Michigan State is Ours . . .

[BIGREDIOWAN]

 

my first concern is the obvious one. neb. has a bit of a history of imploding in big games with big implications like these.

 

^^^ This x1000

I honestly don't know that I could handle another implosion.

 

Law of averages means this has to end at some point though right?!

[True2tRA]

See, a poster brought up TM...I have coached for awhile (I suck at it) but playing a team with a guy that can flat out take it to the house at anytime (As we know TM could) is soooooo freaking hard to prepare for, it is maddening when a kid takes a wrong step, when a kid doesn't keep shoulders square and so on and so on, then BAM, you let up a TD...

 

There is not really that worry with TA. It makes a HUGE difference.

Oh dear Lord.

 

Is this what hell is like?

[74Hunter]

There's just a lot of things not to like about this game.

MSU is salty against the run, and will sell out to stop Ameer and out the ball in Tommy's hands to beat them. And that's a pretty big if. It could happen, but Beck has proven he'll try and take what the defense gives and that has potential to be a huge wreck this week.

The linebackers are going to have to flat out get better. MSU has its collective sh#t together in the passing game. Short passing routes and containment on runs will be critical. If the defense decides to give up an easy score or two early, then adjust, it may very likely be too late.

Ameer will likely get his, because he's Ameer, but this may well come down to Tommy Armstrong and the coaching staff...hell the team overall, putting their big game demons to bed. I don't know if Nebraska's best beats MSU's best. In fact, I'm almost convinced it doesn't, but crazier things have happened.

Pretty much this.

[TheBigRed1]

 

Who has nebraska beaten? Nobody. Michigan state was in control most of the Oregon game. It will be a close one and can go either way

Miami and Illinois are better than any team MSU has beaten so far. I think NU wins easily if the turnovers are even or in our favor. I would also like the NU OL to cut the penalties in half.

 

iirc the game I watched had Michigan State down early and then came back during 2nd qtr to make it a game, I think they were actually up at the half by a few points, and then they were shut out in the second half while Oregon went on to score something like 21 consecutive points. Not sure that would be considered "in control most of the Oregon game" by most.

[Danny Bateman]

 

See, a poster brought up TM...I have coached for awhile (I suck at it) but playing a team with a guy that can flat out take it to the house at anytime (As we know TM could) is soooooo freaking hard to prepare for, it is maddening when a kid takes a wrong step, when a kid doesn't keep shoulders square and so on and so on, then BAM, you let up a TD...

 

There is not really that worry with TA. It makes a HUGE difference.

Oh dear Lord.

 

Is this what hell is like?

 

I'd much rather have TA than TM going into this game. Fo sho.

 

I'll take the kid that makes you miss and kills you for 12 all night than the guy that breaks a huge one for 60 and a TD but puts us on the edge of sharting every time he bread-loaves his carries or lets it rip downfield.

[Guy Chamberlin]

 

There's just a lot of things not to like about this game.

MSU is salty against the run, and will sell out to stop Ameer and out the ball in Tommy's hands to beat them. And that's a pretty big if. It could happen, but Beck has proven he'll try and take what the defense gives and that has potential to be a huge wreck this week.

The linebackers are going to have to flat out get better. MSU has its collective sh#t together in the passing game. Short passing routes and containment on runs will be critical. If the defense decides to give up an easy score or two early, then adjust, it may very likely be too late.

Ameer will likely get his, because he's Ameer, but this may well come down to Tommy Armstrong and the coaching staff...hell the team overall, putting their big game demons to bed. I don't know if Nebraska's best beats MSU's best. In fact, I'm almost convinced it doesn't, but crazier things have happened.

Pretty much this.

 

 

Well since that post allows for virtually any possibility, I'd have to agree.

[TheBigRed1]

 

There's just a lot of things not to like about this game.

MSU is salty against the run, and will sell out to stop Ameer and out the ball in Tommy's hands to beat them. And that's a pretty big if. It could happen, but Beck has proven he'll try and take what the defense gives and that has potential to be a huge wreck this week.

The linebackers are going to have to flat out get better. MSU has its collective sh#t together in the passing game. Short passing routes and containment on runs will be critical. If the defense decides to give up an easy score or two early, then adjust, it may very likely be too late.

Ameer will likely get his, because he's Ameer, but this may well come down to Tommy Armstrong and the coaching staff...hell the team overall, putting their big game demons to bed. I don't know if Nebraska's best beats MSU's best. In fact, I'm almost convinced it doesn't, but crazier things have happened.

Pretty much this.

 

MSU was salty against the run last year and will surely be selling out to stop Ameer, but it didn't help them to stop us last year and outside of handing the ball over to them 5 times, I believe twice inside our own 20, one of them being inside the 5 or at least the 10, we were right with them way into the 4th qtr. Should have been a W.

 

Tommy, though making some questionable passing decisions at times, is much better with more experience this time around and just getting better. I think he needs to keep the ball a little more often on the zone read because defenses just seem to be sure he will hand it to Ameer. There are times this year where I think he would have had big gains with wide open field if he would have kept the ball. Hopefully he'll become better at checking down to his backs as the season and career goes along.

 

Anyways it would be far from crazy if we leave East Lansing with a W.

[mwj98]

My prediction ...big red 24....msu 13.

[Danny Bateman]

I seriously believe some of you are carrying your perception of MSU from last year over into this year.

 

Their defense is not as good as last year. Dennard is gone. That is huge. So is Max Bullough, a key cog at MLB.

Their offense doesn't really scare me at all. If we play assignment sound football with solid secondary play (meaning no busted bomb TDs like we gifted Allison last night) and tackle well, we have nothing to be afriad of. Of course we'll have to stick our nose in and stop the run, but Bo knows that. We held them to 168 on the yard last year, which is damn good against a run-first team.

 

Do not have the impression this is MSU of 2013. It's not. It may be just as talented, but that remains to be seen. They have had one test so far, and failed. They haven't been tested beyond that. And we're coming.

[mwj98]

We just match up better. When we get pressure. It's over. However, they get time. Pick us apart. Msu beat us last year because we were hurt. That's how Iowa best us. We will see.

 

You have to play the game!!

[Army_Allen]

Tommy will be key on offense as he will dictate whether that box will be stacked all night or not. TA may not have been the best qb to grace our field, but he sure knew how to beat MSU. Tommy will have to have the fearlessness we all know he has AND the mental adeptness to make his reads and not lock in on one guy. PA passes will make or break this game for one person, Ameer Abdullah. If we can be efficient as well as make enough plays passing, we easily have the talent to blow these guys out. But who knows if we pull a UCLA last year or MSU against Oregon this year where a team lets one bad thing pile on and let this game get out of hand. I hope what we saw against Miami become the norm and not UCLA or Wisconsin games remain the norm.

 

Defensively, I think Nate Gerry is our 2nd or 3rd best player on that D because he is EVERYWHERE. I think Cook will try and challenge him deep once and pay the price at one point only for him to be in the backfield the very next drive knocking his ass to the ground.

 

This game intrigues me because it could let us know a lot or nothing about who we are by the end of regulation and I hope no matter the outcome I can say that our Huskers gave it their all for 60 minutes and left it all on the field.

[cg_8]

Here's my prediction.

 

I don't know who's going to win.

 

I expect a close game.

 

The main question is this? Who do you trust to be more clutch?

 

Connor Cook or Ameer Abdullah?

 

Or

 

Our kicker or their kicker?

 

That's that I think the game will rely on. Late game heroics, who does it?

[KazLong]

As a long term follower of the Big 10, and being stuck in Iowa most of my life.

 

We will win this game.

 

Sparty will choke. If this was the 50s my money would be on them.

[HuskerinSunDiego]

I think we all fear what will happen if we lose. If we lose, we'll be lost. We won't have any idea how to win big games. Bo has been knocking on this door for 7 years. Everything in Bo's universe points to a victory. If he can't get one now, I think his players will lose some faith. Bo has to be able to win games even if he has some slight weaknesses. This isn't all-or-nothing for Bo, but darn near close to it. And, no, I'm not talking about his job status.

[Mavric]

The interesting thing is this game isn't really a "big game" in terms of how our season goes (other than intangibles) unless we end up in the Playoff hunt. We can lose this game and still control our destiny as far as the B1G Championship goes. Not that it won't mean anything, but it isn't a given.

 

That being said, I'm going to be cheering like crazy for us to win because it would be a great win for us.