but had to come out of the lineup, midway through the game.

Cox and Colquhoun started at cornerback against Michigan.



Tyson Smith is likely to be the third true freshman to rotate into the secondary, this weekend.
Junior Jermaine Edmondson filled in for Hicks at Rutgers. However, coaches passed up the option of starting Edmondson with Colquhoun at Michigan (with Cox and a freshman at safety) in favor of moving Cox to corner, Edmondson to the bench and both freshmen at safety.

Edmondson didn't see action with the Spartan defense at Michigan, but provided the key block in helping Jalen Watts-Jackson find the end zone on the game-winning touchdown via Michigan's botched punt.

With Watts-Jackson out for the year, due to a hip injury sustained on the touchdown, and Hicks questionable, Dantonio said on Tuesday that true freshmen Tyson Smith and Josh Butler are likely to be activated for duty against the Hoosiers on Saturday.

Michigan State came into the season believing it needed to have nine defensive backs available to take on the best uptempo spread attacks, such as Oregon. Michigan State planned to use the same approach to defensing Indiana, but Michigan State is without five defensive backs who played against the Ducks: Hicks, Meyers, Watts-Jackson, Williamson and Vayante Copeland.

In trying to piece together an eight-person defensive backfield playing group, the Spartans will likely go with: Colquhoun, Cox, Miller, Willis as starters; Nicholson and Edmondson as the top reserves off the bench. After those six, Michigan State listed three true freshmen in filling out the top nine in the secondary: Butler, Smith and fellow true freshman David Dowell.

Smith and Butler are set to play this weekend.

"There's no question that both those guys could have showed up on special teams already, but in my mind, they should be playing significant plays if we are taking a red-shirt off of them," Dantonio said. "And so that's why we have not played them yet because they weren't in a position to play significant plays.

"I think this week, Tyson will be for sure. I think maybe Josh, but we'll see. We do have other options there. He's a good player, though."

Wide receiver R.J. Shelton played a handful of snaps at cornerback in the Cotton Bowl against Baylor. However, he told SpartanMag.com on Tuesday that he has not yet repped at cornerback in practice this year. So he is apparently not an option MSU is considering at this point.

Jim and I check in with a V-Cast after practice tonight.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1816388

Jim and I check in with a V-Cast after practice tonight.

https://michiganstate.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1816388