2006 Michigan State football preview

2005 Record: 5-6 (2-6 Big Ten)
Head Coach: John L. Smith

Players Drafted:
Eric Smith S - Round 3 - NY Jets
Domata Peko DT - Round 4 - Cincinnati
Chris Morris OC - Round 7 - Oakland

Top Recruits:
Eric Gordon ILB - 6'0" 220 Traverse City, MI
Charlie Gantt TE - 6'5" 230 Birmingham, MI
Colin Neely DE - 6'3" 250 Bethlehem, PA
John Stipek DE - 6'5" 240 Macomb, MI

Key Players Returning:
Javon Ringer RB
Jehuu Caulcrick RB
Drew Stanton QB
Jerramy Scott WR
Matt Trannon WR
Clifton Ryan DT
SirDarean Adams DB

The Spartans return 12 starters and 51 lettermen from their 2005 team which disappointed the fans in East Lansing. After winning 4 straight games to start the 2005 season, the Spartans lost 6 of their final 7 games. With bowl eligibility on the line and in need of just one win in their final 3 games, John L. Smith’s squad lost games at Purdue and Minnesota and at home against Penn State to close out the disappointing season. But with QB Drew Stanton returning and coming off a 3000+ yard season, there are high hopes for the MSU football team in 2006.

Michigan State Offensive Outlook

The Spartans return 6 starters from an offense that scored an average of 33.8 points per game in 2005. Drew Stanton enters the 2006 campaign as one of the top quarterbacks in the nation and is predicted to be one of the first QBs taken in next year’s NFL draft. This is a guy who can pull the trigger at any time (in the pocket or on the run), but there’s one thing missing…wins. The problem is he can’t do it all by himself. Fortunately he has RB Javon Ringer to carry some of the load. He didn’t get all the carries last year, but his numbers should improve this year as the #1 back. Matt Trannon and Jerramy Scott should be the primary receivers again in 2006. At 6’6’’, Trannon will be easy to find, but he still needs work catching the ball. The O-Line only has two starters returning. The talent is definitely there on offense, but protection may be a problem.

Michigan State Defensive Outlook

The Spartans also return 6 starters from a defense that allowed 28.7 points per game in 2005. The losses on defense are not expected to be a major blow as the 2005 defensive unit was continually the team’s weakness . Some fresh faces will be in the lineup, and hopefully they’ll get a little more production starting with the sack department where they had just 16 quarterback sacks in 2005. The line will see some changes as JUCO transfer DE Ervin Baldwin expects to be a factor on the D-Line, and the linebackers should be a highly reliable unit on this side of the ball. Highly regarded recruit Eric Gordon should strengthen the linebacking corps that also returns David Herron and Kaleb Thornhill. With position changes and the loss of S Eric Smith the defensive backfield will be in for a lot of work, but DB SirDarean Adams and his 230 pound frame should turn a lot of heads. The offense should put up enough points to win any game this season, but the defense will determine whether the Spartans can put games in the win column.

Michigan State Special Teams

Place kicker John Goss is no longer with the team. Goss converted just four-of-11 field goal attempts last season, missing two kicks apiece in losses to the Wolverines and Buckeyes. Sophomore Todd Boleski and incoming freshman Brett Swenson should battle for kicking duties. Brandon Fields returns as the punter after he averaged 41.6 yards per punt last year.

2006 Overview: John L. Smith needs to pull off a couple big victories this season or the outcry from fans will be heard even stronger than it is now. But we’ve seen the Spartans win big games. Maybe the real key to the season is to also win the games they should win. They won’t see Wisconsin or Iowa and should win at least eight games. Then if they can upset ND, Michigan, OSU, or Penn State (or more than one) there will be some happy fans in East Lansing. The thing to watch, though, is will they get the job done against the other eight teams on their schedule.

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