Be following is a presentation of play fly sports properties my guys and trying to turn the goal line. What the hands you pass shaft up? Here comes the button? Now the sideline sha down? That is not it's it's been a little bit different. I mean as we go through, you know, we saw totally different teams. You know, we week one where it's a bunch of it's it was packed twelve. Kaalin's a good football mind and they
do a really good job with their offense. So it's very much hey, this and then this and then this, you know, and then last week was more traditional big ten stuff. So so the different things show up as you go through and it and it's and it's you know, getting the guys as force fed experience as you can get them so that we can be able to tighten that stuff up and play and play. But I'm really getting off
the field on third down. Uh. We we really talk about and as a family as a as a as a family in football and as a family, my family, we've always talked about try to block out all the outside noise, you know what I mean, what's what's here is the truth, right, What's what's here and inside is the truth and and and the people in the room when we meet on defense and people in room, does we meet as a team or on special teams? That's really what matters, and
it's about us. It's it's the warriors that actually go out there getting better. And what can we see what we need to improve on? Okay, can we see who the who? The guys who are battling and fighting and scrapping and working hard every day are doing to get better. And as long as we can see that, you try to block out all the outside noise as you go. Interesting comments by defensive coordinator Scottie Hazelton and the press conference
right there. We're going to break that in so many more things now when it comes to the upcoming game against Maryland on the road. This is part I'm your host, Jason Strayhorn, along with my co host Otis Wiley and Jay You choot, you call Krip. What's up, gentlemen. How you guys doing today? Oh? Good? How you doing? I'm doing all right, man. You know, just we we had some time to digest the previous game, watch a little film, getting ready for the next week.
And you know, the sky did not fall. I don't know how you guys feel. But you know, looking forward to the Maryland game after a not so good performance against Minnesota, I'm a little bit more optimistic than I was a few days ago. How about you, guys. Yeah, I'm I'm I'm ready to go see last week's game. And you know all
you gotta do is just take that up and throw it over. It's done in Dustin and that was onto Maryland on the road in Maryland when it really really counts in Big ten, Big ten play, Big ten league play. So I think the Spartans are going to be ready. I think those boys probably had a rough week of practice this week. I hope they did a good job of blocking out the noise and you know, get focused on the
Terrapins. Yeah. To Jay's point, man, I think Sunday, when you're in the film room and after a loss, I mean we all can attest that when you're watching film, it's it's it's worse watching it when you get you get that big loss, right, It's worse because you're like, well, you know what happened, and you probably replay this in your mind as you're getting done Saturday night, going to Sunday, and then you're just preparing for the criticism and the critique and you got to accept it, embrace
it. And my hope and my prayers are that these guys that truly have accepted that, embraced it and knowing that we can play better and I think we'll have a better product out there. And it's all about the energy. Got to start fast, and so I feel like we didn't start fast, So we got to start fast straight out the gate. Regardless of how we're feeling. It's a zero zero. We got to get a one win on that board for conference play, and like I said, turn the tide.
We have the control and let's go out there in College Park and bring Spartanation back to its feet. Well. Saturday will be the thirteenth meeting between Michigan State and Maryland. Right now, Michigan State holds a serious lead of ten wins, two losses include a three and one record in College Park. We're going to go in and break this thing down with a This is part of Inside Look at Maryland, brought to you by I hop the two by two
by two breakfast combo equals one delicious meal. Enjoy two pancakes, two eggs your way and two pieces of bacon for only five dollars only at I hop hurry in and enjoy this deal for a limited time dying in only. Price and participation may vary. Restrictions do apply. Well, guys when you break this thing down, I mean, Spartans do head on the road to Maryland, Maryland right now, sitting at three and one overall in ten and Dick
ten play, there's zero in one. They had a tough loss on the road a week ago in the big House for the school down the road. Yeah, that loss that had last week was I don't know if you can say that, but it was a quality loss, you know, to a very good Michigan team. So the Terrapins are going to be really tough.
It's going to be tough are the Spartans this week? You know, they're They're a well balanced and dynamic team where I think, you know, Michigan State is probably gonna have the advantage is you know, in the run game. But we'll get into that more. But you know, it's it should be an exciting game and Otis hit it early on. You know, the Spartans got to have that energy. They got to start fast, and I think, you know, stray. You and I talked about this before.
I'm big on if you win the coin toss deferring to the second half to get the ball. But you know I'm with you on this one. I think the Spartans need to take the ball on offense and try to make a statement right off the bat. Change your heart about you too, and a half man dressed. I mean, you want, we want our offense to come out and have a true I'm not to say a change of heart,
but like this is the ownership. Like, listen, we win that toss, let's get our offense out here and see if we can get a quality drive and put some points on the board. And it's not giving you some cushion, but allows the defense to truly hey, all right, get us some breather. Once we get this, go down there and go down, drive down, get a field goal or a touchdown, and then defense guys has that cushion to play free. And so I think that's I kind of
like I'm indifferent sometimes I want I want to do the defensive stands. I want to. I feel like it's disrespectful when you know they choose to defer, and you know all that other jazz. But from last week to this week, like, all right, let's let's switch the tide. Let that offense go out there, let payn Thorn do what he does best. Let's get him, get him back up, get his get his courage back up,
get his confidence back up. Right otis So, I was the type of person where I wanted, you know, as an offensive player, I wanted the defense to go out first, because I felt if they went and got that three in out or got that turnover, it got me juice, and I felt I had to match that energy that the defense had. It's not the same way that the defense field. If the offense gets out there and methodically goes that marches down the field, get to touchdown, get a
field goal, now the defense is juicing, ready to go. It's that the same mindset. Yeah, I mean, there's there's a lot of different mindsets and foul because if you go the opposite way, where you go out there and like we already putting right and so and you know, you and me both we were on special team. So when you hear punt ready, you're like, man, we just got out there, like we just got done warming up. But it does change the tone of like offense means business.
It's kind of like you said the same side, I'm like, our offense means business, so I can't let them down. Like that's that point. I don't want us to let it down. Let's keep the momentum because when you when you score and we get a three and out right away, and you still keep that momentum, that's when we have the momentum on our
side and we continue usually drive because like, there's no better feeling. And I guarantee the Minnesota Gophers was ecstatic when they came into East Lansing and popped us for that l Right, Like you come into somebody else's home turf and you just demand the respect and you take it. I think that's the tone we should be taken when we get there to College Park. We're coming in and we're gonna we're gonna recavo it, just like we just got done this
past weekend, right Yeah. Breaking down University of Maryland's performance against Michigan a week ago. They had about three hundred and ninety seven yards total offense. Oh, it is two hundred and sixty nine of those through the air, one hundred and twenty six or twenty eight excuse me, on the ground, looks like they have a pretty balanced attack. But you know junior quarterback Tunga
Vailoa, whose brother is balling in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins. You know, it was twenty or thirty for two hundred and seven yards with a touchdown in an interception. Two interceptions by it. Now if you can look back on there, and two of those were interceptions. Should have went to review if you look at it right, even the one at that kind of sealed the deal. You know, I was talking to my guys there in Maryland, so you know, Maryland is a playfly Sports property, you know,
a little plug there. So we're kind of battling internally with Missisi State and Mission and Maryland playfly properties. But you know, if you look back
at that, you are dual threat quarterbacks. When we historically face a dual threat, it's it's kind of hit or miss man like, you have to have a true game plan of just like Poenix junr in Washington, right, Like, there's he can kill you with the legs, he can hurt you with the past, and it's really every level has to be on their p's and queues of keeping him in this tackle box and just kind of keeping that
swarm, that pressure of the entire time. And we already know he's going to make plays, so don't you know, I guess your expectations of obviously three and outs you want to turn that time, but keeping him in the box and also keeping him from where he's going to kill us with his legs. You know, we got to make sure we're putting the punishment on him every time you get a chance to hit him and slow him down, and then causing those bad passes and that timing with the receivers is going to help
coming in that back in in the secondary. Yeah. When speaking of big hits, Tongue of Mallowa did take a nice hit against Michigan and was ruled out for the remainder of the game. Late in the ball game. There's some mixed reports coming out of Maryland. One saying that you know, he's fine, he's one hundred percent of fining, and others saying that head coach Mike Loxley is using him as a game time decision. What do you think
this is? You know, or Jayu, I'll ask you, do you think it's a little gamemanship or do you think that we should be concerned that there may be another quarterback in the name of Billy Edward Jr. To be prepared for. Uh, it's gamemanship. You know. If I'm the Spartan defense, if I'm coach has, I'm preparing as have to us not too a tongue of my law. He's gonna be the starting quarterback for Maryland. He's a competitor. We know that he has that competitive spirit. It's a
Big ten game. They're opening their Big Ten season at home, you know, in front of their crowd. They're three and one, they came off of heartbreaking loss last week. Their crowd's going to be energetic, get them going. There's no way this guy's gonna miss the game. If I'm Michigan
States defense, I'm preparing for him. I mean the guy tongue Lewis right now is ranking third the Big Ten to six in the FBS and completion percentage, Oh, there's a seventy four point six percent, as well as ranking fifth in the league in passion efficiency at one hundred and sixty five point eight. You talked about his legs a minute ago, but this guy definitely has some accuracy and probably getting a little health from Big Bro down in Miami.
Huh oh, I feel like the bloodline is obviously true. We talked about it like this man's not playing unless he is dead, right like this, this is that mentality like and you know, you know, don't quote me on that, don't even put that on social social media because it's probably a bad sound. But you're right. But it's just like we got to match energy for energy, and when we go out there, it's we know there's gonna be some third downs. Well, we probably give him some long situations.
You know, if you look at the last time we played last year, you know we put pressure on him. Man, We made them uncomfortable, right, you made them uncomfortable to where he has to sometimes second guest things. And you know, once you beat that first step off the D line, like it starts with the D line, like the D line getting off blocks, getting pressure. Even if you don't get to him, it's just the QB pressure, Like we gotta get some tallies. Like back when
we played, you know we have the tally marks. How many times do you get you get to hit him. It may not involve a sack, but how many times do you put the per on him? How many times you make a running back who's trying to step up and pass us? You know, have to pick and choose which is what? Which? You know to Jayu, I'm gonna flip that to you, like you bring multiple pass russ and you make that running back. Guess you know it's a it's a
whole world reap of trouble when you gotta select a few. So, I mean, jay you talk about this past us, I mean you being able to block someone. Yeah, the pass rush is absolutely key, and especially you know if you have to, like you said, you're one hundred percent right, we have to hit him, make him think about it. And then what's gonna happen is the offense they're gonna get back out there and now
they're gonna start to switch things around. They're gonna have extra help. They're gonna say, hey, running backs on your way out, chip the d end or what they could do was well is move the running back up about a yard behind the lineman just for that extra blocker for the you know, to see where the defenders are coming about. What that does it eliminates one extra person going out for a pass route. And that's also that's gonna help
the defensive backs. You don't have their keys as easier to block four guys or three guys as opposed to five guys out in a pass route. Yeah, and you talked about running backs being able to step up and do that and do the chipping. The running back that Michigan State is gonna be facing on the road against Maryland is rumming hinby right now. Forty eight carres, three hundred and forty two yards, seven point one yard per carry average.
Jayu as running back, you know that bar is roughly five yards per carry. He's doing awful great And if you if you're a running back and you average five yards per carry, you're a damn good running back. If you're
averaging seven point one, you're a great running back. I'm not saying this guy is a great running back overall, but the season that he's having is allowing the Maryland's offense, allowing offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who's the Spartan dog himself, you know, to be able to do a lot of different things with that offense. If you have a running game that that that's that potent. So it's gonna be interesting to see if the Spartans can contain the run
game. Uh from this guy who's having a hell of a year to that point, otis not only do they have one in Roman, I was looking out of forty seven, he's a seven point four point. So they got two great running backs. Yeah, it's I feel like we it's we talk
about running back by committee. You know, we have the killer Bees who is supposed to be the one two punch as well, and they're over there, you know Maryland, they're they're they're having success and so you know, usually you have, you know, a backup running back that maybe drops off a little bit and he'n like, all right, it's at the big you know, this ain't the one that's gonna carry it, but this one at least could be like a little scat back. But these two guys, man,
they compliment each other and there's no drop off. If he comes in typically you know who he is. You just they're they're balanced, well balanced, And that's a dangerous offense to deal with, man, when you got balance at quarterback and two running backs who technically your quarterback is also a running back when it comes to running and boots and and you know, running outside
the pocket and throwing on the run. I'm interested to see what coach Hazelton has has drawn up to see what we can do based off what we learned against what Washington as well as what we just you know, transpired and experienced with with Minnesota. So I'm gonna jump in here because it's gonna be very, very interesting this matchup with coach Hazelton versus coach Dan Enos. Coach Enos has a lot of ties. You know, he's a scrappy guy. He's
he's a kid from He's a down river kid from Dearborn. All Right. They're saying in Dearborn is keep scrapping, keep scrapping. That's there saying in Dearborn. There the blue collar mentality. And I'm telling you, coach Enos has a big chip on his shoulder playing against his alma made in Michigan State, all right, he feels he should be a coach on this staff, you know, when it's all said, he has a big acts to grind and he's gonna put out everything that he can against Michigan State this week so
he can be successful. He's had a lot of success, you know, he was after he left Michigan State. He was the head coach at Central and who worked under him was Jay Johnson was on his staff at Central, and he left Central he went to Alabama with Nick Saban. You know that Michigan State tied there. So he's learned from the best. So that the matchup between coach Hazleton and coach Enos is gonna be really really interesting to see. And right now, Coach Enos has a lot of weapons at his disposal.
He's Coach Enos is used to coaching a two back system with two guys that can go m and you know, Coachinos only not only went to Alabama, I think it was Arkansas, he had to stop there another small cent at Miami. He was at the school down the road for about two weeks. But then I like that talk about conflicting, right, all right, listen, we don't we don't knock guys trying to feed their families. You know, he's done a phenomenal job now as offensive coordinator at the University of
Maryland. It's gonna be very tough to see what he's gonna do and it's gonna be a chess battle. As you just talked about Jayu between him and Scottie Hazelton. When we go out to Maryland in a few days from now, and you know we're looking at the receip corps from Maryland. Junior wide receiver Jacob Copeland. You know, he's a guy who had four receptions were
about fifty two yards against Michigan a week ago. But the team's leading receiver ro King jaredt the guy who had four catches for just twelve yards a week aldgo, but also leads the team in catches right now with fifteen for two hundred and eight yards thirteen point nine yard average per catch, three touchdowns every time that guy touches the balls the first down. So I'm learning. I'm learning is that when you're dealing with veterans right like we have, those guys
are vets. You know, they're they're older, they're more experienced, more seasoned. It's really where we're young. I mean, we do have you know, a senior redshair senior or six year senior and mere speed. You know, we need to see a mere speed that we saw in that National Championship game. Like we need to see someone take ownership and truly get after each other man, like it should be a hung you should see the hunger just you should see drel just coming out of the mouth of like I have
to lock this guy down. Like there's no if Andrew but's about it. Someone actually absolutely has to go out there and be the dog and the dogs that were supposed to claim that we are go out there in College Park and play that high level football that we know a mere Ski can do, we know that Bradley can do, and we know that our secondary are safeties. You know, we got a young dog that had eighteen tackles last last week.
Right, it was everywhere. But we got to put everything together, man, and have a committee of the defensive backs that are going to win this game for us. We got to set the air down. Yeah, the big, the big sombrero this week is on that secondary, you know,
hands down, because Marylyn likes to throw the football. They like to throw the football around the yard, you know, a tongue of a lowest story at one hundred and eighteen times already this season four games, so Michigan State's secondary Michigan States defense as a whole has not had an interception all season long. You know, so maybe this is the week, you know,
because Mayl is going to throw the ball over thirty times. Yes, that's guaranteed the minimum, right right, So, and like you said, otis those dbs should be salivating to be the one that steps up to be that guy. I'm going to get the first pick of the season. You know, I'm gonna be that And you know we talk about coach Tucker, you know, talked about blocking out the noise, you know, locking all that
stuff out. They need to hear a little bit of that noise and have that chip on their shoulder this week and I think this is the week that it's going to happen. Man. Yeah, it's that mentality they counting us out, man, and we don't need that. But let's let's quickly and this is this is pivoting from back with coach Emos, right, Like this is for you and straight straight hard to talk about. Like what do you think coach Eos is saying right now internally to that squad or his team about
us? Like being a lum is one thing, but what is he saying about us to Maryland? Like I kind of walked me, talked me through because we all know coach Enos. You know, he's a fiery he's a high intense energy guy. But what is he telling Maryland right now offensively and even the team wise about Michigan State sparks. You know, I think that this is a guy who, as you said Jay earlier, that he's a dearborn guy, vine child guy played for Michigan State US quarterback coach here under
Mark D'Antonio as a running backs coach, quarterbacks coach. I mean, he's done it at every level at Michigan State except being a head coach, and right now, after his experience around the country, it's going to be something that he's gonna personal. So when you have a coach that's taking things personal, he's going to rile his troops up to do everything from an emotional standpoint that they can to win the ball game. And Michigan State clearly has chinks
in the armor right now, mainly in the defensive secondary. You saw. We could go a Minnesota team that comes in leading the nation and running the
ball, they come in and open up with passing game. I expect Maryland, even though they have the seven point plus yard per carry with two backs two backs over seven point yard seven yards per carry, I think that they're gonna go frequent over the top and underneath and do everything they can again Michigan States and test their secondary to get them off balance, and then come right back with the big playability of those two running backs hen be in Littleton that
are going to be able to make splash plays. This is not a methodical type of offense. This is a big play to of offense. And he wants the crowd to get in it. He wants his team energized. He wants that defense riled up because of what plays East Collin. So I think there's there's a lot of exoletives getting thrown around in pregame in that locker room
when it comes down to what what coach is going to be saying. You know, as Dan he knows is a former player slash coach for Michigan State, playing against his all the minor h you hit it on the head. I know exactly what coach is gonna say because I have been in the running backs room with Coachinos playing against a team that he played against. You know, even going back that far and I've been coached against, played against. I've been the team you know when we play Michigan. I've been there to
see what he says what's gonna happen is this. He's gonna talk to his offense. He's gonna tell him, hey, we got to take care of business. We got to do what we do, we got to stay the course and all that stuff all through the week. Friday night at the whole tell, he's gonna get in front of the entire team and he's gonna be
the speaker. You know how the coaches, one person speaks. Dan Enos is gonna be the speaker, and he's gonna look those guys in the eyes and he will, I guarantee you, he will be wearing his Michigan State class room during this speech. He's gonna hold it up and said, I played there, I coached there. I know what the Spartans are built up. Last year they squeaked out. We had soft inflicted wounds last year and
that's why they won. You guys are the better team. You hit him in the mouth from the start, and it's gonna be s os same old Spartans. They're gonna hang their heads. That's what dan Enols is gonna tell that team on Friday night at the hotel. And you know what, one hundred and ten of those guys are gonna believe every single word he says because he's gonna be passionate about it. He's gonna be fiery about it. He's gonna punch himself, slap his hands there. He's gonna get those guys ready
to run through a brick wall for him, because that's Dan Enols. He's a down River kid. He's scrappy. Yeah. See, look you that you just went in and this part I remember. I remember when they got the news that they were getting fired. Remember the j u that that Penn State game, it was coach ENO's time to speed. Yeah, you would have like this was where like Coach Smith was like, well, fellas, they told us, we're not gonna come back, so we're gonna win this
game and we're gonna go to the bowl game. We're gonna spend all their money. Oh coach I remember stepping up and I mean he was in tears, I mean so wild welled up where you would thought we were undefeated, uh and we're playing for a national champions or a Big Ten championship. But he just kind of reinvigorated our spartan internal like we are spartans man, Like we got to go out there and own the game, own the tempo, playball so that we can go bowling and having a good time. Right.
And so you know, Jay, you just went straight back to like the feelings that gave him because you can tell it straight like limergy to too. Man, I ever heard sos same old spartan in a while. Man, don't give us that juju. Now, come on, I'm not giving you that juju. But I'm telling you that's what he's gonna say. Oh believe me that that is being said around the country outside of the walls of the locker room. That's what Scotty Hinston was talking about in this press conference.
He's talking about there's gonna be noise and they've got to block it out. That's what mel Tucker said immediately following last week's game. There's gonna be a lot of noise. There's gonna be a lot of people saying a lot of negative things. And you talked about it there. You know, when they have leadership on that side of the ball, Maryland, Michigan State searching for leaders. They have a lot of injuries. That's the elephant in the room.
Okay, you lose two of your most important leaders in the secondary guys they know how to communicate back there in Darius Snow and Xavier or Anderson. They go down in week one. The next thing you know, you lose a Jacob Slade, who's your interior pass rush guy or guy who's going to be a run stuffer by Pro Football Focus, one of the number one draftable defensive tackles in the country. Then you look and you see Chris Bobbo,
the transfer from Florida defensive end. He goes down with an injury. The injuries has continue to pile up on the defensive side of the ball on a team that was already a little sketchy when it comes to pass coverage. Now falling down that list as far as pass rush are past defense, Michigan State searching for answers right now. Otis what's the answer for Michigan State against the
Maryland team. That's a tough quest. You set that up pretty right, man, I honestly, man like, I won't say I don't know, but I like. But it's one of those. To coach Hazington's press conference, next man up, man, we gotta find we gotta throw everything at him, man Like, I don't care if my man is a preferred walk on or we just got him off the street. We're gonna have to find a dog and it's got to come under the lights. Man. We got
people, I know, we got dogs and we got players. But I think this is that moment of like, all right, come to Jesus meeting. They saw that kind of I don't know if you saw the pressings they have held internally, a meeting, which that's where you know someone stepped up, A few guys stepped up, and like coach I don't know if Jay you was there, but Coach d brought into us. I think you may graduated. But that the following year he had us read an entire book.
It was called It's Your Ship. And we all know coaches coach players play, so I don't care what happens, what game plan. The players got
to go out there and win the game. So internally, when you hear there are meetings being held, that's internal, closed door and it's just a player led which coach Coach Tucker said it best teams are player led, right, and so we're seeing the all right, we got to take ownership, man, like we can't put that product out there because it's really just saying, to heck with what the preparation went through and all the stuff we did
in the summertime, let's go back to that where we were brinding to prepare for this moment. And and at that time you got leaders that are stepping up and calling out each other. It's like we all got to be together. The chain's got to be strengthened. The link in the chain has to be strong. There could be no weak links. If so, you know,
almost the bus is going, you can step off now that. I think that's the mentality of internally on that meeting that it's going to take more so not the skills, the x's and o's, it's about the pride and the mentality when we're going in there. I think it's mental. It's all mental. It's not even the physical part of it. It's the mental part that's gonna leave the physical. It's a good point, jay U. You know the answer. You ain't got the answer slaying The big thing is you
know otis hit it on the head. You know it's gonna take that dog mentality. It's gonna take eleven hats swarm into the football, playing that flying around, intense football that we saw some of that. In uh, the Western Michigan game, you had eleven hats, swarm into the football and you know, guys doing whatever it took to be in the film. You know, you always tell defensive guys you always want to be on film, you
know. So that's what it's gonna take. It's gonna take having that dog mentality, and it's also gonna take swarm into the football guys for him to the football and never say die attitude. It's the game is going to be a roller coaster, all right. It's gonna be ups and downs to have to stay the course and and play spartan football. Oh well, playing spartan football is right. And just to break down, choo choose favorite people.
Choot choo kickers are people too? Oh god, you're gonna talk about running back. You're gonna kick the upcoming specialist Ryland. He's a guy who's five or five on field goals, tied for the big tim Lean and field goals. Look, Coach Tucker talks about complementary football all the time. They do have very good specialist guys. You know, seventeen or seventeen on p eights, you know, twenty two touchbacks, the punter your favorite. Yeah,
that's a guy, senior, Colton Sprangler. He's averaging forty eight point eight. That's right up there with our guy Bearringers. I'll take our guy all day. You'll take all day. I like that. Give me give me goggles Bearringer. You know ten out of ten times? All right, Jay, you we're gonna move over to the ms U offense. We're gonna help you out here. Thank you. Go to the offense Michigan State. Obviously we got Payton Thorn. When you look at the defense for Maryland, there
is some room to throw the ball around. They're not far away from Michigan State defensively as far as the defensive secondary is concerned, giving up about two hundred and sixty yards through the air per game. Yeah, definitely. You know you talk about room to throw the football. What I'm excited about? All right, there's room to run the football. All right. I gotta get there. Yeah, I think the running back before we before we go there, this you hear it here. This is the week that the return
of the Killer Bees are gonna be. Michigan State will be able to run the ball this week, and you know what that's gonna that's gonna be able to keep Maryland's high power offense off the field, give the defensive break, and more importantly, that's gonna open up the pass game for Peyton Thorn. This is the week, I'm telling you, Spartan Nation, this is the week that Michigan State's offense is gonna come alive. The run game is there.
Michigan State will be able to run the football this week. I think that's one of the weak spots in Maryland's defense. Instead, run is stopping the run game. I mean, let's talk about we got to get our running backs out in space, right. We need to put some we gotta get some screens. We gotta successfully get those where we're keeping the defense guessing multiple types of things that our offense is doing. Now, one thing I want as a defensive guy in our offense on the opposive side is man,
let loose. Let it go, man, like l I g at Craig Off of Friday, Right, let it go. I'm about to say, like Frozen, because you know we got we're watching Disney, so but just air it out and just have fun. Man, bring that fun back where like, even if we don't get the first down, even if we don't
get the long home run, at least we're targeting it. At least we're being aggressive because the passiveness, man, is just that what eats us alive, like spartanation, I think is seeing like we are just we're not having a DNA. We're second guessing what we should do. Just go out like I saw Jay you bring the pen in Like that's when you know it's like nation aggressively man, Like, go out there and just let's play ball. Man, that's what we came in to do. Let's go at it.
But before you play ball, you got to run the football the root. Yeah, it's not right. When breaking down the film, they're saying that there's holes there. Yes, this isn't a full offensive line issue at all. This is what you've been talking about. Running backs got to get their foot down and get north and south and get through the holes. Guys aren't hitting the hole right now. Is this why you are feeling a little bullish on the run game this week? Do you think they're gonna hit the hole?
Yeah? I think they will because I think it's been you know, four weeks now of getting used to their offensive line and running running game is especially for a running back. It's all on feel and vision. You got to be able to feel it, you know, ride the wave, the cutback. You don't make the cutback, you feel the cutback. That's what it is. And I think these running backs are gonna have to are starting to get that groove. And I think now that they know, Hey,
the last two weeks what we did wasn't working. So what are we gonna do. We're gonna put our foot down, We're gonna have a feel for the game. We're gonna take what's there and then once we get to the second we let our athletic abilities take over from there. But at the very get go. You gotta go off. What's the feel of the game is and what's given to you offensively? And I think this is the week.
This is the week. The Killer Bees returned with a sprinkles of Elijah Collins being that being that speak him up, Speak them up, Yeah, put to in. I'm telling you, this is the this is Elijah Collins. He's that X factor in the backfield. He's the X factor. And guys, you know, we've got to talk about the elephant of the room, Like, how concerned are you right now? With Michigan State football as it
stands. Oh my guys, another one, another one. Look straight, I'm not I'm not concerned because I know with with this adversity, it's it's building stronger bonds, right Like, we're gonna have to take these these losses like men, and we've got to respond like giants. Right we gotta go against against all odds. Man like. I think it's like that one.
I didn't like that one. I didn't know for sure. I mean everyone wants to Like everyone around talks, feedbacks happening on social and everyone thinks they have the answer. No one knows, but the people in that room, man like, we don't even know. But from playing, we speak from our experience and we know we've all went through those pits and those deep falls of a season. So it's all about bringing fun back into this game. It's all about taking the pressure off. We have nothing to lose at this
point. So let's go and let's get this dub and let's play spartan football. Say you, same question to you, how concerned are you with miss State football as it stands? You know what, I am not, I'm not concerned. I think we have the right leadership, uh in Coach Tucker. You know, if there's anyone that that can, you know, turn this program motivate these guys, it's it's him. He's I love the fact that he's taking the brunt of the criticism, he's putting it upon himself.
That's a true leader. That's a selfless leader right there. But I think I'm not concerned also too, because I think we have the right guys in the locker room. These players are They're the ones that are walking through campus. We we forget about this. We just see what happens on Saturday and
we go back home as fans. These players have to go to class with their peers, they have to be sitting next to someone in class read in the state news with them being dogged in the state news, you know, And that comes to mindset where enough is enough, you know, And I think we've reached that point. I think this week was a great week of practice. We saw on the you know, spartan football Instagram, to lock the gates, keep lock out, lock out the outside noise, lock out
the attention from coming in there, and let's focus on football. Let's get back to basics and focus on football. The players. As much as you say you don't want to block the noise, they hear the noise, and I want them to hear the noise. Like I said, that's that's gonna build. Put that chip on their shoulders and they're gonna go. So I'm that concern. I still think there's a lot there's a lot of football ahead of us, and there's a lot of our goals that we can still accomplish,
you know, as Spartans. So I'm I'm I'm confident in the Spartans. Yeah, you know, I agree with you guys. You know, I think that you know, the talk of you know, we got to this guy or bench this guy. I think it's crazy. I think what mel Tucker has done. You know, people are criticizing him because of the extension. I think you pay a guy like mel Tucker to do and deal with this moment. You know, Michigan State has not had a great run
of talent over the past four or five years. It's just recently beginning to replenish the coffers, if you will. If you look at, you know, the stat that was floated around on the internet the last couple of days that Michigan State has had fifty five transfers leave. Only five of those fifty five have gone to Power five schools, So there's a major exodus of talent, and then the new input of talent needs experience. He struck gold with Kenneth Walker, the third. We all know that he was one of the
hardest workers he's ever put on the Green and White. It's the best player on the team and the most humble. You just don't find guys like that growing on trees and not just walking around. So it's very difficult to find a guy like that. And he covered up a lot of the stakes. Be very honest about that. He covered up of what some players that would have been a negative play for any mortal human. He made them touchdowns that
just doesn't happen. So now we're dealing with Hey, we've got injuries, we've got you know, inexperience, and we got guys that got to get to know one another. Like you said, Jay, you got to get to feel the cutback. You gotta understand how to get the foot down and get out north and south. And we're still searching for the dogs. But in this adverse time, you're gonna search and you're gonna find those dogs because
they're gonna rise up from the ashes like Phoenix. Right. Okay, okay, another it's time I agree with you, guys man, So look both of you. It owed us. I'll start with you. Final thoughts for this week going on the road to Maryland before we put a bow on this. Yeah, final thought, we can't forget. We need Electric Jayden Reid back like we need we need that. We need that guy back, and I know he he is probably disappointed because it kind of set back and getting
that small injury. But like you saw a little glints a little bit last week when a couple like one touch, But like we need that Peyton Thorn Jayden red Electric back because that's just going to open up the field gates where we know Kean Koleman is that guy. He's gonna bring his his A game every chance he gets. We need we need your boy trade back Mosley and that committee that we saw summertime leading up to you know, Western Michigan.
We need that, we need that back. And I know coach Hawkings, Coach Hawkins is getting the boys back and we need that on Saturday afternoon. Yeah, I totally agree. I think the way that we're gonna get Jayden Reid back. I think coach Johnson has to do a bunch of different things, from tunnel screen, from jet sweeps, reversus, open that up, put the ball in his hands, and what that's gonna do, that's gonna attract attention. So what Maryland will have to do now is they gonna have
to go, Hey, maybe we've got to bracket coverage this guy. And you do that. You got Moseley moseying on for a tuddy, all right, you got Coleman Leon Keon, you know, getting it done. And don't forget Tuck Baker, Baker touchdown maker. You know in there too. So I think you know, getting read back, you know, in the fold of things, getting the ball in his hands, Get the ball out
of Thorn's hand quickly, get it in his playmaker's hands. Because you know, my grandpa, you always say you never go broke taking a profit. All right, that's what running backs and you do. You throw a one yard pass, let your playmakers go. And at the end of the day, is gonna say Peyton Thorne threw a seventy yard touchdown for really, he threw a one yard pass that the ball carrier turned for a seventy yard run,
so you know you got to do that. And right now, as Spartan, since we're all you know, philosopher and and you know there, you know Sma hasn't lost bring it home. The Spartans haven't lost focus. But you know, at the end of the day, a lot of the times you forget the objective is to drain the swamp when you're up to your button alligators. Oh man, the one line is I mean, just just don't stop, guys. I mean, look, I'm looking forward to more
of this week. That's the recap of this game. But also we're going to come to you from the team hotel in Maryland in a few days. That's going to be an interesting segment that Otis Wiley and Cho Chu will bring to you guys coming up soon. But that's gonna put a rap on this version of this as Sparta for Otis Wiley, Jay, you Coperhand, Jason Strainghorn, have a good night, God bless and go break. May not my hand not tell my bad. You know how I can tell you man, I got the sign