OPPOSING COACH'S TAKE
"You hear it all the time, but Mark Dantonio is a heck of a coach. As usual, he's got a very physical team. They take care of the football and aren't greedy. They're not worried about tempo and all the flash. They just kind of beat you into submission and get you to surrender as fast as they can. They do a great job of personnel groupings and mixing their plays. They use their personnel about as well as anybody I've ever seen.
That will help take some of the pressure off the new quarterback. [Senior] Tyler O'Connor started the Spartans' upset of Ohio State on the road last season. He's a solid passer who can run some, but no matter who starts, I'm sure Dantonio will play to his team's strengths, which means running the ball. They've got three very capable backs in [sophomore] LJ Scott, [junior] Gerald Holmes and [sophomore] Madre London, but I imagine the bruising [6-foot, 238-pound] Scott will be an even bigger force this season. With their experience on the interior offensive line, it'll be tough slowing down their ground attack.
On defense their first priority remains stopping the run. Malik McDowell [junior] is a monster who'll be playing on Sundays next season. [Senior] linebacker Riley Bullough is a tackling machine, and having back [linebacker] Ed Davis will help. The secondary could be the best the Spartans have had since 2013."
FAST FACTS
1
Maximum number of combined starts the Spartans' offensive tackles will have going into the season after former right tackle Kodi Kieler moved to center for his senior year.
43
Receptions as a junior last season by R.J. Shelton, the only returning wideout with more than two catches in '15.
10
Games missed last year by corner Vayante Copeland, who's back for his junior season after a vertebrae injury.
6
Years in school for senior OLB Ed Davis, who was sidelined for all of '15 with a torn ACL; he was third on the team in tackles for loss (12) and sacks (seven) two years ago.
280
Weight of 6'6" tackle Malik McDowell, the lone returning starter on a line that held opponents to 3.0 yards per carry or fewer six times in '15.
[The following text appears within a chart. Please see hardcopy or PDF for actual chart.]
5 YEAR TREND
WINS
15
12
9
6
3
11--3
7--6
13--1 (BIG TEN CHAMPS)
11--2
12--2 (BIG TEN CHAMPS)
YEAR
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
IMPACT FRESHMEN
Wide receivers DONNIE CORLEY and CAM CHAMBERS were four-star recruits. Both have size—Corley is 6'3" and 185 pounds, Chambers 6'3" and 207—and both enrolled last January to get a jump on learning the offense. If even one of them can develop into a downfield threat in the early going, it will provide a vital outlet in preventing opponents from ganging up on the run.
2016 SCHEDULE
FRIDAY 9/2
FURMAN
BYE
SATURDAY 9/17
AT NOTRE DAME [KEY MATCHUP]
SATURDAY 9/24
WISCONSIN
SATURDAY 10/1
AT INDIANA
SATURDAY 10/8
BYU
SATURDAY 10/15
NORTHWESTERN
SATURDAY 10/22
AT MARYLAND
SATURDAY 10/29
MICHIGAN [BIGGEST GAME]
SATURDAY 11/5
AT ILLINOIS
SATURDAY 11/12
RUTGERS
SATURDAY 11/19
OHIO STATE [KEY MATCHUP]
SATURDAY 11/26
AT PENN STATE
KEY MATCHUP
BIGGEST GAME
