Lansing State Journal columnist Graham Couch and Detroit Free Press/LSJ Michigan State beat writer Chris Solari return just in time for the beginning of college football season! The duo preview Saturday’s 2017 season opener against Bowling Green, tackle Twitter questions (24:37) and discuss the passing of longtime Spartans’ men’s basketball coach Jud Heathcote (33:35).
Free Press sports writer Chris Solari takes a look at the Michigan State Spartans, position-by-position.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Taybor Pepper officially signed with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday morning with a one-year contract. The new Raven played for Michigan State from 2012-2015 and tried out with the Green Bay Packers this spring before being let go. With a one-year contract, Pepper looks to show off his skills to be able to stay on the team or even have other teams pick him up at the end of the season.
Source: he State News
Michigan State’s depth chart for Saturday’s opener against Bowling Green has 14 true freshmen on it from a 2017 recruiting class ranked in Scout’s national top 25.Six of those freshmen are in the two-deep, but more than those six are likely to see the field.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan State baseball players had a well-decorated summer, as several of them earned honors from their respective summer leagues and posted impressive statistics.
After a successful 2-0 start to the season on the road, the No. 13 Michigan State soccer team returns home to the friendly confines of DeMartin Stadium for a pair of home games. The Spartans will play their first night game at DeMartin Stadium against Dartmouth on Friday, Sept. 1 at 6:30 p.m. MSU will then host Cleveland State on Labor Day at 1 p.m.
Michigan State wrestling will feature a freshman periodically throughout the preseason in order to “Meet the Spartans” leading up to the 2017-18 season. This week freshman Kevin Koenig (Laingsburg, Mich./Laingsburg High School) sat down with msuspartans.com to answer some questions.
After practice during preseason camp, the Michigan State players ate lunch, then took a break. The offensive line would head to its meeting room to watch film or just hang out. Turns out they weren’t alone. The rest of the Spartans offense joined the linemen, creating a bond on that side of the ball. And this season, coaches will be looking for that offensive line to stick as the glue that holds together an offense that assistant coach Mark Staten said “has a chance to be pretty special.”
Source: Land of 10
It’s not always easy to predict who will become a great quarterback. The number of players who had all the physical tools — strong arm, quick release, athletic — that never panned out at the most important position on the football field is long. That’s as true at Michigan State as any other team, but for the Spartans, the run has been impressive since Mark Dantonio took over in 2007.
Source: Detroit News
Michigan State men’s and women’s cross country open the 2017 season at the 32nd annual Jeff Drenth Memorial race on Friday, Sept. 1 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. The women’s race begins at 10 a.m. at the Pleasant Hills Golf Course.
Coming off of one of the least productive years for the MSU OL in some time, the Spartans have largely retooled the unit and are planning to press quite a bit of youth into the starting lineup.
Source: Breakdown Sports
Every week, the isportsMSU team will give their predictions for the Spartans’ upcoming game, and this week marks the beginning of the season for MSU. The Spartans will open their season against Bowling Green and they have a lot to prove. The team is very young, but a lot of questions will be answered on Saturday.
Source: isportsweb
An All-Access look at Michigan State Women’s Soccer and their preparation before, during and after their first ever home night match vs Butler University. Includes interviews, mic’d up coaches and behind-the-scenes access.
Bowling Green struggled last year in head coach Mike Jinks’ first season, that’s obvious, finishing with a 4-8 record. But coupled with a three-game winning streak to end 2016, there’s some optimism surrounding the program.
Source: The State News
The longest recruiting dead period is coming to a close. Once Friday rolls around, in-person contact with recruits restarts. While it’s unfortunate for those programs that scheduled August games, Michigan State won’t have a problem. Its season opener on Saturday will have plenty of prospects in attendance.
Source: Land of 10
The ascension of Josiah Scott to an opening game starting cornerback job as a true freshman is in question, thanks to an untimely injury and some strong play by one of his teammates. Scott, the former three-star recruit from Ohio, was listed as a backup on Michigan State’s initial depth chart released on Tuesday ahead of Saturday’s season opener against Bowling Green (noon, ESPNU).
Source: MLive.com
LJ Scott claims he has never looked at Le’Veon Bell’s statistics.If the Michigan State junior running back did, he would see a parallel between his own numbers and those of one of the top rushers in program history.
Source: MLive.com
It’s a good problem to have. That, of course, is what you often hear from coaches when they’re having a hard time settling on one player at a particular position. The good part is the fact there is more than one player with the chance to stand out. The problem, of course, is that there is only one spot available.
Source: Detroit News
Expectations gradually increased over Mark Dantonio’s first 10 seasons at Michigan State. First to get back to a bowl game. Then to compete for a Big Ten title. And, ultimately, to chase a national championship. Everything has come full circle as Dantonio prepares to enter his second decade. His Spartans are out of sight and mind among most national prognosticators. It has allowed them to reset their mind-set and culture after a disastrous 2016 and an even more trying off-season.
Source: Detroit Free Press