Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Football :: Official Athletic Site
July 2, 1997
1997 MSU Football Outlook
Michigan State third-year head coach Nick Saban approaches the 1997 football season with guarded optimism.
Last year, Michigan State compiled a 6-6 record overall, including another fifth-place finish in the Big Ten at 5-3 -- its best league mark since '92. The Spartans lost two Big Ten games by a combined total of 10 points and for the second year in a row entered the final weekend of the regular season with a chance to finish third in the conference standings. By winning four out of its last six games, Michigan State earned a spot in the Sun Bowl.
The Spartans displayed dramatic improvement on both sides of the football in '96. Consider these key stats:
- Michigan State averaged 29.8 points per game in 1996 -- its best season scoring average since '78 (37.4 ppg). The Spartans produced 44 touchdowns last year, eight more TDs than the team managed in '95.
- After finishing seventh in total offense in the Big Ten in '95, Michigan State improved to No. 2 in the league and No. 28 nationally in total offense, averaging nearly 400 yards per game.
- The Spartans stood No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 19 nationally in total defense in '96, allowing only 317.4 yards per game. The previous year, Michigan State ranked 10th in the league in total defense, allowing 409.2 yards.
- Michigan State held five of its 11 regular-season opponents under 100 yards rushing in '96. The Spartans ranked No. 4 in the Big Ten and No. 22 nationally in rushing defense, permitting only 128.4 yards per game. By comparison, Michigan State finished last in the Big Ten in rushing defense in '95, allowing 212.4 yards.
"I think we were a better team on both sides of the football last season," Saban says. "We've made steady progress but there's a lot of room for improvement.
"Winning seasons and bowl bids will no longer be the standards we use to measure success at Michigan State. The bar has been raised in terms of our expectations. We have some definite goals and objectives that we're working toward -- like winning Big Ten championships, developing a consistent Top 25 football program and playing in New Year's Day bowls."
The Spartans must replace seven starters, including five on the offensive side of the football. The most prominent losses on offense are big-play wide receivers Derrick Mason and Nigea Carter, who combined for 201 career receptions for 3,327 yards and 18 TDs. Another key personnel loss is '96 team MVP Duane Goulbourne, who finished his career at MSU's fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,848 yards.
On defense, the top losses include middle linebacker Reggie Garnett (a four-year starter with 327 career tackles) and defensive tackle Chris Smith (a two-year starter with 139 career stops).
On the plus side, 35 lettermen return, including 16 starters (6 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists).
"There are definitely fewer question marks heading into this season, but we still have serious depth problems," Saban says. "For the third year in a row, we'll head into the fall with fewer than 75 scholarship guys on the roster. We haven't been able to make up the difference in numbers."
A couple of familiar names figure prominently in Michigan State's offensive game plan. The old favorites are senior quarterback Todd Schultz (6-4, 212) and sophomore tailback Sedrick Irvin (6-0, 217).
Schultz heads into his second season as Michigan State's starting quarterback. A second-team All-Big Ten pick by the media in '96, Schultz completed 130-of-209 passes (.622) for 1,693 yards, seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He ranked among the Big Ten leaders in passing efficiency (fourth at 131.7 rating) and total offense (fourth at 180.1 yards per game). Schultz already ranks among MSU's career passing leaders in attempts (10th at 294), completions (10th at 183), completion percentage (third at .620) and yards (11th at 2,270).
"Todd Schultz adds stability at quarterback," Saban says. "Todd has a strong arm and great accuracy. He has to improve his ability to administer the game. His gamesmanship will help determine how consistently we perform on offense.
"His off-season knee surgery (left knee ACL reconstruction) went well and everything is going according to plan in terms of his rehabilitation. Todd's work will be very limited in spring ball but his knee should be back to full strength in May."
The Spartans possess a pair of capable backups in sophomore Bill Burke (25 of 61 for 399 yards, 4 TDs and 2 INTs) and junior Gus Ornstein (39 of 68 for 481 yards, 3 TDs and 4 INTs).
"This spring will be very important for Bill Burke," Saban says. "He's a young kid who played well as a red-shirt freshman. Bill will get a lot of opportunities this spring and that experience will be invaluable to him."
Irvin, who shared time at tailback with Goulbourne in '96, rushed for a MSU freshman-record 1,067 yards -- the ninth-best single-season total in school history. He had five 100-yard games last year and averaged 106.0 yards rushing in Big Ten games. Irvin finished third in the Big Ten and eighth nationally in scoring with a Spartan freshman-record 18 touchdowns (108 points).
Also returning are fullbacks Garett Gould (6-2, 238, Jr.) and Travis Reece (6-3, 245, Sr.). Depth at tailback is provided by sophomore Leroy McFadden (6-3, 235) and senior Antwain Patrick (5-11, 195).
"Obviously, Sedrick Irvin is the guy you build the running game around," Saban says. "We have a couple of capable fullbacks in Garett Gould and Travis Reece. There's depth at tailback but somebody needs to step forward and prove his dependability."
Michigan State's offensive strength in '97 is along the line, thanks to the presence of All-America and Outland Trophy candidate Flozell Adams (6-7, 330, Sr.) at left tackle, Scott Shaw (6-4, 297, Sr.) at left guard and Dave Mudge (6-7, 295, Sr.) at right tackle.
"We have our three best offensive linemen back, in Flozell Adams, Scott Shaw and Dave Mudge," Saban says. "That's the best returning group of offensive linemen we've had to work with in my three years. We also have a good number of young prospects available to fill the other holes. We're still very thin in terms of depth but our returning guys are reason enough for optimism.
"The combination of size, power and athletic ability makes Flozell Adams everything you look for in a road-grader lineman. Flozell has good enough feet and range to play left tackle which says something about his athletic ability. He is the prototype right tackle because of his ability to move people off the line of scrimmage. The sky is truly the limit for Flozell. His best football days are ahead of him. He has come a long, long way over the last three years. If Flozell can get his level of performance up to the high end for a greater number of plays, he can become a dominant player in both the Big Ten and the nation."
Jason Strayhorn (6-2, 288, Jr.), who played 48 minutes as a backup last season, takes over for two-year starter Matt Beard at center. Look for Casey Jensen (6-7, 285, So., 63 minutes played in '96) to fill the vacancy at right guard following the loss of two-year starter Brian Mosallam.
Josh Keur (6-5, 270, Sr.) returns as the incumbent at tight end with 26 career starting assignments under his belt. Keur ranked sixth on the team in receptions with 15 for 132 yards (8.8 avg.) and one TD.
Sophomores Kyle Rance (6-6, 240) and Brad Rainko (6-3, 226) should push for playing time at the tight end position.
"Josh Keur is a solid tight end but depth there remains a problem," Saban says.
Octavis Long (5-10, 178, Sr.) heads into the '97 season atop the list of candidates to replace Carter at flanker. Long ranked fourth on the Spartans in receptions last year with 21 for 491 yards, averaging a team-best 23.4 yards per catch. He finished second on the team with three TD catches and produced 40-plus yards on five receptions.
Gari Scott (6-1, 185, So.) is the heir apparent to the starting job at wide receiver vacated by Mason. Scott, who started twice in '96, had five catches for 89 yards (17.8 avg.) and a touchdown.
Others who should figure in the playing rotation at wide receiver include Lavaile Richardson (6-2, 180, So.), Dwayne Payne (6-4, 203, So.), Damien Hiram (6-5, 210, Sr.) and Jason Klein (6-4, 195, R-Fr.).
"My biggest concern on offense is the loss of big-play receivers Derrick Mason and Nigea Carter," Saban says. "Octavis Long showed some promise last year. Octavis improved a great deal from his sophomore to his junior year. If he continues to develop, he could become an outstanding player.
"We must find another player who can make things happen when the ball is in his hands. We need one of the young guys to step to the forefront -- like Gari Scott, Lavaile Richardson or Dwayne Payne."
If the Spartans are to become a factor in the Big Ten race, the defense could prove to be the difference-maker. Eight starters return from a defensive unit which ranked among the NCAA leaders in both rushing (No. 22) and total defense (No. 19).
"With nine starters back, we hope to continue to improve on the defensive side of the football," Saban says. "After ranking 10th in the Big Ten in total defense in 1995, we improved to fourth in the league last year. We still gave up far too many points to be a championship-caliber defense. We need to play better in the red area and create more turnovers."
Michigan State's defensive strength is the front seven, thanks to the presence of four returning starters.
Dimitrius Underwood (6-7, 252, Jr.) heads into his second season as a starter at left defensive end. Underwood (37 tackles) tied for second on the team in tackles for losses (7.5 for 50 yards) and finished second in sacks (5 for 40) last year. Sophomore Robaire Smith (6-5, 250) holds down the starting job at right defensive end. Projected starters at defensive tackle include Desmond Thomas (6-2, 285, Jr.) and Pete Govens (6-4, 285, So.)
The marquee name on defense is four-year starter Ike Reese (6-3, 222) at outside (WILL) linebacker. A second-team All-Big Ten selection by the media in '96, Reese led the Spartans in tackles with 115 (75 solos, 40 assists). He reached double figures in tackles six times, including a career-high 17 stops vs. Nebraska.
Courtney Ledyard (6-3, 245, Jr.) returns to his natural position of outside linebacker after starting 12 games at right defensive end last season. Ledyard, who led the Spartans in tackles for losses (13 for 78 yards) and sacks (9 for 63) in '96, will battle Mike Austin (6-3, 234, So.) for the starting nod at SAM linebacker. Austin started nine games at that position a year ago and tied for third on the team in tackles with 63.
Top candidates to replace Garnett at middle (MIKE) linebacker include Tyrone Garland (5-11, 225, Sr.) and Dwayne Hawkins (6-3, 230, Jr.). Garland started five games at middle linebacker in '96 and recorded 51 tackles. Hawkins, who started twice at outside linebacker last season and made 24 tackles, makes the move to MIKE linebacker.
"I feel pretty good about our front seven but we're still very thin along the defensive line," Saban says. "Courtney Ledyard has moved back to his natural position at outside linebacker. Ike Reese and Mike Austin have started a significant number of games at outside linebacker and both have been productive. It certainly will be difficult to replace Reggie Garnett in the middle but we're going to give Tyrone Garland a look and move Dwayne Hawkins in there as well."
Four starters return in the secondary including veteran cornerbacks Amp Campbell (6-0, 185, Jr.) and Ray Hill (6-0, 185, Sr.). Junior free safety Sorie Kanu (5-11, 195) led the Spartans with three interceptions last year and ranked second on the team in tackles with 91. Dan Hackenbracht (6-2, 190, Sr.) and Aric Morris (5-11, 205, So.) are expected to battle for the starting job at strong safety.
Lemar Marshall (6-2, 205, Jr.), who started six times at strong safety in '96, is capable of playing all four positions in the defensive backfield.
"The secondary simply has to play more consistently," Saban says. "We have everybody back in the secondary but the guys have to make more plays. We need more than eight interceptions."
Michigan State's kicking game was the source of numerous headaches for Coach Saban last year.
"I was really disappointed in the development of our special teams last year," Saban says. "We had four punts blocked. We were working with a true freshman snapper and a true freshman punter. The whole play had to be done perfectly or the punt got blocked because the operation was too slow. We also fumbled six kickoffs."
"Our placekicker and our punter are both back and that is a plus. It will be difficult to replace a talented kick returner like Mason but overall, I do expect our special teams to improve."
MSU boasts one of the Big Ten's top kicking tandems in Chris Gardner (5-9, 195, Sr.) and Paul Edinger (5-10, 183, So.).
Gardner (17 of 22 field-goal attempts, 86 points) ranked among the NCAA leaders in field goals at 1.55 made per game. His 17 field goals equaled the second-best single-season total in MSU history and fell just one shy of the school record. Gardner has 43 career field goals and needs to make only 15 more in '97 to break John Langeloh's MSU record of 57.
Edinger ranked fifth in the Big Ten in punting with his 41.8-yard average (55 punts). He hit nine punts 50 or more yards and had 14 downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.