Michigan State University Athletics
Football Prepares For Road Test At Notre Dame
9/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 13, 1999
DATE: Sept. 18, 1999
SITE: Notre Dame Stadium (80,012), Notre Dame, Ind.
KICKOFF: 2:30 p.m. EDT (1:30 p.m. EST)
ESTIMATED ATTENDANCE: 80,012 (sold out)
LAST SATURDAY: Michigan State defeated Eastern Michigan, 51-7, Notre Dame lost at Purdue, 28-23.
BROADCAST COVERAGE: Radio ? The Spartan Radio Network, featuring veteran play-by-play announcer George Blaha, color analyst Larry Bielat, sideline reporter Harlon Barnett and broadcast host Scott Anderson, will broadcast the game to 31 affiliates throughout the state. Michigan State football broadcasts can be heard locally on flagship station WJIM (AM 1240, FM 97.5). Television ? NBC will televise the game live to a national audience, with Dick Enberg handling the play-by-play, Pat Haden providing color commentary and Jim Gray serving as sideline reporter.
THE COACHES ?
Michigan State?s Nick Saban (Kent State ?73) is 27-22-1 (.550) in his fifth season with the Spartans and 36-24-1 (.598) in his sixth season as a college head coach. Saban came to Michigan State following four seasons as the Cleveland Browns? defensive coordinator from 1991-94. He previously served as head coach at the University of Toledo where he guided the Rockets to a 9-2 record overall in 1990, including a share of the Mid-American Conference title at 7-1.
Notre Dame?s Bob Davie (Youngstown State ?76) is 17-11 (.607) in his third year as a college head coach, all with the Fighting Irish. Davie spent three years (1994-96) as the defensive coordinator at Notre Dame prior to becoming the head coach. Before moving to South Bend, Davie was an assistant coach for 17 years, making stops at Texas A&M (1985-93), Tulane (1983-84), Pittsburgh (1977, 1980-82) and Arizona (1978-79).
THE SERIES -
SERIES RECORD: Notre Dame leads, 41-20-1
IN NOTRE DAME: ND leads, 26-8
LAST MEETING: MSU 45, ND 23 (Sept. 12, 1998 in East Lansing)
LAST ND WIN: ND 21, MSU 20 (Sept. 17, 1994 in East Lansing)
FIRST MEETING: ND 34, MSU 6 (Nov. 25, 1897 in South Bend)
NICK SABAN vs. NOTRE DAME: 2-0
BOB DAVIE vs. MICHIGAN STATE: 0-2
CURRENT SERIES STREAK: 2 by MSU (1997-98)
LONGEST MSU STREAK: 8 (1955-63)
LONGEST ND STREAK: 8 (1897-1902, 1987-94)
TEAM COMPARISONS ?
Michigan State Notre DameBasic Offense Pro Set MultipleBasic Defense 4-3 4-3Offensive Starters Returning 8 4Defensive Starters Returning 7 7Specialists Returning 2 1
AVERAGE HEIGHTS & WEIGHTS (STARTERS) ?
Michigan State Notre DameOffensive Line & Tight End 6-5, 286 6-4, 296Offensive Backs & WRs 6-2, 213 6-1, 220Defensive Line 6-3, 281 6-4, 276Linebackers 6-3, 234 6-3, 237Defensive Backs 5-11, 193 5-11, 195
CLASS BREAKDOWN (STARTERS) ?
Michigan State Offense: 5 seniors, 4 juniors, 1 sophomore, 1 freshman
Michigan State Defense: 5 seniors, 3 juniors, 3 sophomores, 0 freshmen
Notre Dame Offense: 7 seniors, 2 juniors, 2 sophomores, 0 freshmen
Notre Dame Defense: 5 seniors, 2 juniors, 4 sophomores, 0 freshmen
STAT LEADERS ?
Michigan State (1999 statistics):
Rushing ? Lloyd Clemons (27 carries for 148 yards, 5.5 avg., 0 TD)
Passing ? Bill Burke (25 of 49 for 316 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT)
Receiving ? Plaxico Burress (8 catches for 126 yards, 15.8 avg., 0 TDs)
Tackles ? Aric Morris (27 tackles, 14 solos, 13 assists, 4 for losses, 3 PBUs)
Notre Dame (1999 statistics):
Rushing ? Tony Fisher (39 carries for 249 yards, 6.4 avg. 2 TDs)
Passing ? Jarious Jackson (49 of 80 for 658 yards, 2 TDs, 5 INTs)
Receiving ? Raki Nelson (13 catches for 183 yards, 14.1 avg., 0 TDs)
Tackles ? A?Jani Sanders (28 tackles, 16 solos, 12 assists, 4 for losses, 1 INT)
STAT COMPARISON (1999 statistics) ?
Michigan State Notre DameScoring 39.0 31.0First Downs 19.5 20.7Total Offense 428.0 415.0Rushing Yards 204.0 195.7 Passing Yards 224.0 219.3Time of Possession 32:15 27:57Third Down Conversions 320 .560Points Allowed 13.5 22.3Total Offense Allowed 250.5 354.3Rushing Yards Allowed 28.5 120.0Passing Yards Allowed 222.0 234.3
THE LAST MEETING ? Sept. 12, 1998 in East Lansing: Bill Burke completed 12-of-19 passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns as Michigan State stunned No. 10 Notre Dame, 45-23, in the second night game ever played at Spartan Stadium. MSU got out of the gate early as Notre Dame?s first possession ended in a blocked punt that Richard Newsome returned 25 yards for a touchdown. Michigan State scored TDs on its first four possessions. Burke capped a 13-play, 69-yard drive with a 16-yard TD toss to Gari Scott in the front corner of the end zone to build the lead to 14-0. Notre Dame answered with a nine-play, 66-yard march that produced a 32-yard field goal by Jim Sanson. Burke?s 31-yard completion to Scott set up Sedrick Irvin?s 3-yard TD run with 1:02 left in the first quarter. Burke then hooked up with Plaxico Burress and Leroy McFadden for TD passes. Julian Peterson returned an interception 23 yards for another TD as Michigan State rolled to a 42-3 halftime lead. The Spartans displayed nearly perfect balance on offense, picking up a season-high 242 yards on the ground and 209 yards passing.
THE LAST TIME OUT: MICHIGAN STATE 51, EASTERN MICHIGAN 7 ?
Michigan State opened up a 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter and cruised to a 51-7 victory over in-state rival Eastern Michigan last Saturday at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans played four different quarterbacks, had 10 different players run the ball and a total of 70 players saw action in the game. Bill Burke threw TD passes to account for MSU?s first two scores, one to Chris Baker and another to Gari Scott. Paul Edinger?s first of three field goals preceded a 4-yard TD run by T.J. Duckett for the 24-0 first-intermission lead. The Spartans continued to roll with TDs from Dawan Moss and Lorenzo Guess and another FG from Edinger, building a 41-0 halftime lead. While Eastern Michigan spoiled the shutout bid early in the fourth quarter, the Spartan victory was secure.
QUOTING NICK SABAN ?
On the Eastern Michigan game: ?One of the things we wanted to do was prove that we could come out and play with some consistency. I was pleased with that early in the game, especially on defense. Offensively I thought we were a little inconsistent at times. We made a lot of plays, but we also made some bad plays at times. You have to give Eastern Michigan?s defense some credit, because they did a lot of blitzing and stunting and put some pressure on the quarterback. The errors we made are correctible and we will have to correct them to be a good football team.?
On the Notre Dame game: ?Notre Dame just needed a few more seconds to win their last two games. I?m sure they will be stinging a little bit from the kind of losses they have had, and our players are going to have to come out ready for the challenge. It?s our first game on the road and Notre Dame is a tough place to play. That will really test our character to have to play without the benefit of the home crowd.
?Notre Dame?s defense has played better and better each year that Bob Davie has been there. Offensively, Jarious Jackson is an outstanding athlete and they feature him in their offense with the option, play-action pass and quarterback draw. I think he has improved quite a bit as a passer and that makes them even more dangerous.?
MEGAPHONE TROPHY ? Since 1949, the winner of the Michigan State-Notre Dame game has been presented the Megaphone Trophy, sponsored jointly by the alumni clubs of both schools. The megaphone is printed half blue, with a gold ND monogram, and half white, with MSC in green. All previous game scores are listed on the trophy. MSU and Notre Dame played 36 consecutive seasons from 1959-94 until a recent two-year interruption of the series (1995-96). The current series contract runs through 2011.
FIGHTING AGAINST THE IRISH, RECENTLY ? Michigan State has won its last two meetings against Notre Dame, MSU?s first back-to-back wins over the Irish since winning eight straight from 1955-68.
MORE FIGHTING AGAINST THE IRISH, RECENTLY ? Michigan State could become the first ND opponent to win three straight games against the Irish in over a decade. Miami (Fla.) (1983-85, 1987), Penn State (1985-87) and Pittsburgh (1983, 1986-87) all had similar streaks end in 1988.
FIGHTING AGAINST THE IRISH, HISTORICALLY ? Michigan State ranks third among opponents in all-time victories over Notre Dame. Only Southern Cal (26) and Purdue (23) have posted more wins over the Irish than the Spartans (20).
Team Games vs. ND Wins vs. ND Southern Cal 70 26 Purdue 71 23 Michigan State 62 20 Michigan 29 17 Pittsburgh 57 16
SPARTANS OF THE WEEK ?
Offense: Shaun Mason (graded out at 82 percent overall with 15 production points)
Defense: Josh Shaw (career-high nine tackles, including one for loss, for 15 production points)
Special Teams: Paul Edinger (hit all three field-goal attempts, including career-long 51-yarder, and scored 14 points)
INJURY REPORT ? OUT: OL Brian Ottney (underwent surgery on right shoulder Sept. 3, out for the season), WR Josh Lenaburg (underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove torn cartilage from his left knee Aug. 13, sidelined for four weeks), QUESTIONABLE: CB Cedric Henry (lower back injury in Aug. 23 scrimmage, DNP vs. Oregon and Eastern Michigan), PROBABLE: TB Little John Flowers (sprained right ankle vs. Eastern Michigan), QB Ryan Van Dyke (sprained right ankle vs. Eastern Michigan).
ROLE REVERSAL ? Michigan State (2-0) enters its game against Notre Dame (1-2) with a better record than the Irish for only the second time since 1985. In 1997, Michigan State was 2-0 entering the Spartans? 23-7 victory at Notre Dame, which was 1-1 entering the game.
NOTRE DAME CONNECTIONS ?
? Michigan State head men?s basketball coach Tom Izzo, San Francisco 49ers coach Steve Mariucci and Notre Dame outside linebackers coach Jerry Rosburg were roommates for one year while all three were assistant coaches at Northern Michigan.
? Michigan State?s veteran play-by-play radio announcer George Blaha graduated from Notre Dame in 1966 with a degree in economics. Blaha is in his 22nd season as MSU?s radio voice.
COACHING CONNECTIONS ? Notre Dame offensive coordinator Kevin Rogers and Michigan State tight ends/special teams coach Bob Casullo served on the same staff at Syracuse from 1991-94. MSU assistant athletic director/director of football operations Mike Vollmar and ND coordinator of football operations worked together at Michigan from 1988-90.
CLOSE AS A BLADE ? Michigan State and Notre Dame are separated by fewer than five teams in four categories of this week?s NCAA rankings. How the two teams stack up nationally in the following categories:
Rush Offense Pass Offense Total Offense Net PuntingMichigan State 32nd (204.0) 42nd (224.0) 37th (428.0) 22nd (39.9)Notre Dame 37th (195.7) 43rd (219.3) 42nd (415.0) 23rd (39.8)
QUICK START ? Michigan State has started the season 2-0 for just the second time since 1983. MSU went 5-0 to open the 1997 season.
QUICK STRIKES ? Each of Michigan State?s first six scoring drives against Eastern Michigan (including Lorenzo Guess?s interception returned for a TD) took less than one minute and 50 seconds. The Spartans scored twice on their first play of a drive vs. the Eagles.
MSU also had a TD drive of 1:07 and a defensive TD against Oregon.
BALANCING ACT ? Michigan State?s offense has been almost perfectly balanced between the run and the pass in the first two games, averaging 204.0 rushing yards per game and 224.0 passing yards. Take a look at the MSU breakdown between run and pass:
Plays Yards/Gam Yds/Play 1st Downs TDs Rushing 77 204.0 5.3 16 2 Passing 65 224.0 6.9 19 5
GROUNDING OPPOSING GROUND GAMES ? Michigan State has given up a total of 57 rushing yards vs. Oregon (28) and Eastern Michigan (29), marking the fewest yards allowed on the ground in back-to-back games since allowing 38 in the last two games of the 1992 season (16 vs. Purdue, 22 vs. Illinois).
After finishing 10th in the Big Ten in rushing defense a year ago (171.8 yards allowed per game), the Spartans rank eighth in the nation and first in the Big Ten in the category this year (28.5 yards allowed per game through two games).
The last time MSU held three straight opponents to under 100 yards rushing was the first three games of the 1997 season (29 by Western Michigan, 54 by Memphis, 61 by Notre Dame).
SPARTANS AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS ? In No. 24 Notre Dame, Michigan State faces its first ranked opponent of the 1999 season. Last year the Spartans won two games over Top 10 teams for the first time since 1965 and finished 2-2 against teams ranked in the Associated Press Top 25. The Spartans are 9-35 (.205) against Top 25 teams since 1988, including a 3-3 mark in its last six games against ranked foes.
BURKE EYES TD RECORD ? Senior QB Bill Burke has four TD passes this season, giving him 30 for his career. That is good for third on the MSU all-time list. After throwing 19 TDs last year, Burke needs 14 more this season to set the school record, currently shared by Dave Yarema (1982-86) and Ed Smith (1976-78) with 43 career TDs each. Burke has thrown at least one TD pass in each of the last six games.
Burke, who had five straight 200-yard passing games entering the Eastern Michigan contest, fell short of tying Smith for the school record for most consecutive 200-yard games with six. Burke was 7-for-18 for 111 yards and two TDs against the Eagles in less than a half of play. MSU is 6-2 all-time when Burke throws for 200 yards.
FIRST-TIME SCORERS ? Three Spartans ? T.J. Duckett, Dawan Moss and Lorenzo Guess ? scored the first TDs of their careers against Eastern Michigan, while Arron Agler threw his first career TD pass. Moss scored on his first career carry, a 42-yard run early in the second quarter. Moss became the first MSU fullback to score a touchdown since Travis Reece scored on a 1-yard run against Michigan in 1996. Duckett scored on his fourth career carry and his first of the game. Guess scored on a 39-yard return of his first career interception.
BIG WIN ? Michigan State?s 44-point win against Eastern Michigan marked its largest margin of victory since the 47-0 shutout of Eastern Michigan Sept. 28, 1996. The Spartans? 51 points were the most scored by an MSU team since a 51-21 win over Memphis, Sept. 13, 1997.
THREE & OUT ? Eastern Michigan was 0-for-16 on third-down conversions against MSU on Saturday. EMU punter Nick Avondet had an MSU opponent record 16 punts vs. the Spartans.
PETERSON FOLLOWS IN SNOW?S FOOTSTEPS ? Senior LB Julian Peterson has been named one of 65 linebackers on the 1999 Butkus Award Watch List. The Butkus Award, given annually to the nation?s top linebacker, will trim that list to 10 semifinalists Oct. 21. Michigan State?s Percy Snow won the first Butkus Award in 1989.
Peterson stands second on the team in tackles with 18. He matched his career high with 11 tackles (five solos, six assists) against Oregon, including six tackles for loss (seven yards). Through two games he already has nine tackles for losses, well ahead of pace to break the single-season school record for tackles for losses (18), which he shares with Larry Bethea.
GANG OF FOUR PRODUCES RUSHING YARDS ? After finishing eighth in the Big Ten with its worst rushing average in 15 years (129.3 yards per game) last season, Michigan State is averaging 204.0 yards per game on the ground through two games this year. The last time MSU averaged over 200 yards per game on the ground was 1990 (239.8).
MSU has four players who have appeared at tailback who each have between 148 and 56 yards. The foursome ? Lloyd Clemons (148), T.J. Duckett (90), Shawn Foster (82) and Little John Flowers (56) ? have combined for 276 yards.
HERE?S THE KICKER ? Senior PK Paul Edinger has been perfect thus far in 1999, converting on five-of-five field goals and eight-of-eight PATs. Against Eastern Michigan, Edinger made a career-long 51-yard field goal, the longest for the Spartans since Oct. 11, 1997 (Chris Gardner, 51 yards vs. Indiana).
Edinger, ranked third among candidates for the Lou Groza Award by ESPN.com on Sunday, has made 11-of-13 field-goal attempts from 40-plus yards in his career.
T.J. = TWO WAY ? Freshman LB/TB T.J. Duckett has made an impact for MSU on both sides of the ball, making seven tackles (four solo, three assists) and carrying 11 times for 90 yards (8.2 avg.), including one TD. His TD carry came on his first rush of the Eastern Michigan game, just the fourth carry of his career. Nearly half (five of 11) of his carries have been good for first downs.
AN ?A? FOR ARIC ? Senior SS Aric Morris, Michigan State?s leading tackler in 1998 with 127 stops, leads MSU again this year with 27 stops (14 solos, 13 assists). He made a career-high 19 tackles in the season opener against Oregon (12 solos, 7 assists, including four stops for losses) and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts. It was just the 21st time that a Spartan recorded at least 19 tackles in a game and the first time since Ty Hallock recorded 21 against Minnesota in 1992. Morris?s previous best game was 17 tackles against Penn State in last year?s season finale.
MMM, MMM, GOOD ? Senior CB Amp Campbell, nicknamed ?Soup? by his teammates, completed a storybook return to the field against Oregon, returning a fumble 85 yards for the game-winning TD. He also made four tackles and broke up a pair of passes. Against Eastern Michigan, he broke up for more passes and shut down the Eagles? top receiver, Jermaine Sheffield (two catches for eight yards vs. Campbell). Campbell holds the MSU career record for passes broken up (36).
Campbell suffered what was thought to be a career-ending injury last year against Oregon. He fractured his sixth and seventh vertebrae as he attempted to make a tackle on Oregon?s second touchdown. The injury required spinal-fusion surgery that night and five days later he said in an emotional press conference, ?I had a good career at Michigan State.?
His rehabilitation picked up speed around the midpoint of last season, however. This summer he was cleared to play and the NCAA granted a sixth-year waiver request. To fulfill Big Ten regulations he still needed to complete his undergraduate degree requirements, which he did this summer and earned a telecommunication degree.
GREAT SCOTT ? Senior WR Gari Scott broke the Michigan State record for career punt return yards against Oregon on his career-long 49-yard return in the third quarter. He established a new career long with a 51-yard return against Eastern Michigan and now has 748 career punt return yards.
Scott has three TD catches on the year, including two against Oregon which tied a single-game career high. He ranks third in the Big Ten and the NCAA in punt returns (24.67 avg.) and third in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards (171.5 yards per game).
RAVING ABOUT RECEIVERS ? Junior WR Plaxico Burress and senior WR Gari Scott combine to form one of the nation?s best receiving duos. In the opener against Oregon, the duo combined for 188 of MSU?s 205 receiving yards (91.7 percent) and 11 of 18 catches (61.1 percent), with Scott catching both of MSU?s TD passes.
Burress and Scott are both among the 35 players listed on the 1999 Biletnikoff Award watch list, making Michigan State one of only three teams in the nation and the only team in the Big Ten with multiple honorees. Florida State (Ron Dugans and Peter Warrick) and Louisville (Ibn Green and Arnold Jackson) also have two candidates for the Biletnikoff, which is awarded annually to the top wide receiver in college football. Other Big Ten receivers included are Chafie Fields (Penn State), Kahill Hill (Iowa), Luke Leverson (Minnesota) and Dee Miller (Ohio State).
Lindy?s ranks both Burress and Scott among the top 14 wide receivers in the nation, with Burress at No. 5 and Scott at No. 14.
The two combined for 1,856 receiving yards last season ? the next-best returning pair on one team in the Big Ten, Purdue?s Randall Lane and Chris Daniels, combined for 1,413 yards.
SPARTAN AIR RAID ? Michigan State has scored more touchdowns passing than running each of the last two years, a trend which has continued this year and is a complete reversal from the previous eight seasons. MSU?s rushing and passing TD ratio for the last 11 seasons:
1999 1998 1997 1996 1995 1994 1993 1992 1991 1990 1989Rush TDs/Pass TDs 2/5 14/21 18/21 27/15 21/11 20/11 25/9 24/4 10/7 35/4 37/9
MSU?S EXPERIENCE IS ON THE LINE ? Michigan State?s starting offensive linemen ? C Casey Jensen, RG Shaun Mason, LT Tupe Peko, RT Greg Robinson-Randall and LG Dave Sucura ? have combined for 58 career starts between them. That?s more than double the total number of career starts (24) that MSU?s offensive line had made prior to last year?s season-opener vs. Colorado State.
That experience has showed early on, as MSU has allowed 1.5 sacks per game after giving up an average of 3.8 sacks per game last year. The Spartans are also averaging 204.0 yards rushing per game after gaining just 129.3 yards on the ground per game last year.
MAGIC NUMBER 24 ? Since 1990, Michigan State is 47-10-1 (.819) when it scores at least 24 points and 7-41-1 (.153) when it scores fewer than 24 points. During that nine-year period, the Spartans have compiled an overall record of 54-51-2 (.514).
SPARTANS PREFER ARTIFICIAL TURF ? Michigan State?s 28-24 victory at Ohio State Nov. 7, 1998, marked the Spartans? second win on natural grass since 1993 (the other coming at Notre Dame Stadium in 1996). The Spartans are just 2-12-1 in their last 15 games played on natural grass. By contrast, Michigan State is 29-19 (.604) in its last 48 games on artificial turf.
FULL HOUSE ? All six Michigan State home games for 1999 have already been sold out. Michigan State fans purchased a record 60,857 season tickets for 1999, breaking the previous record of 60,145 set in 1997.
BIG TEN STAT LEADERS ?
Category Stat Avg. Big Ten NCAA Total Offense 428.0 3rd 37thRushing Offense 204.0 4th 32ndPassing Offense 224.0 5th 42ndScoring Offense 39.0 4th 21stTotal Defense 250.5 4th 21stRushing Defense 28.5 1st 8thPassing Defense 222.0 7th ?Pass Efficiency Def. 95.47 4th t-25thScoring Defense 13.5 5th t-27thTurnover Margin -0.5 9th t-69thNet Punting 39.9 3rd 22ndPunt Returns 15.0 4th 14thKickoff Returns 18.4 8th 76th
Category ? Individual Stat Avg. Big Ten NCAARushing Yards ? Clemons 74.0 9th ?Passing Efficiency ? Burke 128.05 9th ?Passing Yards ? Burke 158.0 5th ?Total Offense ? Burke 146.0 9th ?Receptions ? Burress 4.0 t-6th ?Receptions ? Scott 3.5 t-9th ?Receiving Yards ? Scott 66.0 8th ?Receiving Yards ? Burress 63.0 9th ?All-Purpose Yards ? Scott 171.5 3rd 20thScoring (Overall) ? Edinger 11.5 5th t-30thScoring (Kicking) ? Edinger 11.5 2nd ?Punting ? Jarrett 41.5 8th 33rdPunt Returns ? Scott 24.7 3rd 3rdKickoff Returns ? Scott 21.0 t-8th ?Field Goal Pct. ? Edinger 100.0 t-1st ?Field Goals Per Game ? Edinger 2.50 2nd t-6thTackle for Loss ? Peterson 4.5 1st ?Interceptions ? Guess 0.5 t-4th t-40thInterceptions ? Hill 0.5 t-4th t-40th
SPARTANS OF THE WEEK ?
Opponent Offense Defense Special TeamsOregon Lloyd Clemons Julian Peterson Gari ScottE. Michigan Shaun Mason Josh Shaw Paul Edinger
1999 OPPONENTS UPDATE ?
Date vs.MSU Opponent This Week Last Week Sept. 2 Oregon (1-1) Nevada W vs. UTEP, 47-28Sept. 11 Eastern Mich. (0-1) at Miami (Ohio) L at Michigan State, 51-7Sept. 18 at Notre Dame (1-2) Michigan State L at Purdue, 28-23Sept. 25 at Illinois (2-0) at Louisville W vs. San Diego St., 38-10Oct. 2 Iowa (0-2) N. Illinois L at Iowa State, 17-10Oct. 9 Michigan (2-0) at Syracuse W vs. Rice, 37-3Oct. 16 at Purdue (2-0) Central Michigan W vs. Notre Dame, 28-23Oct. 23 at Wisconsin (2-0) at Cincinnati W vs. Ball State, 50-10Nov. 6 Ohio State (1-1) Ohio W vs. UCLA, 42-20Nov. 13 at Northwestern (1-1) at Duke W vs. TCU, 17-7Nov. 20 Penn State (3-0) at Miami (Fla.) W vs. Pittsburgh, 20-17*MSU opponents have a cumulative record of 15-6 (.714), not including games vs. the Spartans
SABAN'S RECORD BREAKDOWN (MSU and TOLEDO)?
All Games: 36-24-1 (.590)Home Games: 24-9 (.727)Road Games: 12-15-1 (.446)August Games: 1-1 (.500)September Games: 13-5-1 (.711)October Games: 13-7 (.650)November Games: 9-8 (.529)December Games: 0-3 (.000)Games decided by a TD or less: 10-10-1 (.500)Games decided by a FG or less: 2-6-1 (.278)
SPARTAN TRENDS ? Here?s how Michigan State has fared this year and during Nick Saban?s tenure (1995-99):
1999 Under SabanGames played in Spartan Stadium: 2-0 19-8Games played on the road/neutral site: 0-0 8-14-1
August games 0-0 1-1September games 2-0 9-5-1October games 0-0 10-6November games 0-0 7-7December games 0-0 0-3
Games decided by a TD or less 1-0 7-8Games decided by a FG or less 0-0 2-5
When scoring first: 1-0 21-10-1When opponent scores first: 1-0 6-12
When leading after first quarter: 1-0 20-5-1When trailing after first quarter: 0-0 4-10When tied after first quarter: 1-0 3-7When leading at halftime: 1-0 24-8When trailing at halftime: 1-0 3-13-1When leading after three quarters: 1-0 23-3-1When trailing after three quarters: 0-0 3-16When tied after three quarters: 1-0 1-3
When gaining more first downs than opponent: 1-0 22-6When gaining fewer first downs than opponent: 1-0 5-12-1When gaining same number of 1st downs as opp: 0-0 0-4
When gaining 200+ yards rushing: 1-0 18-3-1When opponent gains 200+ yards rushing: 0-0 3-11-1When an MSU player rushes for 100+ yards: 1-0 18-6-1When an opponent rushes for 100+ yards: 0-0 9-12-1When outrushing opponent: 2-0 23-5-1When being outrushed by opponent: 0-0 4-17
When gaining 200+ yards passing: 2-0 17-12-1When opponent gains 200+ yards passing: 1-0 9-12-1
When gaining more total yards than opponent: 1-0 24-6When gaining fewer total yards than opponent: 1-0 3-16-1When leading in time of possession: 2-0 19-12-1When trailing in time of possession: 0-0 8-10
OFFENSIVE QUICK BIOS
2 ? HERB HAYGOOD ? FL
? had two catches for 29 yards and a 29-yard run on an end around vs. Eastern Michigan
? Green team?s offensive MVP in the spring game (eight catches, 83 yards, 1 TD)
4 ? PLAXICO BURRESS ? SE
? MSU?s leading receiver in 1998 with MSU record 65 catches for 1,013 yards and record-tying 8 TDs
? leads team with eight catches through two games (126 yards)
? second-team All-Big Ten selection in ?98 (media, honorable mention by the coaches)
? consensus preseason first-team All-Big Ten pick
? ranked among the nation?s top five WRs by The Sporting News (No. 4) and Lindy?s (No. 5)
7 ? LAVAILE RICHARDSON ? SE
? third among Michigan State WRs in receptions (13) and fourth in receiving yards (145) in 1998
? caught at least one pass in nine games in ?98
8 ? T.J. DUCKETT ? TB/LB
? MSU?s leading rusher vs. EMU (eight carries, 83 yards, one TD) and second-leading rusher overall (11 carries, 90 yards, one TD)
? scored TD vs. EMU on his fourth career carry
? older brother, Tico, ranks as MSU?s second-leading all-time rusher (4,212 yards, 1989-92)
16 ? BILL BURKE ? QB
? was 12-for-19 for 209 yards and 3 TDs vs. Notre Dame last year
? started all 12 games last year and set MSU record with 2,595 passing yards
? already among MSU career passing leaders in attempts (sixth at 503), completions (eighth at 268), completion percentage (seventh at .533), yards (eighth at 3,565) and TD passes (third at 30)
? needs 14 TD passes to set MSU career record, currently held by Dave Yarema and Ed Smith (43)
? had a string of five straight 200-plus-yard games broken vs. EMU, just the second MSU QB to put together such a streak
? MSU is 6-2 when he throws for 200-plus yards
? his TD-INT ratio (19-10) last year was the best at MSU since Dave Yarema in 1985 (10-3)
22 ? SHAWN FOSTER ? TB
? carried 15 times for 82 yards vs. EMU
23 ? LITTLE JOHN FLOWERS ? TB
? saw time at TB behind Lloyd Clemons in opener and ran for 54 yards on eight carries (6.75 avg.)
? added one carry vs. EMU before suffering a sprained ankle
36 ? LLOYD CLEMONS ? TB
? gained 121 yards in his first game as MSU?s starting TB vs. Oregon
? has 148 yards on 27 carries (5.5 avg.) in 1999
? was granted a sixth-year waiver by the NCAA and earned his undergraduate degree this summer
? was MSU?s second-leading rusher last year behind Sedrick Irvin with 364 yards on 73 carries
49 ? DAWAN MOSS ? FB
? starting FB scored on his first career carry vs. EMU with a 42-yard TD run
? first MSU FB to score a rushing TD since 1996 (Travis Reece vs. Michigan)
64 ? CASEY JENSEN ? C
? C this year after playing both RG and LG in 1998
? started every game in ?98
70 ? DAVE SUCURA ? LG
? moves to left guard this year after starting every game at left tackle in 1998
? shared MSU?s Danziger Award in ?98 with Aric Morris as the team?s top Detroit-area players
71 ? SHAUN MASON ? RG
? offensive Spartan of the Week vs. EMU (graded out at 82 percent)
? graded out with a career-best 89 percent vs. Oregon (83 percent run-blocking, 94 pass-blocking)
? started the first two games of ?98 before suffering a season-ending injury (ACL/MCL right knee) in the second quarter vs. Oregon
74 ? TUPE PEKO ? LT
? a JUCO All-American at Cerritos College, he has won the starting job at left tackle
76 ? GREG ROBINSON-RANDALL ? RT
? started the last 10 games of ?98 at right tackle
83 ? CHRIS BAKER ? TE
? third on team with six receptions for 87 yards
? stands fifth in the nation among TEs in catches and third in yards
? led team vs. EMU with four catches for 64 yards and one TD
? caught 20 passes (289 yards) over the last seven games of ?98 after making only two catches (16) in the first five contests
84 ? BRAD RAINKO ? TE
? one-third of his career catches have been for TDs (three of 12)
85 ? IVORY McCOY ? TE
? caught second career TD pass vs. EMU, one of his three catches for 40 yards last week
? had five catches for 38 yards in 1998
86 ? GARI SCOTT ? FL
? owns the MSU record for career punt return yardage (748 yards)
? had six catches for 107 yards and two TDs vs. Oregon and 222 all-purpose yards
? MSU?s second-leading receiver last year with 58 catches for 843 yards (14.5 avg.) and four TDs
? has at least one catch in each of last 26 games
? leads all MSU players with 28 career starts
? rated among the nation?s top kick returners (No. 4) and wide receivers (No. 14) by Lindy?s
? preseason all-conference pick by Street & Smith?s (first team) and Lindy?s (second team)
? co-captain along with Aric Morris
DEFENSIVE QUICK BIOS
3 ? AMP CAMPBELL ? CB
? has made a courageous comeback from a cervic-spinal injury suffered last year at Oregon and capped it off with the game-winning TD vs. the Ducks this year on an 85-yard fumble return
? owns MSU career record for pass breakups (36), including four vs. EMU
? granted a sixth-year waiver by the NCAA and earned his undergraduate degree this summer
? presented the Biggie Munn Award last year as the team?s most inspirational player
? has 28 games (and 27 starts) under his belt
? has five career INTs, all as a junior in 1997 when he was a second-team All-Big Ten selection
5 ? LORENZO GUESS ? S
? returned first career INT for TD vs. EMU
? had career-high four tackles vs. Oregon after making five stops last year in all 12 games
? plays guard for MSU?s Final Four basketball team
8 ? T.J. DUCKETT ? LB/TB
? has made seven tackles (four solo, three assists)
? one of the nation?s most highly touted freshmen
9 ? ARIC MORRIS ? SS
? last week?s Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week after making 19 tackles (12 solo) vs. Oregon, including four for losses
? MSU?s leading tackler (14-13-27)
? in his third year as MSU?s starting SS
? had seven double-figure-tackle games last year, including 17 each vs. Penn State and Ohio State
? hon. mention All-Big Ten pick (media) in ?98
? had three INTs last year, has four for his career
? MSU?s co-captain, along with Gari Scott
15 ? RENALDO HILL ? CB
? leads active Spartans with six career INTs, including one which clinched the win vs. Oregon
? 1998 ABC/BCS Online second-team All-American as selected by the announcers and crew
? WR Plaxico Burress calls him the best CB in the Big Ten
? brother, Ray, is a former Spartan and current Miami Dolphin
25 ? MIKE AUSTIN ? LB
? an experienced senior with 23 career starts
? started the first five games of 1998 and returned for the season finale
32 ? RICHARD NEWSOME ? FS
? his return of a blocked punt for a TD started the scoring last year vs. Notre Dame
? made second career start vs. Oregon and had career-high 10 tackles (six solos, four assists)
35 ? T.J. TURNER ? LB
? in his second year as starter at MIKE LB
? had double-figures in tackles in four of the last five games of 1998 and eight tackles vs. Oregon
37 ? CEDRIC HENRY ? CB
? missed the first two games and is questionable vs. Notre Dame with a lower back injury
? second on the team in ?98 with 13 PBUs
50 ? JOSH THORNHILL ? LB
? second-team freshman All-America pick by The Sporting News in 1998
? started the last six games of ?98
66 ? DESMOND THOMAS ? DT
? has already surpassed last year?s sack total with one in each of the first two games
75 ? NICK MYERS ? DE
? called by defensive coordinator Bill Miller the biggest pleasant surprise of preseason camp
80 ? JACE SAYLER ? DT
? moved to DT after starting every game at end in ?98
? tied Robert Newkirk for team lead in tackles among defensive linemen in 1998 (26-35-61)
? missed start of preseason camp with mono
89 ? HUBERT THOMPSON ? DE
? made his debut vs. Oregon after red-shirting last year and sitting out freshman season due to academics
? has 3-5-8 tackles, one sack and a pass breakup through two games
91 ? ROBAIRE SMITH ? DE
? equaled his career-high with 10 tackles vs. Oregon (five solo), including two TFLs and one sack
? had two TFLs and a pass breakup vs. EMU
? already among MSU career leaders in sacks (fourth at 15) and TFLs (seventh at 28)
? a Playboy All-America pick
? preseason first-team All-Big Ten pick by Street & Smith?s, Lindy?s and Athlon
? second-team All-Big Ten in 1997
95 ? JOSH SHAW ? DT
? starting LT led MSU in tackles vs. EMU with 4-5-9, including one for loss and one pass breakup
? played all 12 games in ?98 as a true freshman
98 ? JULIAN PETERSON ? LB
? second on the team with 9-9-18 tackles
? nine of his tackles have been for losses, halfway to the MSU single-season record he set last year
? owns the top two TFL games in MSU history (seven vs. Ohio State, 1998, six vs. Oregon, 1999)
? posted career-best 5-6-11 tackles vs. Oregon and forced the fumble which Amp Campbell returned for the game-winning TD
SPECIALIST QUICK BIOS
1 ? PAUL EDINGER ? PK
? perfect 5-for-5 in FGs and 8-for-8 in PATs this year
? ranked No. 3 among nation?s PKs Sunday by ESPN.com
? ranked among nation?s top 10 kickers by Lindy?s (No. 5) and The Sporting News (No. 7)
? second-team All-Big Ten selection in 1998, when he set an MSU record for field goal percentage (.846, 22 of 26)
? has hit 11-of-13 attempts from 40-plus yards in his career
? six of 15 KOs have been touchbacks in ?99
12 ? CRAIG JARRETT ? P
? second-team All-Big Ten (media) in 1998
? ranks eighth in the Big Ten with 41.5 punting average
? hit 20 punts 50-plus yards and had 17 downed inside the 20-yard line in 1998 (1 and 3 in ?99)
