Scouting Report and Prediction: #10 Michigan State 3-1 (0-0) vs. #17 Nebraska Cornhuskers 5-0 (1-0)

Scouting Report and Prediction: #10 Michigan State 3-1 (0-0) vs. #17 Nebraska Cornhuskers 5-0 (1-0) A look at this week’s opponent… The mighty Big Red

Scouting Report and Prediction: #10 Michigan State 3-1 (0-0) vs. #17 Nebraska Cornhuskers 5-0 (1-0)

A look at this week’s opponent…

The mighty Big Red Nation comes roaring into town today with what I called in the preseason and still believe, “the most talented team, top to bottom, MSU will face this season outside of the bowl game.” Nebraska is a legendary top five college football program that has fallen on times not worthy of their once elite status.

Looking ahead to an 8 PM kickoff at the High Cathedral of the Spartan Nation: Spartan Stadium, MSU head Coach Mark Dantonio was almost giddy in anticipation for this contest saying, “Should be very exciting in Spartan Stadium. Really looking forward to the opportunity. Great football game last year. A lot riding on the game.”

Dantonio said about the wait for an 8 PM game, “I just think that you sit all day, it's hard to sit, it's hard to sit all day, but as you sit all day on Saturday afternoon, you're seeing all these different games being played and your game's being talked about and you just can't help but get a little hyped. And then I think that same thing happens to your fans, it's a big game, it's going to be very loud in there, especially when they have the ball, hopefully. It should be an exciting atmosphere. It should be a great atmosphere and it's a program game, I think. When have you that opportunity like that to put you're on a big stage, which makes it exciting.”

Four loss seasons dominate the landscape in Lincoln, and coaching mistakes and embarrassments tarnish the once proud Husker program. This game is about two programs that do it right. They can face off on the recruiting trail and never do you question if you lose a recruit to cheating.

Both programs have a toughness factor and both teams bring a sense of immediacy as this is without a doubt a college football playoff elimination game for the loser. This is what we call where I am from, a hoot nanny!

Despite five turnovers by players last year, coaching blunders cost the Huskers a win over MSU in Lincoln, head coach Bo Pelini talked about this game being redemptive earlier this week. “Oh absolutely. I think our guys are hungry. We have a really good opponent and our guys are really looking forward to playing them. I have a lot of respect for Michigan State, trust me. And we know we’re going to have to play well to beat them. I know if you go and talk to some of those guys on their side, they probably feel the same way. We’ve played some good games against each other.”

When MSU has the ball…

The Spartans are so improved from last season’s attack that visited Lincoln that any comparison is just foolish. Connor Cook is burgeoning into an NFL first round draft pick with a plethora of big and talented wide receivers. He has outstanding tight ends, a solid offensive line that will be healthy, the best full back in the Big Ten, and great runners behind him. With all of the talk, the Spartans offense is 5th in the nation and they can score.

For the Spartans who want to attack on the ground, this is going to be a classic pass to set up the run mentality. With a full grasp of the playbook and the blessing of his coach, Connor Cook can audible with the best of them and running is now something the Huskers have to account for.

The MSU offense can throw on this team. That is why I said the Spartans need to use the pass to force the Huskers out of the box to stop the run. Pelini acknowledged his defensive backs’ struggles, “Pretty good at times, inconsistent at times. You have to get better every week. You have to keep working your technique. When we play with our technique and do the things we were coached to do, we’re usually pretty good. Out there, there’s not a lot of room for error when you’re playing on the edge. You’re playing out there and you’ve got to stay within your technique. You’ve got to challenge people. You’re never going to play perfectly out there. But at the same time, you’ve got to keep working on your fundamentals and stay with your technique. Especially for younger guys, that’s hard to do sometimes.”

MSU MUST do what they have done all year and come out with their foot on the gas. Points and attack are the new mantra in East Lansing and it not only has recruits attention, but it also has opposing defensive coordinators.

Husker head coach Bo Pelini had high praise for Cook saying, “He’s a really good player. He’s very decisive and gets the ball out in a hurry. Strong arm. Pretty accurate thrower. I think they do a good job. I think he really understands what they’re trying to do offensively. He makes good decisions. He has a quick release. I think he’s a tremendous player.”

He added, “I think the receivers do a good job of if they’re first route is covered, trying to stay alive and move. You have to lock on. You have to be very disciplined. I think they do a nice job of just trying to find holes. When you have a quarterback who can throw the ball into some tight windows like he can, I think his receivers do a nice job of staying alive. You see it happen on multiple occasions.”

Pelini went farther with his praise of the wide-outs saying, “They have good size and they’re physical. They run good routes. I think they do a good job. Sometimes they have those big guys who are kind of lumbering. But these guys are quick. They do a nice job, they’re well-coached and get in and out of breaks. Do a nice job for big guys dropping their weight and being able to change direction. It’s not easy to do. Obviously they’ve been coached very well.”

This week Dantonio had a lot of good things to say about his offense. “I think our offensive line is gelling. We have got Connor Kruse back, so that was a positive. That gives us more depth experience. When I say more depth, I mean starting depth, on our offensive line.”

He added that others have to aid the offensive line in the Spartan scheme, “Things are so wrapped up in how the wide receivers block, how the tight ends block, if we have a fullback in the game, how he blocks. How we take stress off the offense by doing different things relative to formations.”

Dantonio then turned his attention to the Michigan State aerial attack. With a top five offense the Spartans have been prolific through the air despite Cook only playing one entire game and being subbed out for in the 1st quarter of two and at halftime of the other.

Dantonio said, “I think when you look at a passing game you're looking at timing, you're looking at accuracy of the throw, you're looking at pass protection. I think our pass game is playing, is playing very, very well. Passing game, we're executing very well.”

And he continued adding, “You can see that. You can see, as Connor talked about, throwing a guy open, you can see him throwing the receivers and the ball being right on the money before the guy even makes his cut. That's a positive.”

Dantonio just doesn’t want to see plays run and the play book expanded for the sake of it, he wants success. Execution is the name of the game and he thinks he is. “So, we're executing I think on the running attack it gets a little bit more physical in terms of who you're playing against, certainly. I think you have to quantify that a little bit. But as far as where we're at as an offensive football team, we're doing the things we need to do, we're making the catches, we have not turned the football over, we're not beating ourselves too often, although we had some penalties last week, that was a little bit out of character maybe for this season thus far. I hope it does not continue.”

He finished with high praise of his offense, something that he hasn’t been able to do with regularity this early in any season he has coached at MSU. “But we have been executing, playing very well on the offensive side of the ball and I think it shows. I don't care who you play, when you put up 72 points or 73 points, that's a lot of production. Same with the output this past week. So, and even if you look at the Oregon game, we were in position to score a couple more touchdowns in that football game.”

When MSU is on defense…

The Spartans know exactly what they are going to face; simply put, the best player in college football: Ameer Abdullah. Abdullah is a terrific kid and a super football player. Abdullah is everything that is right about college football. He is the best player on his team and the hardest worker. He is nothing short of a gentleman off the field and a super person. Abdullah is the young man you root for when he isn’t playing your team. He is a star. I think he is the most complete back that I have seen in years.

What makes him special is not only can he run the ball with speed, balance, and power, he is tough as nails. He will block in the backfield and downfield and unlike some great backs who take plays off when their number isn’t called, you can’t read his body and tell. He is the consummate team player.

Last year despite five turnovers by the Huskers, Abdullah ran over, around, and through the MSU D. He owned the Spartans, and if his coaches hadn’t inexplicably stopped running him, they would have won the game. The Husker staff did what they have done every year since arriving in Lincoln and cost themselves a win. It is sad because Abdullah and his teammates deserve better.

If you would have told me that Abdullah of last year could be better, I would have told you that you were on crack. He was so good last year. Well, he is and Pelini acknowledged that, “I think he’s better in every area. I think he had a great year last year, but I think he’s a better football player this year. That’s a testament to him and his hard work. His mindset and preparation. His drive. He’s just playing at a very high level right now.”

Tommy Armstrong is a very good quarterback with the potential to be great. He isn’t great today, but he is working towards it. He must improve his quick decision making, but that is more about youth than talent.

Dantonio wasn’t lacking in praise for the Huskers improving signal caller and said of Armstrong, “This year he's more experienced. That's his only loss that he's had on him since he's been a starting quarterback was last year. And I'm sure he wants some of those plays back. So, I think he's much more experienced, much more confident as a playmaker, much more in control of the offense and he is the guy this year, whereas last year he was a guy who, initially, it was Martinez and then the other guy and then it was him. I think he's the guy in charge and there's confidence that goes along with that and a sense of ownership. I think that's a positive for any football program.”

Kenny Bell is the most undervalued player in all of college football. Because Abdullah is so good, he is overlooked. He shouldn’t be. Like Abdullah, he does the little things that take a player from good to great. He loves to block and although not dirty, he has some nasty.

Not only inclined to hyperbole, Pelini said of Bell, “You just said it. He’s a total package. He’s a team guy. If Kenny played in one of these spread offenses, he’d probably catch maybe a hundred balls. He’s a great receiver and somebody who’s a weapon. But he understands that isn’t our offense. That isn’t how we play. He doesn’t get caught up in all that. He also is mature enough to understand that statistics don’t tell the whole tale. You’ve got to keep that in perspective. And he’s a team guy. He wants to win football games. He understands what his role is, how the offense works, and I think he does it extremely well. They started out the game the other night doubling him. They didn’t want him to beat him. They were leaning their coverage that way two guys to his side. They knew where he was early on in the game. And when you’ve got to commit two guys like that when you’re worried about a guy, that opens up some things in the running game.”

Dantonio went on the defense for his defense this week. Some are acting like they are broken only because last year set the bar so high. Dantonio doesn’t flinch in praising this group of Spartan attackers. “I think that it's very apparent that we have the ability to do those things, we have done it in the past. Our defense is not broke. I know that we gave up 14 whopping points last week, but our defense is not broke. We still have the second ranked defense against the run in the conference and I think we're number four in the nation. I'm not sure where we are in points, production wise, but if we have a breakdown, we got to fix it. But this is modern day football.”

He continued, “It's extremely uncommon for teams to give up, to shut people out or to give up one touchdown to win games, 20 7. That's extremely uncommon these days. So, last year's defense set the bar very high. The expectations are very high. There's expectations from our coaching staff and from our players to be that dominant. But we have to play ourselves to that position. And every game's a new challenge, it presents new challenges with new formations and new players and new concepts to deal with. It's how you change every week that really is going to define you, I guess is what I would say. And then have you the physical part of it, the tackling, playing the ball in the deep part of the field, coverage aspects, but you have the physical aspect of it that you have to be able to deal with as well. So I hope I'm answering it, but, yeah, I think we can be as good.”

You are not going to stop Abdullah. You won’t. But you can hope to contain him and make Armstrong be the reason the Huskers win. That is what MSU is going to do. The Husker team has more than Abdullah and Bell, but can Armstrong get the ball to them in situations other than handoffs?

I fully expect the Huskers to use some jet sweep plays in this game to create more offense with Armstrong and to force the Spartans to key on players who aren’t named Ameer. The Spartans expect it as well.

Intangibles…

Bo Pelini is a good coach; not a great coach. If he were at Purdue he would be elevated to God status for what he has done. Sadly, at Nebraska I guess their expectations are Purdue-like, because after six seasons of four losses and off the field and on the field embarrassments I have become the most hated human in that great state for simply telling them they deserve better.

Nebraska could very easily win this game. Don’t be deceived, but great programs shouldn’t be saying to themselves, “Gee, I hope our coach doesn’t cost us a game with an error.” I don’t dislike Pelini; I just respect Nebraska that much.

He is under pressure. He has undertaken a huge P.R. campaign to fix his image and like anything else, if he wins, all is good. The Huskers used to come into Spartan Stadium and any other stadium with the expectations of a W. Now, they hope for one. Those are legitimate hopes, but that change of mentality is clear. Will Bo or his staff cost them a win? Does he have them ready? This is his best team in Lincoln with the talent to go a long way. Can he take them there? This game won’t be a definitive answer, but will move towards one.

Prediction…

Nebraska has talent. A lot of it. So does Michigan State. The overriding advantage in this game rests on the Spartans coaching staff. They are elite. Put them on the other side, I would expect them to win this game.

Last year I picked every MSU game correctly OTHER THAN the Huskers. MSU shouldn’t have won that game and thankfully they did. This is a defense that isn’t broke, but not as good as last year against an improved Husker offense.

However, the MSU offense is considerably better, exponentially better against a good Husker D. I look for a coaching error at some point in the game by Nebraska and at home MSU capitalizes. Look for a typical Spartan trick play when the Huskers aren’t ready to make a big impact and make it 34-31 MSU wins in OVERTIME!