Can Spartans handle the pressure? Can MSU fans?
MSU has gone from being unranked and predicted to finish in the bottom half of the Big Ten to being ranked #11 and a national media darling in just over a month’s time. Is John L. Smith’s program ready to handle the pressure? MSU center and senior captain Chris Morris thinks so according to this story from the Detroit News.
“Yeah, we’re ready,” Morris said. “We’re doing some good things. We deserve it (the attention) right now. We’re ready to keep moving with it.
“Maybe that’s a good thing that we’ve never been in it. We don’t know about the pressure. We’ve never had to deal with it. So now all we’ve got to do is play football.”
Meanwhile Todd Schulz of the Lansing State Journal warns MSU fans not to get too cocky simply because MSU is favored to win the game. The Spartans still have to actually win the game on the field afterall.
Time to get a grip, folks.
MSU’s spotless 4-0 start has been fantastic and its offensive fireworks are awe-inspiring. But before we cut out the middle man (that’s spelled with a block ‘M’) and head straight to Columbus for the Big Ten title game, a pause for perspective would be prudent.
Michigan’s 2-2 tumble from the Top 25 has been frustrating and, from the view of those in the green-and-white gallery, deliciously fun. But before burying Lloyd Carr’s crew, perhaps it would be wise to remember the Wolverines have resurrected themselves from early season tombs before.
So who are the true underdogs this weekend according to Joe Rexrode of the Lansing State Journal? Both defenses.
Last season, the Spartans and Wolverines joined forces for 82 points in U-M’s triple-overtime, 45-37 victory. The extra sessions aside, it was a game dominated by offense like none in recent memory. The only game in this series with more scoring came in 1902, when Fielding Yost’s “point-a-minute” Wolverines beat up on the Michigan Agricultural College Aggies, 119-0.
MSU is more potent this season, boasting the nation’s No. 3 offense (594.2 yards a game) and its most efficient passer in quarterback Drew Stanton. The Spartans are doing whatever they want - throwing deep, running inside and outside - without having to use much of Stanton’s running prowess. He had 80 yards in the first half against U-M last season before leaving late in the second quarter with a separated shoulder.