There’s no single explanation for what Michigan State’s defense did at Ohio State, just as there was no single issue on the Saturdays of this season when the Spartans didn’t get it done. Coach James Franklin said that the team is propelled partly by the fans who “live and die Penn State football”. In the Spartans’ 34-10 victory over the Lions, Shelton returned the opening kickoff 90 yards for a score. On Nov. 30, 1963, however, The Game didn’t feel almost as important.
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A full breakdown and prediction of Saturday’s game in East Lansing.
On a roster posted on the back wall of the Ohio State football team’s meeting room, each player’s name is accompanied by the number of Buckeye Leader Awards he has earned from each game.
Final games can always have unexpected outcomes but it’s hard to pick Penn State in this one. He took another step in that direction by winning a national championship – Meyer’s third, after two at Florida – weeks later. Hackenberg if he has time to throw figures to take his shots. Going up there and beating them in their place is the best way to bounce back and kind of show what this program is about.
“National championships come around every so often, but you play that team every year”, Ohio State senior linebacker Joshua Perry said.
There’s no official word yet on the health of Carl Nassib, but the defense isn’t the same when he’s off the field. Cook’s status remains up in the air for this weekend’s game but a upset over the Buckeyes proves that Tyler O’Connor is plenty capable of making the Spartans a threat to play great football. The Spartans’ Michael Geiger kicked a 41-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired to leave Columbus with the win. “We’ve got a chance to win eight games in the regular season”.
Notre Dame dropped in the Playoff rankings after a weak showing against Boston College, but the Fighting Irish have the offense to give Stanford a game if they limit mistakes.
The Spartans have won three straight against the Nittany Lions and it is the first time since 1966 when MSU knocked off Penn State five straight times. “I think we’ve done a good job of hanging in some tight games”. In the second quarter, OSU then-freshman running back Dontre Wilson got into a skirmish with a group of MI players after a kick return, which turned into a brawl.
Saturday’s matchup is an intriguing one to me.
Tressel sent a message that as an Ohio native and former Ohio State assistant coach, he got the MI rivalry on the day he was introduced as Cooper’s successor on January 18, 2001. However, the Spartan offense has not been very good without Cook this year. Or will the defensive line led by Joey Bosa make life miserable for Rudock, and the Buckeyes fifth ranked pass defense keep Rudock in check? Wormley leads the team with 12 sacks and has 6.5 tackles for loss, while Henry adds 10 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Containing Elliott is Michigan’s biggest task on the defensive side of the ball. Perhaps they can draw inspiration from Jerry Kill, who retired for health reasons last month but will be in attendance. The last 1,000-yard receiver Penn State had was Allen Robinson in 2013. If these turnovers happen, I believe the Nittany Lions will have a chance.
Yet Harbaugh and MI aren’t the only things on Meyer’s plate this week. For them, too, a win and a Michigan State loss would put them in the Big Ten championship game, against No. 3 Iowa. However, if they lose that all goes out the window.
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Iowa and Nebraska play Friday in the Heroes Game, a trophy game that recognizes citizens from both states that have performed heroic acts.
