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Michigan State Cruises Past Northern Colorado, 45-7
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Michigan State Cruises Past Northern Colorado, 45-7
Trap game? Not so much.
Between last week’s thrilling overtime win over Notre Dame and next week’s Big Ten opener versus Wisconsin, Michigan State could’ve been caught looking ahead and without focus against Northern Colorado.
(The health of head coach Mark Dantonio, who suffered a heart attack in the hours following the Notre Dame game was also a considerable concern. Spartan players wore a “D” on their helmets to honor their coach.)
Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell, filling in for Dantonio, maintained that a coaching staff with seven years together would provide stability and continuity, and the Spartans backed that up on the field with a dominating performance.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins completed 16-of-20 passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns. Tailback Le’Veon Bell added 93 yards on 11 carries, finding the end zone three times. Edwin Baker also scored a touchdown to go with his 59 yards on the ground.
Senior linebacker Greg Jones intercepted two passes (the first of his career), among four turnovers forced by the Spartans defense. Michigan State held Northern Colorado to 266 yards of total offense. The Bears finally broke through for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.
As mentioned, the Spartans host Wisconsin to open the Big Ten season next week. After that, it’s the annual showdown with Michigan.
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Michigan State Leads Northern Colorado, 35-0, At Halftime
Any worries that Michigan State might suffer some sort of letdown after last week’s big win over Notre Dame, and subsequent heart attack by head coach Mark Dantonio, have been quickly settled by the Spartans Saturday afternoon.
At halftime, Michigan State has a 35-0 lead over Northern Colorado. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has completed 12-of-15 passes for 234 yard and two touchdowns. Running backs Le’Veon Bell and Edwin Baker have combined for 98 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries.
Altogether, the Spartans have compiled 383 yards of total offense in the first half, while holding Northern Colorado to 141 yards.
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Mark Dantonio Met With Team On Friday
Although Mark Dantonio is taking at least this week off from coaching while he recovers from his heart attack, he did meet with his team on Friday.
Coach #Dantonio met with the team this afternoon in a surprise visit. He is at walk thru talking to student-athletes.
I'm sure the team appreciated the visit considering Dantonio just got out of the hospital a couple days ago. At the same time, I'm sure Dantonio enjoyed getting to be with his team.
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MSU RBs Coach Brad Salem To Coach From Press Box
With Mark Dantonio still recovering from his heart attack and Don Treadwell taking over the head coach duties this week, Michigan State had to make a couple changes with regards to which coaches are on the field and which ones are in the press box.
Running backs coach Brad Salem will move from the field to the press box Saturday, quarterbacks coach Dave Warner said. Offensive coordinator Don Treadwell will move down to the field as he handles Dantonio's duties and play-calling.
Michigan State's assistant coaches visited Dantonio on Wednesday, and from the sounds of how the visit went, I'd bet Dantonio is back to coaching sooner rather than later.
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Eric Gordon, Mark Dell Expected To Play On Saturday
From Greg Johnson of The Grand Rapids Press:
Senior linebacker Eric Gordon and senior wide receiver Mark Dell, both injured in last week's game, are expected to play Saturday. Gordon suffered a cut on his chin while Dell had a deep thigh bruise, sports information director John Lewandowski said.
Michigan State obviously doesn't need either of them to beat Northern Colorado on Saturday, but one last tune-up before Big Ten play can't hurt.
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Michigan State Vs. Northern Colorado: Preview
(Preview from The Sports Network)
GAME NOTES: The Michigan State Spartans have joined the top 25 for the first time this season and will put their new ranking on the line this weekend, when they welcome FCS foe Northern Colorado to East Lansing.
The 25th-ranked Spartans are a perfect 3-0 on the young season and enter this contest following a thrilling 34-31 overtime win against Notre Dame last week, thanks to a fake-field goal in the extra session. It was a gutsy call by head coach Mark Dantonio, who suffered a heart attack later that day that required a cardiac catheterization procedure. Dantonio was released from the hospital on Tuesday and will continue to rest at home. He will have no part in this week's game, as offensive coordinator Don Treadwell will lead the team against the Bears.
The outpouring of support has been simply overwhelming and comforting," said Dantonio. "My family and I have received countless cards, e-mails and text messages. It's impossible for me to express just how much the support and encouragement means to me and my family."
Scott Downing's Bears are 2-1 on the season. The team opened the 2010 campaign with a 54-0 shutout of Adams State. Their first road contest resulted in a 50-47 shootout loss at Weber State, but the team bounced back last weekend with a 35-21 victory over Idaho State.
This marks the first meeting between these two teams on the gridiron.
The Bears have put up some big offensive numbers this season, but a lot of that has to do with the lack of competition. The team has enjoyed a balanced attack though, with UNC averaging just over 200 yards rushing (201.7 ypg) and passing (203.3 ypg).
Tailback Andre Harris has been the driving force on the ground, averaging 5.4 yards per carry thus far and 91.7 yards per game. Harris is responsible for six of the team's 10 rushing scores to date.
Quarterback Dylan Orms has completed 56.3 percent of his passes and has a solid TD-to-INT ratio with six touchdowns and just one pick. Jace Davis has been the go-to-guy down the field, hauling in 14 receptions, for 281 yards and four TDs in the first three games.
The Bears defense will certainly be facing its toughest challenge to date and with the team yielding 23.7 ppg, it will really need to play above its heads to keep this one competitive. John Eddy and Matt King have led the way on this side of the football. Both players have recorded 26 stops. Eddy has three TFLs and two sacks to his credit, while King has one INT and one fumble recovery. Korey Askew (17 tackles) has made some big plays as well, leading the squad in both INTs (two) and fumble recoveries (two).
The Spartans have rushed for over 200 yards in each of the first three games (241.7 ypg), so it is no secret as to how MSU will move the football this weekend. The team boasts of a pair of standout rushers in Edwin Baker and Le'Veon Bell. Baker has gotten the three starts thus far and is averaging a hardy 130.0 yards per game. Despite not starting a single game this season, Bell is also over the century mark, adding 101.3 yards per game. Both players have scored four times.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins hasn't had to do a lot thus far. Still, he has completed an efficient 63.4 percent of his passes, for 573 yards, with four TDs. When the team does go vertical, WRs Keshawn Martin (10 catches, for 149 yards, one TD) and B.J. Cunningham (10 catches, for 147 yards, two TDs) are the primary targets.
The Spartan defense has done a nice job this season against the run (74.0 ypg), but has had some issues in terms of pass defense (287.7 ypg). The result is a scoring defense of 20.7 ppg. While the team will have a chance to improve on those numbers this week, the Big Ten slate will not provide many opportunities to survive with such generous numbers.
All-American Greg Jones is the centerpiece to the Spartan defense. The 6-1, 240-pound senior already has 29 tackles on the year, with one sack. He is followed closely in terms of tackles by sophomore LB Chris Norman, who has 26 stops.
The Spartans will be without their head coach for this one, but that shouldn't matter as they are better than the Bears in every facet of the game. There is no estimateon Dantonio's return.
"I haven't established a timeline for my return, but I have the utmost confidence in Coach Treadwell and the rest of the coaching staff to carry on with business as usual in my absence," Dantonio said. "I know that I must gradually work my way back onto the sidelines."
Expect MSU to put up some gaudy numbers on the ground, en route to a lopsided victory.
Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Michigan State 44, Northern Colorado 10
