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Michigan State Football: ‘Wait, they scored?’ — End of Dantonio era edition

Wait, they scored?

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Michigan State football
© Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

You might be surprised to learn that these former Michigan State football players scored at the end of the Dantonio era.

Some players rack up points and attention for Michigan State football, and others only score once. Did you know these players scored?

During the offseason, we all dig into our favorite program’s past. Here at Spartan Shadows, we are no different. So, naturally, when someone mentioned Tre’Von Morgan and his touchdown against Penn State in 2020, that got me thinking: who are some obscure Michigan State football players that have scored, or players that you would not expect to score?

So, I started doing some digging into the end of the Mark Dantonio era from 2016 until 2019 to answer this question.

Quite a few of these players are recognizable names, but it came when few would expect it. For example, if a player recorded a pick-six in the season before they became a full-time starter, would you remember it? That was my logic while making this list.

So, without further ado, I present to you: “Wait, they scored? And how?”

2016: Justin Layne vs. Northwestern

To begin this list, we will start with the season we all want to forget: 2016. In a year where everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Spartans, we were introduced to a few players that played pivotal roles in the following season’s 10-3 resurgence. One of those players was Justin Layne who was a two-way player in 2016, with his switch to cornerback being the game before, against BYU.

Following a quick Josiah Price touchdown, the Spartan defense came out eager to prove their worth. Justin Layne provided that, picking off Clayton Thorson and returning the ball to the house to put the Spartans up 14-0. At the time, this appeared to be the point where the Spartans would seize the momentum and be back to form and regain dignity for the season.

Unfortunately, the defense did not get that memo, and this would be the last time the defense would be mentioned against the Wildcats. They took the day off against Northwestern and surrendered 54 points. The Spartans, after scoring 41 points between the previous three contests, scored 40, making this a 94-point affair for homecoming.

Layne would go on to start full-time for the Spartans in 2017 and 2018, as well as sometimes playing receiver in 2018. He would record two more interceptions between the two years, but not find the end zone again. He was named second-team All-Big Ten in 2018 and was taken in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers in that spring’s draft.

The Wildcats’ 54 points against Michigan State football would outdo their men’s basketball efforts against the Spartans, as the men’s basketball team put up 52 and 45 in their contests with Tom Izzo’s Spartans a few months later.

2016: Monty Madaris vs. Michigan

Among the forgettable 2016 season was a marginally close contest against the Wolverines. The Spartans, with their losing streak now up to five games, hosted the undefeated school from down the road.

After LJ Scott got the Spartans up early, the Wolverines cruised to a comfortable 30-10 lead. Tyler O’Connor was pulled in favor of Brian Lewerke, and the madness began. Lewerke hoisted a late wobbler that RJ Shelton pulled down, and then he found Monty Madaris for a 20-yard touchdown. This made the game 30-17, and Lewerke would go on to lead the Spartans to the Michigan red zone before being stopped on fourth down, and ultimately breaking his leg when he was sacked.

An MSU touchdown with under five seconds to play led to a 2-point conversion attempt that was housed by Jabrill Peppers, leading to the 32-23 Michigan final score. This touchdown was one of the more forgettable touchdowns of the rivalry during the 2010s. Madaris is not the only Spartan to record his only career touchdown against the Wolverines during this decade, as Jalen Watts-Jackson (2015, as we all know) and Paul Lang (2012) also accomplished this.

Madaris was a background receiver for most of his time as a Spartan, and this was his only touchdown. Additionally, it was his only season with more than five catches. Madaris’s 322 yards from scrimmage that season was enough to get him noticed by the Cincinnati Bengals after the 2017 NFL Draft, and he impressed enough in rookie camp to earn a summer camp spot. Unfortunately, a failed physical designation led to his release before even playing a preseason game.

2016: Demetrius Cox vs. Rutgers

During the 2016 season, everything that could go wrong for the Spartans did go wrong. The Spartans limped into their game against Rutgers with an embarrassing 2-7 record, and all seven of those losses came in their last seven games. The Spartans were on the verge of eight straight losses for the first time in 99 years. Rutgers came into town to face the Spartans, but luck was not on the Rutgers sideline.

Following three interceptions and a fumble return touchdown in 2015, Demetrius Cox was named a member of the All-Big Ten third team as the Spartans made the College Football Playoff. His 2016 season was much like the Spartans that season: underwhelming. Cox recorded lower numbers in every defensive category besides tackle assists in 2016.

On this cold November day, Cox tried to turn his season around as well.

Early on, the Spartans struck with a Josiah Price touchdown on their second drive. On the ensuing possession, Cox stole a Gio Rescigno pass and returned it 30 yards for the touchdown. This was Cox’s only career pick-six, and it came at a point where most Michigan State fans had just wanted the season to end.

The Spartans’ seven touchdowns in this game did not help them in the next two weeks, as they lost out the rest of the season. As for Cox, he went undrafted in that spring’s NFL draft, landing with the Cincinnati Bengals, along with the aforementioned Monty Madaris. He was claimed off of waivers by the Carolina Panthers and recorded four tackles in four games that season. Those would turn out to be his only career games in the NFL.

2016: Trishton Jackson vs. Rutgers

Trishton Jackson is a forgotten name in the Michigan State football receiving room. During his time in the green and white, Jackson was behind the likes of Felton Davis, RJ Shelton, Madaris, Donnie Corley, Darrell Stewart Jr., Hunter Rison, and Cody White.

Following the Cox pick-six, the game settled into a lull, until the Spartans held the ball at the midfield stripe. Tyler O’Connor ran play-action and then hit Jackson on a crossing route with a wobbler that just cleared a Rutgers defensive back, and he did the rest of the work. He sprinted up the field and powered through three Rutgers’ players in the final five yards, falling into the end zone to give the Spartans a 21-0 lead. The Spartans would go on to score four more touchdowns and stifle Rutgers on offense.

This was Jackson’s only touchdown for the Spartans, as White and Rison each passed Jackson on the depth chart in the offseason and he did not score in 2017 before transferring after the Holiday Bowl. This touchdown was one that even I did not remember, despite it being the first MSU game I attended at Spartan Stadium. Most of us had tuned out of the 2016 Michigan State football season by the time November rolled around, with MSU basketball just getting started. As a result, this big play touchdown is forgotten about.

Following the 2017 season, Jackson transferred to Syracuse and would go on to record a 1,000-yard season. Jackson declared for the draft after that season, with all his highlights being from Syracuse, and has bounced around the NFL.

Jackson is currently on the Vikings along with Jalen Nailor, for those wondering.

2017: Tyson Smith vs. BGSU

During the 2016 season, there were many reports of a divided or unfocused locker room. One undeniable part of that 2016 season that weighed on players was the health of cornerback Tyson Smith.

Smith, a top-300 recruit who was a true freshman during that season, suffered a stroke. After fighting through the depth chart to receive serious playing time against Michigan, Smith was done for the season as football took a backseat. Understandably, losing a teammate to a stroke is a serious situation, which can account for some of the locker room being melancholy over concern for their teammate.

After receiving the all-clear from doctors, Smith returned for the 2017 season. He kicked off the year with a bang. Following a BGSU field goal, the game settled at 3-0 for a quarter, leaving Michigan State fans worried about the status of their team. In the second quarter, the team lit on fire, scoring twice to make it 14-3 at the half. Dantonio’s squad barely took a break, recording two more touchdowns to make it 28-3. With some starters getting breaks amid a four-possession lead, Smith took the field and promptly responded with a pick-six. On his first game back, Smith recorded his only career touchdown.

During the 2016 season, there were many reports of a divided or unfocused locker room. One undeniable part of that 2016 season that weighed on players was the health of cornerback Tyson Smith.

Smith, a top-300 recruit who was a true freshman during that season, suffered a stroke. After fighting through the depth chart to receive serious playing time against Michigan, Smith was done for the season as football took a backseat. Understandably, losing a teammate to a stroke is a serious situation, which can account for some of the locker room being melancholy over concern for their teammate.

After receiving the all-clear from doctors, Smith returned for the 2017 season. He kicked off the year with a bang. Following a BGSU field goal, the game settled at 3-0 for a quarter, leaving Michigan State fans worried about the status of their team. In the second quarter, the team lit on fire, scoring twice to make it 14-3 at the half. Dantonio’s squad barely took a break, recording two more touchdowns to make it 28-3. With some starters getting breaks amid a four-possession lead, Smith took the field and promptly responded with a pick-six. On his first game back, Smith recorded his only career touchdown.

2017: Damion Terry vs. Washington State

Damion Terry is a callback to the past. Following the graduation of Connor Cook, all eyes turned to the quarterback battle between Tyler O’Connor and Terry. After the dreadful 3-9 2016 campaign, O’Connor graduated. Terry, after not impressing during 2016, was beaten out for the starting spot by Lewerke, who had impressed against Michigan before an injury that previous season. With only a year of eligibility left, Terry stayed as Lewerke’s backup for his final season.

Lewerke led the Spartans to a 9-3 regular season, and the Spartans played in the Holiday Bowl against Washington State. The Spartan offense came out strong (a rarity during the final Dantonio years) and was comfortably ahead 28-3 during the third quarter. The Spartans marched into the red zone, but, following a Lewerke rush, disaster struck. Lewerke had to leave the game with a stinger, leaving him out for the next few plays. Already inside the 10, the Spartans decided to rush their quarterback again. This rush was enough to send the Spartans into the end zone, with Terry getting only the second rushing touchdown of his career.

Considering it came in the back half of a blowout, this play and touchdown fall into my selection as an overlooked Spartan score. If I told you that a Spartan scored a rushing touchdown in the 2017 Holiday Bowl, I’m sure your guesses would be LJ Scott (he had two that night), Brian Lewerke, Madre London, and Gerald Holmes before even thinking of Terry.

This occurred in Terry’s final career game as a player, but he did have a brief coaching career. Terry served as a defensive quality control analyst for Cornell for the 2019 season. Per his LinkedIn profile, he now works with The Boston Beer Company.

While he was not the promised four-star quarterback we expected, Terry had the perfect ending to his career, scoring a touchdown in his last game and succeeding ever since he hung up his cleats.

2018: Matt Coghlin vs. Indiana

Michigan State’s 2018 season was a story of defensive superiority and offensive ineptitude. Following the 10-3 season in 2017, expectations were sky-high for 2018. Lewerke was mentioned as a Heisman dark-horse or potential first-round pick, Kenny Willekes and Joe Bachie were entering their second seasons as full-time starters, and Felton Davis had a catching radius of the entire field. Things quickly derailed, surviving a scare against Utah State (led by future first-rounder Jordan Love) only to fall to Arizona State the next week.

The Spartans, now at 1-1, entered their first conference game trying to get the season on track.

Then this game happened. This game was bizarre. Lewerke had his first career catch, Shakur Brown, a guy most people did not even know of, recorded a pick-six, Jalen Nailor iced the game with a 75-yard jet-sweep to be the leading rusher, the defense had five sacks, and Matt Coghlin ran in a touchdown. Wait, what? You read that right. The leading scorer in Michigan State history is aided by a rushing touchdown.

Michigan State’s 2018 season was a story of defensive superiority and offensive ineptitude. Following the 10-3 season in 2017, expectations were sky-high for 2018. Lewerke was mentioned as a Heisman dark-horse or potential first-round pick, Kenny Willekes and Joe Bachie were entering their second seasons as full-time starters, and Felton Davis had a catching radius of the entire field. Things quickly derailed, surviving a scare against Utah State (led by future first-rounder Jordan Love) only to fall to Arizona State the next week.

The Spartans, now at 1-1, entered their first conference game trying to get the season on track.

Then this game happened. This game was bizarre. Lewerke had his first career catch, Shakur Brown, a guy most people did not even know of, recorded a pick-six, Jalen Nailor iced the game with a 75-yard jet-sweep to be the leading rusher, the defense had five sacks, and Matt Coghlin ran in a touchdown. Wait, what? You read that right. The leading scorer in Michigan State history is aided by a rushing touchdown.

Coghlin would kick the extra point following this play, too, in case you are curious. He became the first Spartan in 60 years to accomplish this feat and finished the season 18-for-22 on field goals along with this one touchdown. He has since become the leading scorer in MSU history and now plays in the USFL.

2018: Darrell Stewart Jr. pass to Brian Lewerke vs. Michigan

Another touchdown against Michigan being labeled as forgettable? The 2016 and 2018 seasons were horrific for Spartan offenses, and the few touchdowns that occurred were unspectacular or happened amid games where the offense had already doomed the team before said touchdown occurred.

This play is neither of those, but the end result of a Michigan victory and humiliation of the Spartans makes it a mention on this list.

Following a Michigan fumble inside their own 10-yard line, the Spartans lined up for second down on the Michigan 4. Lewerke went to adjust the protections, and the Spartans executed a Philly special. Darrell Stewart Jr. threw the ball to a wide-open No. 14 in the end zone to tie the game. This play gave Lewerke a passing, rushing, and receiving touchdown against the Wolverines during his career.

Unfortunately, this was the only Spartan score as Lewerke finished 5-for-25 for 66 yards, and the offense only had 94 total yards on the day. As a result, this play and Lewerke touchdown is mostly forgotten about by Spartan fans. The next game, Lewerke was out with an injury, leading to Rocky Lombardi’s debut.

Lewerke would lead the Spartans for the 2019 season as well but never could recapture his 2017 magic. He still finished his career in the top five for Michigan State in passing, passing touchdowns, and total offense. In 2019, Lewerke went undrafted and signed with the New England Patriots before landing on the New York Giants practice squad the next year. He was promoted to the active roster for a game but did not receive a snap. Currently, he plays for the Michigan Panthers in the USFL.

2018: Max Rosenthal vs. Maryland

Following Lombardi’s debut against Purdue, the Spartans traveled to Maryland. Lewerke was ruled healthy enough to play more than just the holder on field goals and received the start.

This game was forgettable in a major sense. Lewerke improved on his numbers against Michigan, but barely. He went 11-for-20 for 87 yards and an interception. Rocky Lombardi got a few reps but went 0-for-2 with an interception. The only way this game was not a Spartan embarrassment was that Connor Heyward had the game of his life at running back. Heyward, who at that time was a full-time running back instead of a utilityman, rushed for 157 yards and a pair of scores. Between his two scores, Heyward broke a tackle and coughed the ball up when lunging for a touchdown. Max Rosenthal had lined up at fullback on the play and was the first to the ball, falling on it in the end zone.

This play gives Rosenthal the weirdest stat line I have seen in a college football game: 0 carries for 0 yards, 0 receptions on 0 targets, 0 return yards, 0 defensive snaps, and one touchdown. The Spartan defense did the brunt of the work the rest of the way, as they held Maryland to three points on the game and Heyward’s second score iced the game.

The Spartans would only win one more game the rest of the year, with losses to Ohio State, Nebraska, and Oregon in their bowl game. Including this game against Maryland, the Spartans gave up 55 total points in their final five games, or 11 points a game. Take out the intentional safety given up against Ohio State, and that number is down to 10.6 points per game. Between Warner and injuries, it is hard to tell which hampered the Spartans more. This amazing defensive year was wasted. Justin Herbert and Penei Sewell’s offense mustered seven total points and still beat the Spartans.

Rosenthal would record one more touchdown as a Spartan, this occurring in a 44-10 defeat at the hands of Michigan the following year. This gives him the distinction of being the last player to score against Michigan in the Dantonio era. Following the arrival of Mel Tucker in 2020 and the removal of the fullback position, Rosenthal transferred to Illinois. He is still there now, being a member of the quality control staff and tight ends, per his X (formerly Twitter) bio.

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Weekly college football viewing guide: What to watch in Week 4

What should you be watching this weekend?

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Michigan State football
© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

While you can watch Michigan State vs. Maryland, here’s what else is on the intriguing college football slate in Week 4.

If you’ve got plans this weekend, start working on your fake cough and sick voice. This is a weekend of college football that dreams are made of. We have six Top 25 matchups on tap in addition to a number of other interesting games. This is a weekend that requires more than one TV. If that’s not an option, head to the bar. Savor this weekend. This is what we live for.

Here’s how to plan your weekend.

Friday, Sept. 22

  • Wisconsin at Purdue – 7 p.m. ET on FS1

A rare Big Ten conference game gets the weekend started in West Lafayette. The Boilermakers haven’t been that impressive this season, but neither has Wisconsin. We keep waiting for Wisconsin’s offense to find a rhythm, but it might be time to consider this being who they are. Wisconsin has beaten Purdue sixteen times in a row. Can they end that drought on Friday?

Saturday, Sept. 23

Noon window

  • Florida State at Clemson – 12 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Rutgers at Michigan – 12 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network
  • Oklahoma at Cincinnati – 12 p.m. ET on FOX
  • Auburn at Texas A&M – 12 p.m. ET on ESPN

The day gets started with a solid slate of games at noon that is headlined by the potential college football game of the year in the ACC. Florida State travels to Clemson as a short road favorite. In their biggest games of the year to date, these teams could not have looked further apart. Florida State looked awesome in their dismantling of LSU while Clemson fumbled their way to an embarrassing 28-7 loss at Duke. It feels far too easy to say that Florida State rolls here. Clemson – despite their deficiencies – is still a proud program with enough talent to win this game.

Michigan faces its toughest test of the season so far at home against an upstart Rutgers team. I’m skeptical that Rutgers can score enough (at all?) to keep this interesting. At the very least, this should give us an idea if Michigan’s struggles in the running game are a legitimate concern or if they’ve been holding things back.

Cincinnati makes its Big 12 debut at home against Oklahoma. The Sooners have looked great so far this year, but this is a tricky spot on the road against the Bearcats who are coming off an embarrassing home loss to Miami (OH).

Keep an eye on this game in College Station. Last year, Auburn celebrated their win against the Aggies like they had won the SEC. Now, the Aggies get them at home with an offense that looks much improved from a year ago.

Afternoon window

  • Maryland at Michigan State – 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC
  • Colorado at Oregon – 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
  • UCLA at Utah – 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX
  • Ole Miss at Alabama – 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS
  • BYU at Kansas – 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

The afternoon gets going with Maryland visiting East Lansing in the Big Ten opener for both teams. MSU looked like a dead team walking against Washington. For Maryland, this year presents a real opportunity in the Big Ten East. So far, Michigan, Ohio State, and Penn State haven’t been as advertised. Don’t rule out the Terps as a spoiler in this conference. We’ll learn what is real and not real about them against Michigan State.

The Deion Sanders show hits the road in Eugene against Oregon. It feels like the world is expecting an Oregon route, but the Buffaloes have done nothing but prove the doubters wrong this season. The injury to Travis Hunter sucks for college football. But with Shedeur Sanders, Colorado always has a chance.

The movement in the point spread would indicate that Cam Rising will be back for Utah. The Utes desperately need him. For UCLA, it looks like they are handing the reins to five-star freshman Dante Moore. That is best for them in the long term. This weekend could present some growing pains. Rice-Eccles Stadium is one of the best home-field advantages in the sport.

Is the Alabama dynasty finished? Is Nick Saban’s protégé Lane Kiffin really going to be the one to put the final nail in the coffin? This is a fascinating matchup in the SEC that should answer those questions. It’s foolish to doubt Nick Saban and Alabama, but something just feels off this year.

Don’t forget about Kansas. The Jayhawks are 3-0 and host BYU in their first game in the Big 12. Kansas remains a long shot to win the league. But the Jayhawks have a dynamic quarterback and a high-powered offense. It’s college football. Crazy things can happen.

Primetime

  • Arkansas at LSU – 7 p.m. ET on ESPN
  • Oregon State at Washington State – 7 p.m. ET on FOX
  • Texas at Baylor – 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC
  • Ohio State at Notre Dame – 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC
  • Iowa at Penn State – 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS

If you’re going out on Saturday night, make sure there are TVs wherever you go. Things get started with LSU hosting Arkansas. It feels like people have sort of written off LSU as a national championship contender after their loss. They are still very much alive. Arkansas has a history of playing the Tigers tough in Baton Rouge.

Out west, we have what could be the most underrated game of the day. Oregon State has looked phenomenal early this season. Washington State came onto the radar after beating Wisconsin. This is a tough test for the Beavers in a stadium that while small, still presents a great home-field advantage.

Texas was the talk of college football after upsetting Alabama in week two. But after seeing Alabama last week, do we have to re-evaluate the Longhorns? This game is being overshadowed by the rest of the great games on Saturday. Baylor has really struggled offensively this year. Everyone will have Texas winning easily. Circle this one.

The best game of the weekend is in South Bend. Ohio State and Notre Dame face off for the second year in a row. Regardless of the outcome, seeing Ohio State’s helmets under the lights in Notre Dame Stadium in a top-10 matchup is just beautiful. We’ll find out if Ohio State’s struggles are overblown or legitimately concerning. Notre Dame has the defense and running game to win.

If you’re somebody who loves defense, turn on CBS. Penn State and Iowa get together in one of my personal favorite Big Ten matchups. This game is even more fun because this will be the “white out” game for Penn State. While the Nittany Lion offense has been sluggish, their defense is elite. You know you’re going to get good defense and special teams from Iowa. Cade McNamara doesn’t look healthy to me, and that’s a problem against this defense. Iowa is on shutout alert.

Late night

  • USC at Arizona State – 10:30 p.m. ET on FOX
  • Cal at Washington – 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN

It’s a shame that this glorious day of college football doesn’t give us one appealing matchup in the late-night spot. USC and Washington are heavy favorites against these conference bottom-feeders. Arizona State may be without as many as ten starters with their third-string quarterback going against Caleb Williams. This one could be a bloodbath.

While Washington looked invincible against Michigan State, nobody has been better in this spot than Justin Wilcox. The Bears have shown the ability to make these games ugly with their defense. Can they do enough to hang around and make this worth staying up for? Probably not. But what else are you going to do? Go to bed? Enjoy the day. This one is special.

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Michigan State football: 3 fearless predictions vs. Maryland

Let’s hope the Washington loss was an outlier.

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Michigan State football
© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Michigan State football will host unbeaten Maryland on Saturday afternoon looking to bounce back from the Washington debacle.

What a disaster this season has been thus far for Michigan State football. While the obvious negative storyline involves Mel Tucker, there’s an underlying issue that hasn’t been talked about enough: injuries. It feels like that’s the theme of the program every single year.

Michigan State has been bitten by the injury bug yet again — and twice as hard.

The ailing Spartans, who could be without over a dozen players on Saturday, will host an undefeated Maryland team trying to improve to 4-0 behind the arm of Taulia Tagovailoa. The Spartans need to get after him early and often — something they couldn’t do against Michael Penix Jr.

This game is important for Michigan State if it wants to have a chance at a bowl berth this season.

To celebrate homecoming weekend, here are three of my most fearless predictions for the crucial game.

1. Nathan Carter rushes for 100 yards again

Through two Michigan State football games, Nathan Carter looked like a superstar. He had back-to-back 100-yard games to open his Spartan career and he looked like the clear top player on offense. But the offensive line has done him no favors.

Need proof? Just look at the Washington game. He had no running lanes and was hit in the backfield a ton which was disappointing to see. The offensive line was supposed to be a strength this year.

I think we’ll see the offense design more runs to mask these issues in the trenches. Carter will have more runs designed to utilize his speed and elusiveness around the edge and I think he’s going to take full advantage with another 100-yard performance. This will mark three 100-yard games in his first four outings as a Spartan.

Carter’s final line with be 20 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown.

2. Jordan Hall records 10 tackles

If you’ve read up on the (few) bright spots from Michigan State’s loss to Washington, you’d know that Jordan Hall was one of them. The freshman linebacker looks like a budding star through three games. In fact, he’s rated as the Big Ten’s 10th-best linebacker this year and the nation’s No. 8 linebacker in terms of pass coverage. Not too shabby for a true freshman.

Hall is going to have a big game on Saturday against Maryland.

While he has just nine total tackles this season, he’s only played a small percentage of defensive snaps. We’re going to see a healthy dose of Hall on Saturday afternoon as he surpasses his season total for tackles in one game. He’ll even finish with two tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks.

This could be the start of a special career in East Lansing for Hall.

3. Katin Houser engineers a comeback

Last week was a rough one for Noah Kim. The veteran quarterback struggled mightily against a defense that had been mediocre through the first two weeks of the season against inferior opponents and a lot had to do with the offensive line struggling. I think that continues this week as he will get off to a quick start, but stall out through the end of the first quarter and the second quarter.

After halftime, he’ll take the field as the starter once again, but he’ll turn the ball over on the first drive and then go three-and-out on the second possession. Harlon Barnett will make the call to put Katin Houser in the game.

Down 20-10 in the second quarter, Houser will breathe some new life into the offense, but he, too, will be running for his life thanks to offensive line struggles. Houser will throw a touchdown pass and lead two more scoring drives to put Michigan State up 23-20. I have a feeling Maryland wins this one, but the Houser magic will have us believing again.

Michigan State holds on to win 23-20 and Houser’s solid player opens up the QB1 job again.

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Spartan Shadows staff Week 4 college football picks against the spread

Who ya got?

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College football
© Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

It’s Week 4 in college football and that means it’s time for the weekly Spartan Shadows staff pick ’em. Who are we picking?

Hey, Spartan Shadows fans, Week 3 of college football has come and gone. We had some entertaining games, some surprising upsets, and then some games that just surprisingly upset us (*cough* MSU *cough*). Now that most everyone’s non-conference schedule has wrapped up, it’s time to get into conference play.

This should give us some more entertaining games each week to dive into.

But before we do that, let’s check out the results of the Week 3 college football games.

Week 3 results

Here’s how the picks went last week:

  • No. 14 LSU at Mississippi State — Line: LSU -9.5; Result: LSU cover
  • No. 15 Kansas State at Missouri — Line: Kansas State -5; Result: Missouri cover
  • Minnesota at No. 20 North Carolina — Line: UNC -7.5; Result: North Carolina cover
  • Virginia Tech at Rutgers — Line: Rutgers -6.5; Result: Rutgers cover
  • South Carolina at No. 1 Georgia — Line: Georgia -27.5; Result: South Carolina cover
  • No. 11 Tennessee at Florida — Line: Tennessee -6.5; Result: Florida cover
  • Bowling Green at No. 2 Michigan — Line: Michigan -40.5; Result: Bowling Green cover
  • Syracuse at Purdue — Line: Syracuse -2.5; Result: Syracuse cover
  • Pittsburgh at West Virginia — Line: Pitt -1; Result: West Virginia cover
  • No. 8 Washington at Michigan State — Line: Washington -16.5; Result: Washington cover

For the staff picks recap: I first will have no official comment on our MSU game picks.

As far as the rest of the weekend goes, our fearless leader Connor Muldowney had a strong showing, going 7-3 overall. HopMan and MSUrecruits also went strong at 6-4. Myself and Daily hitting the .500 mark is a good sign as well. In the sports betting world, .500 is good. On the other end of the pick train, we had Max going a rough 2-8 after starting the season out hot and then Anthony and Joey going 3-7. Emmett also went 4-6 to close out our picks.

Anthony and I have a little side competition going between us and it looks like the pressure of the Cane’s Box Bet may be getting to him a bit. Look for him to have a strong week this week to make up for it.

Updated standings after Week 3

  1. HopMan: 18-12
  2. (Tie) Connor and Emmett: 17-13
  3. (Tie) MSUrecruits and Max: 16-14
  4. Chris: 15-15
  5. Daily: 14-16
  6. (Tie) Joey and Anthony: 13-17

Week 4 college football games

Disclaimer: All lines are as of 11:00 a.m. ET on Wednesday, Sept. 20 from the ESPN app and Caesars Sportsbook.

  • Wisconsin at Purdue — Friday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1 (Line: Wisconsin -6)

Hop: Wisconsin
Connor: Purdue
Emmett: Wisconsin
MSUrecruits: Wisconsin
Max: 
Wisconsin
Chris: Wisconsin
Daily: Wisconsin
Joey: Purdue
Anthony: Wisconsin

  • Rutgers at No. 2 Michigan — Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on BTN (Line: Michigan -24)

Hop: Michigan
Connor: Rutgers
Emmett: Michigan
MSUrecruits: Michigan
Max: Rutgers
Chris: Michigan
Daily: Michigan
Joey: Rutgers
Anthony: Rutgers

  • No. 4 Florida State at Clemson — Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on ABC (Line: FSU -2.5)

Hop: Florida State
Connor: Clemson
Emmett: Florida State
MSUrecruits: Florida State
Max: Florida State
Chris: Florida State
Daily: Florida State
Joey: Clemson
Anthony: Florida State

  • No. 19 Colorado at No. 10 Oregon — Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC (Line: Oregon -21)

Hop: Colorado
Connor: Oregon
Emmett: Oregon
MSUrecruits: Oregon
Max: Oregon
Chris: Oregon
Daily: Oregon
Joey: Oregon
Anthony: Colorado

  • No. 22 UCLA at No. 11 Utah — Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX (Line: Utah -4.5)

Hop: UCLA
Connor: Utah
Emmett: UCLA
MSUrecruits: UCLA
Max: Utah
Chris: Utah
Daily: Utah
Joey: UCLA
Anthony: Utah

  • No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 13 Alabama — Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS (Line: Alabama -7)

Hop: Ole Miss
Connor: Bama
Emmett: Bama
MSUrecruits: Ole Miss
Max: Ole Miss
Chris: Ole Miss
Daily: Bama
Joey: Ole Miss
Anthony: Ole Miss

  • No. 13 Oregon State at No. 21 Washington State — Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on FOX (Line: Oregon State -3)

Hop: Oregon State
Connor: Washington State
Emmett: Washington State
MSUrecruits: Oregon State
Max: Oregon State
Chris: Washington State
Daily: Washington State
Joey: Washington State
Anthony: Oregon State

  • No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame — Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC (Line: OSU -3)

Hop: Ohio State
Connor: Notre Dame
Emmett: Ohio State
MSUrecruits: Notre Dame
Max: Notre Dame
Chris: Ohio State
Daily: Notre Dame
Joey: Ohio State
Anthony: Notre Dame

  • No. 24 Iowa at No. 7 Penn State — Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on CBS (Line: PSU -15)

Hop: Iowa
Connor: Penn State
Emmett: Iowa
MSUrecruits: Iowa
Max: Penn State
Chris: Penn State
Daily: Penn State
Joey: Iowa
Anthony: Penn State

  • Maryland at Michigan State — Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC (Line: Maryland -7.5)

Hop: Maryland
Connor: Michigan State
Emmett: Maryland
MSUrecruits: Maryland
Max: Maryland
Chris: Michigan State
Daily: Maryland
Joey: Michigan State
Anthony: Michigan State

There you have it folks. The picks are in. Looks like the staff is heavily favoring Wisconsin and Florida State so you should probably place bets for Purdue and Clemson accordingly. All joking aside, this is an excellent slate of college football games this week so enjoy it, folks.

Also, please try to come out Saturday to Spartan Stadium if you’re in the area. The players still need all the support they can get. Go Green.

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