Spartans Face Biggest Game Since 1966
The biggest game of the Big Ten season kicks off in Iowa City on Saturday. The stakes are rising each and every weekend that MSU remains undefeated. Nobody wants to say it. Everybody knows it. I’m just going to come out with it. This weekend’s game becomes the biggest Michigan State football game since the 10-10 tie of 1966. This is Michigan State’s chance with a favorable schedule to play themselves into the championship game in Tempe, Arizona.
Few of college football’s media analysts had MSU in their top 25. Some called MSU a dark horse team that could surprise the conference with a top three finish in the standings. Nobody had Michigan State in the national championship picture. Frankly speaking, few are talking about them now as a legitimate contender with an 8-0 record. What do these boys have to do to get some respect? It is quite simple, beat Iowa and finish the regular season unblemished. This Michigan State team can do it.
I had an opportunity yesterday to speak with a few of the Iowa players about this weekend’s contest. It was easy to sense the tension this game is bringing even over the telephone. I first spoke with Tyler Sash, the starting strong safety for the Hawkeyes. Tyler had this to say about the potent MSU offense. “All their guys are very dangerous. They have a very good group of receivers. Whoever makes the fewest mistakes will win this game.â€
Micah Hyde, cornerback for the Hawkeyes was next. Name sound a bit familiar? This weekend is a family affair for the Hyde family and Fostoria, Ohio. Senior safety Marcus Hyde will suit up for Michigan State this weekend while his younger brother Micah tries to defend the Spartan offense in a Hawkeye uniform. Micah made it clear that neither sibling is talking to one another this week. I was given the impression that it was more out of respect for one another than anything else. I asked Micah about his family and how they were handling this weekend. “Talked to mom, she’s excited, the whole family is excited. I know a lot of people are coming (from Fostoria, Ohio), it will be a great experience.â€Â Nothing like a sibling rivalry inserted into a must-win Big Ten game.
There’s a lot to like about senior quarterbacks. They are usually wise, experienced and pretty cool under pressure. The only problem is that they move on after the season. Iowa senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi is invaluable to his Hawkeye team. Ricky had this to say about the MSU defense. “The whole defense is aggressive. They present a big challenge because they are good at taking away the outside and forcing you to throw in the middle.â€Â I asked Ricky about MSU’s dynamic duo, Greg Jones and Eric Gordon. “They don’t miss a lot of tackles. They get in front of the ball and put themselves in throwing lanes.â€Â Big Ten QB’s have noticed the improvements MSU has made defending the ball in both the secondary and at the linebacker level. Jones and Gordon are better this year defending the ball on passing downs.
If Michigan State comes out on Saturday afternoon with a throw first mentality, they will win the game as long as they don’t turn it over. Michigan State needs to come out on Saturday and utilize three step drops and short passes to open up the running game. Iowa is going to pressure Cousins. Their defensive front is just that good. The longer Cousins holds the ball, the more opportunities the Iowa defense is going to have to hit him and turn the ball over. Michigan State needs to run the ball this weekend better than they have the previous two. They cannot come out on third and short and run the ball wide. It is just too predictable especially against this very good Hawkeye defense.
MSU’s defense is good enough to play with the Iowa offense. We will have some problems with Johnson-Koulianos (Iowa-WR), but no more problems than they will have with Dell and Cunningham. I like MSU in a close one. Conroy with the game winner… make it MSU 31, Iowa 28.
