Recruiting Snapshot: Michigan State

Tag: Michigan State


26Dec 2018
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Recruiting Snapshot: Michigan State

Belleville (MI) Belleville OG Devontae Dobbs (image via 247 Sports)

2019 Ranking: #28 nationally. #7 in Big Ten. They have one 5-star, one 4-star, and sixteen 3-stars signed, along with one 3-star who’s a verbal commit.

Cream of the 2019 Crop: Belleville (MI) Bellville offensive tackle Devontae Dobbs (5-star, #1 OG, #26 overall) committed to the Spartans in June of 2018. He picked MSU over offers from Alabama, Clemson, Georgia, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin, among others. He was a participant in Nike’s The Opening last summer, and he will be playing in the Under Armour All-American Game in a week and a half.

2020 Ranking: N/A. Michigan State has zero commits in the 2020 class.

Cream of the 2020 Crop: N/A.

22Oct 2018
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Michigan vs. Michigan State Awards

Donovan Peoples-Jones (image via Twitter)

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Dylan McCaffrey. We have seen Penn State use two quarterbacks on the field at the same time with some effectiveness in recent years, and they also let running backs take direct snaps on occasion. I would like to see the Wolverines give McCaffrey a couple plays on the field with Shea Patterson, like they did briefly against Wisconsin. McCaffrey is a good enough athlete to do a few different things (run, catch, and throw).

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21Oct 2018
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Michigan 21, Michigan State 7

Donovan Peoples-Jones (image via The Michigan Daily)

Thoughts on the pre-game scuffle. A brief recap of the events that took place prior to the game: Supposedly, Michigan State was 10 minutes late for their warmup, which they begin with an arm-in-arm walk down the field; their lateness meant that some Michigan players were already stretching on the field, so they walked right through the Michigan players (Lawrence Marshall, Lavert Hill, and others), resulting in a physical altercation. Without that context, it looked pretty unsportsmanlike for Devin Bush, Jr. to tear up the Spartan in the middle of the field with his cleats, digging an “L” into the grass. Provided that context . . . I shrug my shoulders. Tradition or not, MSU’s team doesn’t need to walk arm-in-arm the entire length of the field and make physical contact with the opposing team’s players. The rule in football is that each team stays on its own side of the 50-yard line in pre-game warmups. If you need to get to the other end of the field, you use the sidelines.

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19Oct 2018
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Preview: Michigan at Michigan State

RUSH OFFENSE vs. MICHIGAN STATE RUSH DEFENSE

Michigan is #28 in rushing offense (217 yards/game) and #20 in yards per carry (5.35). Leading rusher Karan Higdon (687 yards, 5.73 yards/carry, 6 TD) has missed some time due to injury, but he has carried the ball almost 25 times a game over the last three contests. Backup Chris Evans returned last week but only ran the ball 5 times (for 18 yards), perhaps because the coaching staff didn’t want to run him too much in the return from his hamstring injury. He and Tru Wilson (6 carries, 26 yards last week) both have 35 attempts on the year. Quarterback Shea Patterson busted out a couple runs on zone reads last week, one for an 81-yarder and another for a 7-yard touchdown. The offensive line had its best game last week against Wisconsin, and left tackle Jon Runyan, Jr. was named the team’s top lineman. The offensive line as a whole is #52 in Line Yards, but they have improved throughout the season and should continue to ascend. Michigan State is #1 in rush defense (62 yards allowed/game) and #1 in yards allowed per carry (2.34). Junior linebacker Joe Bachie (6’2″, 238 lbs.) leads the team with 43 tackles, followed by junior safety Justin Layne (6’2″, 185) with 42, and senior Star linebacker Andrew Dowell (6’1″, 220) with 41. Junior defensive end Kenny Willekes (6’4″, 260) leads the team with 9 tackles for loss, while junior defensive tackle Raequan Williams (6’4″, 300) has 6. The Spartans run a 4-3 defense with Dowell serving as a hybrid player. Even though Michigan has been improving, the #1 rush defense is probably going to present some problems for the Wolverines.
Advantage: Michigan State

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10Oct 2017
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Michigan vs. Michigan State Awards

Let’s see more of this guy on offense . . . Maurice Ways. Michigan tried a couple fade routes on Saturday, though they were ill fated. One was to Sean McKeon – which isn’t a terrible idea – and another was to Eddie McDoom, which is a little more suspect. Ways was a high school basketball player who didn’t concentrate on football until he realized that it’s pretty tough to succeed in basketball if you’re “only” a 6’3″ wing. He might be a better fade option than McDoom or McKeon, who have not shown an ability yet to go up and get the ball.

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