Time to Get Directional: MSU vs. Central Michigan
Coming off a relatively impressive 44-3 thumping of Division II Montana St., the Spartans turn their attention north a few miles to prepare for the incoming Central Michigan Chippewas. This in-state rivalry serves both programs well, and gives the region of mid-Michigan a little extra boost too.Â
The Spartans come into this one with much more going for them than against. Last Saturday the Spartans displayed some of their upgrades between the end of the last regular season and the ‘09 opener, including some of its new Freshmen talent (Red Shirt and True). Now they face a legitimate big time QB in Central’s Dan LeFevour. The Spartan Nation might remember similar hype last year when Florida Atlantic claimed to have an NFL ready QB in Rusty Smith, who later proved he still had a ways to go before being ready for Sundays. The hype of LeFevour appears to be more warranted. He has played well against other big time opponents in his time at Central.
Head Coach Mark Dantonio said Tuesday that LeFevour has seen it all thus far in his career as far as coverages, fronts, and pressures from an opposing Defense. Dantonio mentioned the Spartans must affect the QB this week. It’s safe to assume that the bigger impact a QB is expected to have on a game, the more necessary it is to affect his natural rhythm and timing in the pocket. The Spartans Defense will have to bring it strong Saturday to shut down any thought of a LeFevour led upset.
Look for Defensive Coordinator Pat Narduzzi to keep LeFevour on his toes and guessing with a variety of Defensive fronts and schemes. Though Dantonio recognizes that LeFevour has a good conceptual grasp of the game and the QB position, he hasn’t faced the speed and athleticism of the Spartan defense on a regular week-to-week basis. The Spartan Nation should look for a collective effort from the eleven players on defense. The edge up front will be counted on to get into the backfield, while the secondary pegged to stick with Central receivers so LeFevour will be pressured to decide whether to hold onto the ball, throw it away, or try to run with it. The Spartan D will get a chance to “play fast†again this weekend as they face a spread offense that is now well ingrained at Central. Tackling in space will again be at a premium.
The RB competition should continue Saturday, though Rs.-Fr. Caulton Ray seemed to do almost everything the Coaches wanted from him last week. Ray is clearly a step or two ahead of the other three in the playing group. Look for Fr. Baker, Fr. Caper, and So. Winston to get involved in the action again, but perhaps not to the extent of the Montana St. game since Central should be more competitive matchup. Coach D said Tuesday that the RB competition isn’t as wide open a competition as the QB race because it’s not possible to prepare a half dozen or so RBs to play during a week of practice. It is possible though, to work three or four into the week’s practice and prepare for game day.
On the issue of drops, more than one Big Ten coach said Tuesday that when that ugly problem presents itself, it calls for a return to the fundamentals. Coach D that this group needs to go back onto the field and reassert themselves as reliable pass catchers. Head Coach Bill Lynch of Indiana said “the drops†can be a frustrating phase that takes concentration and focus to get through. Coach D similarly said that going back to the fundamentals is the best way to attack a case of the drops, but added that he feels good about this receiving unit. He said they’ve shown themselves to be dependable in practice to catch the balls, and described them as a confident group. Football is often a more mental game than it appears to the casual observer. When you talk about receiver drops, it’s almost always more mental than physical. Expect the Spartan receivers to either sure up their pass catching or make way for some new players to get an opportunity on the field.
Central should be an interesting game. After all, it’s about as close an opponent, geographically, as you could find for MSU. I look for the Green and White to build on the positives from Montana St. I would like to see MSU further develop a killer instinct and knock Central out early and convincingly. To do that, MSU needs a bigger and more consistent push from its OL. Surely, Central has enough talent to stay in the game a while. But if both teams play their well, MSU should win handily. Though it’s such a young group, and so early in the season, I’d like to come out of the Central game with a better idea of how high this team’s ceiling might be. If the Spartans want to compete for a Big Ten title and national accolades this year, they must take care of business Saturday. Then we’ll worry about Notre Dame. Hopefully we’ll have a better idea who the QB might be too.
