This year in East Lansing, it’s all about “P4RB” meaning “Prepare for Rose Bowl” for the Michigan State Spartans. It’s a slogan you’ll find displayed on t-shirts within the program. It originated during a presentation during a winter meeting. The presentation was made by Running Backs Coach Mike Salem’s brother Wade.
“At the end of his talk, he brought up a slide that said P4RB, and his point was as we go through our winter workouts, spring practices, summer workouts and training camp, we’re not just going out to practice, or run around. We’re doing it to prepare for a Rose Bowl. And that perspective has really helped to galvanize and strengthen our workouts,” said MSU QB Kirk Cousins at Media Day.
“And the focus is not on the Rose Bowl, the focus is on the preparation and the process. And making sure we’re doing what we can towards the things we can control,” he continued.
2010 was:ย a stellar surprise season that no one saw coming, but unfortunately ended very poorly. It seemed MSU got shafted for the BCS after a 11-1 regular season; until they got utterly destroyed in their bowl game by Alabama. Their Big Ten title seems a little “overlooked” or “forgotten” right now.
BMOCs: Cousins is one of those seemingly perfect people who is just really good at life. He wowed the kickoff luncheon with his speech. Cousins also instructs his brother to find everything he can written about them, especially all the negative press and he shows it to the team for motivation. Read more about that here.ย
Other names to notice on offense include RB Edwin Baker, WR Keshawn Martin. The defense is led by FS Trenton Robinson and CB Johnny Adams. The DL is the strength of the team; led by DT Jerel Worthy (have you seen that new crazy tattoo of his?) and DE Vernon Gholston.
2011 will be fruitful if: The conventional wisdom is right. Conventional wisdom believes that this is the best team Mark Dantonio has ever had. If they can find some LB depth; and the three new starters at OL work out, theyโll be solid all around.
“I think our linebacker core is going to be phenomenal. It’s three different guys, but I think those guys are going to come in and get the job done,” said Robinson, a four year starter on the defense.
2011 will be awful if:ย the much tougher schedule gets to them, and shakes their confidence. They need some LBs and OLs to grow up in a hurry, and not let the bowl loss be a hangover carrying through to this season.
Bottom Line:ย With a nice amount of talent at the skill positions (they probably have the #1 QB-RB-WR combo in the league), they probably should be Nebraska’s biggest obstacle towards a Big 10 title game appearance. It’s rare that the college basketball team in E.L. inspires much lower expectations than the college football team. However, Tom Izzo’s squad lost it’s core this off-season, and from a very disappointing team. While the gridiron Spartans return a lot of their nucleus from a conference championship team.
MSU Rankings: #22 Athlon, #22 Lindyโs, #22 Phil Steele (That’s WEIRD! All three consensus)
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, an official Google News site that generates millions of unique visitors. Heโs also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sportsย
He does regular weekly radio spots in Chicago and Cleveland and has appeared on live shows all across the world from Houston to New Zealand. You can follow him on Twitter
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