Is it just me or is Michigan State not THAT good...

[Huskerfan1985]

Here is why I am worried about this game...

1. Tim Beck as our OC. When we get going, he seems to change something and we go stagnant. Against Michigan, we pull Armstrong and play Kellogg. This was NOT a good idea and poor decision making on Beck. Had Armstrong been struggling, I could understand. After doing so Michigan shut us out for the 2nd quarter, and when we put Armstrong back in, we weren't jelling anymore. Michigan found confidence in their defense, that they did not have before. We also abandoned the run game, once again. The option was a play that was working really well, and we only ran it a handful of times. You keep running a system until it can be stopped.

2. Michigan's defense is good. There is no denying that, and if you don't think so, you haven't watched much on them. I hear many people say "they lost to Notre Dame, their defense isn't that good". They only gave up 17 points, while MSU's offense couldn't do crap. They kept ND to 220 total yards. Since that loss, they have found a groove on offense and have been jelling pretty well too. We all know a good defense and a "good enough" offense can win you big games. This is the recipe they have shown to have.

3. While our defense has shown a TON of progress for 7 straight quarters (minus the 1st quarter in the Northwestern game), I am not completely sold on our play yet. Our defense is still a huge question mark. A couple times this year we have been like "oh man this defense is stepping up" to all of a sudden dropping the ball that following weekend (ie Minnesota).

I do think we win this game, but I am not as comfortable as I have been the past 2 years. Its going to be a dog fight, unless Beck can pull his head out of his a$$, stick with a run first mentality and KEEP Armstrong in, unless he is struggling. I thought Kellogg was our chance to win out, but its clear that Armstrong is playing better, and he wants to win. You can see it when this kid gets to the sidelines. True leader. Like I said, if Beck pulls his head out of his a$$, we win this game and we exploit MSU's defense once again, showing how flawed they are, but I am not holding my breathe on that. Beck seems to only call good games against teams like SDSU, and Southern Miss. When something doesn't go his way, he folds and he starts to pick plays with a blindfold on.

Hey FYI Michigan didnt lose to Notre Dame this year so.....talk to smarter people I guess

 

[todospm]

Their offense isn't good. Their defensive is exceptionally good. In the loss @ND they had 100+ defensive penalty yards, the bulk of which were quite tacky imo, and each ND scoring drive needed at least one defensive holding / pass int. Furthermore, ND wasn't called for a single holding penalty, which I found amazing considering the pressure MSU was applying in passing situations. In short, the ND offense was utterly anemic and if not for Sparty's QB ineptitude and some bad player and coach decisions, it would have been a blow out. At the end of the day, it's a loss. But not one that would make me confident as a Husker fan, given that MSU's offense appears headed towards semi-respectability. Meanwhile, NEB's two most recent wins, while gusty, wouldn't have me too worried. I'm expecting a 17-6, 20-10 type victory for Sparty. But stranger things have happened!

 

[Saunders]

Their defense is giving up 1.6 Yards per rush, almost a full yard less than #2...

This is going to be a rough game. TA will have to be flawless. One bad pick, and we will lose.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

Hey FYI Michigan didnt lose to Notre Dame this year so.....talk to smarter people I guess

Oh my I am sorry I forgot to put State after Michigan, but any intelligent person could put 2 and 2 together to realize that since this whole post had to do with MSU. Maybe you should learn how to put two and two together, I guess?

 

[B.B. Hemingway]

On their 247 board they say Abdullah has zero chance to reach 100 yds.! Looking at their schedule they haven't played an RB nearly as good as Abdullah....

I can't wait for this game!

 

[QMany]

Michigan State is very good but they don't look good. They seriously are late-2009 Nebraska - they win ugly. They have the best defense in the country (literally, they do) and we're throwing an injury-depleted, freshman-led offensive unit at them. We should absolutely be a little worried.

I am a little worried. I am also shocked that Vegas set the line at 3.5 considering the bolded. They usually know more than me.

 

[Redux]

I see MSU turning the ball over 3 times, we turn that into a minimum of 10 points. Tack on 17 minimum from our offense getting us downfield. Now give them 13 points just for funsies. 27-13. Sounds about right.

 

[HuskerNationNick]

On their 247 board they say Abdullah has zero chance to reach 100 yds.! Looking at their schedule they haven't played an RB nearly as good as Abdullah....

I can't wait for this game!

Not at all. This is the same talk they had last year, and we put 300 on the ground alone. We will test them a LOT more than they think, and I think we will wear them out. I have a feeling with weather, this game will become more one dimensional than most think. I mean, we did stop Michigan at -21 rushing yards. Michigan did have 216 yards on their "elite" secondary. I think there are more holes in that defense than some realize. Not discrediting them, because stats wise, they are good, but the competition they have faced has not been all that "great".

 

[2ndNnine]

Who is the best team they've played? Iowa or Youngstown state? (probably the Penguins.) Notre Lame is awful. I can't picture a Sparty win.

(But I couldn't picture a Minnesota win either.)

Sparty sh#ts the bed as usual and GBR wins by 10.

 

[presidentjlh]

It'll be a good game. Established great defense versus a beat-up, yet fiery and strong-willed offense. A questionable, yet improving offense versus a once inefficient, but improving offense.

 

[Redux]

I say we throw three A Double, Cross and Newby at em over and over. No huddle run each a play or two, swap em and do it quick. Wear their line down by the second drive. Then just pick your spots with the short pass and option.

Defensively.....slaughter their QB. Just absolutely make him dread taking the field.

 

[SpartanMacks]

On their 247 board they say Abdullah has zero chance to reach 100 yds.! Looking at their schedule they haven't played an RB nearly as good as Abdullah....

I can't wait for this game!

Last RB to get 100 yards against us was Abdullah in 2012, and that was with a much better OL and Martinez killing us on read options due to terrible contain by Gholston.

You guys are down 3 offensive linemen, you have a young QB, a banged up WR unit, and it is arguable that Abdullah is the only established threat on your offense. Currently we've given up 391 rushing yards all season and our defense top to bottom is a lot better than last year. Most importantly, our DEs are containing well and and TA doesn't have Martinez-esque speed.

I think Abdullah is by far the best RB we've faced this year, but he's definitely going to be a guy we key in on. I'd be surprised if he has a 100 yards rushing. I could see him with ~60-70 rushing and another 40-50 receiving.

 

[SpartanMacks]

I see MSU turning the ball over 3 times, we turn that into a minimum of 10 points. Tack on 17 minimum from our offense getting us downfield. Now give them 13 points just for funsies. 27-13. Sounds about right.

MSU has turned the ball over 10 times all season. Cook has only thrown 3 picks. Our offense isn't great, but they've done a very solid job at protecting the ball. I could see us having a pick and a fumble. I think TO margin is more likely to favor MSU though - Armstrong has been turning the ball over quite a bit. Maybe he's fixed those issues vs. UM, but the pass rush he faces should be a lot better and there's one less starting OL to protect him. If I have to guess, the TO margin is either 0 or +1 MSU.

On their 247 board they say Abdullah has zero chance to reach 100 yds.! Looking at their schedule they haven't played an RB nearly as good as Abdullah....

I can't wait for this game!

Not at all. This is the same talk they had last year, and we put 300 on the ground alone. We will test them a LOT more than they think, and I think we will wear them out. I have a feeling with weather, this game will become more one dimensional than most think. I mean, we did stop Michigan at -21 rushing yards. Michigan did have 216 yards on their "elite" secondary. I think there are more holes in that defense than some realize. Not discrediting them, because stats wise, they are good, but the competition they have faced has not been all that "great".

I say we throw three A Double, Cross and Newby at em over and over. No huddle run each a play or two, swap em and do it quick. Wear their line down by the second drive. Then just pick your spots with the short pass and option.

Defensively.....slaughter their QB. Just absolutely make him dread taking the field.

No huddle doesn't bother us too much, surprisingly. We rotate a lot on the DL which keeps guys rested (so even if two guys have to play a full series, they can sit on the bench for the next entire one) and we go 4-deep at both DE and DT. Also, we rarely ever have to switch out personnel out of our base package, although on 3rd and longs we like to switch into a 3-3-5 "Delta" formation with 3 down pass rushers. We should get our senior DT Tyler Hoover back for this game, he missed the games vs. Illinois and Michigan and was having a great season (3.5 sacks, 4 TFL, 2 PBU, 2 QBH, 1 FF) prior to his injury.

Nebraska will definitely be the stiffest defensive test we've faced to date, but MSU has surprisngly done really well at protecting the QB. Both the OL and the RBs have excelled in pass protection, and Cook can buy some time with his feet. We're the best in the conference with only 0.78 sacks allowed per game. Strangely enough, Cook almost seems to be better under pressure. He buys time and makes plays. On the flip side, when he's sitting in the pocket forever he has a tendence to completely miss wide open receivers. It's aggravating.

 

[sd'sker]

I say we throw three A Double, Cross and Newby at em over and over. No huddle run each a play or two, swap em and do it quick. Wear their line down by the second drive. Then just pick your spots with the short pass and option.

Defensively.....slaughter their QB. Just absolutely make him dread taking the field.

run nothing but the diamond formation. keep them all on the field.

 

[The Dude]

Currently we've given up 391 rushing yards all season