The will be coming a little more quickly as I try to get them all done in short order. As always, let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed.

Michigan State Offense

QBs

The Spartans lose 2-year starter Brian Hoyer to graduation, so his backup, redshirt sophomore Kirk Cousins, will compete with fellow redshirt sophomore (and Oklahoma transfer) Keith Nichol. The loser of the QB battle will likely still see some playing time as there was no apparent separation in spring, and the Spartans also brought in Andrew Maxwell in the class of 2009.

Michigan State QBs Passing 2008
Name	Comp	Att	%	Yds	TD	Int	Yds/Att
Brian Hoyer	180	353	50.99	2404	9	9	6.81
Kirk Cousins	32	43	74.42	310	2	1	7.21

Michigan State QBs Rushing 2008
Name	Rush	Yds	TD	Yds/Rush
Kirk Cousins	3	-12	0	-4.00
Brian Hoyer	43	-94	1	-2.19

Analysis

If I were Adam Rittenberg, I’d be saying things like “Hoyer wasn’t even that good last year, so losing him means nothing.” I am not Adam Rittenberg, and therefore have a functioning brain. This leads me to posit that, if the Spartans had a better option than Hoyer (Nichol excluded, since he wasn’t eligible in his transfer year), that better option would have, like, played. Since Nichol wasn’t head-and-shoulders better than Cousins in spring, maybe the Spartans just don’t have anyone good at QB? I’m not saying they’ll be bad, but a step back from Hoyer is likely in the cards.

RBs

Javon Ringer, one of last year’s Doak Walker finalists, is off to the NFL, with a slew of younger players left to fill the void. Redshirt sophomore Andre Anderson is a little guy, senior AJ Jimmerson is bigger, and redshirt sophomore Ashton Leggett is bigger still for the Spartans. Incoming freshmen Larry Caper and Edwin Baker are also expected to tote the rock some for MSU.

Michigan State RBs Rushing 2008
Name	Rush	Yds	TD	Yds/Rush
Javon Ringer	390	1637	22	4.20
Andre Anderson	26	97	0	3.73
AJ Jimmerson	8	14	0	1.75
Ashton Leggett	6	7	1	1.17
Glenn Winston	3	1	0	0.33

Michigan State RBs Receiving 2008
Name	Rec	Yds	TD	Yds/Rec
Javon Ringer	28	190	0	6.79
Andrew Hawken (FB)	11	81	1	7.36
Jeff McPherson (FB)	4	47	0	11.75
Josh Rouse (FB)	3	24	1	8.00
AJ Jimmerson	1	0	0	0.00

Analysis

Ringer got a ton of work last year, which led to several notable events: 1) He was vastly overrated by the season-ending awards (he was one of 3 players in the top 100 rushers with lower than 4.21 ypc, and the other two were Juice Williams and a player at the offensive trainwreck called Auburn) 2) He wore down over the course of the year 3) Nobody else on the MSU depth chart got any serious work. The next-closest Spartan only got 7% of the carries that Ringer had(!). The coaching staff will likely go slightly towards a platoon-style workload this year, unless someone proves worthy of getting all those carries. There are possible thunder-and-lightning combos in there, but I suspect steadiness might be the preferred trait following Ringer’s exit.

Receivers

The Spartans had a very young receiving corps last year, and they’ll be able to return everyone of note except Keshawn Martin. White Receiver Named White will be one of the starters in his senior year, with redshirt sophomore BJ Cunningham likely to be alongside him. Mark Dell was the breakout performer for State last year as a freshman, and he’ll probably get even more action in ’09.

Michigan State Receivers Receiving 2008
Name	Rec	Yds	TD	Yds/Rec
Blair White	43	659	1	15.33
BJ Cunningham	41	528	0	12.88
Mark Dell	36	679	3	18.86
Charlie Gantt (TE)	19	302	4	15.89
Keshawn Martin	11	132	0	12.00
Garrett Celek (TE)	6	50	1	8.33
Deon Curry	5	46	1	9.20
Fred Smith	1	7	0	7.00
David Duran (TE)	1	4	0	4.00

Michigan State Receivers Rushing 2008
Name	Rec	Yds	TD	Yds/Rec
Keshawn Martin	9	51	1	5.67
BJ Cunningham	4	56	0	14.00
Blair White	1	-2	0	-2.00

Analysis

Michigan State will be very deep at receiver, which should help out one of their young QBs. Dell became a star during last year’s run for MSU, though he was overshadowed by the exceptional year Javon Ringer had rushing the ball. Michigan State may see less spreading of the ball with a younger quarterback, but Cousins and Nichol shouldn’t be short on options for throwing the ball.

Offensive Line

Lineup

Seniors right guard Roland Martin and right tackle Jesse Miller depart, both of whom were multi-year starters. Backup left guard Mike Bacon also departs, after joining the program as a walkon. Senior Rocco Cironi will start at left tackle, redshirt sophomore Joel Foreman will play left guard, senior Joel Nitchman will play center, and the other two positions are very much up for grabs. Senior Brendan Moss will probably fill the hole at tackle, and senior John Stipek will try to hold off junior J’Michael Deane at guard.

Analysis

A very odd thing I noticed about the Spartans’ offensive linemen is that fewer of them have redshirted than you’d expect at a BCS-level school. I’m not sure if that will be a factor of any sort, just an oddity. Losing two offensive linemen off a run-centric team isn’t great, but it isn’t crippling. Of course, considering that the top run threat and QB are gone as well, and it becomes a bit more troubling. Still, neither departed player got a serious sniff in the NFL draft, so the backups should be able to fill in, especially with their seniority.

Offensive Analysis

The Spartans are due for a down year offensively. It’s simply impossible to lose the two most important players, along with 2 of the best 3 offensive linemen, and not see a step back. There are plenty of players there, of course, they just need to prove they can get it done when they’re the focus in gametime. If the QB play is adequate, the Spartans should be able to get the ball to playmakers on the edges.

Michigan State Defense

Defensive Line

The Spartans lose two of their best defensive linemen in DE Brandon Long and DT Justin Kershaw. Redshirt senior Trevor Anderson, who followed Mark Dantonio to East Lansing from Cincinnati, will continue being a huge terror off the edge for opponents, and junior Oren Wilson will play a big role at defensive tackle for the third year in a row. The other two starting positions will likely be filled by Colin Neely, a slightly undersized junior at defensive end, and mondo junior Antonio Jeremiah at tackle.

Michigan State Defensive Line 2008
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack
Brandon Long	39	7	5.5
Trevor Anderson	30	10.5	8
Justin Kershaw	28	8	3
Oren Wilson	15	1.5	0
Dwayne Holmes	14	4.5	0
Colin Neely	14	2	1
Antonio Jeremiah	8	0	0
Michael Jordan	6	0	0
Kevin Pickelman	5	0	0
Jonathan Strayhorn	4	0	0

Analysis

The Spartans lose a couple important pieces up front, but return perhaps the best player in Trevor Anderson. Still, he’ll have to hope that the opposition’s offensive lines have to focus on his new linemates Neely and Jeremiah as much as they did the departed ones, or he’ll be facing plenty of double teams, and won’t be able to get into the opponents’ backfields as much as he’s accustomed to.

Linebackers

Junior Greg Jones is a freakin’ stud, and he’ll return to roam the middle for MSU. Fellow junior Eric Gordon and senior Adam Decker complete the trifecta of returning linebackers for a very strong squad in 2009. Brandon Denson will be a key backup as a senior.

Michigan State Linebackers 2008
Name	Tack	TFL	Sack	Int
Greg Jones	127	14	2	0
Eric Gordon	85	7.5	3	0
Adam Decker	56	6	0	0
Ryan Allison	50	2.5	0.5	0
Brandon Denson	31	1.5	1.5	0
David Rolf	9	0	0	0
Andrew Pendy	4	0	0	0

Analysis

The Spartans return all three starters from a group that was pretty good to start with. This should probably be the strongest unit on the team (maybe behind receivers?), though the depth isn’t great. If more young players, including incoming freshman Chris Norman, can get involved, it should be a very good year. Will Jones have a good enough year to go early to the NFL? It’s a possibility.

Defensive Backs

Safety Otis Wiley departs, but the Spartans have a fairly strong secondary coming back. Senior Dan Fortener will return at the other safety position, junior Chris L. Rucker returns at corner, and senior Jeremy Ware returns as the other starting corner. Marcus Hyde will step into Wiley’s role as a starting safety. Ross Weaver will be the first corner off the bench.

Name	Tack	TFL	Sack	Int
Otis Wiley	78	2	0	4
Dan Fortener	69	1	0	2
Chris L. Rucker	45	4	1	2
Jeremy Ware	31	1	0	1
Marcus Hyde	31	0	0	1
Ross Weaver	28	2.5	1	1
Kendell Davis-Clark	27	0.5	0	1
Johnny Adams	21	2	0	1
Trenton Robinson	6	0	0	0
Ashton Henderson	5	0	0	0
Mike Bell	2	0	0	0
Jesse Johnson	1	0	0	0

Analysis

Wiley was good enough to get some NFL looks, so losing him is definitely going to affect MSU, especially since he was a leader in the secondary. Other than that, MSU returns their most important players, so the secondary should be a strength. Of course, some of the players have been sketchy, so they had better hope for continued improvement in the offseason.

Defensive Analysis

Mark Dantonio is known as a defensively-focused coach, and he’ll have a lot to work with this season. The defensive line will be the biggest weakness, and if the Spartans can’t get to the QB, it will hurt them in the stronger areas of the defense. The linebacking corps should be excellent, so the Spartans will be able to stop teams from both running and passing.

Special Teams

The spartans return both kicking specialists. Brett Swenson will return for placekcking duties, and Aaron Bates will take care of punting.

Michigan State Kicking 2008
Name	FGM	FGA	%	Long	XPM	XPA	%
Brett Swenson	22	28	78.57	50	34	34	100.00

Michigan State Punting 2008
Name	Punts	Yds	Avg
Aaron Bates	71	2979	41.96

Analysis

Both specialists for MSU were pretty good last year, so expect more of the same this year, if not a slight improvement. Bates might get a bit more work with the offensive production likely to decrease.

Overall Analysis

The Spartans will be very green (no pun intended) on offense this year, and very experienced on defense. Considering Mark Dantonio’s background, that probably means they’ll try to grind out wins this year. The problem, of course, is that they don’t have a Javon Ringer. If they don’t have someone step up, there could be trouble on offense. Trouble on offense could lead to trouble for defense, as the Wolverines learned last year. I don’t think the Spartan offense will be quite as bad as Michigan’s was last year, though (of course). Considering MSU was mostly outplayed for much of last year, even in some of their wins, and without Ringer to rely on, they’ll take a slight step back, unless the defense just dominates.

Posted under Football

Bow before the 2010 Recruiting Board.

ESPN posi-fluff on LA QB Munchie LeGaux. They say his stock is likely to rise, though it’s unclear whether that might result in more offers for the dual-threat passer. He performed well at an Elite 11 camp.

An update on SC RB Marcus Lattimore‘s favoring of Auburn:

Running back Marcus Lattimore (6-0, 210) of Byrnes High in Duncan visited Auburn on Friday and Saturday with his mother, stepdad and a friend, and he left there with the Tigers the favorite for his services.

“They’ve got a big lead,” Lattimore said. “Georgia and Florida State would be second. And USC and Clemson are still going to be up there. My mom liked (new Auburn head) Coach Gene Chizik and everything. He has a three-year plan for me and no other college has done that for me.”

Lattimore said he won’t take any more visits until he goes to Penn State this summer. He will attend the Nike camp this weekend at Georgia.

Are they so entrenched that they can’t be beaten? Certainly not. Does it sound like Michigan has a good chance? No.

Despite the lack of news on FL RB Cassius McDowell of late, he reports that the Wolverines still lead for him. It’s unclear whether Michigan is interested in taking another scatback-type in this class, but if they are, the HS teammate of Denard Robinson and Adrian Witty is certainly a good option.

Sounds as though OH RB Roderick Smith is about ready to drop for the Buckeyes. Removal from the board is coming soon for Smith.

FL OL Torrian Wilson isn’t saying Michigan leads for his services anymore, but SoFlaFootball still says the Maize and Blue are in his top group. The Wolverines, Tennessee, and Stanford will be three of his unofficial visits, with the remaining two TBD.

CA DT Kirifi Taula wants to stay in the PAC-10 (info in header). He’s cruisin’ straight towards removal from the board, and it appears as though his days on it are limited indeed. His high school, Anaheim Servite, is a pretty big USC feeder, so don’t be surprised if he eventually ends up there.

The eligibility saga of NC DT Gabe King continues, as the North Carolina High School Athletic Association has declared that he will not be able to play football for Northern Guilford (where he has transferred) in the fall. This will probably cool some schools on him, and a Greensboro correspondent has said that King is probably a guy that Michigan should stay away from, as King is always facing some sort of disciplinary issue.

Removed PA DT Aaron Donald, who has committed to Pitt. He is a high school teammate of CB prospects Cullen Christian and Brandon Ifill. Michigan’s recruitment of Ifill has tailed off a little bit, but the Wolverines are still the favorite for Christian. I assume Donald’s commitment will give Pitt a bit of help for either of those two.

OH LB Jordan Hicks has a top group consisting of Ohio State, Texas, Florida, and USC (info in header). No word on whether that a finalist list, or simply current favorites. We’ll wait and see what the next phase of his recruitment will be, but I certainly don’t think Michigan is in strong position.

Audio interview with FL LB Christian Jones, with some brief mentions of his recruitment (Michigan is not mentioned). His Florida State ties are pretty strong, so be aware that Michigan’s chances to land him are probably not very good.

FL CB Travis Williams recently visited Ann Arbor, and came away with a decision made (info in header). The two premium sites disagree on whether he’ll actually commit to the Wolverines soon, but ESPN showcases its continued incompetence, reporting that Williams has committed (he hasn’t). Even just gleaning the information from article titles, it’s pretty clear that he wants to commit to Michigan, but the Wolverines aren’t quite ready for that, because they like their chances with more highly-rated guys like FL CB Lo Wood and PA CB Cullen Christian, and don’t want to reach for Williams while those other guys are still in play. Should Michigan snag Travis in the end, don’t let that 4.95 40 time on Scout scare you: ESPN reports a combine-verified 4.61.

Track-a-palooza!:
2009 signee Fitzgerald Toussaint ran a 10.86 100m over the weekend.
MI CB Dior Mathis ran a slightly-less-impressive 11.0 100m.

Hilariously whiny and deliciously SpartyNO fluff in the Free Press about how Michigan State could totally recruit Cass Tech if they wanted to.

Posted under Football, Recruiting

Stu Zaas gives us his story on the women’s lacrosse team. 

Ann Arbor, MI — In front of a standing-room only crowd, #3 ranked Michigan (10-2, 4-0) topped interstate foe #14 Michigan State by a score of 12-9. Over 475 fans crowded Oosterbaan Fieldhouse to watch the Wolverines battle the Spartans in tight contest from start to finish. Michigan had not been challenged in a game since returning from the Santa Barbara Shootout winning by an average margin of 11.2 goals in its last five games.

Michigan State made it very clear that this would not be another cakewalk for Michigan, taking a 2-1 lead off two goals from Allison Atchoo. On an eight-meter penalty, Micaela Battiste (Flint, MI/Grand Blanc) leaped into the air, then bounced a shot past the MSU goalie to knot the score at 2-2. Michigan would take the lead for good, using two more goals off eight-meter shots from Amy Johnson (Washington, D.C./Holton-Arms) and Rachel Lary (San Diego, CA/Torrey Pines). The Spartans would cut the lead to one with a goal at the 6:30 mark from Chelsea Beam. Quinn Golinske (Beverly Hills, MI/Groves) scored her second goal of the season, recovering after bobbling the initial pass then beating her defender with a spin move to open up a shot on goal. Johnson then opened the lead up with her second goal of the contest as she converted on an eight-meter, giving Michigan the 6-3 advantage. Michigan would take a 6-4 lead into the intermission, marking the eleventh time this year the Wolverines have gone into halftime with a lead.

Lary opened up the scoring in the second stanza with her season-high tying third goal of the game. Lary ran a give-and-go to perfection with Johnson who earned the assist. Alexis Pavle (Grosse Pointe, MI/Grosse Pointe South) became the third senior to tally a goal on Senior Night, putting Michigan on top 8-4. Fellow senior, Battiste raced up the field weaving through Spartan defenders before finding an open Pavle in front of the net.

The Spartans would not go down quietly with Atchoo taking control of the subsequent draw and beating the entire Michigan defense back leaving just Emmy Scheidt (Birmingham, MI/Seaholm) in her path. Scheidt was unable to come up with the save making the score 8-5. Michigan State would score again three minutes later to draw back to within two goals. Golinske erased any momentum the visiting Spartans were able to build up scoring her second goal of the night on a beautiful one-timer off a Lary assist. Lary found the cutting Golinske on the left post and Golinske swatted the pass right into the net before the MSU goalie could even move her stick. Pavle again pushed the Michigan advantage back up to four goals at 10-6, scoring at the 14:10 mark. After Michigan State narrowed the gap to 10-7, Lary found Britt Boehm (Rocky River, OH/Magnificant) with a cross-goal pass leaving Boehm an open net for her 22nd goal of the season. Pavle would ice the game, completing her hat-trick – all of which came in the second half – at the 7:21 mark. Michigan State would score two goals in the closing minutes to bring the final tally to 12-9.

Michigan will next be in action in Fort Collins, Colorado playing in the Colorado State Tournament this weekend. The Wolverines’ schedule for this tournament includes games against Wyoming, #10 BYU, Denver, #7 Colorado State, and #18 Minnesota.

Game Notes: This was the final home game for Michigan’s seven seniors: Alexis Pavle, Natalie Relich, Micaela Battiste, Julie Baskind, Rebecca Miller, Rachel Lary, and Christinne Lee…Michigan finished the season undefeated at home (7-0)…Game attendance of 475 set a new program record as spectators had to stand or sit on the ground once bleacher space was exhausted…Johnson’s two goals give her the team lead with 25 on the season…Lary and Pavle extended their team-high six game goal streak…Johnson now has ten multi-goal games on the season and has scored in ten of the twelve games this season.

Posted under Other Sports

Shooting data can be found in .xls format here.

Half 1

1st Half
Lineup	Time	Score	Differential
Lee, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Gibson	4:50	4-7	-3
Lee, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:51	6-2	+4
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Shepherd, Sims	:44	0-2	-2
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Lee, Shepherd, Sims	2:33	3-6	-3
Merritt, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Gibson	:46	0-2	-2
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:23	0-0	0
Lee, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	4:05	2-2	0
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:48	0-2	-2
Totals	20:00	15-23	-8

Half 2

2nd Half
Lineup	Time	Score	Differential
Lee, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	2:10	0-2	-2
Lee, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	1:42	4-2	+2
Lee, Lucas-Perry, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:29	7-6	+1
Lee, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	2:01	2-3	-1
Grady, Lee, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:52	4-3	+1
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	:11	0-1	-1
Merritt, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:28	3-2	+1
Lee, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Gibson	1:39	3-3	0
Lee, Douglass, Harris, Novak, Sims	3:28	4-9	-5
Totals	20:00	27-31	-4

Individual Players

Stu Douglass 17min -4
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-pt		0/1	0/1

Didn’t shoot well, but was still productive on both ends of the court.

Zack Gibson 15min -8
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		0/1			1/1
Midrange			0/1
3-pt			1/1

Was only on one positive shift (and even that was just +1).

Manny Harris 37min -9
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane			1/1
Midrange		0/1	0/2		0/1
3-pt		1/5	0/1

Has a bad differential, but he also played nearly the entire game in a 12-point loss.

CJ Lee 37min -4
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane				1/1
Midrange			0/1
3-pt			0/1	0/1

Has really found a place on this team as a point guard. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have any offensive game, but he’s great on the other end of the court.

Laval Lucas-Perry 16min -7
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		0/1
Midrange			0/1
3-pt			1/2

Continued to struggle.

Zack Novak 37min -7
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane					0/1
Midrange
3-pt	2	0/2	1/3

Played admirably against a bigger and more athletic Spartans front line. Alas, he didn’t get any open looks.

Jevohn Shepherd 3min -5
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane	1
Midrange
3-pt

Was only on the court during the stretch of death in the first half. He’s an absolute liability on both ends of the court.

DeShawn Sims 25min  -4
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane		0/1	5/6	4/4
Midrange
3-pt		0/1	0/2

Very good job by DeShawn. Probably a product of the defense, but he didn’t have a single midrange attempt.

David Merritt 6min -7
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-pt

Led the collapse on offense in the middle of the first half.

Kelvin Grady 7min -1
Quality	0	1	2	3	F
Lane
Midrange
3-pt		0/1		0/1

Not bad, but not good enough on defense to prove he deserves more playing time.

It appears as though Beilein has sold out for defensive production (Lee, Merritt) at the expense of offensive production. It’s been successful in keeping games close, but it really allows opponents to go on runs when nobody on the court for Michigan can score. The officiating in this game was complete crap, but I think the Wolverines got the better end of the deal.

Posted under Analysis, Basketball

Or: Tim’s foray into tempo-free statistics.

Michigan takes on the Spartans at 7PM tonight on ESPN. The game takes place in a sold-out Crisler Arena.

Tempo-Free and efficiency comparison (if you need an explanation of what any of these things mean, head to KenPom’s website):

Michigan v. Michigan State: National Ranks
Category	Michigan	State	Advantage
Mich eFG% v. MSU eFG% D	153	131	S
Mich eFG% D v. MSU eFG%	177	79	S
Mich TO% v. MSU Def TO%	15	201	MM
Mich Def TO% v. MSU TO%	137	154	M
Mich OReb% v. MSU DReb%	258	7	SSS
Mich DReb% v. MSU OReb%	182	4	SS
Mich FTR v. MSU Opp FTR	319	124	SS
Mich Opp FTR v. MSU FTR	23	58	M
Mich AdjO v. MSU AdjD	54	27	S
Mich AdjD v. MSU AdjO	91	9	S

Differences of more than 100 places in the rankings garner two-letter advantages, differences of more than 200 get a third.

As has been the case for much of the past decade, Michigan State is simply a better team than Michigan. They have many of the characteristics of classic Tom Izzo-coached teams: they rebound well, they get to the line decently well, and they do everything else just well enough to win the vast majority of their games. Since Michigan’s slide began against Wisconsin, the Wolverines have fallen off in nearly every category. However, they look to have turned it around (at least a bit) over the past two games. The keys for each team will be hitting their shots and not turning the ball over. Michigan has disadvantages in the first category and advantages in the second on each end of the floor. KenPom predicts a 71-67 Spartans win in a 65-possession game.

The Spartans are led by sophomore Kalin Lucas, who has been very efficient in both dishing it to his teammates and not turning the ball over. Another important piece for the Spartans, however, is Raymar Morgan. The junior power forward has missed the last two games, andisn’t expected to play tonight. If he’s missing, that could help decrease Michigan State’s size/rebounding advantage, if only slightly. Chris Alen is the team’s designated sniper, but he’s been struggling from 3 a bit of late. Will he be able to turn it back on against the hated rival?

For as much better a record as Michigan State owns, I’m surprised the Spartans’ tempo-free profile is this close to Michigan’s. MSU is one of the few teams that hasn’t had AT LEAST 3-letter differentials in rebounding on both ends of the floor, and they are certainly one of the closest teams to Michigan in terms of getting to the line. However, I still think the Spartans are too good for Michigan, and the lone game in this rivalry goes MSU’s way in 2009.

Posted under Analysis, Basketball

An Open Letter to MSU Director of Athletics Mark Hollis,

Mr. Hollis,

As I’m sure you are well aware by now, two of your university’s hockey players, Corey Tropp and Andrew Conboy, were involved in a disgraceful incident Friday night in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Both of them participated in actions that were immoral; the actions by Mr. Tropp can be described by no less severe terms than absolutely inhuman. I can only imagine your embarrassment, the embarrassment felt by the parents of these two student-athletes must be unbearable.

Following the game, Men’s Ice Hockey Head Coach Rick Comley stated that he would discipline each player following their actions. While the effort of Mr. Comley is certainly a start, there is no possible way that it is enough. The Central Collegiate Hockey Association will undoubtedly suspend Mr. Conboy, and Coach Comley may choose to discipline him further. This is acceptable punishment. Mr. Tropp, on the other hand, should likely be tried in a court of law for assault with a deadly weapon. If you are a man of integrity, Mr. Hollis (and none of your previous actions would imply otherwise), Mr. Tropp should be kindly informed that his services with a hockey stick (be they scoring goals or attempting to murder an opposing player as he lay prone on the ground) are no longer welcome in East Lansing, and if he would like to continue as a student at Michigan State University, he may do so without the benefit of a grant-in-aid from the athletic department.

Do you really want to send the message to prospective athletes that Michigan State is a school that not only condones, but champions thuggery and criminal acts? No school, much less an esteemed academic institution like Michigan State, should ever accept behavior like this from any of its students, and student-athletes are more accountable than any others. For the athletic department to not only allow such acts, much less pay a student to commit them, is unconscionable. I know this is a difficult decision for you to make, Mr. Hollis, but there is a right choice and a wrong one. Please, for the sake of a student at a neighboring university who had to be taken to the hospital in a neck brace on a backboard, make the right one.

Sincerely,

Timothy Sullivan
sullivti@umich.edu

The link to Hollis’s e-mail address is there for a reason. Let him know how you feel.

Posted under Hockey

In its 9 years of existence, the Big Ten/ACC Challenge has been fairly one-sided: The ACC has won every single time. 2008 brings yet another chance for the Big Ten to break through in the Challenge. Through two days of competition, the conference are tied at 3 wins apiece (thanks, Illini and Hawkeyes, for throwing your games away). With a couple daunting games left (UNC/MSU, Indiana/Wake Forest), the teams who represented the bottom of the conference last year will have to sweep the ACC in order for the Big Ten to lock up its first challenge.

Sagarin Ratings in remaining games

• #129 Indiana visits #22 Wake Forest, and they’ll be 16.39 point underdogs in Raleigh-Durham.
• #83 Penn State takes on #58 Georgia Tech on the road, in a game in which the Jackets will be favored by 5.13 points.
• #23 Michigan State hosts #1 North Carolina at Ford Field. They will be 10.21-point dogs in the neutral-site game. However, The ‘Heels may be without their star, Tyler Hansbrough (who, of course, they’ve been without for much of this year).
• #46 Florida State goes to Chicago to face #59 Northwestern, and the Big Ten actually has a favorite in this one! The Cats are 7.06-point favorites.

…And that brings us to the game that Michigan fans care most about: the Wolverines head to College Park to take on the Maryland Terrapins at 7:30 tonight on ESPNU.

Maryland sports a #34 Sagarin Rating, and Michigan is #40. On a neutral floor, Beilein’s bunch would be a 2.36-point underdog. In a home game, the Terps are favored by 6.36. They enter this contest on a two-game slide against Gonzaga and Georgetown. Maryland’s best player is the outstandingly-monikered Grievis Vasquez, who leads the team in points, rebounds, and assists. His effective field goal percentage is 45.88%, which is supbar. Georgetown managed to shut Vasquez down, holding him to 1-7 shooting (0-4 3pt).

Michigan State

• Maryland faced Michigan State (on a neutral floor) in the Old Spice Classic, and beat the Spartans handily, by a score of 80-62.
• Michigan State, the only team Maryland has played with a Sagarin rating anywhere remotely close to Michigan’s, Vasquez still only shot 42.86 eFG%, meaning that he is certainly containable (of course, his 17 points were aided by the Spartans sending him to the free throw line 6 times).
• Michigan State lost the game against Maryland by giving up too many good looks from the outside. The Terrapins shot 9-19 from behind the arc in the Old Spice Classic. For the year, Michigan’s opponents are shooting 27.45% from three, including bad performance by UCLA and Duke, and an inexplicable 7-9 from Savannah State. For its part, Maryland’s performance against State was a pretty significant outlier in the young season.
• The Terrapins also managed to shut down Raymar Morgan, who to this point in 2008 has been MSU’s go-to player. Michigan doesn’t rely on a post presence like Morgan, instead shooting the ball from outside a lot, and getting slashes to the basket from Manny Harris and DeShawn Sims (who also posts up a bit).
• Although Maryland shut down MSU’s post presence, they don’t have a lot of size, and it will be interesting to see whether DeShawn Sims can have a bit more success down low (along with Zack Gibson) – or at least use the postup to open up shooters outside.

The Wolverines face a tough test, especially since Maryland shut down a team expected to be far better than them in the Spartans. However, the Terrapins haven’t been without their troubles, and Michigan is a different type of team than Michigan State, regardless of difference in talent level.

Go Blue, beat the Terrapins!

Posted under Football

There may be another ITP coming from this game. Stay tuned later in the week in case there is.

The Situation
It’s Michigan State’s first drive of the game. The drive started on their own 17, and despite a big sack, they were able to convert on a long third down attempt, completing a pass to Mark Dell. After a pair of Javon Ringer runs, they face 3rd and 5 from their own 39 yard line. A stop here, and Michigan sets the tone against Little Brother. If the Spartans convert, however, they might be able to ride the momentum to their first victory against the Wolverines since 2001.

The Personnel and Formation

Michigan State comes out in a 4-wide shotgun. White Blair is in the left slot next to Mark Dell, and a tight end (Charlie Gantt) is lined up in the right slot. Javon Ringer is to Hoyer’s right. Michigan counters this formation with a 4-3. Jonas Mouton is head-up with White, and Johnny Thompson is over the tight end. Stevie Brown and Brandon Harrison are the safeties.

The Play

Michigan appears to be running a cover-2 man scheme on this play. Jonas Mouton is the important party, as he is White’s man. At the snap, Dell doesn’t even go out on a route, and instead occupies Trent with a block of sorts. On the right, the other wideout gets an outside release and runs his defender (Warren) off. The slots are making all the magic on this play. Gantt runs a hook towards the middle of the field, and White runs a slant. This is clearly a one-read play for Hoyer, as he never looks anywhere other than directly at White. White makes the catch, breaks a tackle from Stevie Brown, and races to the endzone.

Why it Worked

Jonas Mouton gets completely burned by his man on this play. He gives up the middle of the field, and is left chasing after White. Compounding the issue, Stevie Brown pretty much whiffs on his tackle, allowing White to get behind the last line of defense. Mouton is culpable for the reception, and Brown is at fault for allowing a first down to turn into a touchdown.

Posted under Football

Going into the Michigan State game, I was not confident Michigan would win, but certainly that they could win. As it turns out, the defense laid a complete egg, and it’s back to the drawing board again. A few random observations from the weekend that was:

• The stadium atmosphere, though it was better than some games, left a whole lot to be desired. Most disturbingly, a rival’s fans got a stadium-wide cheer going in the waning moments of a victory in our stadium.
• The offense still can’t put together four full quarters, but with the defense Michigan has, there really isn’t much of an excuse to lose a game in which we score 21 points.
• The recruiting weekend didn’t go exactly as planned, but it sounds as though most of the recruits in attendance really liked Michigan – with the notable exception of DeWayne Peace. Is a decommitment looming?
• Maybe I’ve just never considered them because I’m friends with a bunch of MSU fans, and those that I typically run across are cordial enough, but MSU fans are really a special brand of pathetic.

And looking forward to Purdue:

• The Boilermakers are probably the coldest team in the conference at this point, with Wisconsin and Indiana finally cracking through this past weekend. The next closest “competitor?” Probably Michigan. Sadly, this weekend’s game is likely a battle to avoid finishing at the bottom of the conference, along with Indiana.
• QB Curtis Painter is expected to miss the game this weekend. Top backup Joey Elliott is out for the remainder of the season. That means OLSM product Justin Siller will likely start for the Boilers.
• If you ask me, Purdue is the closest thing offensively Michigan will play to Toledo (except maybe Minnesota). This might bode ill for the Michigan defense, since it’s a personnel upgrade at nearly every position (except maybe replacing a 5th-year senior QB for a redshirt freshman).
• I don’t forsee having a podcast this week.
• Michigan really needs this game. If they can get a bit of momentum going, they could probably pull off a game or two against Minnesota and Northwestern, as well.

Posted under Football

Paul: me: why did you go to state? her: i didn’t want to write an essay
Tim: eye lasers
Paul: so it begins
Paul: yakety
Tim: sparty no
Tim: sparty no x2
Paul: brian hoyer always comes through. now we’ll go 3 and out and miss the fg
Tim: I think he was down
Tim (post Minor receiving TD): really shitty call, but whatev
Paul: i take what i can get
Paul: msu fans are moving up the shitlist
Tim: yeah. they aren’t even knowledgable, which is one of the few possible redeeming qualities. im not used to cocky AND stupid.
Tim: haha one of them just threw a punch and got kicked the fuck out
Paul: connor got into a scuffle… with an m fan.
Paul: mo t: hurt or dog house?
Tim: i think they’re trying to establish something of a rotation
Tim: john thompson isn’t sucking. what alternate reality have we been temporarily transported to?
Paul: 2 minute offense? what?
Tim: in the rare game that we dont score on our first drive, we are tied at half. might there be a little more offense in the tank?
Paul: so second half like wisco or like ill/psu?
Tim: give me somewhere in between and i might be satisfied
Paul: threet can run this offense
Tim: obvs
Paul: brandon graham hates qbs
Tim: Worst kicker in the state of michigan
Paul: evil msu fg hating god?
Tim: i wouldn’t say evil if it’s msu hating
Paul: evil michigan 3rd down hating god
Paul: sparty nothe offense is not inspiring… big play is needed… M needs field position
Tim (re: 3trd quarter music): does paralyzer win this vote if we aren’t playing state? i think not
Tim: i was getting ready to tell you our 3rd down d leaves something to be desired. bg55 bailed it out
Paul: looks like he’s playing for top end draft $$
Paul: impending doom…
Tim: yeah…
Paul: and… doom
Tim: so much fucking doom
Paul: DOOM!
Paul: btw… sparty bob infiltrated the pressbox
Tim: remember the days when only sheridan threw crippling interceptions?
Paul: ohhh last week… i remember thee well.

Posted under Football