Michigan State has run the ball effectively through two games. The scary thing for Notre Dame – this week’s opponent – is that LJ Scott hasn’t even gotten going yet. Scott accounted for a little more than a third of the Spartans’ 260 rushing yards in last year’s 36-28 win. If MSU can match that production in Saturday’s prime-time game, there’s a good chance the Megaphone Trophy stays where it is for the foreseeable future.
Source: FOX Sports
LJ Scott has been compared to former Michigan State running back Le’Veon Bell since long before he stepped foot on the Spartan Stadium turf. And although it took until the second game of his junior season, Scott has at last started to look like Bell in a critical way, other than just taking handoffs: as a pass-catching running back.
Source: MLive.com
“I still feel like I have to deliver at a certain level just because those numbers wasn’t good enough for me,” said Scott, who caught three passes for 25 yards and a TD against WMU. “I know I can be better. I try and push myself every day. I’ve got guys that are trying to push me as well, like I said, I know what’s at stake for me and the team and that’s obviously winning.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
Quarterback Brian Lewerke led a commanding opening drive in the Spartans’ season opener against Bowling Green on Saturday, however, it ended in agony. Lewerke took the Spartans to the 1-yard line, but a handoff to junior running back LJ Scott at the 1 promptly ended an assertive offensive drive as Scott was hit by a Falcon defender, which freed the ball from his hands. The Falcons then recovered, eliminating what was an impressive drive for the Spartans.
Source: State News
Mark Dantonio expressed angst over LJ Scott’s fumbles after Saturday’s win over Bowling Green. The Michigan State coach said today he does not expect his junior running back’s ball control issues to persist .“You know, it happens,” Dantonio said at his weekly press conference. “Yeah, I disappointed and I get frustrated, just like he does. He’s more frustrated than I am. And now we just move on. Obviously you can’t do that on a consistent basis, but I don’t really worry about that being a problem with him.
Source: Detroit Free Press
Michigan State opened its season with a 35-10 win over Bowling Green on Saturday. It was only the first game of a new season against a MAC team that finished 4-8 last year, but a step forward for the Spartans following a disappointing 2016. Here’s a look at some Michigan State highlights and concerns from the opener
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
Following a substandard season in 2016, in which the Spartans finished with a 3-9 record and a troublesome offseason, the Spartans are less than two weeks away from beginning official gameplay, as the team will face Bowling Green at Spartan Stadium on Sept. 2.
Source: The State News
There is no other position on Michigan State’s fledgling roster where players the caliber of LJ Scott, Gerald Holmes and Madre London would spend so much time watching from the sideline. Inevitably, two of them at a time will.
Source: Lansing State Journal
There is no more proven or experienced position group on MSU’s roster than at running back. Junior LJ Scott, senior Gerald Holmes and junior Madre London have a combined 693 career carries for 3,328 yards. Scott figures to be the featured guy again more often than not, but Holmes and London have both gotten the call ahead of him at times during their careers. This trio averaged slightly better than 5 yards per carry last season, though only Scott clipped that mark.
Source: Lansing State Journal
While Michigan State may have lost a host of talent at several positions from last season, one thing is certain for the Spartans this upcoming season: there’ll be no loss for talent at the running back position.
Source: Impact Sports
Michigan State is going to be a very young team in 2017, but they do have a few players that they cannot afford to lose. Max Lapthorne and I take a look at a couple players the Spartans can’t lose if they want to compete with top teams in the Big Ten.
Source: isportsweb
Depth at running back should not be an issue for MSU football this season. After the Spartans’ lackluster 3-9 season, fullback Prescott Line was the only player to depart, leaving veterans Gerald Holmes, Madre London and LJ Scott to continue to compete for carries and develop as players.
Source: The State News
“I’m back,” LJ Scott told reporters Monday at Michigan State football media day. Then he said it again. And again. Each time it sounded more like a warning to the rest of the Big Ten than just a casual statement. “I’m back. I’m back. I’m back and I’m better.”
Source: Land of 10′
When the bulk of a team’s returning skill players happen to play the same position, figuring out a way to best utilize that talent is usually a wise move. For Michigan State, that means coming up with a way to make the most of the fact it has three running backs good enough start for most teams in the Big Ten.
Source: Detroit News
LJ Scott went limp when he absorbed a hit. Time and again. The Michigan State running back’s shoulders bothered him ever since high school. By the end of last season, he knew it was time to do something about them. He underwent surgery almost immediately after the season and again in January. “I pretty much was just playing through it,” Scott said today during the Spartans’ media day. “If I’d get hit on the wrong (spot), I’d feel the numbness. I just played through it. I was just tired of feeling the numbness, I guess, and wanted to fix the problem.”
Source: Detroit Free Press
LJ Scott hinted this spring he was only a year away from being in the NFL. However, the Michigan State junior running back still has two seasons of eligibility remaining. As far as what his actual intentions are, they’re still a bit unclear. “My goal is to be an NFL player, some day,” Scott said at Michigan State’s media day on Monday. “Honestly, it just depends on how the year goes down for us.”
Source: MLive.com
Gerald Holmes was asked to name the best running backs in the Big Ten. The Michigan State fifth-year senior’s initial answer didn’t meet the criteria of omitting his own team. “I’ve got to add us in there,” Holmes said at Big Ten Media Days last week in Chicago before relenting and listing Penn State’s Saquon Barkley and Ohio State’s Mike Weber.
Source: MLive