Michigan State Preview

Time: Noon

Location: Spartan Stadium 

Weather: 49  20% rain

TV: Fox 

Line: Michigan -4

Dear Jimmy, 

Last week was a bit of a bumpy ride, even though it looked good in the box score.  Now you take a trip to East Lansing to play a team your very familiar with.   For some reason, your teams have had trouble with Sparty in the Big House, but have played well in East Lansing.  You in fact, have never lost in East Lansing as a player or a coach.   I believe this program even broke your arm the first time you played them, even though that game was in the Big House in 1984.  

I obviously will save my motivational speeches, as your team will be hyped to play this game.  This is one of the games that Hutch came back to play and probably will have enough energy to run from Ann Arbor to East Lansing to play this game.   I'm sure practice was good this week and your squad will be ready when foot hits leather.

Like every Friday this season, I will give you some advice on the game.   When your living in a situation, its sometimes hard to see the forest through the trees.   Everyone loves Michigan's run game but its very one dimensional.   Bo and Carr thought that you could line up and run the same offense and Michigan would out power and out talent every opponent.   That is not the case any longer and Michigan needs to break some tendencies on offense.   MSU opened the transfer portal and found lots of talent from the SEC, ACC, and more.   This is not the team you played last season.  

What's interesting about the #10 Spartans is they are a jack of all trades, but master of none on both sides of the ball.    On offense, they score with big plays at the RB and WR position.   On defense, they give up yards but not a ton of points in a clear bend but don't break.  This team struggled to win against Nebraska and Indiana but found a way to win.   That is the difference this year from other Sparty teams, this team tends to not beat itself in head scratching ways.

So here comes the advice for the game section.  MSU is going to throw everything at you on Saturday afternoon.  There will be trick plays, deep passes, and this is Ken Walkers chance to win the Heisman so he will be a huge part of the offense.   Mike Macdonald will have his hands full as he will need to shut down the running game and defend the pass against Sparty speed WR's.   MSU gives me a Wisconsin type of feel team.  Michigan's defensive line needs a big day, against MSU's questionable OL.  Stop the run is the #1 goal!!

MSU defense will have everyone in the box and Cade will need to get out of those plays and look for the TE 5-10 yards down the middle of the field.   We need to see some better formations and creatively in the red zone to score TD's, not just field goals.   You can't rely on interceptions and block punts to win this week.   Can we run a traditional screen to Corum at all?   You know the play, Northwestern ran it like 5 times in one drive last week.   Mix in some speed in space with the power run game.  You will find open running lanes and open WR's.  

The nation is not buying either team in this match-up.  Nobody thinks either one of you can beat Ohio State or is even a threat to get to the playoffs.  In fact, the Big Ten playoffs to Indy starts on Saturday at noon.   I challenged you and your program when you went to Madison and Lincoln.    This is another put up or shut up game.  Both teams know what is at stake and there is even a possible LSU job offer on the line for your peer on the other sideline.   Play hard, play smart, win the damn game.  

Michigan 27 MSU 20