Bowl Practice Update No. 3
12/29/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 28, 2010
ORLANDO, Fla. - Under sunny skies and temperatures in the low-50s, fourth-year Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio sent his team through a two-hour workout in full pads on Tuesday, Dec. 28 at Freedom High School, as the seventh-ranked Spartans (11-1, 7-1 Big Ten) continued preparation for the Jan. 1, 2011, Capital One Bowl against No. 15 Alabama (9-3, 5-3 SEC).
"I thought we had a great practice," Dantonio said. "In fact, it was the best we've had in terms of focus and excitement, but these things have to continue to grow for us as we move forward. Hopefully, we peak at game time. Emotionally, we have to be ready to `measure up' Saturday.
"The execution was crisp, and the scout team was sharp. On game day, you get what you put into practice throughout the week. It can't just be the first team playing at a high level because everybody plays an important role on this team. A couple of those scout-team receivers (Tony Lippett and Keith Mumphery) will be stars in the near future.
"We have 30 guys on this team who played in the 2009 Capital One Bowl. I definitely believe that experience breeds success. These guys played in the 2009 game against Georgia and we played well enough to win, but faded a little in the fourth quarter. We had the same number of guys playing for a Big Ten Championship at Penn State on the final weekend of the 2008 regular season. That experience paid great dividends when the opportunity presented itself again last month."
Alabama features a well balanced offensive attack, averaging 175.2 rushing yards and 260.3 passing yards per game. Senior quarterback Greg McElroy ranks sixth in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in passing efficiency (166.9 rating), while junior Mark Ingram and sophomore Trent Richardson have combined to rush for nearly 1,500 yards and 16 touchdowns. Junior Julio Jones (school-record 75 catches for 1,084 yards and 7 TDs) ranks second in the Southeastern Conference in both receptions and receiving yards.
"Greg McElroy is an extremely accurate passer, completing 71 percent of his passes for nearly 2,800 yards," Dantonio said. "He makes good decisions with the football as evidenced by his touchdown-to-interception ratio (19:5). McElroy does a nice job on loose-ended plays when things break down. Even when a designed screen isn't called, he'll find one of his backs floating out of the backfield and suddenly a 3-yard pass turns into a 15-yard gain. McElroy is a great leader and a proven winner.
"Alabama has a big, physical offensive line. They're a little young along the offensive line, but three of those linemen earned first- or second-team All-SEC honors.
"Alabama features two complete backs in Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson. They're both north-south runners, who run with power. They also have quick change of direction. I remember when we were recruiting Mark Ingram that he caught the ball well down the field on wheel routes. He has great ball skills as does Richardson.
"At 6-4, 220 pounds, Julio Jones has that rare combination of size and speed," Dantonio continued. "He definitely creates match-up problems. I've also been impressed by the skills of receivers Marquis Maze and Darius Hanks.
"We must tackle well in space Saturday, so we limit the number of Alabama's explosive plays."
Michigan State will conduct its fourth bowl practice at Freedom High School on Wednesday, Dec. 29 at 12 p.m.
The 2011 Capital One Bowl marks the first-ever meeting between Michigan State and Alabama. Saturday's game will be televised nationally by ESPN with kickoff set for 1 p.m. EST.
