NCAA Football FanHouse

Old School: Biggie Munn's Watch

Brian Cook — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:58:00 EST

"Old School" is the College Football FanHouse's irregular look back at the rich history of college football, usually through the medium of embeddable flash video. Check out the Old School archive for more famous plays and infamous hair.

Michigan blog MVictors keeps Michigan fans appraised of the weird goings-on of the eBay memorabilia market, and this time he's got a doozy:

As you can probably surmise, that's a watch presented to legendary Michigan State coach Biggie Munn by the governor of Michigan, and it went for a cool $500 a couple days ago. A whistle purporting to be the very item Munn used at workouts before the 1954 Rose Bowl fetched $90. (Mmmmm... Rose Bowl spittle.)

Munn was frickin' ridiculous as a Michigan State head coach, going 54-9-2 in seven season and winning two national titles. Duffy Daugherty, Munn's successor, would experience similar success as the Spartans raided the south for black players SEC teams refused to recruit, but once he retired and the SEC integrated Michigan State embarked on 40 years of mediocre results.

Old School: Biggie Munn's Watch originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:58:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quarterback Carousel At Michigan... State

Brian Cook — Wed, 21 May 2008 13:44:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Oklahoma Football

Brian Hoyer is lonely.

Anyone who pays the slightest attention to college football knows about Michigan's uncertain quarterback situation, but recent events have put the state's other Big Ten team in a similarly dodgy spot:

Out: Redshirt freshman Connor Dixon, a Pennsylvania native, decided to transfer a few days ago.

In: Michigan State picked up transfer Keith Nichol, who originally committed to Michigan State but decommitted when John L Smith was fired and Rhett Bomar pulled a Bomar, opening up the job at Oklahoma. Sam Bradford kinda slammed that door shut.

Out: Redshirt freshman Nick Foles, a Texan, announces he's going to transfer somewhere closer to home, specifically citing the crowded(?!?!) Michigan State depth chart as a reason to bolt.

As a result, MSU is left with starter Brian Hoyer, a fifth year senior, and redshirt freshman Kirk Cousins, an unrated recruit with one other BCS offer (Colorado). Past that it's walkons. The Spartans will have Nichol and incoming freshman Andrew Maxwell in 2009; in 2008 they'll be desperately hoping the mediocre Hoyer stays in one piece.

Quarterback Carousel At Michigan... State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 21 May 2008 13:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mascots Need an Assist in the Bathroom

Matt Ufford — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:12:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Video Games

Pictured here is Michigan State's mascot Sparty at last night's fête for EA Sports' NCAA Football '09. He was, at best, an incongruous presence throughout the evening.

Mascots are designed to stand out in spacious stadiums filled with thousands of people, where their cartoon heads and giant limbs are clearly visible from the upper deck. In a crowded Manhattan night club, a mascot's caterwauling charm is lost. There simply isn't enough elbow room for the wide-ranging radii of their pantomime that serves as their sole form of communication, and three times last night I turned around and found myself looking into the huge lifeless eyes and furrowed plush brow from a mere two feet away.

And I suspect it's no more comfortable for the man inside the costume. The bathroom at Marquee -- the club that hosted the party -- is typical of swanky clubs anywhere: candles on every flat surface and an attendant lording over a selection of colognes and tip basket. Since it's New York City, I wasn't particularly put off by two men's voices coming from the one stall, but when part of the conversation is "damn mascot costume" while Sparty's helmet is visible above the divider, well, that will catch a man's attention.

A minute after the conversation stopped, Sparty exited the stall -- fully plush, once again inhuman, his personal bathroom assistant in tow. He was relieved ... and so was I when he finally left.

Mascots Need an Assist in the Bathroom originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:12:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #7: Notre Dame-Michigan State, 1966

Mark Hasty — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:44:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Notre Dame Football, Big 10, NCAA FB History

FanHouse is counting down the 10 best, 10 worst, and 10 weirdest moments in Big Ten football history.

ABOVE: Spartan Stadium in East Lansing hosted the 1966 Game of the Century.

Any game which matches the #1-ranked team against the #2-ranked team will almost inevitably be called a 'Game of the Century.' It seems like there's a GotC every three to five years or so. But the 1966 game between Notre Dame and Michigan State was among the very few that actually managed to live up to their billing, and it's a sign of this game's signficance that it's still controversial forty-two years later.

This was a #1 v. #2 game, but it was not so clear which team was #1 and which was #2. The Spartans and the Irish were both ranked #1 in one poll and #2 in the other. Coach Duffy Daugherty's Spartans were the defending national champions. Neither team had lost. To to it all off, it was the last game of the season for the Spartans, and they knew it. Big Ten rules of the time prevented any team from playing in back-to-back Rose Bowls, and from playing in any bowl other than The Grandaddy of Them All. Notre Dame had one game left against Southern Cal, but that would be it for them as well. The Irish didn't accept any bowl bids until 1969.

So, with the two teams so evenly matched, something had to give. Right?

That depends on who you ask. I'll spare you the suspense; the game ended in a 10-10 tie. Some say the teams were so evenly matched that a tie was the only appropriate outcome. Others say Notre Dame coach Ara Parseghian could've won the game but lost his nerve.

Here's what we can be certain of. After trailing 10-7 at the half, the Irish managed to tie the game early in the fourth quarter. The Irish defense did its job, keeping MSU from scoring. Notre Dame had a chance to take the lead but missed a field goal. Eventually, the Irish got the ball on their own 30 with 1:10 left.

Anybody who's watched enough football knows what a team should do in these circumstances. The "get us in field goal range" protocol calls for quick slants and outs to pick up as much yardage as possible without letting more than a few seconds run off per play. The Irish needed about 40 yards, they had a good quarterback (Terry Hanratty), and most importantly, they had more than enough time.

Parseghian chose to run out the clock instead, not even trying to get into field goal range. There was no overtime in those days, of course, so the game ended without the Irish trying to win it outright.

These days we call it "playing not to lose." It gets under our skin when we see our team doing it, but we understand what motivates it. Back in 1966, many called it cowardly and poor sportsmanship instead. Parseghian was savaged in the press, but defended himself by saying that he feared a turnover would hand Sparty the game. He knew there was little shame in tying the Spartans, and a good showing against USC the next week would ensure the Irish would win their first national title since 1953. ('Good showing' indeed. The Irish won 51-0.)

Parseghian was no dummy. A 40-yard field is not a 'gimme,' and if his nightmare scenario had come true the criticism he would have endured for handing MSU a victory would have been far worse than the grief he got for not trying to win. It probably took Irish fans all of about a week to forgive him. National titles cover a multitude of sins, after all.

As far as Games of the Century go, this one doesn't quite pass muster, and not just because of Parseghian's decision. The 1971 Nebraska-Oklahoma game was far better. But was this the greatest game in which a Big Ten team was involved? I think it was.

Best Moments in Big Ten Football History #7: Notre Dame-Michigan State, 1966 originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:44:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Country's Five Most Disappointing Recruiting Classes

Brian Cook — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:47:00 EST

Filed under: Auburn Football, Michigan Football, Michigan State Football, Tennessee Football, Texas Football, NCAA FB Recruiting

Note this is "disappointing," not "worst." We're not looking for the class with the absolute least potential to win D-I games but the schools that really should have done better than they did. So breathe easy, Buffalo. A further note: rankings here are all Rivals'; sometimes Scout disagrees vehemently but that's rare.

Without further adieu:

5. Texas. Perhaps a harsh assessment for Rivals' #14 class, but as the dominant power in the nation's most football-mad state Texas should never, ever have a class outside of the top ten, even when it's kind of small. Texas whiffed on the top three players in-state, all of whom ended up at hated Oklahoma. Striking out on national #1 RB Darrell Scott was the icing on a mildly crap sundae for the Longhorns.

It's not that Texas' class is bad, per se. It's actually pretty good. (You can tell by the #14 above. That's math.) But there's no school in the country with a better built-in advantage when it comes to high school talent, and there's no way Texas should strike out on four of the top five players instate.

Mack Brown will spring his revenge soon, no doubt: rumor is that the next next Vince Young, class of 2009 QB Russell Shepard, is soon to don burnt orange.

4. Michigan State. If there was ever going to be a year when Michigan State re-asserted itself as a threat to Michigan instate or to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and increasingly irritating Cincinnati around the Midwest, this would be it. Michigan suffered a humiliating series of losses and much of the state was operating under the foregone conclusion that Lloyd Carr would be retiring at year's end. When Michigan made a hire, Rich Rodriguez swept out all but one Carr assistant. Mark Dantonio's long association with Jim Tressel was supposed to give him the edge when it came to Ohio recruits.

The result? Detroit wide receiver Fred Smith and no other four-star players. Michigan State struck out on instaters Nick Perry (USC) and Mark Ingram (Alabama) late; Ingram's decision to flee is especially grating since his father was one of Michigan State's best wide receivers. Ohio linebacker Taylor Hill took an official visit to MSU and liked it so much he committed to Michigan on the way home. Hell, linebacker Yourhighness Morgan took a look at MSU and said "thanks, but I'm going to play for Florida."

Florida Atlantic.

MSU ranks 7th in the Big Ten, and this was both their new-coach-bump year and a year in which Michigan changed coaches. Michigan's little brother continues to bow down.

3. Auburn. Tommy Tuberville got smoked up and down by Nick Saban. It's incredible. The top ten recruits in Alabama: 'Bama 7, Auburn 0. The top 20: 'Bama 14, Auburn 2. And this is coming off a six-year run of Auburn dominance in the Iron Bowl!

It gets worse. Of Auburn's top recruits, the two five-stars are JUCO guys and RB Onterrio McCalebb is not expected to qualify. Given Auburn's severe grade attrition a year ago, the NCAA Clearinghouse will probably gun down another four or five guys, leaving the Tigers with very little to combat Nick Saban's tide (ha!) of incoming talent. Tiger fans, savor this six-game win streak. It'll take some doing to keep it going.

One bright spot: they've got a guy named "T'Sharvan."

2. Iowa. No school has been hurt more by the increased competition in Illinois than Iowa. In 2005, Ron Zook was about to get fired at Florida and Tyrone Willingham was golfing his way out of the Notre Dame job, leaving Illinois wide open for a surging Iowa program. The Hawkeyes pulled six kids out of the state, one of them a five-star and four others four stars, en route to the #11 class in the country.

Enter Zook and Weis, exit light for Iowa recruiting. This year Iowa pulled only two Illinois commitments, both of them three-star kids, and the only reason QB John Wienke signed with Iowa was the sudden shift in Michigan's offensive philosophy brought about by the hiring of Rich Rodriguez. Iowa has no four star players among 24 commits and missed on the top two instate prospects. The third? James Ferentz, the son of Kirk Ferentz.

Iowa is languishing at #54 nationally, and if the rapidly aging 2005 class, now in their fourth year at Iowa, doesn't start living up to their hype things are going to start getting mighty crotchety in Iowa.

1. Tennessee. Hey, at least Iowa and Michigan State don't pretend to be national powers. Tennessee does, but they won't be for much longer if they keep up this recruiting pace. The other UT has 18 commitments and only four four-stars, none among the top 100, and one of those is a JUCO who will only provide two years of service. Tennessee struck out on every major target it swung at despite a surprising season that garnered an SEC championship game berth and a New Year's Day bowl victory.

The departures of renowned QB guru David Cutcliffe (for a death job at Duke) and his right-hand man Trooper Taylor contributed to the off year, but the end result at UT (#37) is something no program that considers itself elite should ever see on signing day. Fulmer may have staved off an axing this year; the long term trend is not good.%Gallery-6077%

The Country's Five Most Disappointing Recruiting Classes originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 06 Feb 2008 19:47:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NFL Damage Report: Big Ten

Brian Cook — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:38:00 EST

Filed under: Indiana Football, Michigan Football, Michigan State Football, Ohio State Football, Penn State Football, Wisconsin Football, Big 10, Illinois Football

Tuesday was the deadline for underclassmen to declare their entry into the NFL Draft. Below, a look at the damage done across the Big Ten in the NFL Damage Report. Yes, the NFL is still interested in the occasional Big Ten player.

Ohio State
Gone	DE Vernon Gholston
Back	WR Brian Robiskie, LB James Laurinaitis, LB Marcus Freeman CB Malcolm Jenkins, OT Alex Boone
Damage	Gholston will be a major loss. The Detroit junior was a terror all year long -- if OSU hadn't busted three coverages at the wrong time he would have made an enormous impact on the national title game -- and perhaps the best defensive end in the Big Ten since Simeon Rice. OSU has a lot of talent, but guys like Gholston are rare no matter how many hyped recruits you've reeled in. But the unfortunate reality for Big Ten fans is that OSU got off easier than everyone expected. Jenkins and Laurinaitis have been projected in the top half of the first round by most draft services, but elected to return. A few likely first-day picks in Robiskie, Freeman, and Boone elected to stick around, as well. Despite the loss of Gholston OSU is a big winner here.

Michigan
Gone	WR Mario Manningham, WR Adrian Arrington, QB Ryan Mallett (transfer)
Back	DT Terrance Taylor, DE Tim Jamison
Damage	Manningham's departure was assumed from last summer, but Adrian Arrington's dynamite Citrus Bowl might have been the decisive factor in his decision to enter early; both departing leaves Michigan thin and young at wideout. Third WR Greg Mathews comes back, but he seems a steady possession type in the mold of Jason Avant, not a gamebreaker like Manningham was and Arrington was developing into. Mallett's departure will mean little to Michigan fans if Rich Rodriguez can reel in uberrecruit Terrelle Pryor. Meanwhile, a couple defensive linemen who could have gone somewhere on the first day return; Michigan brings back every contributor from a pretty decent defensive line from a year ago. They'll have to make their returns count for Michigan's defense to keep what looks like a shaky-at-best offense in games.

Wisconsin
Gone	CB Jack Ikegwuonu
Back	TE Travis Beckum
Damage	Ikegwuonu was quietly a superb performer over the past couple years. Wisconsin had the aid of a soft, Ohio State-free schedule and a full blast of the Ryan Mallett Experience against Michigan, but #1 in pass efficiency D is #1 in pass efficiency D, and that was greatly aided by Ikegwuonu's shut-down capabilities. Counterpart Allen Langford, toasted frequently as a sophomore, was capable this year but isn't likely to match Ikegwuonu's contributions in his final year. Getting Beckum back is a major bonus for new QB Allan Evridge, though. Beckum is a matchup nightmare in pads who should be the slam-dunk Mackey winner unless Evridge is a complete disaster.

Penn State
Gone	CB Justin King
Back	LB Sean Lee
Damage	King seemed a superstar in the making after a superb sophomore season and was well on his way to the first round of the draft when he ran into Indiana's James Hardy -- about whom more later -- and got owned. Owned hard. He then failed to live up to admittedly lofty expectations the rest of the year. His departure leaves Penn State's secondary looking shaky. PSU blog Run Up The Score: *Scared for 2008?* Totally. Penn State's cornerbacks are now A.J. Wallace and Lydell Sargeant, neither of whom were overly impressive while fighting for the starting spot opposite King. Another possible option is moving Tony Davis back to cornerback, but that just creates another gaping hole elsewhere in the defense. For a secondary that tended to fall apart at critical times in 2007, this is bad news for 2008. Getting Sean Lee, the latest in PSU's recent string of late-first/early-second OLB/MLB hybrids, back is a nice boost for a defense that looks stout up front. The other side of the ball? Well... I'm sure JayPa will get a guy above the median in passer efficiency one of these years.

Indiana
Gone	WR James Hardy
Back	None
Damage	Weapons like James Hardy just don't come around that often when you're Indiana. Hardy's projected as a second-rounder many places; the last time IU had a second-rounder in the NFL draft it was Antwaan Randle-El six years ago. The damage here is severe, albeit to the Hoosier's chances to repeat as bowl participants and little else.

Michigan State
Gone	WR Devin Thomas
Back	RB Javon Ringer
Damage	In the richest tradition of Michigan State wide receivers, Thomas talked big about beating Michigan, did not, and fled to the NFL. He takes with him every ounce of big-play ability MSU got from its passing game a year ago, but there are a couple promising youngsters on the way in rising sophomore Mark Dell and incoming freshman Fred Smith. Either could emerge into a suitable replacement, or MSU could fish out another JUCO. The WRs for erratic (read: bad) QB Brian Hoyer will probably be substandard. However, if MSU was forced to lose one of its offensive stars they would probably have picked Thomas over RB Javon Ringer, a talented runner held back by frequent injury and pounding power back Jehuu Caulcrick the past couple years. His most notable highlight last year was a zig-zagging cutback run against Michigan that spanned 70-some yards vertically and 50 horizontally before Shawn Crable dragged him down. Ringer averaged 5.9 YPC last year in front of a meh offensive line; he's good. The Spartans moved from John L Smith's spread offense to a traditional pounding ground game under Mark Dantonio; with a full, healthy year from Ringer he will press Chris Wells for All-Big Ten and possibly All-America.

Illinois
Gone	RB Rashard Mendenhall
Back	None
Damage	Mendenhall will vie with Gholston for the title of the Big Ten's single most damaging departure. While Illinois figures to fill the gap with promising JUCO transfer Daniel Dufrene, -- get busy livin', kid -- Dufrene can't match Mendenhall's NFL combination of speed, power, and moves. For my money, he was the top running back in the Big Ten a year ago, better than Ringer or Hart or Wells, and Illinois will miss him dearly. The offensive burden now falls more heavily upon junior-to-be Juice Williams, who may have improved radically as a sophomore but mostly because there was nowhere to go but up.

No (early) departures: Northwestern, Minnesota, Iowa, Purdue.

The Upshot: Ohio State's claim as the Big Ten frontrunner just gets stronger.

NFL Damage Report: Big Ten originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 16 Jan 2008 09:38:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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West Virginia Hired Bobby Williams

Brian Cook — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:41:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan Football, Michigan State Football, West Virginia Football, Big East, NCAA FB Coaching

In 1999, Nick Saban led Michigan State to their best season since 1987, when the Spartans won the Rose Bowl under George Perles. He still got passed over by the BCS in favor of a Michigan team State had beaten earlier in the year, then bolted for MSU.

Then-RB coach Bobby Williams, a very nice man who wore his emotions on his sleeve as he paced the sideline, was named interim head coach. The players loved Bobby, and wanted him to be their coach. He was a players coach. They expressed their desire in the emotional aftermath of a thrilling 37-34 win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl. A day later, the "interim" was removed from his title.

In his third year at Michigan State, the Spartans were 3-6. His quarterback was having severe personal problems; drugs were rumored. Kids were getting kicked off the team left and right. Before the Michigan game a team captain was arrested for dragging a cop down the street with his car. After the Michigan game -- a 49-3 loss -- a reporter asked Williams if he had lost his team.

"I don't know," he said.

He was fired the next day. Morris Watts was named interim coach and was not given the full-time job after the year ended.

West Virginia fans: welcome to the future.

Bill Stewart is the worst coaching hire of the offseason. No, resident Fanhouse WVU proponent John Radcliff, Rich Rodriguez was not "the problem".

I know it feels good to get a rousing victory over an excellent Oklahoma team after getting abandoned by Rich Rodriguez, but powerful emotions and good decisions do not often go hand-in-hand. Elevating a super-nice special teams coach (wait... he coaches tight ends, too!) because the players love him is a recipe for disaster, especially when the architect of your offense is following the head coach out the door. It might keep Pat White and Steve Slaton around for a year or two, but when they go who replaces them?

Always-astute SMQB had a similar take, albeit one that provides a little more short-term hope:

...the man Stewart reminded me of most Wednesday was Larry Coker, another aging, affable career assistant who took great players to great heights but couldn't sustain the momentum of his predecessor and let his program careen off the tracks. Stewart had the same sort of popular, caretaker vibe about him, a lot of "rah rah" and little intensity. ... Storybook emotion, however, is not the best environment to make a long term, calculating decision. The men who make the biggest bucks for winning the biggest games, with the exception of Pete Carroll, come across as single-minded bastards. Rich Rodriguez certainly fit this mold. Bill Stewart definitely does not; he's grandfatherly. He'll have one season to go with White and Slaton and then at least one (probably two) with Devine. We'll see eventually if this was a heartwarming rush to judgment.

Survey says "yes". Stewart's only head coaching experience was three dismal years at VMI in the mid-90s and the last time he was a coordinator he was in Winnipeg. Which is in Canada. There is no program in the country large or small other than WVU that would have hired him.

This is further evidence that the bats have left WVU athletic director Ed Pastilong's belfry. Don't take it from me, take it from irate WVU super-booster and Diamondbacks majority owner Ken Kendricks, who was blunt and unsparing in his criticism of the hire.

"Woefully unqualified," he says... and it's hard to disagree.

West Virginia Hired Bobby Williams originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:41:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Brian Hoyer Feels Bad

Tom Fornelli — Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:49:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Big 10, Bowl Games

If the only thing I told you about Friday's Champs Sports Bowl was that Michigan State rushed for 172 yards against a Boston College defense that was giving up 68.1 yards a game, you'd probably assume that Michigan State took care of the Eagles. Then if I told you that Boston College only rushed for 27 yards of their own, you'd be convinced the Spartans won.

Unfortunately for Michigan State, quarterback Brian Hoyer also threw 4 interceptions and fumbled once as the Spartans lost 24-21. Anytime your quarterback commits 5 turnovers it's probably going to kill your team. (I would know, I'm a Bears fan.) When you only lose by three points, you know it killed your team.

Brian Hoyer knows it as well, and he feels terrible about it.

"Obviously I'm disappointed," Hoyer, a junior, said. "It was bad day to go out and have the worst day of my career. The one thing I take from it is we had a pretty good season and always fought back, even today.

"There's no way I couldn't take responsibility for the things I did. In the end, I was just trying to make a play. I'm just going to try to keep my head up because we have something forward to next year, but right now I feel terrible that the seniors had to go out with a loss in their first bowl game ever.

"It's a surprise because I definitely thought I was coming off two pretty good games (against Purdue and Penn State). In the end, it kind of came down to me forcing one or two throws. I can't think back all the way to Little League baseball that I had such a bad performance."

Despite Hoyer's performance, there are still reasons to be optimistic in East Lansing.

The loss gives Michigan State a final record of 7-6 on the season, but it was still a successful year. The Spartans played in their first bowl game since 2003, and it looks like Mark Dantonio has this team headed in the right direction.

Where the improvements need to be made will be on defense, where the Spartans allowed 26.8 points a game, and 351.3 yards per game. For the most part on Friday, the Spartans defense did play well. It wasn't until Matt Ryan connected with Rich Gunnell for a 68-yard touchdown that the Spartans defense broke. Even then, if you ask most Spartans fans they'll tell you Gunnell pushed off, so it shouldn't have counted.

After the game, Dantonio was proud of the way his defense played even though there were missing a few key players.

"I thought we did an outstanding job (on defense)," he said. "We pressured them for the most part. Although we knew we were going to miss those guys, they were here in spirit with us and it was not going to be a matter of 'we're not going to win because they're not here."

On a whole, Michigan State exceeded my expectations this season. In a year where I thought teams like Illinois and Indiana would take a step towards bowl eligibility, I thought the Spartans would find themselves on the outside looking in yet again. Instead they became one of the most potent offensive teams in the Big Ten, and with a few more weapons and playmakers added to this roster, Mark Dantonio could have this program back on it's way to being a contender in the Big Ten.

Brian Hoyer Feels Bad originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 29 Dec 2007 13:49:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Posse On Bowl-way: Boston College

Ian Cohen — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:04:00 EST

Filed under: Boston College Football, Michigan State Football, ACC, Big 10, Bowl Games

Happy To Be Here?

To make a long story short, Boston College spent a good portion of the season in the top ten (deservedly or not) and even made its way up to #2 before losing to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship. The Champs Sports Bowl gets the fourth selection from the ACC. There you have it. It is worth mentioning that BC had the weakest OOC schedule in the ACC, but once again, they find themselves up against a supposedly lesser opponent, in this case the 7-5 Michigan State Spartans who managed a sparkling 3-5 in conference record. Then again, they lost those five games by a combined 28 points, never losing by more than 7, so you might want to check the spread here.

Come Here Often?

Kiiiiinda. Though this is their first time at the Champs Sports Bowl, BC will now ensure that they've made a lesser bowl game in Orlando the last three decades. In 1982, they lost to Auburn 33-26 in the Tangerine Bowl (but what we'll remember most is the laughter) and in 1993, Glenn Foley directed them to a 31-13 win over Virginia in the Carquest Bowl.
Why Care?

You know, I should be telling you that it's a good opportunity to see MSU's pass rush against Matt Ryan, but the Spartans have gone Florida State Lite and suspended five of their players for this game. Unfortunately for them, this includes Jonal Saint-Dic and SirDarean Adams, who are every bit as good as their names. In any event, MSU will likely rely on its running attack, which finished 25th in the country on the strength of Javon Ringer (1346 yards) and Jehuu Culcrick (4th in the nation with 21 rushing TD's). As far as Ryan goes, he's the top ten draft pick of choice for uncreative types; sure he looks like the real thing and has led BC to some pretty bracing victories, but he's often been inconsistent and had a rather poor second half of the season once the competition ratcheted up. Granted, he doesn't really have a lot of weapons on the edge, but just wait until the Ravens draft him.

And The Winner Is...

This is not the mismatch you might assume it is. Yes, BC finished #2 in the ACC and yes, Sparty finished 8th in a questionable Big Ten. But you could make the argument that MSU played better towards the end of the year and if you give half a crap about motivational factors in bowl games, you could bring up the fact that this is MSU's first bowl since 2003 and BC slides backwards into a contest they likely see as beneath them. Nonetheless, you figure that Ryan will want to show off his skills in the short/immediate passing game to impress the scouts and Michigan State is missing some serious firepower on the defensive side of things. If I were feeling more frisky, I'd go with Sparty, but BC is just too good at winning games they're supposed to and nothing more.

BC 31 Michigan State 24

Posse On Bowl-way: Boston College originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 28 Dec 2007 13:04:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Land Grant Trophy Comes to East Lansing

Charles Rich — Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:37:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Penn State Football, Big 10

Well, maybe the Spartans are showing signs of changing things under Coach Mark Dantonio. Down 24-7 in the third quarter of their final game to Penn State, Michigan State proceeded to outscore the Nittany Lions 28-7 to take the Land Grant shelving Trophy 35-31.

Penn State lived and died with what their defense gave them. The defense was able to get 3 turnovers that the offense was able to turn into 17 points. The problem was, that the defense didn't do much else to help matters. They surrendered over 400 yards of offense. Michigan State was able to run and throw, almost at will in the second half.

Offensively Penn State was able to run the ball very effectively, but Anthony Morelli -- and stop me Penn State fans if you've read this before -- was inconsistent. Only 16-35 and 188 yards. The ABC/ESPN announcers babbled endlessly in the final minutes, as Penn State tried to drive the field, about how this would be vital for the legacy Anthony Morelli would leave behind at State College. They never got around to saying what it meant once the drive died. I'm guessing it something like, "so much potential but..."

As for Michigan State, it is a huge win. Considering the way the Spartans lost games to Iowa, Northwestern, Wisconsin and of course Michigan in the season; it's been hard to believe that the culture of second-half implosions, self-destructions and downright stupidity was going to be changed. At least not in the first season.

Beating Penn State at home in the season finale in a big comeback may turn out to be a blip, but it is hard not to think it means something more for the Spartans and their fans.

The Land Grant Trophy Comes to East Lansing originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 17 Nov 2007 20:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This Week In Schadenfreude: Weis E Coyote Did What?

Brian Cook — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:33:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Nebraska Football, Notre Dame Football, UCLA Football, South Carolina Football, South Florida Football

scha·den·freu·de /???dn?fr??d?/
-noun

satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

[Origin: 1890-95; < G, equiv. to Schaden harm + Freude joy]

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, (C) Random House, Inc. 2006.

On This Week In Schadenfreude we explore the sputtering rage, gibbering condemnation, and resigned ennui of the college football fan who has recently undergone humiliating defeat. Because even in your darkest hour, someone else is suffering too, and probably worse than you. Unless you are a Michigan fan who has just finished watching the Appalachian State game.

I was at Spartan Stadium nervously contemplating a 24-14 Michigan deficit when our designated general-update text-messager-guy filed an odd report. His obviously garbled text message: "ND goes for it 4th and 8 on 25 stuffed going to OT."

We debated what this could possibly mean. Weis went for it on his own 25? No, that would likely have led to a Navy field goal try. Surely, not even certified super genius Charlie Weis could pass up a 42-yard field goal in favor of letting his crappy offense attempt to convert a fourth and long.

Surely ...

Did ANYONE with a Motorola headset question this decision? Latina, Haywood? Corwin, where the hell were you? Charlie Junior -- you wearing that thing for decoration? ANYONE? Ahh, hell, forget the headset -- he should have listened to the crowd. Fifty thousand people yelling "KICK IT YOU STUPID SON OF A [dog]"

Oh my God. He did. (Please note that the original post above was taken down by the blog in question; it was reproduced on MGoBlog for posterity's sake.) More spleen after the jump.

Impossibly-named Ram Vela pulled a Roy Williams-vintage flying squirrel attack on Evan Sharpley, sacking him and sending the game to overtime; when Navy stuffed a two-point conversion in the third stanza the rats began leaping from the SS Weis E. Coyote in earnest. Yeah, Notre Dame. You are the Tears of Unfathomable Sadness victor this week.

BIG TEN

Michigan State. Oh, Sparty, you never change. Michigan got the ball back down 24-14 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter; after a couple Michigan first downs got them to around midfield, Greg Mathews caught a four-yard crossing route and stepped out of bounds ... and kept stepping ... and kept stepping until a MSU defensive back clocked him on a hit so late it hasn't happened yet. Result: first and ten from the 25, eventual loss.

The surprised? No one. As the Red Cedar Message board asks:

How many ****ing times can this happen?

Survey says "about two to three times a year until the sun explodes."

In the aftermath, Mike Hart would call Michigan State "little brother"; this goes over about as well as you might expect:

SCum is such a piece of **** program. They're the leaders of no class. Mike Hartless Piece of ****, Terrance Taylor, and the rest of those *******s need to die a terrible death. I ****ing hate that program. Not because they beat us, but because they are truely the most obnoxious SOBs win or lose. I pray those ****ers get killed by Ohio State, and that OSU spits on them and kicks Floyd in the nutsack as they walk off the field. SOBs.

(Floyd, for some reason, is a frequent nickname for Lloyd Carr on message boards of Michigan rivals.) This perfectly encapsulates the portions of the Michigan State fanbase that aren't inured to the football team "SCum", -- not even "scUM" -- bad puns, censored swearing, and the desperate hope Ohio State can do what they can't.

PAC 10

UCLA. This makes about as much sense as UCLA's season so far:

I'm not sure what this is. It appears to be Halloween-there's a scarecrow next to the guy, and though I hear LA gets a little weird I've never heard of that particular fetish-and this guy is dressed up as "cardboard box that doesn't like Karl Dorrell." Or Kobe, evidently.

Anyway, over at the very spleeniest blog in the college football blogosphere, Bruins Nation, there is naught but quiet repose and reflection. UCLA gacked up another game against what appeared to be a totally overmatched opponent, this time Arizona. The result:

I don't know about you guys, but I am actually feeling pretty good.

Where's the rage? Gone, gone away, replaced by the refreshing knowledge that next year there will be someone else to rage at. The only cloud on the horizon is the distant, frightening possibility that Dorrell could win out, thus winning the Pac-10 (everyone would have two losses and UCLA would have all the tiebreakers) or take two of three from Arizona State, Oregon, and USC.

Uh ... I think you guys are safe. Though it would be just like the Michigan State of the Pac-10 to submarine one of the three, two is a virtual impossibility.

SEC

South Carolina. From the top ten to straight out of the top twenty five, the last three weeks have not gone well for the Gamecocks. Some guys named Smelley and Dancin' Blake Mitchell keep screwing stuff up at quarterback ... and then there's the matter of 541 rushing yards yielded. To one team. In one game. That's 43 more than Notre Dame has on the season. Granted, said team has Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, but ... uh ... no.

Garnet and Black Attack politely motions to tar, feather, and run the esteemed defensive coordinator out of town:

The continued employment of the South Carolina defensive staff needs to be seriously re-evaluated.

"Seriously re-evaluated?" We want blood!

The University of South Carolina was embarrassed tonight. Not just defeated, not just thumped, but embarrassed.

Okay, good, good... more!

I've usually had nothing but good to say about [USC defensive coordinator] Tyrone Nix, thinking that the overall defensive numbers justified it, but enough is enough. The running games of the SEC, other conferences and even other subdivisions have learned how to steamroll this team. Year after year after year.

"Subdivisions" as in "bowl/championship" subdivisions? Yikes.

BIG EAST

South Florida sure went ... well, let's let this message board poster get in the obvious zinger:

AT LEAST ONE AGRUMENT IS DECIDED Reply

... we may be located in Tampa but we earned our school name USF because we went South in a blink.

Zing! How do you end up 1-3 in the Big East with victories over WVU and Auburn? Is it weirder that USF is unranked now or was ranked #2 earlier this year? Woo, 2007!

BIG TWELVE

Holy God. Nebraska is a fixture on This Week In Schadenfreude as Husker fans slowly spiral into insanity. A combination of the world's worst defense and decades of beating their Big 12 North foes 56-7 makes an ugly combination and 76 (!!!) points scored against ... by the beginning of the fourth quarter. After an opening three-and-out, Kansas scored ten straight touchdowns, missed a field goal, then scored another touchdown.

Worst everything in school history? Definitely. Corn Nation urges the executioner to stay the axe, though not for nice reasons:

Forget the idea that he (or Bill Callahan) should resign or be fired. He shouldn't. He shouldn't be let off the hook. At the end of the season, we can write about how this is the worst season in Nebraska's history and it can be attributed to him without any asterisks attached. This becomes more important as time marches on.

How about branding him with a scarlet N as soon as the season's over? I'm sure if we gave Callahan a cut he'd go for it, and I'm sure the entire state of Nebraska would shell out thirty bucks to watch it on PPV.

Meanwhile, some fans have thrown in the towel for not only this year, but for the rest of time:

5 straight losses
76 points against KU

this is our nightmare--how long til the psyche of the players on this team is healed?

the freshman now will remember this when they are 5th year seniors. is it motivating or crushing?

will they ever recover? or will it take years for this kind of embarrassing cataclysmic era to wear off?

Given the state of the Raiders, survey says "Basically forever," "Crushing," "No," "Yes." What Callahan touches turns to ash; plants die in his footsteps and the soil is leached of all nutrient.

One last thing that has nothing to do with anything, really: a post pooh-poohing Navy's Paul Johnson:

Yea I watched it and I am dam glad that's not going to be are offense.

Seriously? Seriously? I have prowled the ungrammatical highways and byways of the Internet lo these many years and never, ever seen an "our" for "are" switch. The kicker is the thread title: "hears a great coach." I'm as speechless as a Cornhusker fan watching Kansas put up 76. Are there no schools in Nebraska? How about some books? Or, like, cable news channels? Anything whatsoever with text?

ACC

Miami fans wondering if it could possibly get worse than Kyle Wright now have a definitive answer, that being "Hell yes." Kirby Freeman destroyed his own offense, the hopes of the Miami fanbase, and one blog's server:

Kirby Freeman's Ineptitude Shut Down Our Servers
For those of you who missed it:

1-14, 84 yards (TD), three interceptions, one Miami server shutdown.

It was probably for the best, anyway. No one needs sixty comments saying "Are team suckzzzz."

This Week In Schadenfreude: Weis E Coyote Did What? originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:33:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hawkeyes Pull Off Dramatic Win

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:20:00 EST

Filed under: Iowa Football, Michigan State Football, Big 10

A fast start was eventually followed by disaster Saturday for Michigan State.

The Spartans couldn't hold a 17-3 halftime lead in Iowa City, as the Hawkeyes rallied to take a fourth-quarter lead. Michigan State tied it late, but Iowa eventually pulled out a dramatic double-overtime win, 34-27.

Michigan State used QB Brian Hoyer to facilitate their quick start. Hoyer hit big passes to Devin Thomas and Todd Boleski on the Spartans' second possession. Jehuu Caulcrick's first of two short touchdown runs make it 7-0, Sparty. His second touchdown run came in the second quarter, one drive after Iowa had gotten on the board to make it 10-3.

Hoyer ended the first half with 142 passing yards and no turnovers. The running game, normally a dynamic part of Michigan State's offense, was held in check by Iowa's strong defensive front seven. Instead of forcing the issue, the Spartans used Hoyer to attack through the air in the first half, and Hoyer added a couple nice scrambles for first downs.

However, Iowa had an answer in the second half. Albert Young, who had a huge day, ran for two scores in the third quarter, and Iowa quickly tied the game 17-17. After a poor punt by Michigan State early in the fourth quarter, the Hawkeyes drove down into field goal range, and Daniel Murray was good from 47 yards to give Iowa their first lead. With the job Iowa's defense did on Hoyer in the second half, combined with Iowa's bad day on offense, the hope was that the field goal would hold up.

It wouldn't.

Michigan State got the ball back with 3:48 left, and Hoyer drove them to the Iowa 43. That was as close as he would get them, however, as three straight incomplete passes led to a Spartan punt. Iowa forced Michigan State to burn their timeouts on their possession.

Hoyer, working with no timeouts, found an open receiver for a big play down the left sideline. The third-down throw to Thomas gave Michigan State the ball inside the Iowa 20. A Brett Swenson field goal tied it before the end of regulation and forced overtime.

The Spartans got the ball first in overtime. Javon Ringer bullied his way inside the five, and Caulcrick finished the job with his third score. Iowa started well on their possession, but a illegal block call on a reverse play sent them backwards. Jake Christensen's fifth completion of the game was good for a 23-yard score to Paul Chaney, and the extra point tied the game, forcing a second overtime.

After Young got Iowa in scoring range to start the second overtime, he left the game with what appeared to be a shoulder or arm problem. It didn't look to be terribly serious. Jevon Pugh pounded it in from a yard out to give Iowa the lead again at 34-27. Hoyer drove the Spartans inside the Iowa 15 on their possession, but he was sacked on third down, and a fourth-down pass fell short of the yards needed for a first down.

Young finished with 179 yards and two scores. Incredibly, Iowa QB Jake Christensen hit just five of 15 passes for 54 yards, Iowa got outgained 468-284, and the Hawkeyes were still able to pick up the win. The win improves Iowa to 4-5 overall (2-4 Big Ten), while Michigan State falls to 5-4 (1-4). Iowa has a trip to Northwestern, followed by home games against Minnesota and Western Michigan.

Michigan State finishes up with Michigan and Penn State at home, and Purdue on the road, meaning that it might be tougher for the Spartans to get to six wins.

Hawkeyes Pull Off Dramatic Win originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 27 Oct 2007 15:20:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Stop Me if You've Heard This Before: Michigan State Coaching Brainlock...

Charles Rich — Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:02:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Northwestern Football, Big 10

It's a shame that such a fantastic and wild game can be overshadowed by the Michigan State coaches going into complete brainlock in overtime. There's no avoiding it, though. Michigan State Coach Mark Dantonio deserves a lot of questioning for this loss.

Northwestern had the ball first in the overtime and scored a touchdown to go up 48-41. The Spartans had accumulated 295 total rushing yards (8.9 yards/carry) with Javon Ringer accumulating 185 on just 12 carries. He never saw the ball. In fact, the Spartans passed on 1st and 10, 2nd and 10, 3d and 10 and of course on 4th and 10. They never picked up a yard. Passing on every down? Brian Hoyer had been 16-26 for 186 yards before that. Not horrible, but rather conservative and not exactly where you should want to place the burden of scoring upon.

Otherwise this was a thoroughly entertaining game. Close to 1100 total yards. The Wildcats had only 90 yards on the ground and over 500 throwing. Michigan State was just as entertaining on offense with just under 300 rushing yards.

The Wildcats snapped their 3 game losing streak and Michigan State after two straight squeaker losses begins to assume a familiar sense of fading and implosion. It doesn't seem to matter who is coaching.

Stop Me if You've Heard This Before: Michigan State Coaching Brainlock... originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 06 Oct 2007 16:02:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Badgers Overcome Embarrassing Defense

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:10:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Wisconsin Football, Big 10

When Wisconsin runs for 200 yards, has a quarterback throw for more than 200 yards, and they get a receiver over 100 yards, they are probably going to win an insanely high percentage of the time.

Saturday, however, it took the work of the maligned Badger defense to secure a 37-34 win over Michigan State. The win moves the nation's longest winning streak to 14 as Bucky improves to 5-0. Next up for Wisconsin is a showdown at Illinois next weekend, and they have six days to find their run defense.

The Spartans tore through the overhyped Badger defense for over 560 yards of offense, including 241 on the ground. Javon Ringer needed just ten rushes to hit 145 yards. When they weren't running at will, Brian Hoyer was picking apart Wisconsin's vastly-overrated secondary for 323 yards. Hoyer's second-quarter fumble was Sparty's only turnover.

Wisconsin's offense wasn't terrible, either. P.J. Hill ran for 155 yards, Tyler Donovan threw for 247, and Travis Beckum caught ten passes for 132 yards. Hill ran for two scores and Donovan threw for two. After going over 700 combined yards in the first half, the two teams ended up with 1,025 yards for the game.

For Michigan State, the offensive effort was nothing short of superb. They had Wisconsin off-balance all afternoon, and looked at times to be scoring at will. It wasn't until the closing minutes of the fourth quarter that Wisconsin got the two defensive stops that would secure the victory.

After a field goal gave the Badgers a 37-34 lead, Michigan State marched right back into field goal range. However, a third-down run by Ringer fell short of the first down, and it forced kicker Brett Swenson to try a 53-yard kick, which missed wide left. Then, after MSU got the ball back with 2:11 left, the Badger defense stiffened, stopping the Spartans just short of field goal range when Hoyer misfired on a fourth-down pass to Ringer.

All in all, Michigan State has to be pleased with their effort against easily the best team they've played so far. Wisconsin, however, needs to head back to the drawing board on defense. They've struggled in that area in four of their five games so far, and if they don't fix the run defense, they won't get out of this two-week stretch of road games with a winning streak (they play Penn State after the Illinois game).

With teams like Oregon and Oklahoma losing today, Wisconsin may rise in the polls. It's misleading, however, because the Badgers are simply not a legitimate top-ten team right now.

Badgers Overcome Embarrassing Defense originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 29 Sep 2007 20:10:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Defense Optional in Madison

Bruce Ciskie — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Wisconsin Football, Big 10

Big Ten play has been described in the past as "boring". Too much emphasis on defense, not enough speed and quickness on offense.

Well, that doesn't appear to be an issue in Madison today.

Wisconsin and Michigan State have completed the first half of play, with Wisconsin leading 27-21. The teams not only combined for 48 points, but they also rang up over 700 yards of total offense. Wisconsin's P.J. Hill has already run for over 100 yards, and Michigan State's two-headed monster of Jehuu Caulcrick and Javon Ringer have combined for 123 rushing yards of their own, with Caulcrick scoring twice.

Quarterbacks Tyler Donovan of Wisconsin (239 yards, 2 TD, INT) and Brian Hoyer of Michigan State (180 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT) have been efficient, with Donovan's pick coming after freshman Kyle Jefferson couldn't haul in a pass near the Michigan State goal line.

Michigan State led 14-7 after the first quarter, but Wisconsin scored 20 points in the second to take their halftime lead.

There were a couple notable happenings in the first half. About halfway through the second quarter, starting CB Chris Rucker of MSU and WR Marcus Randle-El of Wisconsin exchanged punches after a play and were ejected from the game. Then, in the final seconds, Nehemiah Warrick of Michigan State absolutely leveled Jefferson on a catch over the middle. The hit would be a penalty and a fine in the NFL, but not in college football. After a few moments laying on the Camp Randall Stadium turf, Jefferson got up and ran off the field to a standing ovation.

Defense Optional in Madison originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 29 Sep 2007 17:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notre Dame's Offense Finally Gets a Touchdown

Brian Grummell — Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:07:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Notre Dame Football, Big 10, The Word

... and Michigan State fans now weep in shame.

Street Fighter Travis Thomas got the honor, rushing for the one-yard score in the first quarter. Notre Dame's simplified its attack, recognizing that sometimes it's just as much about the Jimmy's and Joe's as the X's and O's. With that, it's been run, run and run some more today.

Good thing, too, because Jimmy Clausen continues to be harassed every time he drops back and will be a certain star in a YouTube video tonight after "SackMaster" Spartan defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic literally stole the ball from the Irish quarterback.

No need to waive the white flag - yet.

Notre Dame's Offense Finally Gets a Touchdown originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 22 Sep 2007 17:07:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Jonal Saint-Dic Is the Sackmaster

Brian Cook — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:01:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Big 10

No, seriously. It's that big.

Look, I'm not proud that I find this endlessly hilarious. But sometimes we just have to confront the fact that we don't quite live up to the standards we set for ourselves. So... Michigan State defensive line coach Pat Narduzzi on senior defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic:

"I can't say enough about Saint-Dic," MSU defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi said. "That guy is the sackmaster. ... The guy's unbelievable."

Saint-Dic the Sackmaster has five in three games and figures to add to that total when the Spartans, who are leading the country in sacks, run up against what purports to be Notre Dame's offensive line, which has ceded a national-worst 23 in just three games.

Hur hur hur.

Jonal Saint-Dic Is the Sackmaster originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Notre Dame Officially Waves the White Flag

Brian Grummell — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:17:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Notre Dame Football, The Word

Now is a good time to inform you that the school's founding religious order was actually French and not Irish. Surrender was inevitable.

Adidas is giving out 75,000 white towels on Saturday for Charlie Weis' charity, Hannah & Friends, and the official Notre Dame Web site, UND.com.

The towels, given out on a first-come, first-serve basis, will read "Tradition Never Graduates -- Notre Dame Football."

Blue-Gray Sky's reaction?

So let me get this straight. Notre Dame stadium is going to be filled with Notre Dame fans wearing dark green Notre Dame shirts and waving white towels......while playing against a Michigan State team that has a rally cry of "Go Green, Go White."

Please, someone, anyone...kill this idea.

Reality is sometimes far more interesting than fiction.

Notre Dame Officially Waves the White Flag originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Thu, 20 Sep 2007 17:17:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Derrell Hand's Prostitute Cruising Days Apparently Over, Will Play Saturday for Notre Dame

Brian Stouffer — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:05:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Notre Dame Football, NCAA FB Gossip, NCAA FB Police Blotter, NCAA FB Scandal

After getting tossed in the penalty box for three games after trying to pick up a hooker at a South Bend McDonalds, Notre Dame defensive tackle Derrell Hand has been reinstated with the team and, according to this Chicago Tribune article, is expected to see playing time against Michigan State this weekend.

Last month I said that we were owed an explanation before Hand was reinstated, but it's hard to care at this point. By all indications, the University has a "spin the wheel" policy for discipline, doling out random punishments for any malfeasance by any athlete, regardless of what sport they play. Okey doke.

Since Hand can't play offensive line, I doubt he'll have a tremendous impact on the score, but welcome back or whatever.

Derrell Hand's Prostitute Cruising Days Apparently Over, Will Play Saturday for Notre Dame originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Wed, 19 Sep 2007 13:05:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nobody Happy After Pitt-Michigan State

Charles Rich — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:25:00 EST

Filed under: Michigan State Football, Pittsburgh Football, Big 10, Big East

You know, if this was a scheduled basketball game, it would have been a much more exciting match-up. Michigan State ultimately won the game 17-13, so the Spartan fans can be in a slightly better mood, but it shouldn't be with great enthusiasm.

The Spartans scored only 10 offensive points. All of the points came on turnovers (one taken in for a TD on an interception). Last year, the Spartan offense decimated Pitt for 38 points and over 500 total yards. The running game went for over 300 yards. This year, despite having the same running backs and 4 of the 5 starting O-linemen back, the running game only got 144 total yards. This despite new coach Mark Dantonio's emphasis on a traditional running game.

The Michigan State defense can be somewhat happy that they held Pitt to only 13 points and not even 100 yards passing. The problem is they allowed over 200 yards rushing, even as they knew Pitt was going to keep running the ball.

The worst thing for Michigan State and their fans, as the game wore on, there was less discipline and more sloppy play and penalties by the Spartans. As if the team started reverting to their default style as the game continued and stayed close. In the first two games the Spartans had only 7 penalties. This game, they had 11 penalties for 125 yards and 8 of them came in the second half.

As for Pitt...
The good news, was that Freshman RB LeSean McCoy proved that he is better than advertised with 172 rushing yards on 25 carries in his first start. The problem, was that he was the sum of the Pitt offense. Redshirt freshman QB Kevan Smith was absolutely overwhelmed in his first road start. His passes, decision making and confidence was non-existent.

How bad? Well, for most of the second half, McCoy was lining up for direct snaps and Smith was lined up on the outside. It was, according to the ESPN booth, Pitt's "Arkansas package." Apparently, the Pitt coaches had an idea of how special a player they had in McCoy and went down to Arkansas to pick Houston Nutt's brain on how they used Darren McFadden. (In something totally unrelated, I guess, Arkansas just hired away Pitt's AD.) McCoy never passed. He either ran or handed off on a sweep or end-around to T.J. Porter. The only reason Smith was actually in the game was to read the play signals for the plays.

Despite the lack of a QB Pitt had a chance because the defense played very well (and MSU committed key boneheaded penalties to kill drives).

Nobody Happy After Pitt-Michigan State originally appeared on NCAA Football FanHouse on Sat, 15 Sep 2007 17:25:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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