Tagged: Michigan State football

Earle opens the show featuring co-host for the day, Jack Ebling.  He invites Lansing State Journal writer Chris Solari to discuss Michigan State football and off-season coaching changes.  Earle also hosts MSU baseball coach Jake Boss Jr.  He closes the show with Jack Ebling, and opens the lines for listeners.

On senior day for the Minnesota Golden Gophers, the Michigan State Spartans had one last chance to clinch a victory and attain bowl eligibility.

Michigan State started off the game strong with an interception at 12:11 in the first quarter, which led to a Dan Conroy 48-yard field goal.  

Minnesota tallied an interception of its own at 4:43, leading to a touchdown and taking the lead 7-3.  Dan Conroy hit another field goal to tighten the lead to 7-6 ending the first quarter.

The second quarter was scoreless until an intended Andrew Maxwell pass to Tony Lippett tipped into Bennie Fowler’s hands, leading to a 41-yard touchdown with only 1:28 left.

The Spartans led at halftime 13-7, as the half was highlighted by two interceptions from each quarterback.  Leading the Spartans was running back Le’Veon Bell, who totaled 124 yards rushing in the first half.

The third quarter was highlighted by two Dan Conroy field goals, and a field goal for Minnesota making it 19-10.  Highlighting the third was freshman Andre Sims, who had a career best 44-yard punt return to the Minnesota 7-yard line, which then was followed by a Dan Conroy field goal.

Michigan State added one more touchdown, and then ran off the clock for a 29-10 win.  Le’Veon Bell finished the game with 266 rushing yards on 35 carries.

With the win, the Spartans improve to 6-6 on the season and 3-5 in the Big Ten Conference.  Their potential bowl games include the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, Little Caesars Bowl, Meineke Car Care Bowl, or Heart of Dallas Bowl.  This is the sixth-straight bowl season for the Spartans.

The Michigan State Spartans had their bowl bid hopes on the line Saturday, as they faced the Northwestern Wildcats at Spartan Stadium. 

The opening Northwestern drive led to a field goal, tacked on by kicker Jeff Budzien. Michigan State responded tallying its first safety of the year, sacking quarterback Kain Colter with 2:43 left in the first quarter. 

Both teams failed to score touchdowns in the first half. The Spartans were 1-4 in the red-zone scoring with a field goal, while Northwesterns’ one red-zone chance led to a field goal, as they led at the half 6-5. 

The second half featured more scoring opportunities, as Andrew Maxwell threw an interception within the first minute that was returned for a Northwestern touchdown. Michigan State fired right back with a 15-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Aaron Burbridge, while successfully completing a two-point conversion to tie the game 13-13. 

After more scoring from both teams, the Wildcats pulled away late in the fourth quarter with another Budzien field goal at 7:30. The Spartans could not answer, committing two turnovers with the remaining time. 

Michigan State Dan Conroy set a record of 77 consecutive made extra points, tied for the most ever in Spartan history. Running back Le’Veon Bell, who had five 100-yard rush games leading up to today, finished with 133 yards on 32 carries. 

The Michigan State Spartans have now lost their last five games at home this season by a combined total of 13 points. One more win would give them a bowl berth, as they face the Minnesota Golden Gophers next Saturday with their last game of the season.