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Football Media Center: Wisconsin
Sept. 25, 2009
As the Michigan State football team (1-2) prepares to take on Wisconsin (3-0) Saturday at 12 p.m. ET in Camp Randall Stadium, catch up on all the latest information on the Spartans. The game will be televised on ESPN. GAMEDAY COVERAGE: BROADCAST COVERAGE: RADIO: The Spartan Sports Network, featuring veteran play-by-play announcer George Blaha, color analyst Jim Miller, sideline reporter Jason Strayhorn and broadcast host Will Tieman, will broadcast the game to 35 affiliates throughout the state. Michigan State football broadcasts can be heard on flagship stations WJIM (AM 1240)/WMMQ (FM 94.9) in Lansing and WJR Radio (AM 760) in Detroit. The MSU-Wisconsin game also can be heard live on satellite radio: SIRIUS (Channel 123) and XM (Channel 144). GAME NOTES: STATISTICS: DEPTH CHARTS:
LATEST VIDEO  Thursday Chalk Talk Coach Dantonio Weekly Press Conference Spartan Football All-Access
LISTEN TO SPARTAN SPORTS PODCASTS: FIRST-AND-10 (what you need to know about the MSU-Wisconsin matchup) - • Michigan State defensive line coach Ted Gill served as (Wisconsin head coach) Bret Bielema's position coach at Iowa from 1990-92. Bielema spent the 1994 season as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, working for Coach Gill. • Michigan State enters its 57th season of Big Ten competition with a 30-22-4 record (.571) in league openers. The Spartans are 6-4 in Big Ten openers since 1999. • Michigan State is 4-1 (.800) in Big Ten openers vs. Wisconsin, including a 2-1 mark in games played in Camp Randall Stadium. The Spartans open Big Ten play against the Badgers for the second time in the last three years. • The Spartans lead the Big Ten and rank 14th in the NCAA in passing offense, averaging 295.7 yards per game. Michigan State threw for 354 yards against Notre Dame - its highest single-game total since Jeff Smoker passed for 357 yards in a 41-20 victory over Penn State in the 2003 regular-season finale. • Junior linebacker Greg Jones leads the Big Ten and ranks sixth in the NCAA in tackles, averaging 12.7 stops per game. Jones also is listed among the Big Ten leaders in tackles for loss (tied for fifth at 1.5 per game). He leads the team in tackles (38 total), tackles for loss (4.5 for 19 yards) and production points (51). • Jones made nine stops at Notre Dame, ending his streak of consecutive games with double-figure tackles at nine. He averaged 12.8 tackles during that nine-game stretch, and it marked the longest streak by a Spartan since Chuck Bullough produced double-digit tackles in 15 straight games in 1990-91 (Oct. 20, 1990, game vs. Illinois through Nov. 2, 1991, game vs. Northwestern). Bullough averaged 15.7 tackles during his 15-game streak. • Fifth-year senior Blair White leads the Spartans in receptions (22), receiving yards (342) and touchdown catches (4). The 6-foot-2, 200-pound White leads the Big Ten in TD receptions and ranks second in both receptions (7.3 per game) and receiving yards (114.0 per game). White also is listed among the NCAA leaders in both receiving yards (No. 10) and receptions (tied for No. 11). Seventeen of his 22 catches (77 percent) have produced either a first down or a score, including six gains of 20 or more yards. • Sophomore quarterback Kirk Cousins leads the Big Ten and ranks 14th in the NCAA in passing efficiency with his 164.3 rating. In three starts, Cousins has completed 46-of-70 throws (.657) for 649 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. He also ranks among the conference leaders in passing yards (No. 6 at 216.3 yards per game) and total offense (No. 7 at 215.7 ypg.). • Cousins completed 23-of-35 throws for 302 yards, one TD and one interception in Michigan State's 33-30 loss at Notre Dame. He set career highs for completions, attempts and passing yards against the Irish. His 302 passing yards mark the third-best single-game total by a Spartan quarterback against Notre Dame (Drew Stanton - 327 in 2005; Ed Smith - 306 in 1978). THE LAST MEETING - Wisconsin finished with 12 penalties for 121 yards and Michigan State had two for 30. After the Badgers went ahead by 11 with 9:19 left, they were called for delay of game and Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema was called for unsporstmanlike conduct to give Michigan State 20 yards on a 64-yard drive for a TD. The Spartans held Wisconsin to a three-and-out drive and Swenson kicked a 50-yard field goal, then Wisconsin had a chance to seal the victory. But a holding penalty negated a run to the Michigan State 4 and a first down. Then, a false start pushed the Badgers back to the 40 and led to a punt. The Spartans had the ball at their 17 with no timeouts and 1:19 left on the game-winning drive. Hoyer connected with Blair White twice on 20- and 32-yard receptions and his last pass was to B.J. Cunningham over the middle for a short gain with the clock running. The Spartans scrambled to get lined up for a field goal, but were given a chance to set up because Wisconsin called a timeout with 12 seconds left. Swenson was 4-for-4 on field goals, carrying the offense in perhaps the most clutch performance by a kicker in Michigan State history as Javon Ringer was held to 54 yards and Hoyer completed just 43 percent of his passes and didn't throw a TD pass. Ringer was about 100 yards rushing short of his average, but did scored two TDs after being slowed by flulike symptoms during the week. Hoyer was 19-of-44 for 252 yards, connecting with White seven times for 164 yards. Wisconsin's John Clay ran for 111 yards, including a 32-yard TD that gave the Badgers a 24-13 lead early in the fourth quarter, and P.J. Hill had 106 yards rushing and a score that gave them an 11-point lead in the third. Garrett Graham, making up for the loss of star tight end Travis Beckum, had six catches for 68 yards and the game's first TD. THE LAST MEETING IN CAMP RANDALL STADIUM - The Badgers seemed in complete control late in the third quarter after Hill ran for his second touchdown from a yard out to give Wisconsin a 34-24 lead. However, Michigan State answered with 10 straight points, first off Brian Hoyer's 3-yard TD pass to Mark Dell to cap a 13-play drive with 13:54 to play. Tyler Donovan, who finished 17-of-24 for 247 yards and two scores, had been sharp to that point leading the Badgers, but he didn't see safety Travis Key, who went right to the spot Donovan was looking for an easy interception. Brett Swenson kicked a 35-yard field goal to tie the game at 34-all with just over 12 minutes to play. Wisconsin retook the lead after Michigan State had three costly penalties, the final one a defensive holding call in the end zone. Hill, who had 34 carries, couldn't punch it in from inside the 1 and Taylor Mehlhaff kicked a 22-yard field goal, his third of the day, to give the Badgers a 37-34 lead with 6:15 left. Michigan State's defense held for one final drive, and the Spartans took over with 2:11 to play on their own 40. They quickly moved back to the Badgers 38 before the drive stalled on fourth-and-2 when Hoyer's first option on a screen pass was covered and he missed a leaping Ringer to end the Spartans' chances. DANTONIO PARTICIPATES IN COACH TO CURE MD PROJECT - Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is the most common fatal genetic disorder diagnosed during childhood and primarily affects boys across all races and cultures. Boys and young men with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy develop progressive muscle weakness that eventually causes loss of mobility, wheelchair dependency and a decline in respiratory and cardiac function. Currently, there is no cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and limited therapeutic options exist. The Duchenne gene is found on the X-chromosome, so it primarily affects boys - approximately one in every 3,500 live male births across all races and cultures. In a partnership with PPMD, all coaches in the AFCA have been invited to participate in Coach to Cure MD: a one-day, game-day awareness event and fundraiser for Duchenne research. Football fans can donate to Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research by either going online to www.CoachtoCureMD.org or by texting the word "CURE" to 90999 (a $5 donation will automatically be added to your next phone bill and standard text message rates apply). "College football coaches are dedicated to the betterment of young men and that's why the entire coaching profession is proud to be a part of Coach to Cure MD," AFCA executive director and legendary former Baylor coach Grant Teaff said. "Our coaches are determined to beat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and we need college football fans to help." "Once again, I'm excited to participate in the Coach to Cure MD project," Coach Dantonio said. "I join college coaches across America in an attempt to build awareness about this disorder and encourage fans to provide their financial support to assist researchers, who are hard at work trying to find a treatment and cure." Last year, some 2,675 college coaches participated in the inaugural Coach to Cure MD event that helped generate more than $270,000 in cash donations and advertising. "We are thrilled to be teammates again this year with the AFCA for Coach to Cure MD," founding president and CEO of PPMD Pat Furlong said. "The commitment of the coaches and universities that are participating is truly inspiring. We are taking a comprehensive approach in the fight against Duchenne--funding research, raising awareness, promoting advocacy, connecting the community, and broadening treatment options. And with the support of the AFCA and college football fans everywhere, we are confident that we will end Duchenne." JONES: A MODEL OF CONSISTENCY -
The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Jones made nine stops at Notre Dame, ending his streak of consecutive games with double-figure tackles at nine. He averaged 12.8 tackles during that nine-game stretch, and it marked the longest streak by a Spartan since Chuck Bullough produced double-digit tackles in 15 straight games in 1990-91 (Oct. 20, 1990, game vs. Illinois through Nov. 2, 1991, game vs. Northwestern). Bullough averaged 15.7 tackles during his 15-game streak. Jones matched his career high with 15 tackles against Central Michigan, including 1.5 for losses (3 yards). The 2009 Big Ten Preseason Defensive Player of the Year registered 14 tackles in the season opener against Montana State, with three resulting in losses (16 yards) including 1.5 sacks (11). WHITE KEYS EXPLOSIVE PASSING GAME - White caught six passes for 75 yards and two scores in Michigan State's 33-30 loss at Notre Dame. He scored on a 30-yard pass from wide receiver Keshawn Martin in the second quarter and a 17-yard strike from Kirk Cousins in the fourth quarter that gave the Spartans a 30-26 lead. The Saginaw, Mich., native recorded his second-straight 100-yard receiving game with seven catches for 105 yards against Central Michigan. He had a career-high nine receptions for 162 yards and two TDs in the 2009 season opener against Montana State. White scored on TD grabs of 15 and 24 yards from Cousins against the Bobcats. His 162 receiving yards were just 2 yards shy of his career best (164 vs. Wisconsin in 2008). Almost one-third of his receiving yards (51 of 162) came after the catch against Montana State. A former walk-on, White has 68 career receptions for 1,026 yards (15.1 avg.) and five TDs. The Saginaw, Mich., native has four career 100-yard receiving games. COUSINS OFF TO A SOLID START - The 6-foot-3, 202-pound Cousins completed 23-of-35 throws for 302 yards, one TD and one interception in Michigan State's 33-30 loss at Notre Dame. He set career highs for completions, attempts and passing yards against the Irish. His 302 passing yards mark the third-best single-game total by a Spartan quarterback against Notre Dame (Drew Stanton - 327 in 2005; Ed Smith - 306 in 1978). Cousins hit 13-of-18 passes for 164 yards and a score in MSU's 29-27 loss to Central Michigan. With the score tied at 20, he went 5-for-5 for 59 yards on a 13-play, 80-yard drive as the Spartans took a 27-20 lead on his 35-yard TD strike to B.J. Cunningham with 7:33 left in the game. In his first career start, Cousins completed 10-of-17 throws for 183 yards and a career-best three scores against Montana State in the 2009 season and home opener. He completed TD strikes of 29 yards to Cunningham, and 15 and 24 yards to Blair White. He connected on 7-of-11 passes for 118 yards and two TDs in the first half against the Bobcats. SWENSON EMERGES AS A TOP CONTENDER FOR THE GROZA AWARD - The 5-foot-8, 185-pound senior placekicker accounted for 11 points in Michigan State's season-opening 44-3 victory over Montana State, hitting 2-of-2 field-goal attempts and all five extra-point tries. Swenson ranks first among NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision active leaders in scoring, with 302 career points. His 57 career field goals rank second among all-active NCAA FBS kickers, trailing only Alabama's Leigh Tiffin (61 made). The Pompano Beach, Fla., native currently ranks No. 10 (tied with Penn State's Brett Conway, 1993-96) in kick scoring in Big Ten history. Swenson needs just two more field goals to join the conference's all-time Top 10 in that statistical category. He ranks among MSU's all-time leaders in field goals (tied for second), scoring (third) and extra points (third with 131 made). With his first two extra points against Notre Dame, Swenson tied Dave Rayner's (2003-04) school record with 76 consecutive PATS; however, his third attempt was blocked by the Irish. BATES IMPACTS FIELD POSITION - The 6-foot, 192-pound junior averaged 45.0 yards on three punts at Notre Dame, including two kicks downed inside the Irish 20-yard line. He averaged 45.6 yards on five punts against Central Michigan, including four kicks downed inside the Chippewa 20. His 41.3-yard career average ranks seventh in MSU history and 16th among active NCAA FBS punters. Bates has placed 52 of his 150 career punts (35 percent) inside the opponent's 20. |
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