Bullz-Eye's College Football Game of the Week
09/21/2006
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ALSO: Check out Anthony's College Football Preview. Have a different opinion on this week's game? Tell us about it at The Scores Report, the National Sports Blog.
We’ll be dissecting one big college football match-up every week throughout the season. The game could be a big rivalry, it could have Top-25 implications, or it could just be a battle between two powerhouse programs.
Want to get in on the action? Visit our College Football Live Lines page to compare the spread from four major handicappers before picking your winner. Good luck!
This week’s match up: (#12) Notre Dame at Michigan State
Date: Sept. 23
Time: 8:00pm ET on ABC
RESULT: Notre Dame 40, MSU 37
Why to tune in:
“What about (#24) Penn State at (#1) Ohio State, Stalter?” First off, Penn State doesn’t pose much of a threat, in my opinion, to the power that is Buckeye nation. Secondly, a quick peak at action next Saturday revels OSU traveling to Iowa to take on the Hawkeyes – so sit tight Ben Ten fans. Besides, Notre Dame/MSU is where it’s at this weekend, trust me. Last season, ND was upset by MSU 44-41 in overtime and, oh by the way, it was coach Charlie Weis' home debut. After Jason Teague ended the game with a 19-yard option run, MSU planted a Spartan flag at midfield which, to say the least, riled up the Irish. Notre Dame has lost seven of the past nine meetings with the Spartans. Think Notre Dame will be focused for this game? This also marks the 40th anniversary of that infamous 10-10 tie between the Irish and Spartans that has been deemed “The Game of the Century” by some.
When Notre Dame has the ball:
Part of the problem Notre Dame had last week with Michigan was that they had to abandon the run when the Wolverines got up so big so early. However, Darius Walker didn’t fare too well against Penn State anyway, averaging just 2.8 yards per carry. Walker has still been valuable in the short passing game for QB Brady Quinn, but 2.8 yards per carry just won’t cut it against an above average run defense in MSU. Speaking of Quinn, this is the time that he needs to re-establish himself as the leader of this offense. Against Michigan last week and Georgia Tech in the opener, Quinn panicked when hit with a heavy rush. The only difference between the opener and last week was that against Georgia Tech, Quinn threw the ball away. Last Saturday he was intercepted three times trying to get the ball out of his hands before being hit. The Spartans have a fine but unspectacular defense. They won’t blitz that much and they don’t specialize in getting after the quarterback, but they play controlled and let the game come to them. A guy to watch out for is junior defensive lineman Ervin Baldwin. Baldwin was all over the field against Pitt last weekend and finished with one sack, three tackles (including one for loss) and even knocked a ball down in the passing game.
When Michigan State has the ball:
The offensive side of the ball is where MSU stakes its claim. If head coach John L. Smith and his crew can stay patient and drive the ball right at the middle of Notre Dame’s defense, the Spartans will have success. MSU doesn’t do it with smoke and mirrors. The Spartans let Javon Ringer run the ball 15-20 times and allow quarterback Drew Stanton to pick his spots against the opposition. Stanton is throwing the ball on the mark for the most part and loves to take off and run if he sees an opening. He also has two very good playmakers in Matt Trannon and Kerry Reed, who both have two touchdown grabs and are both over 10.0 yards per reception. For a defense that is as conservative as Notre Dame’s, it sure is getting burned by a lot of big plays. WR Mario Manningham torched the Irish last weekend on a simple out-and-up pattern down the sideline for a touchdown. Right now, opponents are running right over the Notre Dame defense, which is forcing the Irish to bring the safeties up into the box for run support. The result? Big plays over the top of the secondary, like we saw last week.
Prediction:
Pittsburgh was a tough test last week on the road, but the Panthers won’t be anything like a pissed off Notre Dame program looking for revenge. Irish head coach Charlie Weis has said that he will never lose to Michigan State again after getting embarrassed last year, but his team is loaded with problems on the defensive side of the ball. MSU is going to run Ringer all over the Irish and that will open up holes for Stanton to do his thing. You wouldn’t guess it based on each team’s ranking heading into this one, but MSU is in control. Not only are the Spartans at home, the Irish are the ones that have something to prove after getting drubbed last weekend. The only hesitation that I have about picking the Spartans in an upset is the fact that if they can’t get after Quinn, he might have a field day against that secondary with the tools he has in Rhema McKnight, Jeff Samardzija and Walker.
But what the heck? Sparty owns the Irish and Notre Dame can’t win football games purely on emotion and Weis’ off-the-hip comments: Michigan State 35, Notre Dame 31.
Questions or comments? Send them to astalter@bullz-eye.com.