EAST LANSING – What would a "measuring stick" performance for Michigan State football against Notre Dame look like before Big Ten play begins the following week?
Pat Fitzgerald countered with a more existential question.
"Can you define what that means?" the first-year coach said Monday, Sept. 14. "I don't know what that means. It's like 'guns ablazing.' What does that mean?"
GET READY: More Fitzmagic at Notre Dame? MSU coach has good history in South Bend
The term was then defined as what – beyond a win – are the two or three things he wants to see from the 2-0 Spartans as they take the road for the first time to face the No. 3 Irish (2-0). But Fitzgerald's attention wasn't even on traveling to the college football mecca in South Bend, Indiana.

#first #east

The Big Ten has announced the kickoff time for Nebraska's Big Ten opener. The Huskers will face the Michigan State Spartans in East Lansing, MI, on Saturday, Sept. 26, with kickoff at 4 p.m. CT.
The game will air on BTN for the second straight week, as this week's matchup with North Dakota will also air on BTN. Apart from Nebraska's Black Friday game against the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Huskers' remaining Big Ten kickoff times have yet to be announced.
The Big Ten opener will be the 15th game between the Huskers and the Spartans. Nebraska leads the series 10-4 and won the last meeting 38-27 in Lincoln in 2025.
Nebraska returns to action on Saturday, Sept. 19, when the Huskers host North Dakota. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:15 p.m. CT and will air on BTN.
Contact/Follow us CornhuskersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Nebraska news, notes and opinions.

#Nebraska #sept #north #dakota

Michigan State beat Eastern Michigan 35-7 on Saturday, but the Spartans went into halftime leading only 14-7 after giving up a 13-play, 78-yard touchdown drive to the Eagles in the second quarter. Pat Fitzgerald did not hide his frustration with it afterward, as he mentioned in a Michigan State Spartans press conference video.
"We've got to be better fundamentally in the second quarter. We weren't doing a great job of block destruction, we weren't fitting gaps right," Fitzgerald said. "The play they scored on we practiced. You know, there was a lot of not very happy people on our defensive headphones and defensive staff when we went in at halftime. Should have never happened."
The run defense is mostly to blame for the touchdown drive. Of the Eagles' 78 yards, 67 came on the ground. The touchdown came when Noah Kim faked the handoff to his running back and took it in himself from four yards out without being touched by a defender.
"I thought, you know, Nick (Sheridan) and Joe (Rossi) and LeVar (Woods) were right on at halftime," Fitzgerald said. "By the time I even got up in the locker room after doing a couple interviews on the field, they had already had the things that I expected I was going to say."
Once the Spartans got to halftime, the coaching staff quickly addressed the effort and made sure the players didn't make the easy mistakes that had left the field open for the Eagles. The defense locked in after the break, allowing under 70 yards across Eastern Michigan's four second-half possessions.

#halftime #second

EAST LANSING — Michigan State coach Pat Fitzgerald thinks he may have his most important defensive player back for next week's game against Notre Dame.
In his postgame press conference after a 35-7 win over Eastern Michigan on Saturday, Sept. 12, Fitzgerald said that starting middle linebacker Jordan Hall was not cleared for the game by medical personnel but could be available for Week 3's rivalry game in South Bend.
"Jordan was really close playing today," Fitzgerald said. "Medical team told us that he was not cleared here late in the week. We made that decision collectively together to make sure that we think about his health, safety, and well-being. And I expect if we practice tomorrow that he'll be ready to go."
Hall made 88 tackles last season to lead Michigan State's defense and is a two-time captain. The senior made four tackles in 25 snaps in Week 1's win over Toledo but came on and off the field with a right elbow injury sustained on the second drive of the season. He walked into Spartan Stadium on Saturday with a brace on that right arm.
MSU LB Jordan Hall with a brace on his right elbow as he takes the Spartan Walk.

Saw him wince on a couple of handshakes. We’ll see how he looks in warmups.detroitnews pic.twitter.com/qklOKEfVbs

#game #spartan

Updated Sept. 11, 2026 2:42 pm ET
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1420 ET – Gold futures hold steady as a pullback in oil prices helps offset the impact of an inflation report that increased expectations for a Fed interest-rate rise next week. Front-month gold settles little changed on the day in New York at $4,366.20 a troy ounce, and is down 1.4% for the week. Gold and silver remain within a range of strong support, says Peter Cardillo of Spartan Capital, and if the Fed does raise interest rates next week “it’s symbolic since the bond market had already tightened.” Silver settles up 0.4% at $64.554 a troy ounce, down 2.3% from a week ago. (anthony.harrupwsj.com)
1306 GMT – Gold prices rebounded after oil prices fell more than 2.5%, easing some inflationary concerns. Futures in New York rise 0.3% to $4,422.40 a troy ounce, but remain on track for a weekly loss. U.S. consumer prices accelerated in August, bolstering market expectations that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates next week. According to the FedWatch tool, traders are now pricing in a nearly 87% probability that the U.S. central bank will raise interest rates next week, from around 67% earlier on Friday. Still, “while the markets appear to be placing their proverbial bets on a hike, it’s likely that members of the FOMC won’t be quite as unequivocal,” says Kyle Rodda from Capital.com. “The doves on the committee, of which there are many, are likely to argue the case that the dip in annual core inflation justifies patience.” (giulia.petroniwsj.com)

#week #Gold #next #rates

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Cam Edwards rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns and Alessio Milivojevic tossed two touchdown passes Saturday to help Michigan State to a 35-7 victory over Eastern Michigan.
The Spartans (2-0) broke away from a close game at the start of the third quarter with two quick touchdowns. Edwards ran for 2 yards on the first score and Milivojevic threw a 38-yard pass to Charles Taplin to put Michigan State up 28-7. Jazium Patterson also added 7-yard score midway through the fourth quarter.
Milivojevic completed 12 of 20 passes for 170 yards as the Spartans outgained the Eagles (1-2) 472-219.
Michigan State took a 14-7 halftime lead on Milivojevic's 18-yard touchdown pass to Fredrick Moore and Edwards' 1-yard run.
The Spartans led 14-0 after Edwards scored with 8:45 left in the second quarter, but Eastern Michigan responded with a 78-yard drive. Noah Kim scored on a 4-yard run with 1:50 remaining. The Eagles (1-2) were able to move the ball throughout the half but struggled to convert drives.

#michigan

FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Williams Valley Coach Frank Gaffney has said throughout the season that his team is resilient. That showed on Friday night, as the Vikings overcame an early deficit to beat North Schuylkill, 19-14.
North Schuylkill dominated the early action, controlling the ball for much of the first half.
The Spartans opened the game with a seven-minute, 16-play drive that covered 75 yards and ended with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Brake.
The North Schuylkill defense got off to an equally hot start and forced a three-and-out on each of Williams Valley's first two possessions.
The Vikings ran just eight plays, including two punts, in the first 18 minutes of the game.

#early

The Virginia Cavaliers did not mess around on Friday night, taking care of Norfolk State, 59-3. As expected, the 'Hoos overmatched the Spartans for 60 minutes, allowing all sorts of reserves to get live reps in the second half.
Three different UVA quarterbacks threw touchdown passes. Beau Pribula, who played the first two quarters, was once again ultra efficient, throwing for 162 yards on 12-of-14 passing with three touchdowns. Of note, Pribula did not have a single designed rushing attempt; offensive coordinator Des Kitchings chose to keep him upright and allow him to sling the rock from the pocket instead.
Backups Eli Holstein and Cole Geer ultimately had limited passing attempts, but both had one impressive throw to build on. Holstein opened the second half with a beautiful goal line fade to Ty'Lyric Coleman in the back corner of the end zone, while Geer found high school teammate Williem Thurber on a tight window up the seam for 28 yards in the fourth.
At the skill positions, wide receiver Jacquon Gibson got himself on the board with two touchdown catches from Pribula, after failing to reach the end zone a single time with UMass in 2025. Meanwhile, sophomore Xay Davis showcased his burst out of the backfield, totaling 107 ticks on 13 attempts.
On the defensive end, Kam Robinson made his way back to the field (in a limited capacity), a welcomed sight for the Cavalier faithful. The first-team secondary looked particularly strong, with Brandyn Hillman hauling in his second and third interceptions of the season, and Jacobie Henderson displaying some playmaking ability of his own. Sophomore linebacker Justin Rowe added a pick six in the final minutes for good measure.

#three

EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The Michigan State University Board of Trustees officially approved Dan Bartholomae as the school's new athletic director during its meeting on Friday.
Bartholomae comes to MSU from Western Michigan University, where he was the athletic director since 2022.
"The future of college athletics will belong to institutions that embrace innovation while remaining grounded in their mission," MSU President Kevin M. Guskiewicz, Ph.D., said in a release "At Michigan State, that mission is clear: to provide our student-athletes with an experience that prepares them to compete at the highest levels, earn a world-class education and become leaders who make a difference long after their playing days are over. Dan shares that commitment and has the experience, vision and values to lead Spartan Athletics into its next era. We are excited to start this next chapter with him as our leader."
The terms of the contract are unclear. Bartholomae's August 2025 contract with Western Michigan includes a $5.1 million buyout, partly offset by a $3.95 million buyout Michigan State negotiated with Kentucky over J Batt's departure.
Western Michigan won 37 total conference championships and made 35 NCAA postseason appearances during Bartholomae's tenure, and its men's hockey team won the 2025 NCAA championship. He also had success as a fundraiser during his time in Kalamazoo, where he led record-breaking fundraising efforts. Michigan State in a previous news release highlighted that the average annual giving increased by 473% under his tenure, while the number of unique donors increased by 105%.

#university #director

This year has been tougher than most, with absolutely nothing to go off of for Week 1, but now the belief systems start to kick in. While I lean a bit too heavily on the flaky historical trends this week, I'd be doing America a disservice if I didn't at least point them out.

It's Week 2. Let's have some fun.

Results So Far: 13-12
– CFN Week 2 Expert Picks
– Week 2 Schedule, Picks
Line: Michigan State -17.5
ATS Pick: Michigan State
– Game Prediction and Preview

Along with Michigan State being far better than an Eastern Michigan team that just lost to San Jose State and struggled against Sacramento State, there's a historical thing happening here.

Michigan State is 7-0 all-time against Eastern Michigan, and … fine. This is a goofy trend, but the Spartans really should roll in this.

The Spartans won 73-14 in 2014. 23-7 in 2012, 42-10 in 2008, 52-20 in 2006, 56-7 in 2002, 51-7 in 1999, and 47-0 in 1996. Six total wipeouts and one outlier on the 17.5 in 2012.
Line: Oregon -23.5
ATS Pick Oregon
– Game Prediction and Preview
If Oklahoma State is about to turn the machine on, fine, I'll tip my cap and move on. But I just can't get past this. It's not like 2025 North Texas, and all its star players now with Oklahoma State, did anything against the powerhouses.

The best win was against … Navy?

The Cowboys didn't look anywhere near close to being ready for primetime last week in the loss to Tulsa, and now they get an Oregon team coming off a mediocre performance against Boise State.

What happened the week after the last time Oregon had a tough fight against the Broncos? In 2024, it followed up the 37-34 win with a 49-14 domination at Oregon State.
Line: Indiana -56.5
ATS Pick Indiana
– Game Prediction and Preview

I have a personal rule to always pick the underdog that walks into a building up 50 or more against the spread. I whiffed on that last week, taking Utah Tech +51.5 against BYU – the Cougars won 63-7.

I ****** umed Miami -59.5 would stop scoring at some reasonable point against Florida A&M on Thursday night. The Hurricanes won 77-7. Indiana beat Indiana State 73-0 last season.

In the first year under Curt Cignetti, it beat Western Illinois 77-3. I'll take the chance that 56.5 might be laughably low against another FCS team if history repeats itself.

#line

GLASTONBURY - Eli Showerda kept the ball on an option from 1 yard out with 20 seconds remaining to lift the Maloney football team to a 35-28 season-opening victory over Glastonbury on Thursday night.
The senior quarterback did damage through the air, too, throwing two first-half touchdown passes before delivering the game-winning score on the ground.
His first touchdown pass, a 15-yarder to senior running back Devan Bacote, tied the game 14-14 in the first quarter. In the second quarter, Showerda connected with Jayden Soto over the middle for an 83-yard touchdown that gave the Spartans a 21-14 lead.
The game, however, was far from over.
Leading by eight with 4:41 remaining, Maloney watched Glastonbury put together a game-tying drive after Shane Santora returned the kickoff past midfield to give the Guardians excellent field position. Quarterback Matthew Cartwright capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown run before Glastonbury converted the 2-point conversion to tie the game 28-28 with 3:31 left.

#yard #showerda

GUILFORD - New seasons bring new faces. Those new faces could determine the success or failures of teams.
For the Guilford football team, it was a mix of new and old which made a difference in its season opener against Amity.
Behind 86 yards and a touchdown on the ground by junior Shane Connelly, 123 yards and a touchdown in the air by sophomore quarterback Ryan Lynch and a tough as nails defense, Guilford topped Amity 21-7 in a Southern Connecticut Conference contest at Kavanaugh Field at Guilford High Thursday evening.
"We practiced, we knew what they were going to do," Connelly said. "We knew their concepts, and what they were planning to do on us. I think we handled it perfectly."
For Amity, it was the story of missed opportunities as the Spartans could not capitalize until Colt Snowden connecting with Tyler McDaniel on a 10-yard touchdown with 4 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the game to cut the deficit to 14 points.

#shane

Here's the roundup of local high school football scores in Dutchess County and the surrounding areas for Week 1, as all teams finally hit the field to start competition.
The Spartans' Jalon Morgan was responsible for four touchdowns, three rushing and one passing in the win. Red Hook's Mike DeLango scored a rushing touchdown.
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: High school football Week 1 scoreboard for Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County

#poughkeepsie #school

EAST LANSING – Alessio Milivojevic took a knee to run out the clock. Wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. gave his quarterback a quick hug and pat on the helmet.
It was a victorious opener for Michigan State football thanks a few big plays by that duo. Yet the Spartans' offense struggled to find the end zone for much of their 30-20 victory over Toledo on Friday, Sept. 4, despite giving itself plenty of opportunities to score more.
Eliminating the "self-inflicted wounds," coach Pat Fitzgerald said, is among the primary fixes for his new team between game 1 and 2.
COACH SPEAK: Michigan State football seeing early returns from toughness tests
"We gotta finish drives," Fitzgerald said during his weekly press conference on Monday. "The football gods will not allow you to kick field goals and win a lot of games the way we just did."

#wide

Who was the area's top performer last week? You tell us.
You can vote for the high school athlete of the week until 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. You don't have to be a subscriber to vote.
De Pere football standout Max Goebel was last week's winner, receiving 3,536 votes. Northeastern Wisconsin Lutheran volleyball star Kiley Dhein was runner-up with 2,241 votes.
Here are this week's nominees. Be sure to vote in the poll below
Earned medalist honors with a 42 to help the Spartans win a triangular.

#week #northeastern

EAST LANSING – Alessio Milivojevic took a knee to run out the clock. Wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. gave his quarterback a quick hug and pat on the helmet.
It was a victorious opener for Michigan State football thanks a few big plays by that duo. Yet the Spartans' offense struggled to find the end zone for much of their 30-20 victory over Toledo on Friday, Sept. 4, despite giving themselves plenty of opportunities to score more.
Eliminating the "self-inflicted wounds," coach Pat Fitzgerald said, is among the primary fixes for his new team between game 1 and 2.
COACH SPEAK: Michigan State football seeing early returns from toughness tests
"We gotta finish drives," Fitzgerald said during his weekly press conference on Monday. "The football gods will not allow you to kick field goals and win a lot of games the way we just did."

#Football #fitzgerald #alessio #wide

EAST LANSING – Alessio Milivojevic took a knee to run out the clock. Wide receiver Rodney Bullard Jr. gave his quarterback a quick hug and pat on the helmet.
It was a victorious opener for Michigan State football thanks a few big plays by that duo. Yet the Spartans' offense struggled to find the end zone for much of their 30-20 victory over Toledo on Friday, Sept. 4, despite giving themselves plenty of opportunities to score more.
Eliminating the "self-inflicted wounds," coach Pat Fitzgerald said, is among the primary fixes for his new team between game 1 and 2.
COACH SPEAK: Michigan State football seeing early returns from toughness tests
"We gotta finish drives," Fitzgerald said during his weekly press conference on Monday. "The football gods will not allow you to kick field goals and win a lot of games the way we just did."

#michigan #fitzgerald

Michigan State football got the 2026 season started with a 30-20 win over Toledo. The Spartans, playing their first game under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, got the tenure started right with a victory.
While it was a double digit victory, things were not always pretty for the Spartans, who needed to overcome a small deficit in the fourth quarter after having a very disappointing third quarter. In the end, though, the Spartans were victorious and are 1-0 on the season.
On defense, it is an interesting unit to evaluate. The Spartans did give up 20 points, and 273 yards of offense, but most of that damage was done on five individual plays that accounted for over 75-percent of the Rockets offensive output. All in all, the Spartans got the job done, and got stops when they mattered most.
After the game, and evaluating the film, Pro Football Focus (Subscription Required) gave out their grades for the Spartans in the game.
Check out the top five defenders for the Spartans, according to PFF:

#spartans #quarter #done

Here are a few favorite images from the past week, selected by Utica Observer-Dispatch staff photographer Daniel DeLoach.
The Pioneers fell to the Bombers 3-1, with Utica's lone goal coming from senior defender Cora Kraft's 37-yard free kick.
New Hartford defeated Baldwinsville 2-1 in their home opener, with senior Grace Bannigan scoring twice and securing her 100th career point as a Spartan.
The Clinton Comets defeated the Indian River Wolves 2-1, with both first-half goals coming from seniors Kiersten Majka and Devyn Roy.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Top photos of the week from Daniel DeLoach of the Observer-Dispatch

#observer #dispatch #week #coming

ASHTABULA TOWNSHIP — When Conneaut couldn't get things going through the air, the team was more than happy to shift gears against Friday in a battle of unbeaten county teams.
Wyant Dobran and Isaiah Boles combined for 143 yards of rushing, mostly in the second half, as the Spartans rallied for a 20-17 win at Corlew Stadium.
Conneaut improved to 3-0, while the Warriors fell to 2-1.
Spartans coach Rocco Dobran said the key to win was the Spartans mantra of "Team over Me" that his team lived out on the field Friday night.
"We have a lot of talent this year, but we couldn't get our receivers the ball and the line wasn't throwing great blocks, so instead we went double-tight [formation] and ran the ball, and ******* ody was mad about it," he said.

#ball #ashtabula

Gardner-Webb stays on the road Saturday for an in-state rivalry matchup against Wofford at Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, with kickoff set for 1:30 PM ET on ESPN+.
Sep 20, 2025; Blacksburg, Virginia, USA; Wofford Terriers quarterback Jayden Whitaker (8) looks to pass during the fourth quarter against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Lane Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bishop-Imagn Images
Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Time: 1:30 PM ET
Channel: ESPN+

#stadium

Michigan State is looking to keep its five-year season-opening win streak alive Friday night as the Pat Fitzgerald era begins. However, Toledo will not be a pushover, as the Rockets have been competitive in the MAC for the past decade-plus and haven't had a losing record since 2009.
Matchup: Toledo Rockets at Michigan State Spartans
Kickoff: Friday, Sept. 4, 8 p.m. ET
Where: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing
Watch: FS1

#michigan #toledo #however #matchup

The start of the 2026 college football season looks like a wet one. So as rain and storms pound Michigan, how might Michigan State's opener against Toledo be impacted?
Fans travelling to Spartan Stadium should expect a damp pregame and tailgating experience on Friday, Sept. 4, but the good news is the weather appears set for clearing up by kickoff.
As of 11 a.m. Friday, AccuWeather forecasted at least a 50% chance of rain through 4 p.m., but the numbers go down the later you go into the evening. For the 8 p.m. kick against Toledo, AccuWeather gives it a 34% chance of precipitation in East Lansing.
Of course, rain can be chalked up as football weather. What fans really don't want to see is lightning, as every instance of a lightning strike within an eight-mile radius invokes an immediate 30-minute delay. Play does not resume until a full half-hour passes without a recorded strike.
The Weather Channel forecasts isolated thunderstorms around the 6 p.m. hour, but neither AccuWeather nor Weather Channel forecast any thunderstorms after 8 p.m.

#Rain #michigan #Friday #channel

Dutch Fork takes on Spartanburg tonight as the 2026 high school football schedule ramps up across the country.
Searching for how to watch the game live?
Fans can stream the South Carolina high school football game live on the NFHS Network from a laptop, mobile device or even Smart TV apps like Amazon Fire, Apple TV, Google TV and Roku.
Don't miss a moment of the game with on-demand replays, too.
Ahead of the kickoff, here's what to know about the Dutch Fork vs. Spartanburg clash.

#fork #Football

Michigan State football is back in action tonight and if you're heading to the stadium, here is your game day guide for the day.
The Spartans will open the 2026 season on Friday in a home game from Spartan Stadium against the Toledo Rockets of the Mid-American Conference. This will mark the first game under new head coach Pat Fitzgerald, who is bringing back plenty of excitement to Michigan State football among the fanbase. Now, he'll look to bring that same excitement to the field.
For fans planning to attend the game and be in East Lansing, Mich. today, Michigan State has released a full game day guide and timeline. Game day festivities will begin well before kickoff with parking lots for tailgating opening as early as 11 a.m. ET in some places. All lots will be open by 2 p.m. ET.
Fan pregame events will begin with the Meijer Fan Fest at 5 p.m. ET, which leads into the Team Spartan Walk at 5:40 p.m. ET. Stadium gates will open by 6:30 p.m. ET and kick off will follow not to long after officially set at 8:05 p.m. ET.
Click on the social media post below to see the complete game day guide from Michigan State:

#stadium #back

BECKER, MN — Entering the fourth quarter with a slim lead on Sept. 3, Becker took a commanding nine-point advantage with 7:48 left on the clock. In an outing that had been far from perfect, the Bulldogs could taste victory up two scores in the waning minutes of the game.
Then Orono senior quarterback Finn Dyvik found senior receiver Owen Paulson along the sideline for a 68-yard pitch-and-catch to score the first of 23 fourth quarter points for the Spartans to suck the out of Dwight Lundeen Stadium and escape with a win.
While it may not have been the storybook beginning to Becker's head coach Dwight Lundeen farewell tour after 57 seasons, the two most recent 4A champions did not disappoint as Orono bested Becker 35-28 thanks to its big fourth quarter effort.
Becker got the scoring started in the first half with a 14-0 lead heading into the locker room behind two first-half interceptions and a 40-yard touchdown reception from senior RJ Houle.
The reigning champs stayed calm, though. Coming out in the second half and scoring two unanswered touchdowns in the third quarter, including a second interception by Becker's senior quarterback Tristan Kowalkowski.

#becker #orono #dwight

Ahead of his first game as an opening-day starter, Michigan State quarterback Alessio Milivojevic spoke with the media about the team's readiness for Friday night's opener against Toledo, which is also Pat Fitzgerald's debut as head coach.
"There is excitement for every football game, but it just feels different," Milivojevic said in the SpartanMag video above. "It's hard to explain; I'm just ready to get back out there Friday and play."
With a roster that is mostly transfers and first-year players, the Spartans are looking to finally test themselves against a real opponent. They can practice together as much as they want, but they can't prove anything until game time.
"I think guys are just ready to go; the desire to get out there, you can feel it," Milivojevic said. "Guys are practicing 100% every day, ready to play someone other than our own team."
After going through training camp and the first half of last season as the backup, Milivojevic got a full offseason as the expected starter. Practicing with the other starters, instead of being plugged in halfway through the season, has made him more comfortable reading his receivers.

#Friday #every #play

East Lansing — Michigan State could win enough games to earn a bowl bid in Pat Fitzgerald's first year at the helm. The Spartans could also finish worse than they did last season.
Heading into Friday's opener against Toledo, one thinks Michigan State's offense might be a little better with a retooled offensive line and a star running back in Cam Edwards. One thinks the defense will benefit from having Jordan Hall and Nikai Martinez running the show, and a crop of adequate starters who are healthy. However, ***** ody knows until pads start cracking, crowds start roaring and TV networks cram as many ads as they can into mandatory commercial breaks. I think even Fitzgerald is curious to see just what he has on his hands once his guys line up against somebody else.
With a roster full of transfers and a new coaching staff leading the way, what exactly Michigan State has to work with this season is unknown — especially compared to the rest of the Big Ten. And it's that comparison where things have gotten tricky for the Spartans in four straight losing seasons.
The great challenge for MSU has been to make some noise in conference play, in which it is 9-27 the past four years and went 1-8 last season. It's a bleak record for a program that once put fear into opponents who walked into Spartan Stadium and proceeded to crawl out. Fitzgerald's task is to make this program scary again. Frightening to some, that process might take some time — longer than some may be willing to wait.
Where Michigan State benefits this season is its schedule. Five of its opponents are ranked in the bottom half of USA Today's preseason Big Ten poll. Likewise, using that poll the Spartans tie for the fourth weakest schedule behind Penn State, Illinois and UCLA. That doesn't consider travel nor the usual attrition of injuries, but it does show that there are a lot of what should be winnable games.

#state #last #line #running

Kaylee Holland scored two goals and had an ****** ist as Tulpehocken defeated Muhlenberg 4-0 in a high school field hockey match on Tuesday.
Also for the Trojans, Jocelyn Opalenick scored and had an ****** ist, Brynna Kiwak scored and Claire McClure had an ****** ist.
Octorara 3, Wyomissing 1: Spartans goal by Mayleen Armistead.
Hempfield 4, Twin Valley 1: TV goal by Myla Eisenhard.
Boys soccer

#jocelyn

OSHKOSH - The Papermakers scored a pair of first-half goals en route to the Fox Valley ****** ociation win over the Spartans.
Andrew Leskowicz opened the scoring at the 4:45 mark on an ****** ist from Remington Kreidler.
Dracen Brey added a goal at the 19:39 mark with an ****** ist from Kreidler.
VOTE NOW: Choose from seven nominees for Cellcom Post-Crescent athlete of the week
Kimberly outshot Oshkosh North 10-6 as Quinn Collett made five saves in net for the Papermakers.

#kreidler #valley