Sep 21 | Michigan State

[clashmore_mike]

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<br><strong>Michigan State Spartans at Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Notre Dame Stadium
Saturday, September 21, 2013
3:30 PM ET

<img src="http://www.irishenvy.com/forums/images/gameday/nbc.gif"></strong>

 

[Bogtrotter07]

Come home to ND stadium Sparty. There is nothing left for you with ND. The days of taking it to the Irish on the road are over. I think team spead, and recognition are going to be all for ND in this one. Sparty has too many o-holes, and their d, though stout, is going to have a hard time keeping up with the death star offense Darth Golson unveils this fall!

 

[Whiskeyjack]

OFD just released its Summer Opponent Preview for MSU:

Final Thoughts

Quite simply, Michigan State needs to get their act together on offense before they return to elite status in the Big Ten. Scoring went down by an average of 11 points from 2011 to 2012 and yards per play went down nearly a full yard as well. That is a major step back and needs to be rectified.

It all starts up front with the Spartan offensive line. They've been banged up and completely ineffective for the better part of 2 seasons. The running game has been stagnant (81st nationally in YPC in 2012) and they gave up way too much pressure to the quarterback. If the line doesn't improve it could be another long season for Michigan State as they break in relatively new running backs and Maxwell has proven he's not capable of excelling when pressured.

That said, the Spartans should still be very good defensively---probably still among the best in the country. Their top 6 tacklers are all back and the unit as a whole looks like it could be better than ever. State actually dropped their average points given up last year by nearly 2 and that's pretty impressive given how bad the offense was. If they can get just a little more out of Maxwell & Co. they have the opportunity to quickly turn things around and get back to double digit wins.

Predicted Game Day Spread- Michigan State (+3.5)

 

[Buster Bluth]

MSU's hire of Jim Boleman won't help their offensive output.

 

[koonja]

Only 3.5 points for ND after reading about their terrible offense? That's not giving much respect to ND. We're at home, which gives you ~ 3 points. They're essentially saying we're a toss up vs. MSU on a neutral field. Not good.

 

[Whiskeyjack]

Only 3.5 points for ND after reading about their terrible offense? That's not giving much respect to ND. We're at home, which gives you ~ 3 points. They're essentially saying we're a toss up vs. MSU on a neutral field. Not good.

If that spread is assuming Tommy Rees at QB, I'd call it generous. MSU's defense will be as nasty as ever.

 

[irishfan]

MSU's hire of Jim Boleman won't help their offensive output.

LOL. He's going to make their old offenses look wide-open and exciting. Not saying they wont do well, but guy is BORING with the play calls.

 

[chicago51]

ND 13 Michigan State 6

 

[no.1IrishFan]

The ND club of Phoenix and MSU club of Phoenix share the same sports bar. We are usually outnumbered about 10-1. I can't tell you how awesome it was last year to walk around the bar among a hundred or so MSU fans who just sat there nearly crying!

We need more ND fans to turn out for the watch parties this year(looking at you IrishMoore1, Bubba and WhiskeyJack).

 

[Kaneyoufeelit]

opened ND -6 at Golden Nugget

 

[UmphreakDomer]

Won the Lottery!

Won the Lottery!

well--i won a ticket lottery for the MSU game! got three! We Are!!

 

[GoIrish41]

Congrats. Enjoy the game.

 

[Rocket's Rocket Fan]

Looking for 2 tickets to this game if anyone out there on IE has any. PM me with details.

 

[STLDomer]

Michigan State WR A.J. Troup out for season | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

Walk On Wide Reciever who was making a lot of noise this spring

 

[Irish Insanity]

Maxwell held the No. 1 spot throughout spring and fall drills, but true freshman Damion Terry emerged in Saturday's scrimmage with a 10-for-14, 240-yard, three-TD passing performance that included 40 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Dantonio has said throughout fall drills he's looking for a quarterback who can make plays and make good decisions, but he also values the experience Maxwell gained as the starter last season.

This is pulled from MLive, there wasn't much more info in the article. Is there any chance Maxwell is benched for the true Freshman? I've heard from a few dedicated fans that its very possible.

 

[Riddickulous]

Andrew Maxwell has been named the starter.

He was absolutely terrible last year, completing only 52.5% of his throws with 13 TDs and 9 INTs. From what I've read Sparty fans aren't that optimistic about his prospects this season.

 

[WakeUpEchoes]

Has crazy happy feet. Not really worried about him. But we will get an early look Friday night when they play Western Michigan.

 

[phork]

Blame the receivers for a crap ton of drops last year as well. Maxwell isn't a Heisman candidate but its easy to look at the QB and not the amount of drops that led to the 52% completion.

 

[dublinirish]

The MSU alumni/fans in my family are super pissed about Maxwell being the starter lol

 

[tko]

Tuitt and Shembo can't wait to pounce on him again!

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Offense is still terrible.

 

[pkt77242]

We had better take them to the woodshed.

 

[GoldenIsThyFame]

Offense is still terrible.

See: @mgoblog: WMU is averaging 3.3 yards per pass attempt. This is more than MSU is averaging.

 

[FearTheBeard]

Western Michigan had to gift wrap this game for them

 

[NDWorld247]

We had better take them to the woodshed.

If we are to be truly "elite" and "back" amongst the best teams in CFB, there are a number of teams we need to take to the woodshed this year. Namely, Temple, Purdue, Michigan State, BYU, Pitt, Air Force and Navy. Basically, 2/3 of our schedule this year.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I still think they'll be a force.

 

[dshans]

I still think they'll be a force.

A weak force?

 

[Buster Bluth]

A weak force?

I think their defense is fantastic, especially the back seven.

If Notre Dame were an offensive juggernaut, I wouldn't be worried. But I respect Michigan State's ability to keep the game close, and at that point anything can happen.

If they could ever figure out how to pass the ball, they'd challenge for the Big Ten. Fortunately for Notre Dame Bollman is their OC.

 

[ulukinatme]

Yeah, I think our offense could struggle against MSU, but I see no reason why our defense won't be lights out against the Spartans. Shut down the run again, force them to try and pass.

 

[BGIF]

I think their defense is fantastic, especially the back seven.

If Notre Dame were an offensive juggernaut, I wouldn't be worried. But I respect Michigan State's ability to keep the game close, and at that point anything can happen.

If they could ever figure out how to pass the ball, they'd challenge for the Big Ten. Fortunately for Notre Dame Bollman is their OC.

WMU's one dimensional, 28 pt underdog offense, OUTSCORED MSU 13-9.

MSU punted 11times, the same as WMU.