2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Season Preview
November 17, 2012; East Lansing, MI, USA; Michigan State Spartans quarterback Andrew Maxwell (10) prepares to take the snap from offensive linesman Jack Allen (66) against the Northwestern Wildcats during the 1st half at Spartan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports
Fall camp is in full swing for the Michigan State Spartans looking for a rebound season after a disappointing 7-6 2012 season. The Spartans return a lot of talent and experience led by star linebacker Max Bullough and star cornerback Darqueze Dennard. On the offense side of the ball there are still plenty of question marks starting with the quarterback position. Andrew Maxwell returns for his senior season looking to build upon a shaky 2012 season, but back-up QBs Connor Cook and Tyler O’Connor and even true freshman Damion Terry are throwing their names into the hat to be the opening day starter.
The Spartans must replace former running back Le’Veon Bell with an unproven, young back. Jeremy Langford has been standing out in camp and had a strong performance in the 2nd team scrimmage. Riley Bullough, Nick Hill, and true freshman Gerald Holmes are also in the mix. If the season started today, I would expect Dantonio to give the starting nod to Langford and rotate Bullough and Hill.
The strength of the offense will be the offensive line which is led by senior Fou Fonoti and junior center Travis Jackson. Redshirt Freshman Jack Conklin has pretty much solidified a starting spot on the offensive line, most likely at left tackle.
The defense should be a top 10 defense in the country once again under defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi. The Spartans return star players at each phase of the defense. Marcus Rush and Shilique Calhoun will anchor the young but very talented defensive line. The group of linebackers Michigan State possess is one of the best in the entire country led by seniors Max Bullough and Denicos Allen. The secondary is very deep at each position led by senior strong safety Isaiah Lewis and senior cornerback Darqueze Dennard.
The Schedule
The Spartans open the season with three straight home games against the Broncos of Western Michigan, the Bulls of South Florida, and the Penguins of Youngstown State. After a nice home stand, the Spartans take the show on the road with trips to South Bend and Iowa city with a bye week in between. The Spartans then return home to take on the Hoosiers of Indiana and the Boilermakers of Purdue then make a quick trip down to take on Illinois. Rivalry week follows and the Spartans will entertain the Wolverines. After a second bye week, the Spartans have back to back road games against Nebraska and Northwestern and then finish the season at home against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota.
The Spartans schedule lines up pretty favorably in 2013. Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin are all off the schedule and the Spartans also have two bye weeks that will allow time to heal and rest up.
Worst Case Scenario– The Spartans start the season off strong at 3-0, but lose back to back games on the road against Notre Dame and Iowa. After a 2 game losing streak the Spartans get back on their feet with wins against Indiana, Purdue and Illinois to push their record to 6-2 making the Spartans bowl eligible once again. The Spartans will then find themselves in the midst of a 3 game losing streak with losses against Michigan, Nebraska, and Northwestern. Heading into the last game of the season at 6-5, Dantonio finds himself on the hot seat and is in a must win situation against Minnesota. The Spartans go on to beat Minnesota and finish the regular season at 7-5. The Bowl game follows and the Spartans get beat by a team from the Big 12 finishing the season at 7-6.
Best Case Scenario– The Spartans start the season off strong with 3 easy victories at home and head to South Bend at 3-0 and ranked inside the top 20. The Spartans find themselves down early to the Irish but a second half rally led by Andrew Maxwell lifts the Spartans to a big win against the Fighting Irish. After a bye week, the Spartans go into Iowa and take care of business to push their record to 5-0 with a top 15 ranking. After 3 straight victories at home and a record of 8-0 and a top 12 ranking, the Spartans control Devin Gardner and the Wolverines and win easily led by the defense to push the record to 9-0 and a top 10 ranking. After another bye week, the Spartans go to Nebraska and lose a close game to the Cornhuskers and the undefeated season is no more. The Spartans then go into Evanston and dominate Northwestern to push their record to 10-1 and a top 10 ranking. The Spartans finish the season with an easy victory at home against Minnesota to push their record to 11-1 and a top 5 ranking. The Spartans win the legends division and make the schools second trip to the Big Ten Championship game against Ohio State. A defensive battle ensues but the Spartans ultimately pull the game out on a last second field goal by true freshman Michael Geiger. The Spartans become Big Ten Champions and find themselves in Pasadena for the rose bowl against Oregon. The Spartans can’t keep up with the speed of Oregon and lose to finish the season at 12-2.
2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Preview: position By position preview
2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Preview: Quarterbacks
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2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Preview: Running Backs
2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Preview: Receivers
2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Preview: Offensive Line
2013 Michigan State Spartans Football Preview: Defensive Line