Michigan State
Spartans
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009 CFN Michigan State Preview
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2009 MSU Offense
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2009 MSU Defense |
2009 MSU Depth
Chart
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2008 MSU Preview
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2007 MSU Preview
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2006 MSU Preview
Head coach: Mark Dantonio
3rd year: 16-10
6th year overall: 35-27
Returning Lettermen
Off. 18, Dec. 24, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 15 |
Ten Best MSU Players
1.
LB Greg Jones, Jr.
2. DE Trevor
Anderson, Sr.
3. LB Eric Gordon, Jr.
4. WR Mark Dell,
Jr.
5. C Joel Nitchman, Sr.
6. CB Chris Rucker, Jr.
7. WR Blair White, Sr.
8. WR B.J. Cunningham, Soph.
9. FS
Danny Fortener, Sr.
10. TE Charlie Gantt, Jr. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 10-2
2009 Results: 0-0
9/5 Montana
State
9/12 Central Michigan
9/19 at Notre Dame
9/26 at Wisconsin
10/3 Michigan
10/10 at Illinois
10/17 Northwestern
10/24 Iowa
10/31 at Minnesota
11/7 Western Michigan
11/14 at Purdue
11/21 Penn State
11/28 OPEN DATE
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2008 Results: 9-4
8/30 at California
L 38-31
9/6
Eastern Mich W
42-10
9/13
Florida Atlantic
W 17-0
9/20
Notre Dame W
23-7
9/27
at Indiana W
42-29
10/4
Iowa W 16-13
10/11
at Nwestern W
37-20
10/18 Ohio State L 45-7
10/25 at Michigan W 35-21
11/1 Wisconsin W 25-24
11/8
Purdue W 21-7
11/15 OPEN DATE
11/22 at Penn State
L 49-18
Capital One Bowl
1/1 Georgia L 24-12
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Is Michigan State going to become another Wisconsin, and
be good enough to hover around the top of the Big Ten
from time to time, without being a consistent top two
team, or is Mark Dantonio building a potential
superpower?
Getting great athletes and good talents to East Lansing
has rarely been a problem for any Michigan State head
coach, but finding any semblance of consistency has been
an issue. Dantonio, in his third year, appears to have
established a nice base of players and a good system
that doesn’t take a whole slew of risks, and after last
year, beats the teams that are supposed to be beaten.
It might seem like a simple concept to go out and take
care of business when you’re the favorite, but Michigan
State used to always have a problem with that and it
always had a problem playing up to its talent level.
Last year, despite not being all that great in any one
area, the Spartans were able to win nine games against
the inferior opponents, and teams like Iowa and
Wisconsin who were on the same level, but they lost to
the four better teams (California, Ohio State, Penn
State and Georgia) on the slate. That’s fine. Step one
is to establish a winning tradition in the games you’re
supposed to win, and step two is to come up with a win
here and there against one of the bigger boys. To do the
latter, MSU has to find something it can do really,
really well.
It might seem like MSU was a great running team last
season because of Javon Ringer’s monster year, but the
running game was ninth in the Big Ten and averaged a
mere 130 yards per game. The defense was great at times,
but it allowed 156 points in the four losses and 131 in
the nine wins. The passing game only came up with 11
touchdown passes, the pass rush was average, and the
return game was lousy. But MSU was more than stats; it
was about finding ways to win, like it did with a clutch
comeback against Wisconsin.
This year’s team has the make-up to take the next step
up. While there was an outside chance of a Big Ten title
going into the final weekend of last season, this year’s
team could actually get the job done thanks to a
dangerous and veteran receiving corps, a strong
defensive back seven, and a quarterback situation that
could be better despite the loss of solid starter Brian
Hoyer.
There will still be holes, like the right side of the
offensive line, the defensive tackles, and inexperience
in the offensive backfield, but these are tweaks that
can be quickly taken care of. Dantonio has the program
more than headed in the right direction. It might have
arrived.
What to watch for on offense: The quarterback
situation. It’s not that Brian Hoyer was bad, he was a
solid Big Ten quarterback, but he didn’t make the team
better in a disappointing senior season. Sophomore Kirk
Cousins is the type of passer who could make the offense
more explosive, while Oklahoma transfer Keith Nichol has
an all-around game that could give defenses fits. The
coaching staff is toying around with the idea of a QB
rotation, and in this case, it might not be a bad thing.
What to watch for on defense: The emergence of
the linebacking corps. A bit underappreciated last
season, this undersized, overactive group did a nice job
of cleaning things up against the run. Greg Jones
deserves to be an All-American, while Eric Gordon is a
strong running mate. There will be some adjusting
throughout the season with Jones likely to see time in
the middle and on the strongside, but there are good
players to toy around with to find the right
combination.
The team will be far better if … it’s better on
third downs on both sides of the ball. Florida State led
the nation by allowing offenses to convert on 25% of
their third down chances. SMU was dead last allowing
teams convert 56% of the time. Michigan State wasn’t
horrible, but it wasn’t great allowing teams to convert
41.1% of the time, 71st in the nation.
Meanwhile, the Spartans were abysmal on third downs
finishing 98th in the nation by converting
just 35% of the time.
The Schedule:
The non-conference slate is sneaky-tough
considering Central Michigan and Western Michigan might
be the two best teams in the MAC, and going to Notre
Dame isn't like going to Notre Dame last year. It'll be
an emotionally charged start to the Big Ten season with
a trip to Wisconsin, Michigan, and a date at Illinois to
start, but things ease up a bit. Penn State could be in
for a tremendous season, but it could all unravel in the
regular season finale in East Lansing on November 21st.
It's a nice trade-off when it comes to the teams MSU
misses. Not getting Indiana hurts, but not having to
play Ohio State more than makes up for it Roman.
Best Offensive Player:
Junior WR Mark Dell, but … this will be up for debate
throughout the season. Dell has the pro skills. He’s
6-2, 196 pounds, and fast. However, he has to secure a
starting spot over Blair White on the X. Meanwhile, the
quarterbacks, Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol, will likely
be the stars of the show. If one takes the job by the
horns and keeps the other on the bench, he’ll be the
team’s main offensive playmaker. And then there’s the
all-star recognition. Center Joel Nitchman is likely to
be the team’s surest bet for post-season honors.
Best Defensive Player: Junior LB Greg Jones.
Moved around where needed, Jones is a major-league
tackler inside and out. He followed up a breakout
freshman year with a 127-stop, 14-tackle-for-loss
sophomore campaign, and now he’s on the verge of being a
national star. While he’s not all that big at 6-1 and
222 pounds, he has unlimited range and is a peerless
open-field tackler.
Key player to a successful season: Junior OT
J’Michael Deane. The left side of the line is set, and
Nitchman is a rock at center. The right side needs some
work with defensive tackle Antonio Jeremiah being
brought over to be tested out at tackle and Deane
needing to go from a reserve to a consistent blocker
right away. He’s replacing Jesse Miller, who finished
with second-team All-Big Ten honors, and he’ll have to
show he can be a solid pass protector from day one.
The season will be a success if
... the Spartans win the Big Ten title. With no Ohio
State on the schedule and Penn State coming to East
Lansing, now it the time to get the job done and win at
least a share of the crown. MSU won’t be the best team
in the league, but it’ll be experienced, athletic, and
it has all the scheduling breaks.
Key game:
November 21st vs. Penn State. The Big Ten
opener at Wisconsin will be a tough one and the
mid-October trip to Illinois will be a battle, but if
Michigan State really does think it has a shot at the
Big Ten title it needs to at least split those two
games, hold serve at home, and be in a position to go to
Pasadena (assuming no one in the conference is unbeaten)
going into the regular season finale. The Penn State
game, at the very least, should be for a New Year’s Day
bowl appearance.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Michigan State in 2007: 40 for 302 yards –
Michigan State in 2008: 26 for 191 yards
- Penalties: Opponents 82 for 705 yards – Michigan State
55 for 600
- Fourth down conversions: Michigan State 9-for-15 (60%)
– Opponents 3-for-17 (18%)
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2009 CFN Michigan State Preview
|
2009 MSU Offense
-
2009 MSU Defense |
2009 MSU Depth
Chart
-
2008 MSU Preview
|
2007 MSU Preview
|
2006 MSU Preview
|