MSU falls to Penn State

With a final score of 49-18, it wasnt quite the game any spartan wanted to watch. While MSU may not be going to the Rose Bowl, and didnt win a Big Ten title, they will likely play in the Capital One Bowl or Outback Bowl possibly against Georgia, Louisiana State or South Carolina.

I have seen it said that MSU won all the games they were supposed to win, now they need to focus on winning the games they are expected to lose.

Dantonio on MSU's lack of success against California, Ohio State and Penn State -- mid to top tier teams in their respective conferences:

"When the stakes have been high here, we get very excited to play, we work very hard, there's confidence there, but we just can't seem to catch on fire and play ourselves back into a football game."

On a lighter note, Javon Ringer scored his 21st touchdown, tying the record.

MSU vs. Penn State... TODAY!

No. 15 Michigan State football team takes on No. 8 Penn State today at 3:30 p.m. in State College, Pa. This would be MSU's first Big Ten title since 1990.

This is the 26th matchup between the two teams , with a series concluding in 12-12-1. The last 10 out of 12 games has been won by the home team. The winner receives the Land-Grant Trophy. The trophy honors the two universities’ unique places in history as the two pioneer land-grant schools in the nation. Each institution was founded in 1855, Michigan State on Feb. 12 and Penn State on Feb. 22. Since 1993, Penn State leads the series 11-4.

Michigan State has nine wins in 2008, marking the 10th time in program history the team has won at least nine games in a season and the first time since 1999. It also marks just the third time MSU has won nine games since 1966.

Head coach Mark Dantonio has won 16 games in his fi rst two seasons, securing the highest total
by a Spartan coach in his first two seasons. Chester Brewer held the previous record with 14 wins in 1903-04. Dantonio is one of 15 semifinalists for the George Munger Award (Coach of the Year).

GAME COVERAGE:

ABC will televise the MSU-Penn State game live to a regional audience, with Mike Patrick handling the play-by-play, Todd Blackledge providing color commentary and Holly Rowe serving as the sideline reporter.

The game can be heard live on XM Satellite Radio (Channel 198), as well as various radio stations across the state.

Weather:

Pre Game we are looking at about mid to upper 20's, with possible flurries, with a 10-12 mph wind effect. About half time the flurries should tapper off giving a clear sky until end game.


Motivational Video:

A Disappointing Win

"They just controlled the tempo from the start. We didn't play that great of a defense. We just didn't do the things that we normally do. It was just a disappointing win," says Raymar Morgan, who scored eight of his team-leading 22 points during the decisive run.

Izzo was also disappointed his uptempo team couldn't do a better job of setting the pace. "I thought they took the tempo to us and then we got a little frustrated, out of control, took some bad shots, we missed some good shots, some layups and things," he said.

IPFW coach Dane Fife was proud of how his team played.

"I thought we did really good job of taking away or limiting what Michigan State does best. I thought for the most part we battled on the glass," he said. "I would say we still have work to do as basketball team. A lot of work to do."

Izzo, who agreed to play at Fort Wayne because he is friends with Fife, whom he tried to recruit when he was in high school, said he hopes it was a good experience for his team as they travel to Orlando, Fla., to play in the Old Spice Classic then play top-ranked North Carolina in Detroit.

"What happens when you go on the road, every shot they made became bigger for them and more depressing for us and that's why its hard to play these games on the road," he said.

Read the entire article here.

On the road to IPFW

Tonight the Men's Basketball team is going to be playing at Ft. Wayne, In. MSU has played IPFW (Indiana university-Purdue university Fort Wayne) four times in the last three seasons, however this season is the first time MSU is going to their territory.

The last time there two teams played, Dec. 15 2007, MSU defeated IPFW with a score of 79-57, giving MSU a 4-0 record against the Mastodons.

The Masodons head coach, Dane Fife has recorded a 35-54 record as a collegiate head coach. He is the youngest head coach within Division I basketball, his is 29 years old. Prior to this position, he was an assistant coach at Indiana, under Mike Davis.

Before we call this game another win for MSU, we really have to watch out for Marquise Gray. When Gray plays well, MSU plays well, but when he is having an off game, its a much tougher battle. Lets hope he will continue grabbing those rebounds and putting up some points.

That being said, I think theres a good chance MSU has this game in the bag. The game starts at 7pm.

MSU vs. Iowa

Check! 100-62. Way to go MSU and way to go Chris Allen, leading the Spartans by scoring 21pts, a career high. Raymar Morgan also scored 21 pts and Kalin Lucas had 13pts with 9 assists.

Michigan State controlled the ball and controlled the game, never giving a break, and the score makes it look like one of their exhibition games.

This puts another notch on the Men's basketball team winning its 32nd straight home opener.

At the half MSU was in the lead with 54-29.

Their next game is on Wed. the 19th, and will be at Fort Wayne, Indiana. After that they will play Maryland on Thanksgiving, then Oklahoma State or Gonzaga, and maybe Tennessee or Georgetown, in a three game tourny.

A few days later, Michigan State will match up with top-ranked North Carolina at Ford Field in Detroit -- the site of the Final Four.

Mens Basketball Season Opener

Get ready for the Izzone! The season opener will be on Sunday, Nov. 16 against Iowa at 6 p.m Coverage will be on the BigTenNetwork.

The mens basketball team has already played to exhibition games, defeating both Northern Michigan (118-57) and Lake Superior State (112-69).

You can look at their schedule here or click on the link on the link bar.

Also getting ready for this season is Coach Izzo himself, and he plans on celebrating by opening a website called CoachIzzo.com. The expected date the site will open has not yet been announced.

2008-2009 Team Roster:

MSU Factoid

One of Top 100 Global Universities (Newsweek/MSNBC rankings)

More than 140 active linkage agreements with international organizations in more than 50 countries

More Rhodes Scholars in past 25 years than any other Big Ten school

Sponsored research totaled nearly $377 million in 2006-07

Top federal funding agencies: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and U.S. Department of Agriculture

Notable discoveries include:

• Cross-fertilization of corn in the 1870s
• Homogenization of milk in the 1930s
• Anticancer drug cisplatin in the 1960s
• Materials that reduce dependence on fossil fuels in the twenty-first century

MSU Extension reaches into all 83 counties in Michigan to provide practical, university-based knowledge

MSU Global extends academic and professional degree and certificate programs to off-campus learners, with more than 13,000 enrollments in 29 degree and certificate programs, making MSU one of the top three in online learning in the Big Ten

Other externally funded national and international research programs include the MSU-Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, the Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment, the Composite Vehicle Research Center, the U.S.-China Center for Research on Educational Excellence, the Center for Advanced Study of International Development, and the Center for International Business Education and Research

University Outreach and Engagement connects faculty with external audiences to address community issues

MSU Factoid

Located in East Lansing, three miles east of Michigan’s Capitol in Lansing

• 5,200-acre campus with 2,100 acres in existing or planned development
• 579 buildings, including 85 with instructional space

15,000 acres throughout Michigan used for agricultural, animal, and forestry research
More than 200 programs of study offered by 17 degree-granting colleges
Students from all 83 counties in Michigan, all 50 states in the United States, and about 130 other countries
46,045 total: 36,072 undergraduate and 9,973 graduate and professional
54 percent women, 46 percent men (gotta love that!)

7.4 percent African American, 5.1 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.8 percent Chicano/Other Hispanic, and 0.7 percent Native American
Freshman class profile (middle 50 percent of class): high school GPA, 3.4-3.8; SAT combined score, 1020-1240; ACT composite score, 23-27