It was truly sad that the Michigan St. community lost Bubba Smith this past year, because the current Michigan State defensive line is destroying opponents in the “Kill, Bubba Kill” spirit. Sure the unit was pretty solid last year, but this year they are even more dominant.
(BTW, you can bid on Bubba Smith‘s trophies and awards here)
In 2011 the State DL is stopping the run and rushing the passer in a fashion that would make Biggie Munn (“Biggie, Biggie, Biggie, can’t you see?”) and Duffy Daugherty proud.
The Spartans arrive in Evanston this week to take on Northwestern fresh off clinching a berth in the inaugural Big Ten Championship game on Saturday, Dec. 3, in Indianapolis. MSU won the Legends Division with a 6-1 conference mark and a tie-breaker advantage over second-place Michigan.
Michigan State has a defensive unit ranked No. 3 nationally in total defense, allowing 257.3 yards per game. Only two teams have topped 400 yards of total offense against defensive coordinator Pat Narduzziโs unit, most recently on Nov. 5 when Minnesota put up 415 (120 rushing, 295 passing).
D Tackle Jerel Worthy (7.5 TFL, 2.5 sacks) is to the unit what Beyonce is/was to Destiny’s Child. He’s got probably the highest NFL draft stock of anyone in the Big Ten, and a bad-ass tattoo. (Which you can see and learn more about here)
Northwestern Offensive Guard Brian Mulroe talked about squaring off with Worthy, and what makes him so special.
“I went up against him last year too, his size, his explosiveness, he’s a 310 pounder but he’s quick and he’s fast.”
DE William Gholston (11 tackles for a loss, 3 sacks) is probably what Kelly Rowland was Destiny’s Child.His cousin Vernon Gholston earned All-Big Ten honors at Ohio State before being selected in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
Senior Nose Guard Kevin Pickelman (second on the team in sacks) and redshirt freshman Marcus Rush (second on team in TFLs with 8) rounds out the starting four. How awesome is it that a DE has the name “Rush?”
Mulroe is up for the task this Saturday.
“They’re great players, aggressive, explosive. Stick to what we do, but we’re up for the challenge, and this will probably be the biggest challenge of the year,” Mulroe said of the MSU DL.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net, a Google News site generating millions of unique visitors. Heโs also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports.
A Fulbright scholar and MBA, Banks has appeared on live radio all over the world; heโs also a member of the FWAA, USBWA and SPJ. The President of the United States follows him on Twitter (@Paul_M_BanksTSB) You should too.
