Michigan State Potluck - Predictin’

What are your on-field expectations for MSU this year, and I don’t mean general, record-type stuff - give me specifics.

stewmonkey13: MSU will play super aggressive defense. It will be borderline dirty. People will point this out and MSU fans will get super defensive about it. They will have some off field issue [ed.: stick to the call of the question please], Dantonio will look the other way. Lewerke will be good, not great, MSU fans will vaccilate between declaring him the best in the conference, and calling for his benching. A running back will get far too many touches. Dantonio will be smug, yet dour.

goforthree: Lewerke will not be the second coming of Connor Cook that many fans and commentators last year thought he was destined to blossom into. He will be a good short-to-medium passer, but not an electric QB who can put the team on his back. Basically JT Barrett without all that stuff that made him amazing. Defense will be good. Probably good enough to keep OSU within 30 points this year.

mnw: In trying to think what frustrated me so much about Brian Lewerke, the first comparison I was able to conjure up in my mind was Dan Persa with better, more athletic receivers. though Lewerke is a bit taller. (This could be a totally bullshit comparison; I was thinking the ~600 rushing yards, competent short-distance pocket-passing, and scrambling ability while still taking a few licks.) I’m worried, though, about Lewerke’s ball security (2 lost of 8 fumbles is)...

Anyway, every major offensive contributor returning scares me. Michigan State can just play ‘500’ with the weaker teams in the conference and, assuming Dantonio’s MANBALL doesn’t get in the way, can sweep the non-OSU/Mich/PSU portion of its schedule that way. That’s where the biggest hindrance to what should be a top-4 offense in the conference.

In thinking about what happened in MSU’s lower-half defensive performances (OSU, NU, ND, PSU, I’ll include Minnesota)... I don’t know what to tell you. I don’t know if MSU is just more-aggressive Iowa. But I hope they’re still having nightmares of short crossing routes.

Beez: The offense will be pretty good and very balanced, but the defense will crater. LJ Scott will actually get to be the lead back at all times and, like JTT, will cut his fumbles in half. Dantonio will continue to have his competence overshadowed by his douchery, causing people to actually overhype/oversell him to compensate for perceived underselling do too said douchery.

Andrew: I would like Felton Davis III as a Biletnikoff finalist, but there’s still too much of a tendency with this offense to throttle down as soon as they’re up two scores. Along those lines, MSU plays in another 6 one-score games and manages a 4-2 mark in them.