The Bone Yard

I think the 31 yard bomb to pederson was a missed assignment. It was actually just a 7-8 yd pass but somehow the LBs forgot to cover the middle and he turned up the seam and went in almost untouched

I doubt we see that again. That said, I wont be surprised if I see T-Jones on reed. He has the speed and quickness to cover a fast TE and hands to swat down the pass or maybe intercept it? I wouldnt mind seeing bullough on him either but I think Bullough would be more preoccupied with abdullah or burkhead if he plays.

The only TE that gave us trouble this year was eiffert. And hes projected to be a 1st rounder so it isn't as bad.

The EMU tight end had a field day against our D.

How do you think your QB will handle the pressure? Andrew Maxwell isn't exactly blowing anyone away this year either at 55.9% completions and only a 9-5 ratio. Now he has to go up against the #17 pass efficiency defense in the nation, which is also 12th in the nation in sacks.

Also, Le'Veon Bell has 1061 yards, but 463 came in two games against lesser opponents. Have teams completely committed to shutting him down and allowed Maxwell to open it up?

A final prediction then?

Very nicely played Rocky. Well played.

Can't wait can't wait.

GBR.

For the people asking about what is must see on campus. My two favorite locations are fairly close together and fairly easy to get to from the stadium area. As Rocky mentioned, Beamount tower really is "the" place to see in EL. It's a very popular place on campus, and probably the place where the most marriage proposals take place.

The other is off Harrison on the Red Cedar river. Said river is kind of disgusting, but there is one spot where there is rapids and the water is very low. The water appears to turn white. The trees are cut down in the section I'm refering to and it's right across from the Bordy dorms just south of Michigan Ave. It's where I'd like my ashes spread when I die. Probably my favorite place on the planet, and a must visit every time I visit EL.

That's a "Wow". High scoring game; I'd be surprised if either squad totaled 3 TDs in regulation.

The scores could be just as easily reversed.

Here's something I came across as I was going through the whole preview last night:

Nebraska averages 3 TOs/game on the road. They've only forced 2 turnovers against their road opponents, making them -7 in TO margin for the year on the road. On top of that, the Huskers have averaged 8 penalties for just over 65 yards in their road games.

Though I think Nebraska is the more complete team, I don't think they're so much better as to be able to spot MSU +2 or +3 in TOs and hand MSU 60 yards of field position in penalties.

Straight up, however, I think Nebraska is about 5-6 points better than MSU, if that makes any sense.

I actually like MSU's passing O better this year than last year vs. Nebraska. Last year, everyone knew it was Cunningham or bust; all the deep plays went to him, and NU had no problem taking him out of the game.

This year, the top 4 receivers are all between 22 and 32 catches, plus Dion Sims makes 5 guys in that range. Makes it hard to neutralize the passing O just by targeting one WR, and Maxwell has shown the ability to spread the ball around.

I think MSU attacks the middle of the field with Mumphery in the slot, and hits the middle vertically with Dion Sims (close to 100%). For the running game, well, Bell up the middle is the best bet; I'd target the B-gap that Thad Randle is supposed to target. The downside to your 2-gap DT system is the burden it puts on the DTs; a strong OG can neutralize the DT, which also frees up the C. MSU's OGs are the strength of the OL, and as good as Compton has been, I like putting 295 pound Lawrence Thomas in the hole to bulldoze him out of the way.

To be clear, I'm not saying Bell will have 175 yards on 34 carries or something, but somewhere around 110 yards on 32 could happen.

In the end, I see MSU being able to sustain 2 scoring drives the whole game; 1 for a TD and 1 for a FG. After that, I'm expecting shorter fields set up by Nebraska miscues to give another TD and FG. I cannot imagine MSU scoring more than 20 though, barring a pair of pick-6s or something funky like that. I also can't guarantee that MSU will hold the Huskers UNDER 20 either , but if there's a D in the Big 10 that can, it's MSU.

Well, we certainly couldn't have predicted that one...

Keep popping in Spartonrocky, love your post(s).

I definitely will. I came over a bunch a year and a half ago when you guys first joined the Big 10. Got a ton of respect for Nebraska and think our schools should play some very exciting games over the next 3-5 years. It's been a rotten season for MSU, but figure a couple of bounces go their way in '13 and they're back in the thick of the divisional race.

Best of luck the rest of the season. I'm all for keeping UM out of the Rose Bowl