Michigan State Rose Bowl flashback and history

December 10, 2013 By Leave a Comment

Michigan-State-1988

With Michigan State’s victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game, the Spartans clinched a berth in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1988; a game MSU won 20-17 over USC. For the Big Ten, it meant only it’s third Rose Bowl victory in the last 15 years; going 2-12 from 1974 to 1987.

The years that followed, however, the Big Ten experienced a great amount of success from 1989-2000 going 8-4 over the Pac-10 (now 12) in the Rose Bowl.

Now the Big Ten, not just Michigan State, is praying for history to repeat itself.

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Michigan St. B1G Title Game Loss: Emotionally Devastating

December 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Mark Dantonio

The Michigan State Spartans pulled out all the stops last night, but it jsut wasn’t enough. They out-gained the Wisconsin Badgers in yardage by a wide margin, and took advantage of some trick plays, but it still didn’t yield a W.

Like I said in my B1G Title game preview on Wednesday:

This game has that Mark Dantonio “trickeration” feel. Like they could win the game on a trick play with a cool name like “little giants” (Notre Dame) or “mouse trap” (Northwestern)

Perhaps it’s time to give the nickname “riverboat gambler” to Dantonio after his gutsy 2nd quarter to remember. (After all, he did say at NU in ’10 “I’ve always been a risk-taker.”)

A cajones call on a critical 4th-1 set up one touchdown. Another touchdown on a lateral from Keith Nichol to B.J. Cunningham. Followed by a direct snap to Sontag for a 2-pt conversion that no one saw coming.

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Michigan St. QB’s Strong Words for Bowl System, League, Michigan

December 4, 2011 By 5 Comments

kirk-cousins

Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins is a very accomplished player. He re-wrote much of the Spartans record book for passing, and winning. So he has a lot of room to talk.

Tonight’s inaugural Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis was an instant classic. It featured a lot of scoring and lead changes, and came down to the wire. Unfortunately for MSU it was decided on two questionable calls that went against them, and they lost their lead in the final minutes.

We know college football is a very emotional game, and this was an extraordinarily emotional loss for State. And Cousins had some interesting things to say in postgame.

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Can Michigan State Reach the Rose Bowl? B1G Championship Game Preview

December 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

kirk-cousins

Here we go- the inaugural Big Ten Championship game- a play-in game for the Rose Bowl. Something MSU has has been playing for and focusing on for awhile.

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.

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Ohio State Extends Badgers Nightmare on the Road (Rapid Reaction)

October 29, 2011 By 1 Comment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In what has become a very bizarre or mediocre year (whatever you would like to call it) in the Big Ten, one of the conference’s perceived best received their second loss. Dan “Boom” Herron and Braxton Miller ran wild as the Ohio State Buckeyes shocked the Wisconsin Badgers in a 33-29 win.

Ohio State’s (5-4, 2-2) offense methodically out-played Wisconsin’s (6-2, 2-2) offense and took advantage of many defensive miscues from the Badgers. None bigger than the secondary’s blown coverage with 20 seconds in the fourth quarter when Miller connected with Devin Smith for a wide-open and game-winning 40 yard touchdown.
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Fickell isn’t Jim Tressel, and that’s just the way he wants it

July 30, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The Sports Bank’s, Jeff Beck, reporting from day two of Big Ten Football Media Day in Chicago. 

It was late, 11 p.m. on a Friday night a week and a half after Jim Tressel had been dismissed as head coach of the Ohio State program, when an undoubtedly drained Luke Fickell worked alone in his office.  Much had transpired in that week and a half.  In the blink of an eye, the coach of the past decade was gone, the star quarterback had jumped ship for the NFL, Ohio State was plastered on the cover of Sports Illustrated for all of the wrong reasons, and questions swirled about the future of the very program that had been a pillar of stability in the Big Ten for years.  But one thing hadn’t happened.  Fickell hadn’t moved into Tressel’s old office.

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