Football is hot again in East Lansing, after the dour final years of the John L. Smith era. The Spartans finished strong last year and got to a decent bowl game. They beat Penn State, and narrowly missed upsets against Wisconsin, Michigan and Boston College. Mark Dantonio has them back for more this year and is looking to create sustainable success, something this program has struggled to find.
The skill positions are looking very strong. Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer could be very good or very turnover-prone, but experience and a good supporting cast should help level the valleys out. While he loses receiver Devin Thomas and tight end Kellen Davis to the NFL, he still has returning starters Mark Dell and Deon Curry to throw to. And the real prize is in the backfield, where Javon Ringer is back for another year and what will be a push at the MVP award. Ringer broke the 1,400 yard barrier last year and no longer has to split time with Jehuu Caulcrick.
Dantonio's offensive line looks in pretty good shape with three returning starters and no underclassmen in starting roles. The problems come when you look at the line on the other side of the ball. Michigan State returns only one starter up front. The linebackers will have to help out. After a strong freshman season, Greg Jones is being moved inside. He will be joined by Eric Gordon, who also started as a frosh.
Like the offensive line, the secondary has enough experience on hand to make you believe all will be well. Kendell Davis-Clark returns on the corner and Otis Wiley is back at strong safety. And no underclassmen are being pushed into starting jobs.
The schedule is no pushover. Michigan State plays at Cal to open the year, and has Notre Dame at home in a series where it seems the best thing that can happen to you is to play on the road. They also don't play Minnesota, the one true patsy in the conference. If you take their four most winnable league games--road dates with Northwestern & Indiana and home games against Iowa and Purdue, MSU needs to go 3-1 and at least get a split out of the two non-conference games mentioned.
Dantonio has this program on the right track. Right now, he's holding serve, building depth and letting his new recruits push for time. I see them again winning around seven games and going to another bowl game. Next year, with a more experienced defense, is when the coach will make a serious push at the New Year's stage.
Imagine what will happen when his 2010 recruiting class comes of age.
Posted by: Spartan Sports Page | August 11, 2008 at 05:57 PM