The Good, The Bad And The Ugly With Michigan State Football
The Michigan State Spartan Football regular season is finally over. After a 6-6 disaster, the Spartans are awaiting their bowl bid. Do they head to NYC for the Pinstripe Bowl? How about Detroit and the Quick Lane Bowl?
No matter where they go, it won't fix the 2019 season. Now the attention turns to what happens in this offseason? In the above video, longtime state of Michigan high school football and basketball coach Chuck Grenier joins us for his Good, Bad and Ugly look at the Spartans.
Before you get to that there has been some good news for Spartan Football. Several players earned All-Big Ten honors. You can read about those in the press release sent out by the MSU SID department below:
Michigan State Football Update: Elijah Collins, Cody White Earn All-Big Ten Honors on Offense
Collins named to the third team by the media, while White picks up honorable mention accolades.
EAST LANSING, Mich. – Redshirt freshman running back Elijah Collins and junior wide receiver Cody White earned All-Big Ten recognition as the conference announced the all-league teams and award winners on offense Wednesday.
Collins was named to the third team by the media and honorable mention by the coaches, while White picked up honorable mention by both the coaches and media.
Collins is averaging a team-best 74.3 yards rushing per game (201 carries for 946 yards; 4.4 avg.), which ranks fifth in the Big Ten. His 74.3 ypg also ranks first in the conference and ninth in the country for freshman running backs. Collins leads the team with five rushing touchdowns.
In his first career start at tailback on Sept. 7 against Western Michigan, Collins recorded 192 rushing yards on 17 carries, the second most by a Spartan freshman in a single game (Javon Ringer had 194 yards at Illinois in 2005). In addition, Collins’ 192 rushing yards were the most by a freshman starting running back in school history. Collins had three rushes of 20-plus yards (career-long 58-yarder in third quarter; 29-yarder on second play from scrimmage; 24-yarder in second quarter).
Collins recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game with 170 yards on 28 carries against Illinois on Nov. 9. The 170 rushing yards were the second most by a Spartan against Illinois (Ringer with 194 in 2005). Collins also scored two TDs for the first time in his career.
Collins carried the ball a career-high 31 times for 109 yards in the victory at Rutgers on Nov. 23, becoming the first Spartan since Jeremy Langford in 2014 (35 vs. Michigan) to carry the ball 30 times in a game.
Collins’ 892 rushing yards are the most by a Spartan freshman since Sedrick Irvin had 1,067 as a true freshman in 1996. In addition, he is also the first Spartan freshman to record three 100-yard rushing games (192 vs Western Michigan, 170 vs. Illinois, 109 vs. Rutgers) since Ringer in 2005. Collins redshirted in 2018 and played a total of six offensive snaps in three games.
With senior Darrell Stewart missing the last four games due to injury, White had a big second half of the season to emerge as the team’s leading receiver. White had 28 catches for 426 yards in the last month of the regular season (7 for 128 vs. Illinois; 6 for 78 at Michigan; 11 for 136 at Rutgers; 4 for 84 vs. Maryland) to finish with a career high and team-best 58 receptions for 825 yards and five touchdowns.
The Novi, Michigan, native tied an MSU single-game record with three TD catches at Rutgers to go along with a career-high 11 receptions for 136 yards. He ranks among the Big Ten leaders in receptions (fifth with 58), receptions per game (tied for fifth with 4.8), receiving yards (eighth with 825) and receiving yards per game (eighth with 68.8 ypg).
White has five career 100-yard receiving games (11 catches for 136 yards and three TDs at Rutgers in 2019; seven for 128 vs. Illinois in 2019; nine for 113 yards and one TD at Arizona State in 2018; eight for 115 vs. Ohio State in 2018; nine for 165 at Northwestern in 2017).
In 34 career games, including 25 starts, White has 135 catches for 1,870 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranks among MSU’s all-time leaders in receptions (eighth with 135), receiving yards (14th with 1,870) and TD catches (tied for 19th with 11).
Michigan State had a total of 11 Spartans earn All-Big Ten recognition, as the all-league defensive and special teams were announced on Tuesday.
MICHIGAN STATE ALL-BIG TEN SELECTIONS
MEDIA
First Team: DE Kenny Willekes
Second Team: DT Raequan Williams, CB Josiah Scott
Third Team: LB Joe Bachie, RB Elijah Collins
Honorable Mention: PK Matt Coghlin, S David Dowell, P Jake Hartbarger, DT Mike Panasiuk, LB Antjuan Simmons, WR Cody White
COACHES
Second Team: DE Kenny Willekes
Third Team: DT Raequan Williams
Honorable Mention: LB Joe Bachie, RB Elijah Collins, P Jake Hartbarger, DT Mike Panasiuk, CB Josiah Scott, LB Antjuan Simmons, WR Cody White
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