After a disappointing 2012 season, the Michigan State Spartans came back with a bang last year. They went undefeated in the Big Ten 8-0 SU and went 13-1 SU overall in the season. The Spartans then won the Big Ten Championship Game and claimed their first Rose Bowl since 1988 to cap off a stellar season. Can their vaunted defense help them hold on for another ground-breaking year?
Check out our Big Ten conference preview for a look at the entire conference, our look at the experts’ predictions for the 2014 season for a sense of the entire nation, and read on for everything you need to know about this potential national title contender heading into the 2014 season.
[sc:NCAAFArticles ]2014 Michigan State Spartans Season Preview
Key Player – QB Connor Cook
Michigan State’s almost-perfect 2013 season may be attributed in large part to quarterback Connor Cook stepping up to the occasion. The quarterback started the year as the backup to Andrew Maxwell. However, Maxwell struggled in the first game, giving Cook the opportunity to shine. He did just that, and remained the Spartans’ starter for the rest of the season.
[sc:NCAA240banner ]Starting Cook paid dividends as he finished the season with 2,755 passing yards, fifth in the Big Ten. Cook went on to lead the Spartans to the Big Ten Championship, and to the team’s first Rose Bowl since 1988 in his breakthrough season. To make things even sweeter for Cook, he was declared the MVP for the two championship performances.
The praise for Cook didn’t end with the MVP awards. His picture-perfect year for a first-time starter put his name on the radar. According to former NFL player and scout Bucky Brooks, the quarterback is one of the best prospects in the Big Ten entering the 2014 season. If he continues to be the commodity that he was, it won’t be long until he joins the big leagues.
Strength – Total Defense
One of the main reasons why the Spartans were so successful last year was their top-notch defense. The team topped everybody else in the Big Ten all aspects of the defensive game: scoring defense, rushing defense, and passing defense. They limited their opponents to just 13.2 points per game for the entire season and only allowed 252.2 total yards per game.
Pass-rusher Shilique Calhoun was one of the biggest names to pop out for Michigan State’s defense last season. The 6-4, 257-pound defensive end tallied second-most sacks in the Big Ten with 7.5, and had 14 tackles for loss in just his sophomore year. The Spartans lost a couple of starting tackles, but the presence of Calhoun – a second-team All-American last season and the fourth-best player in college football this season according to ESPN – should still make their D-line a very imposing unit.
Senior safety Kurtis Drummond is another key returnee for the Spartans’ defense this season. Drummond is coming of a great 2013 season that saw him record a career-high 91 tackles, 3.5 TFLs and four interceptions. Drummond will fill the cleats of the departed Darqueze Dennard as the leader of the Spartans’ superb secondary.
Weakness – Offensive Line
As potential national title contenders, Michigan State doesn’t have a ton of weaknesses, but one possible soft spot could be its offensive line. The Spartans lost senior starters Blake Treadwell (left guard), Dan France (right guard) and Fou Fonoti (right tackle), which will take time to replace.
“Those seniors brought a tremendous amount of toughness and played with an anger to them, and it was a factor,” Spartans offensive line coach Mark Staten said about the departed members of his O-line. “Who’s going to step up and replace them? That’s a great question. Ask me in a couple of weeks.”
The answer to his question will likely come from a group led by junior Donavon Clark and senior Connor Kruse, who both played significant time last season. But losing three seniors is no joke, and the Spartans will have their work cut out for them to minimize the effect of their loss.
Key Game – September 6 vs. Oregon Ducks
As per the new College Football Playoff format, this season’s Rose Bowl will serve as a national semifinal, thus denying the traditional Pac-12 vs. Big Ten showdown. However, this huge non-conference game between the Oregon Ducks and Michigan State Spartans will set what would have been this year’s Rose Bowl likely participants in a fiery clash.
This figures to be a classic offense vs. defense matchup. Oregon, led by quarterback Marcus Mariota, had one of the best offenses last season, and he’ll have to deal with Michigan State’s pass rusher supreme, Shiliqe Calhoun.
This game will also have a major impact on the new four-team college football playoff. If the Spartans claim a win against another potential national championship contender, their case to be included in the playoff will grow that much stronger. Michigan State is +1,800 to win a fifth national championship.
Prediction
The Michigan State Spartans still look strong heading into the 2014 season. They will still dominate the Big Ten, and have an overall record of 11-1 SU.
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