Back To Business: Wildcats Up Next
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - There was a different narrative coming out of Michigan State’s football practices this week as the Spartans prepared to face Northwestern amid a three-game losing streak.
Words like dedication, commitment, focus and consistency were being reintroduced as buzz words for a season that began with hopes of a back-to-back championship run.
While the talk of earning a third conference crown in the last four seasons was seemingly not far-fetched back in August, the idea that that goal would nearly be off the table so early in the Big Ten season is something almost unfathomable considering that this is a program fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance.
And the idea that a program which had become the epitome of words like dedication, commitment and focus would need to verbalize the ideals that had become second nature in a program has become firmly entrenched in the national discussion of top football programs is almost ridiculous
But that’s where Michigan State is, after consecutive losses to Wisconsin, Indiana and BYU.
The Spartans (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) will be looking for their first victory in Big Ten play when they host Northwestern (2-3, 1-1) at 3:30 p.m. (BTN), on Homecoming Saturday in Spartan Stadium
During this three-game skid, MSU’s first since 2009, when the Spartans finished with their only losing season under Mark Dantonio, MSU has surrendered nearly 30 points a game, while scoring less than 14.
So when the Spartans and Wildcats meet for the 55th time in a series that MSU leads 37-17, it won’t just be about ending a losing streak but reestablishing the culture that has served this program so well over the past five to six seasons.
Meaning that while the Spartans are in desperate need of a victory, there are equally in need of a quality performance that will signal that this season isn’t a lost one and that a rebuild is in progress.
Meanwhile, Northwestern has been battling problems of its own.
With losses in three of their first contests, the Wildcats also have been battling to straighten out early-season problems. Although Northwestern did earn a win over Iowa two Saturday’s ago before having a bye week.
So in a game in which both teams need to establish a return to consistently strong play, Northwestern, which has become known for its physical toughness under the tenure of its coach Pat Fitzgerald, a former Wildcat linebacker himself, will be looking to break the will of a Spartan team whose mental makeup has been challenged on numerous occasions over the last three weekends.
“I love Coach Fitz, I think he’s a great guy and a great head coach,’’ said MSU senior tight endJosiah Price. “He gets his guys ready to go. I think with Northwestern, you’ve got a really tough team that plays with a lot of effort. They’re going to come in here hungry to win because they’ve had a couple of tough losses and they’re going to give you everything you can handle. So we’ve got to be really ready to come to play and execute our gameplan. We’ve got to focus on Michigan State and not over focus on what they’re doing and do what we’ve got to do.’’
Offensively, Northwestern is lead by sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson, who is fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 224.
Thorson has completed 92 of his 169 pass attempts, while tossing for eight touchdowns against four interceptions.
He’s also rushed for 52 yards in an offense that is putting up an average of just 20.6 points per game and 350.4 yards of total offense.
While Northwestern’s offense as a whole hasn’t been impressive, Thorson’s top receiving target, senior Austin Carr, has become a standout target. Carr leads the Big Ten in receiving yards per game with 93 and catches per game with 6.4. He also ranks first in TD catches with six.
Sneaky-good Austin Carr leads the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards per game.
Northwestern’s offense was stagnant in September, but erupted for 38 points at Iowa in the Wildcats’ most recent outing.
The Wildcats’ top running back is junior Justin Jackson, who ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 102 yards per game. Jackson has scored four rushing TDs.
Northwestern’s offensive line is spearheaded by senior right tackle Eric Olson and senior left guard Connor Mahoney, who may miss the game with an injury.
“What sticks out to me is what you see all the time, that they’re so well-coached, they’re so precise,’’ said co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. “Obviously their running game has gotten better and better, when you look at against Nebraska and Iowa, who are two pretty stout defenses, that’s their two best rushing games so I think their o-line is gelling.
“The receivers and the quarterback, they just need small windows with what they do. It’s a precise, quick-passing game, and as soon as you start to nail down on that stuff, that’s when they take the big shots.
“I just feel like they are gaining confidence and coming together.”
While MSU has a secondary capable of containing Carr from having a big day, it’s the Spartans’ pass rush that will need to take its game to a higher level.
In addition to junior nose tackle Malik McDowell, who enters Saturday with just 16 tackles and just two tackles for loss, somebody else needs to step up on a d-line that could once again be without redshirt freshman Raequan Williams. Williams missed last week’s game with an arm injury.
Justin Jackson has more than 3,000 career rushing yards.
MSU’s safety combination of junior Montae Nicholson, the team’s leading tackler at 41, andDemetrious Cox, who has 36 stops, should be productive once again on Saturday. But with 5th-year senior linebacker and tri-captain Riley Bullough, and junior linebacker Jon Reschkeexpected to stay sidelined with injuries, the Spartans will need more than a monster day from junior linebacker Chris Frey, second on the team in tackles with 40, to slow a Northwestern offense that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes.
Somehow, as a group, MSU’s defense has to find a way on improving on a scoring defense that is giving up 25.2 points and 355.8 yards per game.
MSU enters Saturday with just 21 tackles for loss, which includes five sacks, and just four picks and three fumble recoveries.
While the Spartans’ defense will be looking to make a difference, MSU will be looking to answer some serious questions on offense.
Dantonio renewed MSU’s quarterback competition after Tyler O’Connor was yanked from his starting job in the fourth quarter of the team’s 31-14 loss to BYU in favor of junior Damion Terry.
While the Spartans need better play calling to help improve their chances in an offense that is producing just 366.2 yards and 21 points a game, Terry and redshirt freshman Brian Lewerkewere given chances to wrestle the job away from O’Connor this week.
O’Connor’s numbers after five games: 78-of-128 for 976 yards, eight TDs and five INTs. Dantonio acknowledges that O’Connor hasn’t been playing poorly, but the offense has needed a spark. That’s what he was hoping to provide in going with Terry. It’s unclear today whether Dantonio will play one quarterback, or both, or all three, or who will start.
The running back position also seems to be in flux if you look at MSU’s depth chart, which lists the possibility of junior Gerald Holmes and sophomores, LJ Scott and Madre London as potential starters.
Scott comes in as the leading rusher with 70 carries for 311 yards and two TDs. But Holmes started last week, and Scott is coming off one of the lightest workload games of his college career.
At wideout, senior R.J. Shelton now holds the top spot with 21 catches for 262 yards and two TDs but true freshman Donnie Corley and 5th-year senior Monty Madaris are valuable options for whoever ends up under center. But Madaris had two dropped passes last week, one of which stalled a drive. Corley dropped a deep pass the week before. MSU’s o-line is led by left tackle Kodi Kieler, one of four 5th-year seniors MSU will be depending on as redshirt freshman Tyler Higby gets incorporated at left guard and junior Brian Allen continues his move to center. But Kieler missed the second half last week with what appeared to be an upper body injury.
Defensively, the Wildcats are a stout bunch.
Surrendering just 19.8 points, while averaging 2.4 sacks per contest, this is a defense that can win games for its team. With 32 tackles for loss, the Wildcats boast at least one TFL from 12 members of a defense, which also has 12 sacks included in its TFL totals.
“They are athletic, they keep coming at you,” said wide receivers coach Terry Samuel. “They know that scheme. They have been working it and working it and all those guys they put in the mix, they all buy in. So the effort level and the intelligence that defense has is really one of the better ones we’ve seen. It’s in the same vain as Wisconsin as far as the way they try to come at you with the effort. So of course we’ve got to match that with our play.”
Senior linebacker Jaylen Prater and junior safety Godwin Igwebuike lead the way in the defensive department.
The top tackling duo in the Big Ten with a combined 18.0 tackles per game, Prater ranks third in the conference with 9.2 tackles per game, while Igwebuike ranks seventh at 8.8 per game. Igwebuike also leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation with 6.8 solo tackles per game.
Senior defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo is third in the conference and 14th in the nation in sacks per game, collecting one in every game Northwestern has played so far this season. He was dominant at times against Iowa, which served as the best game of his career to this point for the former four-star Rivals250 defensive end recruit.
“On the defense? No. 16 (Igwebuike), that is a really good safety. He can play, he’s a safety, but he can play you man and he comes down and he’ll pop,’’ Samuel said. “He’s got some pop to him when it’s time to make that tackle. He stands out of course. And of course No. 7 (Odenigbo), their defensive end, he’s no joke when he comes off the edge. That speed, aggressive. We got to do our job.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
MSU: Well here’s something you thought you’d never have to say about a Dantonio-coached team: It’s gut-check time for this group of Spartans. While no one is questioning this group’s heart, there is no doubt that MSU hasn’t done well in the face of adversity over the past three weekends. Heart? Yes. Psychological strength? No. Not to this point, anyway.
Adversity hasn’t been handled well and the Spartans have exhibited the poor body language to prove it. As physical as Northwestern plays, MSU is not only going to be punched in the mouth but bloodied. So if the Spartans’ season is going to go anywhere, this game against Northwestern is a worthy test. How the team performs as a group on Saturday will say a lot about this bunch.
NORTHWESTERN: Coming off a bye week, the Wildcats will need to shake off the rust of a weekend fairly quickly against a desperate Spartan team looking to regain its swagger after three disappointing performances and outcomes. While Northwestern’s offense is serviceable, if the Wildcats are going to win this game, it will be because off their defense. Forcing turnovers and getting off the field on 3rd down will be key to the Wildcats success. Northwestern will also need a big play from its special teams unit in order to ensure a victory.
Ricardo Cooney | SpartanMag.com
EAST LANSING - There was a different narrative coming out of Michigan State’s football practices this week as the Spartans prepared to face Northwestern amid a three-game losing streak.
Words like dedication, commitment, focus and consistency were being reintroduced as buzz words for a season that began with hopes of a back-to-back championship run.
While the talk of earning a third conference crown in the last four seasons was seemingly not far-fetched back in August, the idea that that goal would nearly be off the table so early in the Big Ten season is something almost unfathomable considering that this is a program fresh off a College Football Playoff appearance.
And the idea that a program which had become the epitome of words like dedication, commitment and focus would need to verbalize the ideals that had become second nature in a program has become firmly entrenched in the national discussion of top football programs is almost ridiculous
But that’s where Michigan State is, after consecutive losses to Wisconsin, Indiana and BYU.
The Spartans (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) will be looking for their first victory in Big Ten play when they host Northwestern (2-3, 1-1) at 3:30 p.m. (BTN), on Homecoming Saturday in Spartan Stadium
During this three-game skid, MSU’s first since 2009, when the Spartans finished with their only losing season under Mark Dantonio, MSU has surrendered nearly 30 points a game, while scoring less than 14.
So when the Spartans and Wildcats meet for the 55th time in a series that MSU leads 37-17, it won’t just be about ending a losing streak but reestablishing the culture that has served this program so well over the past five to six seasons.
Meaning that while the Spartans are in desperate need of a victory, there are equally in need of a quality performance that will signal that this season isn’t a lost one and that a rebuild is in progress.
Meanwhile, Northwestern has been battling problems of its own.
With losses in three of their first contests, the Wildcats also have been battling to straighten out early-season problems. Although Northwestern did earn a win over Iowa two Saturday’s ago before having a bye week.
So in a game in which both teams need to establish a return to consistently strong play, Northwestern, which has become known for its physical toughness under the tenure of its coach Pat Fitzgerald, a former Wildcat linebacker himself, will be looking to break the will of a Spartan team whose mental makeup has been challenged on numerous occasions over the last three weekends.
“I love Coach Fitz, I think he’s a great guy and a great head coach,’’ said MSU senior tight endJosiah Price. “He gets his guys ready to go. I think with Northwestern, you’ve got a really tough team that plays with a lot of effort. They’re going to come in here hungry to win because they’ve had a couple of tough losses and they’re going to give you everything you can handle. So we’ve got to be really ready to come to play and execute our gameplan. We’ve got to focus on Michigan State and not over focus on what they’re doing and do what we’ve got to do.’’
Offensively, Northwestern is lead by sophomore quarterback Clayton Thorson, who is fifth in the Big Ten in passing yards per game at 224.
Thorson has completed 92 of his 169 pass attempts, while tossing for eight touchdowns against four interceptions.
He’s also rushed for 52 yards in an offense that is putting up an average of just 20.6 points per game and 350.4 yards of total offense.
While Northwestern’s offense as a whole hasn’t been impressive, Thorson’s top receiving target, senior Austin Carr, has become a standout target. Carr leads the Big Ten in receiving yards per game with 93 and catches per game with 6.4. He also ranks first in TD catches with six.
Sneaky-good Austin Carr leads the Big Ten in receptions and receiving yards per game.
Northwestern’s offense was stagnant in September, but erupted for 38 points at Iowa in the Wildcats’ most recent outing.
The Wildcats’ top running back is junior Justin Jackson, who ranks second in the Big Ten, averaging 102 yards per game. Jackson has scored four rushing TDs.
Northwestern’s offensive line is spearheaded by senior right tackle Eric Olson and senior left guard Connor Mahoney, who may miss the game with an injury.
“What sticks out to me is what you see all the time, that they’re so well-coached, they’re so precise,’’ said co-defensive coordinator Mike Tressel. “Obviously their running game has gotten better and better, when you look at against Nebraska and Iowa, who are two pretty stout defenses, that’s their two best rushing games so I think their o-line is gelling.
“The receivers and the quarterback, they just need small windows with what they do. It’s a precise, quick-passing game, and as soon as you start to nail down on that stuff, that’s when they take the big shots.
“I just feel like they are gaining confidence and coming together.”
While MSU has a secondary capable of containing Carr from having a big day, it’s the Spartans’ pass rush that will need to take its game to a higher level.
In addition to junior nose tackle Malik McDowell, who enters Saturday with just 16 tackles and just two tackles for loss, somebody else needs to step up on a d-line that could once again be without redshirt freshman Raequan Williams. Williams missed last week’s game with an arm injury.
Justin Jackson has more than 3,000 career rushing yards.
MSU’s safety combination of junior Montae Nicholson, the team’s leading tackler at 41, andDemetrious Cox, who has 36 stops, should be productive once again on Saturday. But with 5th-year senior linebacker and tri-captain Riley Bullough, and junior linebacker Jon Reschkeexpected to stay sidelined with injuries, the Spartans will need more than a monster day from junior linebacker Chris Frey, second on the team in tackles with 40, to slow a Northwestern offense that doesn’t make a ton of mistakes.
Somehow, as a group, MSU’s defense has to find a way on improving on a scoring defense that is giving up 25.2 points and 355.8 yards per game.
MSU enters Saturday with just 21 tackles for loss, which includes five sacks, and just four picks and three fumble recoveries.
While the Spartans’ defense will be looking to make a difference, MSU will be looking to answer some serious questions on offense.
Dantonio renewed MSU’s quarterback competition after Tyler O’Connor was yanked from his starting job in the fourth quarter of the team’s 31-14 loss to BYU in favor of junior Damion Terry.
While the Spartans need better play calling to help improve their chances in an offense that is producing just 366.2 yards and 21 points a game, Terry and redshirt freshman Brian Lewerkewere given chances to wrestle the job away from O’Connor this week.
O’Connor’s numbers after five games: 78-of-128 for 976 yards, eight TDs and five INTs. Dantonio acknowledges that O’Connor hasn’t been playing poorly, but the offense has needed a spark. That’s what he was hoping to provide in going with Terry. It’s unclear today whether Dantonio will play one quarterback, or both, or all three, or who will start.
The running back position also seems to be in flux if you look at MSU’s depth chart, which lists the possibility of junior Gerald Holmes and sophomores, LJ Scott and Madre London as potential starters.
Scott comes in as the leading rusher with 70 carries for 311 yards and two TDs. But Holmes started last week, and Scott is coming off one of the lightest workload games of his college career.
At wideout, senior R.J. Shelton now holds the top spot with 21 catches for 262 yards and two TDs but true freshman Donnie Corley and 5th-year senior Monty Madaris are valuable options for whoever ends up under center. But Madaris had two dropped passes last week, one of which stalled a drive. Corley dropped a deep pass the week before. MSU’s o-line is led by left tackle Kodi Kieler, one of four 5th-year seniors MSU will be depending on as redshirt freshman Tyler Higby gets incorporated at left guard and junior Brian Allen continues his move to center. But Kieler missed the second half last week with what appeared to be an upper body injury.
Defensively, the Wildcats are a stout bunch.
Surrendering just 19.8 points, while averaging 2.4 sacks per contest, this is a defense that can win games for its team. With 32 tackles for loss, the Wildcats boast at least one TFL from 12 members of a defense, which also has 12 sacks included in its TFL totals.
“They are athletic, they keep coming at you,” said wide receivers coach Terry Samuel. “They know that scheme. They have been working it and working it and all those guys they put in the mix, they all buy in. So the effort level and the intelligence that defense has is really one of the better ones we’ve seen. It’s in the same vain as Wisconsin as far as the way they try to come at you with the effort. So of course we’ve got to match that with our play.”
Senior linebacker Jaylen Prater and junior safety Godwin Igwebuike lead the way in the defensive department.
The top tackling duo in the Big Ten with a combined 18.0 tackles per game, Prater ranks third in the conference with 9.2 tackles per game, while Igwebuike ranks seventh at 8.8 per game. Igwebuike also leads the league and ranks fifth in the nation with 6.8 solo tackles per game.
Senior defensive end Ifeadi Odenigbo is third in the conference and 14th in the nation in sacks per game, collecting one in every game Northwestern has played so far this season. He was dominant at times against Iowa, which served as the best game of his career to this point for the former four-star Rivals250 defensive end recruit.
“On the defense? No. 16 (Igwebuike), that is a really good safety. He can play, he’s a safety, but he can play you man and he comes down and he’ll pop,’’ Samuel said. “He’s got some pop to him when it’s time to make that tackle. He stands out of course. And of course No. 7 (Odenigbo), their defensive end, he’s no joke when he comes off the edge. That speed, aggressive. We got to do our job.”
WHAT TO WATCH FOR:
MSU: Well here’s something you thought you’d never have to say about a Dantonio-coached team: It’s gut-check time for this group of Spartans. While no one is questioning this group’s heart, there is no doubt that MSU hasn’t done well in the face of adversity over the past three weekends. Heart? Yes. Psychological strength? No. Not to this point, anyway.
Adversity hasn’t been handled well and the Spartans have exhibited the poor body language to prove it. As physical as Northwestern plays, MSU is not only going to be punched in the mouth but bloodied. So if the Spartans’ season is going to go anywhere, this game against Northwestern is a worthy test. How the team performs as a group on Saturday will say a lot about this bunch.
NORTHWESTERN: Coming off a bye week, the Wildcats will need to shake off the rust of a weekend fairly quickly against a desperate Spartan team looking to regain its swagger after three disappointing performances and outcomes. While Northwestern’s offense is serviceable, if the Wildcats are going to win this game, it will be because off their defense. Forcing turnovers and getting off the field on 3rd down will be key to the Wildcats success. Northwestern will also need a big play from its special teams unit in order to ensure a victory.
