Recruiting 2014: Montae Nicholson

So the word is that Montae Nicholson committed to MSU today. That's a pretty big deal because he becomes the highest rated recruit in the 2014 class, according to 247's composite index, and because he may be the best athlete I've ever seen on Youtube.

Seriously, Nicholson looks like he is not even trying while he glides by scores of people. Nicholson has the size (6'3") and athleticism to excel at many positions -- safety, wide receiver, even linebacker -- perhaps as early as his second year in the program. Personally, I think he would be most devastating at wide receiver, he reminds me of Megatron a bit when he goes against those high school defenders.

Of course, that's also the source of biggest concern with elite recruits like Nicholson. I think the biggest reason high-rated recruits often underachieve is that they become a little spoiled in high school. Their dominance in high school makes them think that they won't have to work hard when they get to college. Hopefully, that won't be the case with Nicholson, especially since he'll get to see that Demetrious Cox (who had a higher 247 composite score than Nicholson) wasn't able to just come in and beat out lower-rated guys like Drummond and Williamson at safety. The competition is always intense. He could be great, but he will have to work for it.

As for the rest of the class, the Spartans now have 18 recruits and will probably end up with something like 21 or 22. They'll most likely be going after another wide receiver, a JUCO offensive tackle, another d-lineman, and perhaps a quarterback.

Preview of Rose Bowl: Looking Like a Toss-up

Finally getting a chance to think about the Rose Bowl a bit and my initial thought is that this will be MSU's toughest game of the season. OSU was clearly an outstanding opponent, but I actually felt relatively confident about that game. The game actually broke down about how I expected: the Spartans held Ohio State to the 24 points I felt they needed to hold them to, and the offense was actually able to score above the 30 points I felt they would need.

I don't get a similar sense about Stanford. The weak simulations that run through my head keep suggesting a toss-up. This game basically looks set to go either way, which means it is likely to be settled by things like turnovers and critical mistakes.

Stanford has been shutting down explosive offenses most of this season, so we could expect that the Spartans will struggle to score above 20 points. On the other hand, Stanford's defense doesn't seem so dominant against more physical offenses. Their two losses came against Utah and USC, the 2 most physical teams on their schedule. But even those offenses didn't score a lot of points. So, I expect "pound Green pound" to have some success, but I would be very surprised if MSU can score more than 27 points. And MSU won't get to 27 if Cook and the receivers have an off game. The offense will have to be firing on all cylinders.

Then it will be up to the defense to contain Stanford's very physical offense. Stanford's offense looks a lot like Wisconsin's offenses under Brett Bielema. They have a huge o-line and they are able to run the ball very effectively, and they put up a lot of points. Thankfully, they don't have Russell Wilson to make their passing game elite, so they are relatively unbalanced as an offense, running the ball 548 times versus passing it 293 times. That means MSU will be able to stack the box a little more frequently than they could against Russell Wilson. But careful, Kevin Hogan is a pretty good quarterback, with numbers eerily similar to Cook's.

MSU has the advantage that it has played against Wisconsin under Bielema, and won. But we all saw what happened in those games. Most of them turned into shootouts. And they were toss-ups.
Folks, that's what this Rose Bowl is reminding me of: the battles against Wisconsin. The good thing is that I always felt that MSU had a good chance to win those games, but the bad thing is that I could also see MSU losing those games. Well, I suppose that's what toss-ups should make you feel like.

So it will ultimately come down to critical mistakes. Who will make less of them? That means protecting the ball on offense and special teams. Stanford is a well-coached team, so don't expect them to make many mistakes. MSU will have to match them in that area, and then hope for something to break their way. And as a Spartan slappy, I expect that break to happen.

Final score: MSU 27  Stanford 24

Thoughts on B10 Championship Game: Eliteness Has Arrived!

Folks, why did I start blogging about MSU football a few years ago? Why do I blog even though I barely have enough time to clip my toenails these days? It's because of moments like this! I started this blog because I saw where this program was headed and I was upset that MSU did not have a network of football blogs as extensive as it deserved. Well, I decided to whatever I could to help, and today, I'm glad I stuck with it.

Folks, this is the biggest victory since the 1988 Rose Bowl win. This victory was the most impressive I've ever witnessed. MSU just beat what seemed like an unstoppable Ohio State team, with overwhelming talent. For about 2 quarters, I even started to feel like MSU just could not compete with that overwhelming talent. But then MSU's stars started to fight back and they asserted their dominance for most of the fourth quarter. Just an unbelievable performance.

Folks, we are blessed. We have an elite coaching staff, that recruits and develops amazing talent. Now, all we can hope is that the right steps are made to ensure that this program stays on top for many years to come. Of course, that will involve some luck. But more on that later. Here are some thoughts on the game itself.

Offense

Connor Cook had his best game of the season. He's going to be a Heisman candidate next year. The receivers and tight ends dropped a couple, but overall they were excellent, and made several big plays. The receivers and tight ends should be elite next year. Langford was bottled up most of the game, but I love how tough he ran in the second half and once again he broke a long one to seal the victory. The o-line had their struggles, but they seemed to take over in the fourth quarter.

Defense

I was actually a little afraid that the defense would get exposed by Ohio State's explosive offense, and for a while they did. But especially in the fourth quarter, this defense stuffed an overwhelmingly talented offense. What an astonishing achievement.

Special teams

They played an incredibly clean game. Geiger hit his field goal attempts, Sadler only had the one punt partially blocked, and Kings and Shelton made some nice returns.

Coaches

There were a few calls I disagreed with: the blitz at the end of the first half that contributed to a long pass that set up OSU's field goal, too many run plays that didn't take OSU's defensive speed into account (especially Shazier's). But folks, that's just nitpicking. This coaching staff is elite and they deserve credit for a remarkable achievement.

Upshot

It's safe to say that MSU is now an elite football program that really should be playing for a national title. The pass interference calls against Notre Dame really ruined the prediction I made a couple of years ago that Dantonio could win the national championship this year. Oh well, at least MSU could still end up ranked number 2 in the country, if they can beat Stanford in the Rose Bowl.

As for long term implications, I expect this victory to give MSU momentum on the recruiting trail. We should see MSU start to win more recruiting battles than ever before.

Preview of B10 Championship Game: Unleash Hell

I'm going to post my preview of the B10 Championship game a little early this week -- and I'll be adding to this post as more ideas enter my mind. In short, I think the MSU defense should be aiming to hold Ohio State to about 24 points or less, while the offense needs to score around 27 or more. I think that's feasible, if MSU can do some of the following:

First, MSU needs maximum intensity. It needs to prepare with intensity and play with intensity. In short, the Spartans need to unleash hell.

Second, MSU must limit the big plays. OSU is getting a lot of points this season from long passing plays and long runs. The big passing plays are the result of the same strategy: confuse the secondary by overloading a passing zone with receivers. They keep doing it and teams don't seem to be prepared to stop that play. Nebraska used that type of passing play effectively against MSU, so if I were the coaches, I would work on defending that type of play over and over this week. You know it's coming, so the secondary needs to clearly understand their assignments. The other big plays are coming from long runs by Braxton Miller. You know Miller is going to get his yards, but the Spartans have to limit the damage. They can't allow him to break off 60 or 70 yard touchdown runs.

Third, MSU is going to have to stop the option. They won't be able to fully stop it because Miller and Hyde are so talented. But they have to limit the damage. And the best way to limit the damage is by practicing to stop the option.

Fourth, MSU must tackle well. Miller and Hyde are tough to bring down and that's a big part of why OSU gains so many yards. Considering how much MSU struggled to bring down Minnesota's David Cobb (especially the secondary had a hard time bringing him down), this has to be a concern. Tackling Miller and Hyde is going to hurt, but this is a championship game, so it's now or never.

Fifth, Connor Cook and the receivers have to play well. OSU has a dangerous front 4 on defense, but I think the MSU o-line has the talent to neutralize them, to a great extent. So MSU should be able to run the ball, but that's not going to be enough to score the 27 points they will need. Cook and the receivers are going to have exploit Ohio State's biggest weakness on defense: their secondary. A repeat of the performance against Minnesota will make victory unlikely.

Sixth, the Spartans can't take their foot off the gas. MSU cannot allow itself to relax at any point on Saturday because this OSU team can score touchdowns in a hurry. Even if MSU jumps ahead by 21, or something like that, they must keep playing with maximum intensity, or else OSU will come back on them in a hurry.

Seventh, MSU must be ready for trick plays. I'm not a fan of Urban Meyer, but he is kind of wily. So expect OSU to go for a fake punt, perhaps even a fake kickoff. The Spartans should also watch out for the punt block. OSU will likely try to block punts all night long, and if MSU is not careful, OSU could get one.

Upshot: I think MSU will be ready, but OSU is talented and tough. So this is one that could go back and forth for a while . . . before MSU locks down the game in the fourth quarter.

Final score: MSU 30  Ohio State 21