On the Rise KIRK COUSINS (QB-MICHIGAN STATE): The Spartans all-time leading passer was solid in his limited snaps on Saturday, completing five of 11 throws for 115 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Cousins showcased his impressive arm strength on a DeVier Posey crossing route by hitting the former Buckeye receiver in stride on his first series at the end of the second...

The new OSU head coach is apparently already ruffling the feathers of his colleagues in the Big Ten, but Meyer took little time to offer a fiery retort, firing back at those who criticized his recruiting habits.

Based on the recruiting-analyst rankings, Michigan State's 2012 class doesn't have much "wow" factor. Especially not in terms of trying to turn the Spartans into a consistent top program nationally. As of early Monday afternoon, coach Mark Dantonio had received 17 verbal commitments from high-school prospects who can begin signing official letters of intent on...

When Mark Dantonio made his return to East Lansing, he brought along a staff that was commited to creating a consistent environment. The football program had been through years of inconsistency, seasons with big wins over talented opponents and head scratching loses to in-conference bottom feeders. The university had been written off as a basketball school, with a middle of the pack...

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio is known for his gutsy trick plays but he might want to...[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

Nick Hill exhibited a little bit of school pride yesterday when he got a rather large tattoo of a spartan warrior along his right oblique. Hill, a redshirt freshman, contributed mostly on special teams leading the team with 38 kick returns for 999 yards. He saw limited work in the backfield, carrying the ball 29 times for 118 yards. He should see more time on offense after junior...

After a loss in the Big Ten Championship game likely cost the Spartans a BCS bid, MSU quarterback Kirk Cousins sounded off about the BCS system and the Big Ten conference.

Based on the recruiting-analyst rankings, Michigan State's 2012 class doesn't have much "wow" factor. Especially not in terms of trying to turn the Spartans into a consistent top program nationally. As of early Monday afternoon, coach Mark Dantonio had received 17 verbal commitments from high-school prospects who can begin signing official letters of intent on Wednesday. MSU's...

Because of their disasterous finish to 2010, the Spartans flew under the radar a bit coming into 2011. We had them at #15 in our Pre-Season Preview but Phil Steele had them at #28. Coming into the season, the Spartans had the third most offensive production in the Big Ten returning from 2010. That played out on the field as the Spartans finished 4th in the Big Ten in Total Offense...

Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio stressed today about how important recruiting team needs and team fit is over anything.  Michigan State is never a top any major recruiting rankings and rarely has cracked anyone’s top 25 rankings but that doesn’t matter to Dantonio. “We have not signed a big class since we got here, I think we have a lack of attrition, that...

The outstanding Michigan State blog A Beautiful Day For Football has an interesting film study of the Outback Bowl in its latest post. MSU's defense had 16 tackles for loss - 16! The question I have about the game is how Georgia managed to keep the game close while giving up 16 negative plays. Check out the two plays that follow. Are the play calls faulty? The execution?...

It was just over 2 years ago that the Michigan State football program – and head coach Mark Dantonio – found itself at a crossroads. The Spartans had just completed a successful season and, on November 22, 2009, had celebrated it at an awards banquet. What followed – a brawl across the street at Rather Hall – has been well documented, including my exclusive look at the event...

If there's a Michigan-Michigan State feud going on these days, MSU football coach Mark Dantonio is right in the middle of it. Or so it seems. During a speech Friday to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, University of Michigan recruiting coordinator Jeff Hecklinski started going into great length about the Wolverines' recruiting approach. As far as Dantonio...

(Big Tentacles is the SWRT look at the Big Ten and the schools it not-so-secretly covets.) What's mine is mine, what's yours is mine. Stewart Mandel takes a look at how Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer managed to get a top-five recruiting class despite the the shadow of Tresselgate and a one-year ban from postseason play by the NCAA (SI.com) Hands off...

Concerns about whether four-star receiver Monty Madaris was having second thoughts about his verbal commitment to Michigan State can be put to rest. Michigan State announced Thursday morning, a day after National Signing Day, that it had received Madaris' official letter of intent. Madaris is ranked as the No. 159 player overall and No. 26 receiver by Scout.com. "Monty...

Michigan State head coach Mar Dantonio has never had a top recruiting class. He’s never even had a class ranked in the top 25, but he thinks the lack of attrition is a good thing. Dantonio stressed how important the team needs and how a player fits the organization is more important than star ratings. “We have not signed a big class since we got here, I think we have a lack...

The football season is now, finally, officially in the books now that the Super Bowl has been played. Now comes the time when we can all begin looking forward to the 2012 football seasons in the college and professional ranks. But before we do, we're taking a look at the best college football games of 2011 here at Crystal Ball Run. We got started last week and continue with our...

If there's a Michigan-Michigan State feud going on these days, MSU football coach Mark Dantonio is right in the middle of it. Or so it seems. During a speech Friday to the Michigan High School Football Coaches Association, University of Michigan recruiting coordinator Jeff Hecklinski started going into great length about the Wolverines' recruiting approach. As far as Dantonio...

Earlier this week, there were rumblings from Michigan State DC Pat Narduzzi that Urban Meyer was not recruiting wholely on the up-and-up. Narduzzi called out Meyer for breaking a “gentlemen’s agreement” between the new OSU coach and his former assistant, MSU head coach Mark Dantonio. Narduzzi’s comments were short and seemed to lack any emotion. They were...

The culture change in the Michigan State football program over the last five years is not a fluke. Coach Mark Dantonio started working on it from his first day on the job in November, 2006, and that paid off Monday in the program's first bowl victory in a decade. Dantonio inherited a program with a losing mentality. The Spartans always did the wrong thing at the wrong time...

OK, the Super Bowl's in the books, so now what? Oh, yeah, the NFL draft. So you know the drill: It's time to start looking for red flags in prospects. Like former Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, who was a great Spartan, but now ESPN.com's Kevin Weidl isn't sure about his NFL value.

It appears that demand for tickets for the inaugural Big Ten Championship game between Wisconsin and Michigan State at Lucas Oil Stadium is not as high as one would expect.

You shake your head every year with some of the decisions made by college football and basketball players to turn pro early. Not in the case of Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy. From all indications, he's not taking a bad gamble. Far from it. Worthy is projected as a "very high" NFL draft pick based on feedback he's received from the league and that...

Former 2 star recruit Le'veon Bell Michigan State is coming off another great year for this program and despite many departures, looks to be headed in the right direction.  The Spartans finished 11-3 on the season and many believe, they should have been in a BCS Bowl.  Actually, it’s no secret, everyone knew they should have been in a BCS Bowl, but that’s an argument...

Michigan State defensive tackle Jerel Worthy has decided to skip his senior season and enter the NFL draft. The 310-pound junior, a first team Associated Press All-American this season, announced his decision Thursday. He said it was the right time to leave following the 33-30 triple-overtime win over Georgia in the Outback Bowl. ''As far as spiritually, my decision kind...