MSU switches to 4-3 for Wisconsin game
MSU switched to a 4-3 prior to the Wisconsin game presumably to get more bulk on field from more of their 4-2-5. They moved transfer DE Windmon back to OLB (what he used to to play at UNLV) mostly in an effort to get Van Sumeren off the field. Last week, they used true Fr Zion young at DE in windmon’s place. I expect this will be their base defense against us but perhaps with more folks back on the DL from injury.
Windmon said “the 4-3 is a good type of defense for MSU to play against Michigan's run game and heavy personnel with multiple TEs.”
https://twitter.com/chrissolari/status/1584942943928213504?s=20&t=A5rnVKmEhV7sTWzN5pM8KA
I think previously starting defensive ends Jeff Pietrowski and Khris Bogle did not play last week but may have healed up over the bye week (nobody knows).
As we all know DT Slade and SS Henderson are back and healthy.
October 25th, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
Play whatever you want. Not getting away with your Sparty bullshit this year. If you think selling out to stop the run against us and relying on…..that….secondary is a good idea, God help you.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:16 PM ^
Yep. Bet whatever the over is on JJ's passing yards. Easy money.
October 25th, 2022 at 3:14 PM ^
After playing us they'll switch to 3-5.
October 25th, 2022 at 9:50 PM ^
A cleverly disguised 3-9, if you will.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:05 PM ^
Yep,
They could put 13 players out there and run a 5-3-5 and it still would't be enough.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:29 PM ^
Remember that last year, sparty had 13 players (on defense) out there-they were the refs.
October 25th, 2022 at 5:19 PM ^
Their secondary doesn't even matter. We'll run for 400 yards and win brutally that way. Sure, it's nice the occasional play action pass will be wide open but no reason to deviate from our strategy, grind them down to nothing and end the game early in the third quarter.
October 25th, 2022 at 5:33 PM ^
Jim and team have been planning for this game since last year. Nobody … and I mean nobody … has been able to stop UM in the run game. I am not saying MSU can’t execute for 1 game and make it happen, but Jim will most assuredly run it down their throats till MSU proves it can stop us. Maybe they can … maybe they can’t.
This is always a tough game for us. Plan for bullshit. Plan for Refs making asinine calls. Plan for highs and lows. In the end, I suspect Jim shows no mercy this year.
October 26th, 2022 at 9:34 AM ^
This is an aside, but non-game thread R.J. is much more optimistic than game thread R.J. :)
October 26th, 2022 at 9:41 AM ^
I think our run game is awesome, but it is still hard to tell how awesome; we've only played two defenses with a pulse: PSU and Iowa. Both of those are supposed to be pretty good, so maybe we can extrapolate to nobody. O.k. I'll roll with it, I'm looking forward to crushing MSU.
October 25th, 2022 at 1:54 PM ^
yep I think Alex will have to use the Wisconsin game for FFFF this week because of the wholesale changes
October 25th, 2022 at 2:05 PM ^
This week only, those F's are all the same word.
October 25th, 2022 at 11:20 PM ^
Flarn flarn flarn flarn
October 26th, 2022 at 9:35 AM ^
FILTH FLARN FLARN FILTH
October 25th, 2022 at 7:00 PM ^
It should have a lucky charm because whatever they roll out on defense most likely won’t matter when they’re out there for 80+ plays.
October 25th, 2022 at 1:57 PM ^
they seem confident taht getting some bodies back on D will make a big swing. i dont know if it will or not, but feels like it might make it more competitive at least?
We don't tend to put teams away early. We lean on them with body blows and then by the 3rd just blow their doors off. Hopefully there's no panic if that happens again (at halftime)
October 25th, 2022 at 2:06 PM ^
As long as we limit their access to PB&J sammiches in the tunnel, halftime will be a breeze.
October 25th, 2022 at 3:03 PM ^
Sparty calls that their ‘creamy’ defense.
October 25th, 2022 at 3:06 PM ^
Interesting name for that....
October 25th, 2022 at 3:13 PM ^
You've got baby batter on the brain!
October 25th, 2022 at 3:41 PM ^
It was only funny the first 50 times you posted this East German.
October 25th, 2022 at 1:59 PM ^
Going to need JJ to play with a controlled intensity in this one. I think he's abundantly capable, but we need to see him be secure with the football when he's running around (either on designed runs, or scrambles). Don't turn it over and give them a chance to get momentum.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:11 PM ^
Since halftime of the Maryland game (3.5 games ago) I don't recall JJ having any more ball-security issues. It seems like he's gotten that in order.
He has occasionally tried to force the play when it was risky (the backward pass vs. Iowa, near-INT vs. PSU) but not too often. Most of the time I forget he's a first-year QB.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:46 PM ^
Other than the pick 6, of course.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:55 PM ^
That was just a crazy play. You could criticize his decision to pass, but the way he held the ball wasn't an issue.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:08 PM ^
WTF - throwing it i to the defenders was the issue! Wow. At least he held it nicely before that shit throw!!!
October 25th, 2022 at 4:27 PM ^
He didn’t “throw it to the defender.” It took two bounces up into the air before a defender got ahold of it. Weird play, weird bounce, unfortunate result. Wasn’t a ball security issue.
October 25th, 2022 at 5:24 PM ^
Still was a bad throw, he still throws about 1-2 really bad ones per game, which isn't bad at all but still some room for improvement.
October 25th, 2022 at 6:01 PM ^
He tried to throw a straight line drive through the defenders and if he had lofted it up and over he would’ve gotten it to the place he needed to.
October 26th, 2022 at 1:02 AM ^
He should have never thrown that ball. Even if it was miraculously completed it was going nowhere. Throw it away.
October 25th, 2022 at 9:53 PM ^
He literally should have held the ball, but threw a pass off a dudes breast plate instead, so…
October 25th, 2022 at 4:24 PM ^
The pick 6 was a lot of randomness - but honestly he should have thrown a pick 6 with that duck he had that barely went over the defender head beforehand. So, it probably evens out.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:38 PM ^
I'm not going to hang a lucky carom on JJ.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:08 PM ^
I believe he fumbled out of bounds against PSU when reaching for a first down. It hasn't come back to bite us as much as possible, but criticizing JJ's ball security as a runner is valid, imo.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:13 PM ^
I would also prefer that JJ makes a big time effort to get out of bounds and avoid contact at all costs on saturday. I always want him to be careful, but unless the game is in doubt, I don't want them to have any opportunities to get extra licks in on him saturday night.
October 25th, 2022 at 3:05 PM ^
Now that we have Cade back I was wondering if the coaches were going to let JJ be more aggressive.
but you are right, the judicious approach is always best
October 25th, 2022 at 3:12 PM ^
Where has it been reported that Cade is back?
October 25th, 2022 at 3:13 PM ^
Is Cade back? First I am hearing of this. Great news if so!
October 26th, 2022 at 9:27 AM ^
He was spotted on the field when JJ stopped to congratulate Sean Clifford after the PSU game. I don't know that means he's "back," but, wounded pride aside, we need him. Hope he is back, both physically and mentally.
October 25th, 2022 at 4:24 PM ^
If MSU is intent on playing dirty, being out of bounds won't matter. I'm thinking we'll see at least one scary hit on JJ this Saturday. After the play, out of bounds, whatever....
October 25th, 2022 at 2:16 PM ^
I think JJ has been sufficiently engaged most of the year. His baseline should be just fine for the MSU game.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:45 PM ^
The twitter football coaches have been posting about how our receivers haven't been great at getting open versus man coverage. This is something to watch in this game. It's not all on JJ. Our receivers need to get open and yes we've already played bad corners and haven't been great at shaking corners.
October 25th, 2022 at 3:15 PM ^
Need Wilson and JJ to connect on a couple deep balls!
October 25th, 2022 at 3:47 PM ^
no joke, hire the msu wr coach or whoever has helped them year after year. Those guys are not running free like alabama's gazelles, but they go get EVERY 50 50 ball and they never seem to drop them.
Now, our QB doesnt want to throw 50 50 balls, so i get it, but sometimes, you have to... and its nice to know your guys can go get it. a la roundtree!
Our WRs have to be given more options to win balls that are into tighter windows down the field... and as said above, it really seems like sometimes jj is using good restraint because guys are not open.
When he's scrambling, they should know they have time to either come back to the ball (far side) or go deep (near side).
October 25th, 2022 at 5:21 PM ^
They really don't need to get open. They need to block well so we can run 400 yards on them.
October 25th, 2022 at 2:01 PM ^
Hope it works as well as Ohio states mid season change in defensive scheme last year
October 25th, 2022 at 2:14 PM ^
The 4-3 could be a more effective scheme for the Spartans - and, I believe LB is Windmon's natural position.
It seems as if the green & white will be at full strength...
October 25th, 2022 at 2:20 PM ^
…and they’ve been watching tape.