FanPost

10 Questions for MSU Football

As I sit here skimming articles written for the website there is one that particularly caught my interest entitled "10 Questions for MSU basketball". That being said i decided to take it upon myself to write a similar article for the upcoming football season. After deliberation with my roommate we came up with these 10 questions:

  1. Will the secondary be able to hold against opposing teams' air attacks?
  2. How will the loss of a few key OL players affect out game?
  3. Will we really have ANY kicking game outside of Aaron Bates?
  4. Where can Greg Jones improve his game?
  5. Which running back (If any) will emerge as the top back?
  6. How will we address the loss of Blair White?
  7. How will distractions affect the team?
  8. What player is looking to have a nationally noticed break out season?
  9. Which big ten team do you see causing Kirk Cousins any difficulty?
  10. Which games are must wins and overall prediction.
And my answers....
  1. I see this as MSU's biggest problem in the upcoming season as does anyone who watches Michigan State Football. Last year was not pretty on its own with MSU ranking at the bottom of the big ten (and the country) in passing yards given up. Losing players like Fortener and Ware did not help either. But i honestly see us only being able to improve from here. So best of luck i suppose...
  2. I am comfortable with most of the offensive line actually. The spots i am mildly concerned with are RG and LT. The loss of Rocco Cironi and Brendan Moss at LT suddenly leave the position for John Deyo and DJ Young. (I bet you don't know much about them either) On the 2010 depth chart we have Chris MacDonald (soph) listed at the top and Antonio Jeremiah (red shirted JR) behind him. I have not watched either play too much but i can tell you that AJ outweighs MacDonald by a whopping 65 lbs. That is not a tiny difference...
  3. Brett Swenson has got some pretty big shoes to fill. Literally and figuratively. His possible replacements? Kevin Muma and Dan Conroy... oh my. While watching the spring game this year it became clear that the field goals will drop drastically this season as Dan Conroy was 1 for 2, making a 31 yard kick and missing a 35 yarder. While Kevin Muma made his lone attempt from 19 yards out.
  4. The biggest area that the All American can improve upon in his game is his pass defense. IF a team dare run the ball, you can be rest assured Mr. Jones will be from sideline to sideline before you can say "Greg Jones, WHO?" But alas, he has some issues with falling for fakes and overcompensating. At times he can even seem lackadaisical. Improving upon these areas will not only result in a better season but also a higher draft stock for next year.
  5. Jeez this is a tough question. Larry Caper and Edwin Baker are the two returning starters while Nick Hill and Le'Veon Bell are the two incoming freshmen with incredible potential. Watching Edwin Baker's speed always amazes me and supposedly Nick Hill has got the moves and quickness to be a true performer. This should really be an exciting battle between the four but i find it hard to pick one at the moment.
  6. This one is surprisingly easy to answer! The depth of the Spartans at WR and TE is probably top 5 in the country. The list includes Keyshawn Martin, Keith Nicol and Charlie Gantt starting. And players like BJ Cunningham and Mark Dell coming off the bench? Scary... I like to look at Nicol as a slightly underdeveloped version of White. Big, strong, possession receiver. And I look at Keyshawn Martin as the explosive, quick, big play maker. Should be very fun to watch these guys play.
  7. I really do not see anything from the rather hall incident having too much of a negative effect. The men who seemed to cause the most damage (mainly Glenn Winston) are gone. With Mark Dantonio's seemingly "hard ass" football philosophy, the only way I see this issue being brought up is if the Spartans make it to a national stage and the media brings it back. Otherwise I see nothing but clear skies ahead.
  8. I see essentially two players other than Greg Jones who are eager to make a name for themselves. The first has already begun to get national recognition: Keyshawn Martin. With his explosive quickness he is looking to get noticed as one of the nations top kick returners. The second player is Kirk Cousins, who has failed to get proper credit despite putting up fantastic numbers in the Big Ten. With all the weapons at his disposal this season I find it hard to believe the media will be able to ignore him any longer.
  9. The biggest problem facing Kirk Cousins this year is the Iowa Hawkeyes. A big, hard hitting defense with a strong secondary may create problems in his decision making as well as his ability to get comfortable in the pocket.
  10. I hate to sound optimistic about Spartan Football because it makes me feel a tad uncomfortable, but i see the boys in green going 8-4 and possibly even 9-3!!! Do i think 9-3 will happen? Doubtful, but i would not rule it out immediately. Absolute worst case scenario is 6-6, but I have a hard time imagining that. I think out losses will come from: @Iowa, @Penn State, Wis (home) and then one other very tough loss whether it be @NW or dare i say @Mich. The must wins this year in order for a successful MSU season are the 2 losses i previously mentioned. Both are very winnable and i have a hard time picturing myself enjoying the season without a W coming out of Ann Arbor.

This is a FanPost, written by a member of the TOC community. It does not represent the official positions of The Only Colors, Inc.--largely because we have no official positions.