MSU Clinches Legends Division, Big Ten Championship Game Berth

...and I just purchased my ticket to the game. I hear Indianapolis is beautiful in December.

Spartan Football: An Update from Training Camp/Practice

With the season approaching quickly for the MSU Spartan football team, much of the hopes and aspiration from Spartan faithful are resting on the off-season preparation and what is happening currently in pre-season practices. As a die-hard State fan myself, I have read much literature on the team and individual players and the progress they are making in getting themselves ready for the start of the 2011 season. These are the updates that I have gathered thus far:

Offensive Line: With 3 different spots opened up in the O-line, you have to expect an immense amount of competition for those open spots...and that is exactly what is going on. However, recently there has been some separation between guys competing to work side by side with anchor Joel Foreman on the line. Junior right guard Chris McDonald has been one of those players particularly standing out in this pre-season. Offensive coordinator Dan Roushar stated in reference to McDonald's play, "He's playing as well as we've seen him play". In addition, defensive lineman Dan France has converted to offensive line during this off-season and is starting to rise above the competition for starting left tackle. Redshirt freshman Travis Jackson is expected to earn the starting spot at center.

Wide receivers/tight ends: With B.J. Cunningham, Keshawn Martin, and Keith Nichol all returning at the receiver slots, it's going to make the Spartan air-attack a force to be reckoned with. Not to mention, the weapons available at tight end. Offensive coordinator Dan Roushar stated the competition at the tight end position is a "good problem" and that "We have three starters at that position right now, in Celek, Linthicum, and Dion".

Linebackers: An overall younger defense in comparison to the 2010 Spartan team, the linebackers follow similar suit. Replacing a tandem such as Greg Jones/Eric Gordon along with Eric Misch is huge assignment; however, there is a lot of potential when looking at this position battle. Sophomore Max Bullough is projected to start along with junior Chris Norman; however, Norman has been held out of practice due to an undisclosed upper body injury. Those also in the mix for starting positions are Steve Gardiner, TyQuan Hammock, and Denicos Allen. True freshman linebacker Taiwan Jones has also been making noise in pre-season camp and could see some time this season.

Running backs: Edwin Baker, LeVeon Bell, Larry Caper--what more needs to be said.

Secondary: Experienced, healthy, athleticism, and depth are the top factors working for the Spartans when looking at the secondary. Johnny Adams, Trenton Robinson, Darqueze Dennard, and Isaiah Lewis are all expected to see a significant amount of time on the field and lead the Spartan defense to match or better its 17 interceptions from last season. Redshirt freshman cornerback/wide receiver Tony Lippett is feeling more comfortable and also building his resume for a starting position on the defensive side of the ball. Lippett recently picked off a pass from Maxwell and practice and returned it for a pick-six. According to coaches, Lippett could be the next star in the making for the Spartan football team and could make a difference both on the defense and offensive side of the ball this season.

Offensive coordinator Dan Roushar: Don Treadwell moved on to a head coaching position at Miami and Dan Roushar is taking reigns as the new offensive coordinator. Not much will change offensively, MSU will still be MSU. Roushar stated that he wants the Spartans to be a "quarterback friendly" offense. "What we want to do is get a high completion percentage. Move the football on early downs and keep the chains short", Roushar stated.

For those Spartan faithful, we have much potential for another amazing season. Progress is being made in the off-season and we find ourselves only 15 days until opening night. Go Green!

UM and MSU Steal Recruits from Ohio

As the many allegations came out against Terrelle Pryor, Jim Tressel, and The Ohio State University football program, many Ohio native players have chosen to leave their home state to continue their football careers. The University of Michigan received 9 Ohio commits for the 2012 class, while Michigan State received 5. This is highly unusual because in past recruiting classes, most Ohio high school football players are OSU fans and biased toward their lovely fuckeyes-I mean, buckeyes (the 'b' is too close to the 'f').

I don't know about you, but I find it odd that all of these players decided on their rival schools. Perhaps it is because the U of M football program is the winningest in college football history, that its stadium is the biggest in the country, or that the rich maize and blue tradition runs wild every Saturday at the Big House. I suppose it's possible they also want to protect and block for the only quarterback in NCAA history to record 1,500 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards in one season. And maybe, just maybe, they want to be one of the wolverines that takes down the buckeyes and their cocky fans for once. Do Ohioans (Ohians?) get sick of seeing their fans obnoxiously arrogant and unhealthily hostile every Saturday?

And perhaps it is because of the recent success Coach Dantonio has brought to East Lansing. With an 11-1 record and their first share of a Big Ten Championship in 20 years, the Spartans ended the 2010 season ranked number 12 in the entire country. Losing only Greg Jones and Eric Gordon on the defensive end of the ball, MSU returns 9 of its 11 starters. Behind the senior leadership of underrated quarterback Kirk Cousins, the campus of Michigan State has much to look forward to in the future (Cousins is balancing a pre-med major along with a D1 college football starting quarterback job--genius?).

Whatever the reason may be-thanks to Pryor, Tressel, and others-big shot Ohio recruits are starting to see the light, and beginning to head to that territory to the north we like to call pure Michigan. And heck, maybe the ultimate reason is they want to be closer to the one and only Deeeeeetroit (I suppose now isn't the year to make a Pistons reference).

2012 Ohio Recruits:

Michigan

Joe Bolden, LB, Cincinnati

Pharaoh Brown, DE, Lyndhurst

Allen Gant, DB, Sylvania

Kyle Kalis, OT, Lakewood

Kaleb Ringer, LB, Clayton

Caleb Stacey, OL, Cincinnati

Tom Strobel, DE, Mentor

A.J. Williams, TE, Cincinnati

Jarrod Wilson, DB, Akron

Michigan State

Zach Higgins, OL, Alliance

Evan Jones, West Lafayette

Benny McGowan, OL, Centerville

Tyler O'Connor, QB, Lima

Se'von Pittman, DE, Canton

The Curse of Mike Hart?

The curse of the Bambino plagued the Boston Redsox for a miserable 86 years, the curse of the Billy Goat continues to haunt the Chicago Cubs for 66 years and counting, and now there is a potential new curse to add to the record books--the curse of Mike Hart.

Mike Hart's 2004 arrival to the prized Big House and the winning-est program in NCAA football history looked like a promising one. And, his four years at the university symbolized by a stocky, short, and furiously ugly animal that my 16 pound, over-weight chihuahua could put up a fight with, was indeed a great one. Sure, his four years we're marked by a 4-0 record against the in-state rival Michigan State Spartans; however, what occurred at the end of his career left a legacy that Michigan fans have reason to worry over--the "little brother" comment.

Since that left his mouth in a joking, yet serious, manner after defeating the Spartans for the fourth time in his collegiate career, things seem to be different in Ann Arbor. For the third year in a row, the Spartans have forcefully, and arguably easily, put a pounding on their "big brother" marking the first time in 43 years in which the Spartans defeated the Wolverines for three straight years. Michigan lost it's hall-of-fame head coach of 12 years and went on to hire RichRod who turned the program for the worse with a 3-9 record in 2008. Then, in 2010, Michigan fires RichRod and hires the next savior in Brady Hoke with an impressive and proven record of 47-50 at Ball State and San Diego State combined. With the way things are looking since that famous and illustrious comment, fans in Ann Arbor may not be able to "hail to the victors" for years to come.

However, the many crazed and die-hard Michigan fans I know so well always can turn to their go-to-line--"we're the winning-est program in NCAA football history". They'll come out of trash-talking hibernation in the fall bursting with pride for their football squad and will continue running their mouths no matter how bad MSU crushed them the previous year. They'll act like a five-year old on Christmas day when they realize their team led by a man still learning to tie his own shoes is undefeated heading into the Big-Ten season. Then, when they roll into Spartan Nation, all hopes, dreams, and aspirations for another unforgettable season like they had years ago is shot down and their Heisman front-runner Denard Robinson's reputation is shattered quicker than you can say "little brother".

As a Spartan fan, I would personally like to thank Mike Hart for his special contributions to the in-state football rivalry and the humor you provide to our fans. Not only did you provide some spice to the rivalry, you are the curse that ended Michigan's reign in college football. In addition, you marked a long period of possession of the Paul Bunyan trophy in East Lansing. As coach Dantonio stated in reference to the comment: "They want to mock us all they want, I'm telling them it's not over, it will never be over. It's just starting here". Is this the beginning of a curse in Ann Arbor or is it just an unfortunate case of a lack of talent not being able to back up Mike Hart's big mouth?