Michigan State is not quite done with its 2025 recruiting class yet, as the Spartans look to add a few more pieces to the haul before the early signing period in December.

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Going into the Illinois game, I stated that it was a low risk and high reward proposition. My thought was that losing to Illinois on the road would not be the end of the world, but winning would be a tremendous positive. I had a really good feeling going into the game.

Almost from the opening kick-off, the only word that I can use to describe the Spartans' performance is "flat." They looked to me like a team that was tired and beat up and just lacked energy all the way around. The fact that they looked this way coming off a bye week is a major concern.

But all is not lost. Purdue has lost nine straight games and has exactly zero wins over FBS-level teams. Losing to the Boilermakers is simply not an option. Assuming MSU gets to 5-6, the only game remaining is against Rutgers in the post-Thanksgiving season finale. That games currently projects as a pick'em.

Playing the Scarlet Knights at home, on senior, with a bowl game on the line, is a game that the Spartans should to win. It is a game that they must win. It is also a game that I believe that they will win... but after Saturday, my confidence is a bit shaken.

Check out more of my thoughts on the week below in this week's edition of Against All Odds.

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State wrestling continues its 2024-25 campaign on the road this weekend traveling to Athens, Ohio for a 1:00 p.m. dual at Ohio University on Sunday, November 17. Sunday's dual will be streamed on ESPN+ ($).
"Ohio is a strong program with a number of ranked guys in their lineup that will be a great early season test for our team," said Michigan State head wrestling coach Roger Chandler. "They're a well coached team that wrestles hard in every position. Our guys will need to be ready to wrestle hard for all seven minutes."

The First Whistle
This is the second consecutive season that MSU has met Ohio for a dual, with MSU winning 20-11 on January 6, 2024. Previously the teams hadn't met since 2015 when Ohio won 34-3. MSU is 11-3-1 all-time against Ohio dating back to 1926-27 when the Spartans won 17-10. MSU has won 23 straight non-conference duals dating back to 2/21/20 at Central Michigan (L, 21-15).

Michigan State opened its dual season with a 20-12 victory over American University as redshirt freshman Remy Cotton secured the dual with a tech fall victory at 197 pounds. The Spartans followed up with strong performances at the MSU Open in week two where they finished with nine placewinners overall and one champion redshirt freshman Caleb Weiand, who took first in the 125-pound freshman/sophomore division.

MSU will be one of the younger teams in the B1G this season, with 10 wrestlers in this week's probables listed as a redshirt sophomore or younger.

Michigan State returns one NCAA qualifier and five other wrestlers that started in 10 or more duals for the Spartans last season. Redshirt senior Tristan Lujan is MSU's returning NCAA qualifer and is joined by redshirt junior Andy Hampton, redshirt sophomore Braden Stauffenberg, redshirt senior DJ Shannon, redshirt sophomore Kael Wisler and redshirt sophomore Josh Terrill as a returning starter. Returning to the lineup is redshirt sophomore Cesar Garza at 174 pounds, who started in 10 duals as a true freshman in 2022-23 before redshirting during the 2023-24 campaign.



First Look: Ohio
Ohio started its season 1-0 with a dual victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 1, 25-14 in the Wisconsin wrestling showcase. The Bobcats were in attendance at the MSU Open last weekend where Jeremy Olszko won the 174 pound freshman/sophomore bracket and Peyten Kellar won the open 157 pound division. Jordan Greer took second at heavyweight and Garrett Thompson placed second at 174.

All three of Kellar, Greer and Thompson were NCAA qualifiers in 2024. Kellar is a two-time NCAA qualifier and took 5th at the championships last season to earn All-American status. Kellar is also slated to participate at the 2024 NWCA All-Star Classic held at Penn State at 7 PM on Saturday, November 16th where he'll wrestle Penn State's Tyler Kasak.

At the MSU Open last weekend, Kellar took out ranked opponents in Chase Saldate (Michigan) and Johnny Lovett (Central Michigan) en route to the title.


Last Meeting - Jan. 6, 2024 in East Lansing
Michigan State 30, Ohio 11
125 | Tristan Lujan (MSU) dec. Ryan Meek (OU) 8-3 | MSU 3-0
133 | Mason Brugh (OU) SV-1 Andy Hampton (MSU) 5-2 | Tied 3-3
141 | Jordan Hamdan (MSU) major dec. Aidan Waszak (OU) 12-4 | MSU 7-3
149 | Derek Raike (OU) major dec. Braden Stauffenberg (MSU) 11-3 | Tied 7-7
157 | Chase Saldate (MSU) fall over Dan Segura (OU) 2:33 | MSU 13-7
165 | Caleb Fish (MSU) dec. Garrett Thompson (OU) 7-1 | MSU 16-7
174 | Sal Perrine (OU) major dec. Marty Larkin (MSU) 15-2 | MSU 16-11
184 | Layne Malczewski (MSU) major dec. Zayne Lehman (OU) 8-0 | MSU 20-11
197 | Kael Wisler (MSU) major dec. Austin Starr (OU) 14-3 | MSU 24-11
285 | Josh Terrill (MSU) fall over Jordan Greer (OU) 6:05 | MSU 30-11

MSU Open Wrap Up
Michigan State had three finalists and nine total placewinners at the 2024 MSU Open, which included two wrestlers that battled back for a third-place finish. Weiand was the Spartans lone champion of the day, but was joined as a finalist by redshirt freshman Jack Conley (157) and freshman Cory Thomas (184). Both placed second in their respective freshman/sophomore brackets.

Freshman Mason Stewart fell in the semifinals of the 157-pound freshman/sophomore bracket and later placed fourth. Cotton and redshirt junior Luke Daly took third, with Daly placing in the 184 pound open bracket. Redshirt sophomore Kael Wisler was defeated by Cotton for third at 197 to take fourth. Redshirt sophomore Ceasar Garza (174) and redshirt freshman Max Vanadia (HVY) took fifth.

Remy In The Rankings
Redshirt freshman Remy Cotton worked his way into the rankings this week after a 5-1 start to his season. Cotton ranks #27 in the FloWrestling rankings and is #29 on InterMat as the lone ranked Spartan competitor.

Cotton wrestled back to place third at the MSU Open last weekend, winning two matches by bonus with a pin of Kent State's Blake Schaffer (1:22) and a major decision over Michigan's Hayden Walters (12-3). Cotton earned his first career dual victory in MSU's season opener at American with a tech fall over Liam Volk-Klos (21-6).

Up Next
Michigan State travels to the Black Knight Invitational next weekend in West Point, N.Y. hosted by Army University. The Spartans took 4th at the invite last season where Kael Wisler claimed the individual title at 197 pounds.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

Fresh off a sweep of Notre Dame this past weekend, the news got better for the Spartans hockey program Monday morning as 2008 born forward Nikita Klepov pledged to the Spartans. Klepov becomes the 5th 2008 player committed to the Spartans joining F Brody George, D Jonas Kemps, D Nick Bogas, and F Jack Hextall. Klepov has played in America the past two seasons with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Knights AAA program. Last season Klepov had 72 points in 22 games played (31 goals, 41 assists) and as a 08 has made the jump to the USHL this season playing 17 games after he was signed to a tender agreement in April 2024. Klepov is rated a 4.25 star by Neutral Zone. I would expect he is on target to arrive Fall 2026, assuming he continues to develop at this pace, and the latest I would push him back would be Fall 2027. This is a great pickup by coach Nightingale and his staff, and my DMs are already buzzing with USHL scouts saying how big this one is.
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EAST LANSING, Mich. – It's a split weekend for Michigan State volleyball who is set to host the annual Battle at Breslin against Michigan on Friday, November 15 at 6 PM before hitting the road to face Iowa at 3 PM ET on Sunday, November 17.

Both matches will be streamed live on B1G+. Fans can tune into John Kreger's call of the action on MSUSpartans.com or via the Michigan State Athletics app for Friday night's match.

Michigan State hockey is set to take the ice at 7 PM on Friday night, so be aware of the parking layout below.

SERIES HISTORY
​

Michigan
- Michigan State is 56-51-1 all-time against Michigan and is 36-17 when facing the Wolverines in East Lansing.
- MSU swept the Wolverines last season, but dropped the first meeting of the 2024 season in Ann Arbor.
- The Spartans were defeated 3-0 at Michigan on Sept. 27, 2024.

Iowa
- Michigan State is 54-29 all-time against Iowa and is 24-14 when facing the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.
- MSU has won two straight over Iowa, winning 3-1 in Iowa City and 3-0 in East Lansing last season. The series is 5-5 over the last 10 meetings.
- In the last meeting, MSU got 16 kills from Taylah Holdem as the Spartans hit .400 for the match. Holdem hit .419 (16-3-31) and Amani McArthur hit .778 (8-1-9).

STATE PRIDE ON THE LINE ​

Since 1990, MSU and Michigan have competed for the "State Pride" flag. The Spartans are the current holder of the flag after last season’s sweep of Michigan.
Michigan leads the Spartans in total “State Pride” series wins, 18-14. Michigan State has not retained the flag in back-to-back seasons since 2015.
The school that wins both matches is declared “State Pride” winner. If teams split the matches, the school that wins the greatest number of sets will be declared the “State Pride” winner. If teams split the matches and have won the same number of sets, the school with the most total points is the “State Pride” winner.
There has been only one tie in the series – in 2014, Michigan and Michigan State split the two matches with both teams earning 4-set victories and scoring 197 points.
If Michigan wins a set on Friday, they will be declared "State Pride" winners. If MSU wins in three sets, it must hold Michigan to fewer than 60 points to tie or win the series this season.

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IN THE B1G RANKINGS​

Nalani Iosia is #1 in digs/set in the B1G at 4.46 and ranks #1 in total digs with 410.
Iosia is #1 in B1G only matches with 4.48 digs/set on 233 total digs.
Last week Iosia ranked #2 in digs/set with 4.75 on 38 total digs.
Zuzanna Kulig ranks #3 in the B1G in blocks thus far at 1.44 blocks/set, only behind Purdue's Raven Colvin (1.56) and Minnesota Phoebe Awoleye (1.49).
Kulig's total blocks (127) rank second in the conference behind Colvin's 139 and is tied with Awoleye's 127, and her solo blocks (23) lead the league.
In B1G only matches Kulig ranks #3 in blocks/set with 1.40.
Kulig is #9 in the B1G in overall season hitting at .362 (132-21-276).
Last week, Kulig ranked #7 in service aces with 0.63 per set.
Michigan State led the B1G in digs last week with 131 on 16.38 digs/set. MSU was #3 in service aces per set at 2.00 (16 total).

LAST ONE, BEST ONE​

Fifth-year libero Nalani Iosia saved her best for last, averaging a career-high 4.46 digs per set. Her previous career-high was 4.16 in 2023.
Iosia posted a career-best 34 digs against Ohio State on Nov. 3, the most digs by a B1G libero this season. It's the most digs by an MSU player ever in a four set match and the third-most digs in a match at MSU all time.
If the season ended today, Iosia's 4.46 digs/set would rank No. 6 in the program history book for a single season.
Iosia's 4.20 career digs/set at MSU is good for third all-time in the Green & White.
Last weekend Iosia moved into No. 5 in career digs at MSU and now has 1,360 in a Spartan jersey. Jamye Cox is No. 4 with 1,424 career digs.
Iosia ranks No. 26 in active career dig leaders among all DI players with 1,914.
Iosia is one the most experienced players in DI ranking No. 1 in matches played (145) and No. 14 in sets played (517).
Iosia entered the season ranked second in the B1G in career digs among active players with 1,504 (now 1,876).
Iosia ranked fifth in the B1G last season in digs/set at 4.16.
Iosia was an AVCA All-North Region honorable mention following the conclusion of the 2023 season, the first Spartan to earn a regional honor since 2017 and the first libero since 2014.
Iosia's 483 digs last season ranked No. 8 all-time for a single season at MSU.

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Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

This is the Spartans first road game of the season.​

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State women's basketball hits the road for the first time this season, taking on Western Michigan on Sunday, Nov. 17 at 5 p.m. at University Arena. Evan Stockton and Lexi Ayala will be on the call for ESPN+.

• MSU has opened 4-0 for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick. Michigan State also started 4-0 for the sixth-straight season since a 3-1 start to open the 2018-19 season.

• Western Michigan is 1-2 this season after opening the season with a win against Arkansas State in Kalamazoo. The Broncos then suffered a pair of road losses to Texas A&M and SMU.

• The Spartans have a pair of players inching toward the 1,000 point mark. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault's 19 points against EKU on Nov. 14 now gives her 964 career points. Junior forward Grace VanSlooten has now scored 936 points between Michigan State and Oregon.

• Early on this season, Michigan State is second in the nation in assists, averaging 24.3 apg. The Spartans are also fifth in the country in scoring margin (+52.3). Through four games, MSU is still averaging 99.5 ppg.

SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Western Michigan comes into Sunday's game with a 1-2 record. The Broncos started the season with a 61-52 win over Arkansas State. WMU then fell on the road to Texas A&M and SMU.

De'Ahna Richardson leads the team in scoring, averaging 10.0 points per game. Artemis Kouki is second in scoring, averaging 9.0 points and 2.3 rebounds per game. On the season, the Broncos are averaging 47.7 ppg, while allowing 70.0 ppg.

Head coach Shane Clipfell is in his 131th season at the helm of the Broncos. He was an assistant coach at Michigan State for five years before taking over at WMU.

Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick also has a connection to WMU. She was a graduate assistant in Kalamazoo from 2005-07.

SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BRONCOS
Michigan State leads the all-time series against Western Michigan, 17-8. The Spartans have won 10-straight meetings, including the last game in East Lansing in 2022.

The last meeting in Kalamazoo went into overtime in 2016 with MSU coming out on top, 68-64.

The last Broncos win came in 1982 in Grand Rapids, 77-60. Overall, Michigan State is 8-3 against Western Michigan in East Lansing and 5-3 in Kalamazoo. On neutral ground, MSU leads 4-2.

LAST TIME AGAINST WMU
Behind a barrage of 3-pointers, the Michigan State dominated Western Michigan, 97-49, at the Breslin Center in 2022.

For the second-straight game, five players reached double figures. Sophomore guard DeeDee Hagemann set a new career-high with 19 points, reaching double figures for the first time this season and the 10th time in her career. Fellow sophomore guard Matilda Ekh scored 20 points, going 6-for-8 from beyond the arc.

WOODARD WOWS
Freshman guard Juliann Woodard brought the Breslin faithful to their feet with her fourth-quarter antics against EKU on Nov. 14. She doubled her previous season-high of eight points vs. Oakland (11/5/24) just in 3-pointers, making 4-of-4 and adding one field goal inside the arc to continue unblemished shooting night with a 2-of-2 outing at the free throw line for 16 points in just the final 6:31, an average of 2.5 points per minute, and all in the fourth quarter.

CLOSING IN ON 1,000
Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault netted her season-high with 19 points on Nov. 11 against EKU, as she has recorded double-figures in all four contests this season and in 17-straight games and 28 of her last 33 ballgames played since the start of the 2023-24 season. Ayrault posted her 42nd career game in double-figures. The 19 points by Ayrault moves her career total to 964 points, just 36 points away from becoming the 31st Spartan women's basketball player to score 1,000 points in her MSU career.

STINGY DEFENSE
Michigan State's defense held the opposition to single-digit scoring in at least one quarter for the fourth-straight game by stymieing EKU to just seven points in the fourth quarter. Overall, it was the eighth time in 16 quarters through the first four contests this season that MSU has limited its opponent to single-digit scoring in a quarter. Thursday's fourth quarter was joined by holding EMU to nine points in the third quarter last time out, after limiting Yale to nine points in both the first and second quarters on Nov. 8 and to Oakland in the second and fourth quarter in the season-opener on Nov. 5.

INCREDIBLE INES
All six of the Spartan freshmen have seen action in all four games, but rookie Inés Sotelo had a standout performance against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 11. Sotelo reached double figures for the first time in her MSU career with 13 points against the Eagles, going 5-for-8 from the field. For the season, she is averaging 7.0 points with four steals.

PUTTING UP THE POINTS
Michigan State netted 95+ points for the fourth-consecutive game with 96 points Thursday night after 107 in last week's season-opener vs. Oakland on Nov. 5, 100 points vs. Yale on Nov. 8 and 95 points last time out vs. Eastern Michigan on Nov. 11. It marks the first time since the 2017-18 season that MSU has scored 95+ points in its first fourth games when the Spartans matched this year's scoring through the first three games with 100 points in the season-opener (100-58 vs. Robert Morris on 11/11/17), 95 in game two (95-63 vs. Oakland on 11/13/17) and 107 in game three (107-43 vs. Charleston), before posting 97 in game four (11/21/17).

BY THE NUMBERS VS. EKU
• The Spartans have won 17 of their last 19 home games at the Breslin Center, after starting this season 4-0 following posting a 13-2 ledger last season at home. Overall, MSU has won 28 of its last 36 home games dating back to the 2022-23 season.

• The 57-point scoring output in the second half was MSU's season-high for most points scored in the second half, topping 50 points after halftime in the game vs. Yale (11/8/24) and was one point shy of the season-best for most points in a half, as the Spartans scored 58 in the season-opener vs. Oakland (11/5/24) and last time out vs. Eastern Michigan (11/11/14).

BRINGING DOWN THE BOARDS
Michigan State pulled down a season-high 46 rebounds against EKU on Nov. 14, including 13 offensive boards, which led to a 15-3 second-chance points advantage. The Spartans pulled down 13 O-boards for the second game in a row after 13 last time out vs. Eastern Michigan, and the third game with double-digits offensive rebounds behind a season-best 17 in game one vs. Oakland. Graduate guard Jaddan Simmons leads the team with 13 offensive rebounds this season.

AROUND THE BIG TEN
Michigan State is first in the Big Ten in scoring offense, averaging 99.50 points per game, just ahead of Ohio State's 99.0 ppg. The Spartans are also fourth in the league in scoring defense, allowing only 47.3 ppg. MSU is also first in the league in assists with 24.3 apg and are first in assist/turnover ratio (1.94). The Spartans 107 points scored against Oakland were the second-most in the league behind the 124 USC scored against CSUN on Nov. 12.

BRINGING THE BOOM
For the 2024-25 season, Michigan State women's introduced its new student section - the Breslin Boom. First introduced by Coach Fralick at Michigan State Madness, Spartan students will be encouraged to yell "BOOM" on any big MSU plays.

AROUND THE NATION
After just four games, the Spartans are second in the nation and first in the Big Ten in assists per game, averaging 24.3 apg. MSU is also fifth in bench points with 43.0 per game. Michigan State stands fifth and first in the Big Ten in scoring margin, winning games by 52.3 ppg.

SEASON OPENERS
Michigan State won its 11th-straight season-opener and second in a row under head coach Robyn Fralick. MSU's last season-opening loss was on Nov. 11, 2013 at #6/7 Notre Dame. The Spartans have won 15-consecutive home openers, as their last loss in the first home game of the season was on Nov. 19, 2009 vs. #5/6 Notre Dame.

LAST TIME OUT
Despite a slow start, the Michigan State women's basketball team found its groove and cruised to a 96-54 win over Eastern Kentucky University Thursday night at the Breslin Center.

MSU has opened 4-0 for the second time in as many seasons under head coach Robyn Fralick. Michigan State also started 4-0 for the sixth-straight season since going 3-1 to open the 2018-19 season. EKU falls to 1-3 this season. The was the first meeting between the Spartans and the Colonels.

The Spartans had four players reach double figures led by 19 points and eight rebounds from graduate guard Julia Ayrault. Junior forward Grace VanSlooten scored 15 points with nine rebounds, while junior guard Theryn Hallock 14 points and added a season-high nine assists. Freshman guard Juliann Woodard dazzled the Spartan faithful in the fourth quarter with 16 points in the period.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!
Michigan State head coach Robyn Fralick has announced guard/forward Julia Ayrault and guard Nyla Hampton as team captains, as voted on by the players on the 2024-25 women's basketball team.

This is Ayrault's second season as a captain for the Spartans. She is the first Spartan to be a captain in back-to-back seasons since Jenna Allen during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons.
Hampton is in her first season with the Spartans, but is familiar with head coach Robyn Fralick. She played three seasons with Bowling Green before transferring to Ball State last season.

GUESS WHO'S BACK
Despite losing two of its top three scorers, Michigan State still returns a quite potent offense. Graduate guard/forward Julia Ayrault led the team in scoring with 15.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Off the bench, junior guard Theryn Hallock scored 12.3 ppg, which was fourth on the team. MSU lost second-leading scorer Moira Joiner (14.7 ppg) to graduation and third-leading scorer DeeDee Hagemann (12.3 ppg) to transfer.

VANSLOOTEN NAMED TO WATCH LIST
Michigan State Women's Basketball junior forward Grace VanSlooten was named to the Cheryl Miller Award preseason watch list, as announced by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame and the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA).

She is one of five Big Ten players on the list along with Indiana's Yarden Garzon, Maryland's Saylor Poffenbarger, Ohio State's Cotie McMahon and UCLA's Angela Dugalić. The award honors the nation's top small forwards.

WELCOME TO SPARTAN NATION
Michigan State women's basketball head coach Robyn Fralick announced the signing of three signees on Wednesday, including Jordan Ode (Maple Grove, Minn./Maple Grove High School), Anna Terrian (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee High School) and Amy Terrian (Pewaukee, Wis./Pewaukee High School).

Ode is a 6-0 guard, who is a native of Maple Grove, Minn. She attends Maple Grove High School and is coached by Mark Cook. Ode is currently ranked No. 33 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. Ode is a three-time all-conference honoree, as well as capturing all-state honors twice. During her junior season, she broke the Maple Grove single-season and all-time scoring records. As a junior, she averaged 21.0 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.

Anna Terrian is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Pewaukee, Wis., and plays for head coach Jim Reuter at Pewaukee High School. As a junior, she averaged 9.3 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game. In 2023 and 2024, she earned WBCA D2 honorable mention. She also plays tennis for Pewaukee High School, where she was first-team all-conference. She played AAU for the Wisconsin Lakers.

Amy Terrian is a 5-8 guard, who is a native of Pewaukee, Wis., plays for head coach Jim Reuter at Pewaukee High School. Terrian is currently ranked No. 89 in the ESPNW HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings. As a junior, she averaged 18.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. She became the first Pewaukee player to earn AP first-team all-state honors in 2024. She has earned all-state honors three-straight years.

COASTAL ADVENTURES
The Spartans will play in two tournaments this season. Over Thanksgiving, Michigan State will head to Palm Springs, California for the Acrisure Classic. The Spartans will take on California in their first game on Nov. 26 before facing either Arizona or Vanderbilt in their second game on Nov. 27. Before the Holiday break, MSU will play West Palm Beach Classic. MSU will take on Montana on Dec. 19 and Alabama on Dec. 20.

Preview courtesy of MSU Athletics.

BREAKING: Michigan State has landed class of 2025 three-star cornerback Aydan West.

West was on campus for an official visit last weekend.

@Ryan OBleness has more:

Following Michigan State’s loss to Illinois on Saturday, redshirt senior wide receiver Montorie Foster Jr. and redshirt junior linebacker Darius Snow reflected on what went wrong in the defeat and discussed what the team needs to do moving forward to close out the 2024 regular season with some momentum.

Read their full comments here:

Brooks played at Lansing Sexton, initially committed to GrandValley State, but then opted for Bowling Green.

In his collegiate career, Brooks totaled 167 tackles, 46 for loss, 27.5 sacks, one interception, five pass deflections, five forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery.

His best collegiate year occurred in 2022, where he recorded 50 tackles, 18 going for a loss, 10 sacks, four pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and two forced fumbles. He was also named first team all MAC.


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Wharton was elected president of Michigan State University thereby becoming the first African-American president of a major U.S. university;

EAST LANSING — Clifton Wharton Jr., a former Michigan State University president whose name and memory are tied to MSU's Wharton Center, died Saturday.

He was 98, MSU’s president from 1970-1978, and a man of many firsts.

MSU President Kevin Guskiewicz and the Board of Trustees commemorated Wharton as the first Black president of a major U.S. public research university in a statement issued Sunday.

They said the Wharton Center for Performing Arts was named after Wharton and his wife, Dolores, after its completion in 1982 to honor the couple’s contributions and service to MSU.

“Clifton Wharton Jr.’s profound influence on Michigan State University persists through vital programs launched on his watch, including, notably, the capital campaign resulting in the magnificent performing arts center now bearing his name and that of his wife, Dolores," they said. “But, so fittingly for a leader in higher education, his focus on developing people might be said to be his most outstanding legacy. He declared at the outset that, ‘What is frequently required is not a pronouncement of leadership but rather encouragement of the individuals within the institution.’

"There are many who will attest to the impact of his focus on people, one of the many reasons he will long live in the hearts of Spartans.”

Wharton died in New York, where he was living, said Emily Guerrant, an MSU spokesperson. He is survived by his wife of 74 years and son Bruce.


An MSU legacy page credited Wharton for overseeing the building of MSU’s first superconducting cyclotron, the creation of the MSU Foundation and the launch of its first capital campaign, which made possible the construction of “Michigan’s largest performing arts center,” which was named after the Whartons.

“Among his colleagues, Wharton was respected for maintaining the quality of MSU’s academic programs despite budget constraints, as well as his commitment to educating the economically disadvantaged,” the legacy page said. “While he led MSU, the number of Rhodes Scholars rose, and two new colleges opened: the College of Urban Development and the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Wharton steered the university during the final years of the Vietnam War and student protests, and he was known for being committed to engaging with students.

He was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on September 13, 1926, and enrolled at 16 at Harvard University, where he received a bachelor's degree in history, according to MSU's tribute pages. He also received degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the University of Chicago.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family has established the Dr. Clifton and Dolores Wharton Legacy Fund at Michigan State University.

Gifts to the legacy fund will go toward the Wharton Center's endowment fund to support the performing arts center.

MSU sweeps Notre Dame.

@jacobcotsonika with the recap + quotes from Nightingale and players:

Read comments from Michigan State men’s basketball players here, following MSU’s win over Bowling Green.

Hunter notices a kid in a wheelchair...

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Hunter played nearly every snap on both offense and defense once again. He intercepted a deflected pass, made a highlight-reel catch to set up a touchdown, and then added a touchdown of his own in the fourth quarter, cutting back across the field when Colorado was putting the game out of reach.


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Here is the article on the loss to Illinois. The main problem for the Spartans was a lackluster run game, getting off the field on third down, and allowing explosive plays on defense, especially through the air. The latter was fueled by the continued issue with the pass rush.

MSU drops to 4-6, but all is not lost. Purdue is terrible and Rutgers is a coin flip. The Spartans' ceiling might be the old Motor City Bowl, but that is still better than we expected back in August.

Smith's post-game remarks available here:

The shooting woes of the last several seasons continues. It’s time for our staff to hire a legit shooting coach that does nothing but teach how to shoot. Even if Izzo has to pull time away from working on sets, there is a bigger need to improve the shooting % of the entire team. Even Izzo said at the half today that we were getting open looks but shots weren’t falling. Sounds like a broken record from his commentary over the last few seasons. It’s time to stop complaining about this recurring problem, and fix it.

It doesn’t take long. I hired a guy for my son when he was in middle school. The guy started with mechanics shooting under the basket, and worked his way out after repetition got the mechanics right. To this day, my son can shoot the rock. I have to believe if we hired a similar coach for our D1 basketball players, we would fix this glaring weakness.

Michigan State's availability report for today's game at Illinois.

Charles Brantley and Malik Spencer are both OUT after suffering injuries in the Indiana game. Wayne Matthews is also OUT.

Michigan State has a 5 game win streak heading into their series with Notre Dame. Catch the preview below here and I will use this as a game thread for the weekend!

Michigan State (2-1) returns to the Breslin Center tonight to take on Bowling Green (1-2).

It's the return of Tum Tum Nairn Jr. to East Lansing. He is now the Associate Head Coach for the Falcons.

Tip off is set for approximately 6 p.m. on Big Ten Network.

@jacobcotsonika, @KLuce98 and I will be at Breslin tonight. Stay tuned here for live updates and game discussion.

Tyson Walker was on fire for the Texas Legends, scoring 35 points on 14 of 17 shooting and six of eight from three-point land

AJ Hoggard had nine points, five rebounds, six assists, four steals and zero turnovers in 25 minutes.

Mady Sissoko had three points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes of play.

Michigan State escaped from an upset-minded Bowling Green team, ending the game on an 18-0 run, and securing an 86-72 victory.

Full game recap:

Michigan State (4-5, 2-4 Big Ten) is back in action after the bye week. The Spartans will take on Illinois (6-3, 3-3 Big Ten) in Champaign.

Kickoff is set for approximately 2:30 p.m. on FS1.

@DavidHarns, @SydneyPadgett and @Kevin Knight will be at Memorial Stadium today.

Bowling Green tonight at Breslin, 6pm. A pair in upper 3rd row. $90 face, sell for $50. DM me.