Huge loss for Sparty D-line: Evans and Sweat leave school.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:16 PM ^
April 18th, 2016 at 11:27 PM ^
April 18th, 2016 at 11:37 PM ^
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LOL.
Spartyfreude.
Hog all the 'roids for yourself and you could get kicked off the team.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:16 PM ^
They'll still be pretty good with Mcdowell back there but I feel pretty good with them breaking in a new qb, ol, wrs, dl etc. with the secondary returning everyone but was the weakest part of the team that we can beat them.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:24 PM ^
you cant have just one stud on d-line... alll they do is run double teams at him and he will be dead by third quarter...
See: Absense of Ryan Glasgow vs. OSU 2015
April 19th, 2016 at 12:19 AM ^
Their DL should still be solid. On one side they'll likely start 4th year Demetrius Cooper, who's been generating buzz for a while but was kind of trapped behind Calhoun's 8 year career. Damon Knox will probably get a 6th year, since pretending everyone has an incapacitating injury during any redshirt year is now accepted practice. McDowell is back and remains a good player and a bad college-picker. The other DE is a bit of a mystery. 5th year Evan Jones seems to be the front runner, but someone like Josh King could steal that job away. Regardless, a 5th year bastard in Dantonio's system won't be too terrible if it turns out Jones is the best they've got.
But between this and graduation, their depth is pretty well shot. They have zero junior or senior reserves on the DL. If Knox doesn't get a 6th year or if a starter gets injured, it'll be weird guy time, and pronto.
April 19th, 2016 at 12:27 AM ^
April 19th, 2016 at 12:57 AM ^
You wouldn't think so, since Knox was named scout team defensive player of the week during both week 5 and week 10 of his freshman year -- a year in which he ostensibly redshirted for medical reasons. If they are claiming something else, I have no idea what the hell it could be.
It seems like a straightforward case, but the early optimism out of EL and the overall inability of the NCAA to do anything competently makes me think it's closer to 50/50.
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I thought you could have a red-shirt year and then later a medical red-shirt year.
Ed Davis seems to be a lock to get the extra year after he missed all of last season. I don't know the story on the other 2 guys and injuries. But Sparty friend said if they all graduate this spring, they will all get the extra year.
April 19th, 2016 at 11:07 PM ^
April 19th, 2016 at 11:15 PM ^
April 19th, 2016 at 12:33 AM ^
But not without weaknesses and with a lack of depth. Evans came on the scene big time last year. Another DT next to McDowell was huge because it prevented doubles coming his way. Knox is solid if he returns, but this s what returns at DT:
Damon Knox - Undersized (270 lb) 6th year player that is solid but unspectacular. Flashed both ways at times last year.
Raequan Williams - High upside DT with consistency he needs to improve. RS-FR
Gerald Owens - Really high upside but incredibly raw converted RB/FB. Soph.
Cassius Peat - Undersized DT with eventual upside (brother of former Stanford Peat) but a big position move from high school, where he essentially played OLB. 270 lb RS-FR
Kyonta Stallworth - Was a fan of his upsdie coming out (you'll sense a common theme there) but he bounced around from OL to DL. Think he's at the position with higher upside now. 279 lb RS-FR.
Enoch Smith Jr - A guy that used his hands well but had to improve his first few steps to be viable. Has added the necessary weight, but has falled behind on the depth chart. Soph.
At DE, they essentially lost all depth. Sweat was everyone's favorite, but has consistently been in the dog house for them. Jones is a limited upside guy and a stop gap. Behind him, Bowers hasn't shown a ton, and neither have the other back ups to date. The guys they are bringing in have huge upside, but are also incredibly raw.
MSU's DL last year covered up a lot of weaknesses in other areas and helped the LB play a ton. They won't have that luxary this year, and they won't have the depth to stay on the field and rotate the way they like to, especially on the inside.
April 19th, 2016 at 10:33 AM ^
April 18th, 2016 at 11:27 PM ^
April 18th, 2016 at 11:46 PM ^
What, staee scores 14! Don Brown isn\t having any of that.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:47 PM ^
April 18th, 2016 at 11:34 PM ^
Beating Sparty won't be an easy chore in E. Lansing where we haven't won since the infamous "little brother" comment. But, I also believe that without Cook, Conklin, Allen, Burbridge, Calhoun, etc. that we should be the favorite and I like our chances with or without Sweat and Evans.
I still think their defense will be stout. McDowell will give us fits IMO, their LB play should still be good, and I'd guess their DBs improve quite a bit from last year to this. But, their defense should still take a step back from last year and ours should take a step forward. Their offense should take a big step back and ours should take another step forward. It's too bad for them because I'd love to beat them with all their bullets in the gun so to speak but it will be what it will be.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:39 PM ^
Sparty beat a "down" Michigan program under Rod and Hoke and act like football was invented in 2007.
Too bad.
April 19th, 2016 at 11:19 AM ^
I hear ya, but 8 years is a long time. It's easy for us to rationalize, "eh it was just Hoke & RR" as if we didn't think they were good coaches when they were hired and we didn't pay them a ton of money. They still have taken us to the wood shed there 4 straight times. They have the right to be proud of that & if we don't like it then we need to prove them wrong.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:48 PM ^
April 18th, 2016 at 11:54 PM ^
he plays 3T which he'll line up across either Ben Braden or Kyle Kalis depending on the alignment.
April 19th, 2016 at 12:28 AM ^
April 19th, 2016 at 12:43 AM ^
He won't be at NT
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And probably played more NT as a FR than he did 3-Tech. But he's played both depending on offensive alignment, MSU doesn't really flip the DTs all that much.
LISTEN TO ME! this game is already over. Done. We do not even need to show up. Double digit win. Bank it.
This one is a blowout in east lansing. Harbaugh is going to crush them.
April 19th, 2016 at 10:35 AM ^
Every player that ever played for Rodriquez and/or Hoke.
I also believe that without Cook, Conklin, Allen, Burbridge, Calhoun, etc. that we should be the favorite and I like our chances with or without Sweat and Evans.
I wanted to knock them off their goddamn high horse. Last season was our last chance to do it. Cook et. al. get to go onto the NFL bragging about having beaten UM when fact of the matter is, they didn't. Our team EARNED that game. They played well enough to win by three TDs if not for that awful, despicable officiating crew. It should never have come down to that final play. They don't deserve to whine that 2016 is a rebuilding year for them. We beat the crap out of team they sent to the CFP.
What's worse, I'm REALLY nervous because the one thing I learned last year is that it doesn't matter that UM's the better team now. We can't even be significantly better; that's not enough. Harbaugh better be ready to drop 50 on them because we'll probably get half that taken from us. I've never been more interested in who's going to be officiating in a rivalry game.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:38 PM ^
edit: damn! Beaten to it.
So pride comes before the couch burning and vandalism.
April 18th, 2016 at 11:42 PM ^
April 19th, 2016 at 12:00 AM ^
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April 19th, 2016 at 12:47 AM ^
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April 19th, 2016 at 12:04 AM ^
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April 19th, 2016 at 12:43 AM ^
I never needed to be told that refs are fallible, but I never thought they'd blatantly take over a game and dictate the tempo to the clear advantage of one team. Then last season happened. Must say that's the first time I'd ever seen a player ejected for having the audacity to be grabbed by an O-lineman and thrown to the ground.
We're gonna need to be ready to beat them by 40 because that's what it'll take to win a squeaker.