Michigan State University Athletics
Michigan State Football :: Official Athletic Site
Mar. 21, 1997
Spartan Spring Football Starts Saturday
Spring football practice begins Saturday, March 22. The spring game is scheduled for Saturday, April 19 at 1:30 p.m. EST in Spartan Stadium.
The 1997 Outlook
Basic Offense: Pro Set
Basic Defense: 4-3
1996 Record: 6-6, 5-3 Big Ten (t-5th)
1996 Postseason: Lost to Stanford (38-0) in '96 Sun Bowl
Lettermen Lost: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense)
Lettermen Returning: 35 (16 offense, 17 defense, 2 specialists)
Starters Lost: 7 (5 offense, 2 defense)
Starters Returning: 16 (6 offense, 8 defense, 2 specialists)
Offensive Starters Lost (5): FL Nigea Carter, C Matt Beard, OG Brian Mosallam, TB Duane Goulbourne, WR Derrick Mason.
Offensive Starters Returning (6): OT Dave Mudge, OG Scott Shaw, OT Flozell Adams, TE Josh Keur, QB Todd Schultz, FB Garett Gould.
Defensive Starters Lost (2): DT Chris Smith, MLB Reggie Garnett.
Defensive Starters Returning (8): DE Dimitrius Underwood, DE Courtney Ledyard, OLB Ike Reese, OLB Mike Austin, CB Amp Campbell, SS Lemar Marshall, FS Sorie Kanu, CB Ray Hill.
Starting Specialists Returning (2): PK Chris Gardner, P Paul Edinger.
Top Losses: WR Derrick Mason (second-team Coaches All-Big Ten in 1996, 120 career receptions for 1,914 yards and 8 TDs, 5,114 career all-purpose yards); FL Nigea Carter (81 career catches for 1,413 yards and 10 TDs); TB Duane Goulbourne (MSU's fourth all-time leading rusher with 2,848 career yards); MLB Reggie Garnett (four-year starter, 327 career tackles); DT Chris Smith (two-year starter, 139 career tackles).
Top Returnees: OT Flozell Adams (second-team Coaches and Media All-Big Ten in 1996, 23 career starts); TB Sedrick Irvin (237 carries for MSU freshman record 1,067 yards and 16 TDs in '96); QB Todd Schultz (second-team Media All-Big Ten, 130 of 209 for 1,693 yards and 7 TDs in '96, 12 career starts); OLB Ike Reese (second-team Media All-Big Ten, led team in tackles with 115 in '96); DE Courtney Ledyard (led team with 13 tackles for losses and 9 sacks in '96); FS Sorie Kanu (led team with 3 interceptions and ranked second in tackles with 91 in '96); CB Amp Campbell (54 tackles and a team-high 14 PBUs in '96); CB Ray Hill (team's third-leading tackler in '96 with 63 stops, 23 career starts); PK Chris Gardner (43 career field goals).
Top Newcomers: DE Robaire Smith (So./1995 Parade All-American); RB Leroy McFadden (So./'94 Minnesota prep player of the year); OG Shaun Mason (R-Fr./first-team all-state in 1995).
The Strengths:
- Defensive Front Seven (Four starters return including OLB Ike Reese, the team's top tackler in 1996 with 115 stops.)
- Offensive Line (Three starters return including All-America and Outland Trophy candidate Flozell Adams.)
- Quarterback (Todd Schultz started nine games in '96 and completed 62 percent of his passes for 1,693 yards and 7 TDs. Backup Bill Burke started twice last season.)
- Running Back (Sedrick Irvin rushed for MSU freshman record 1,067 yards and scored 18 TDs in '96. Fullbacks Garett Gould and Travis Reece return.)
- Kickers (Chris Gardner and Paul Edinger ranked among the '96 Big Ten leaders in field goals and punting, respectively.)
- Depth (Thin on both the defensive and offensive lines. For the third-straight year, Spartans will head into the '97 season with less than 75 scholarship players on the roster.)
- Secondary (All four starters return but Spartans had only 8 interceptions in 1996.)
- Wide Receiver (Gone are big-play makers Derrick Mason and Nigea Carter, who combined for 201 career receptions for 3,327 yards and 18 TDs.)
- Special Teams (MSU had four punts blocked in '96 and fumbled six kickoffs.)
Position Changes:
- Pete Govens (from DE to DT)
- Dwayne Hawkins (from OLB to MLB)
- Courtney Ledyard (from DE to OLB)
- Lemar Marshall (from SS to CB)
- Aric Morris (from CB to SS)
All-America/Outland Trophy Candidate:
- OT Flozell Adams
All-Big Ten Candidates:
- TB Sedrick Irvin
- OG Scott Shaw
- QB Todd Schultz
- OLB Ike Reese
- FS Sorie Kanu
- CB Amp Campbell
- OLB Courtney Ledyard
Quotes from Michigan State head football coach Nick Saban:
Defensive Scouting Report:
"With nine starters back, we hope to continue to improve on the defensive side of the football. 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.
"I feel pretty good about our front seven but we're still very thin along the defensive line. 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.
"The secondary simply has to play more consistently. We have everybody back in the secondary but the guys have to make more plays. We need more than eight interceptions."
Offensive Scouting Report:
"Offensively, we have our three best offensive linemen back, in Flozell Adams, Scott Shaw and Dave Mudge. 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.
"Josh Keur is a solid tight end but depth there remains a problem.
"Todd Schultz adds stability at quarterback. His off-season knee surgery 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.
"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.
"This spring will be very important for (back-up QB) Bill Burke. 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.
"Obviously, Sedrick Irvin is the guy you build the running game around. 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.
"My biggest concern on offense is the loss of big-play receivers Derrick Mason and Nigea Carter. 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."
The Kicking Game:
"I was really disappointed in the development of our special teams last year. 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 away six kickoffs.
"Our placekicker (Chris Gardner) and our punter (Paul Edinger) 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."
Spring Overview:
"There are definitely less question marks heading into this spring, but we still have serious depth problems. For the third year in a row, we'll head into the fall with less than 75 scholarship guys on the roster. We haven't been able to make up the difference in numbers.
"We have some definite goals and objectives that we're working towards -- like winning Big Ten championships and developing a consistent Top 25 football program. We haven't reached those goals yet, but I haven't put a time-certain on reaching those goals."