Recent News | Popular News | Subscribe

FACTS & STATS: Site: Spartan Stadium (75.005) -- East Lansing, Michigan. Television: ESPN2. Home Record: CMU 0-0, MSU 1-0. Away Record: CMU 0-1, MSU 0-0. Neutral Record: CMU 0-0, MSU 0-0. Conference Record: CMU 0-0, MSU 0-0. Series Record: Michigan State leads, 4-2.

GAME NOTES: Still trying to jump into the Top-25, the Michigan State Spartans will try to prove they belong when they host the Central Michigan Chippewas this Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

The Chippewas' 2009 campaign got off to a rocky start, as the team's offense was shut down by Arizona in a 19-6 setback. It will be tough for CMU to rebound this weekend considering the team is just 1-16 on the road against Big Ten foes since 1992. However, that lone win came last year against Indiana.

As for the Spartans, they stormed through Montana State last Saturday, posting a convincing 44-3 victory. Michigan State has enjoyed plenty of success over the past few seasons against Mid-American Conference teams, winning 15 straight meetings. Next week the Spartans will hit the road for the first time this year when they travel to South Bend to face Notre Dame.

This will be the seventh meeting between Central Michigan and Michigan State, and also the seventh time the two schools will collide in East Lansing. The Chippewas won the first two matchups, but since then the Spartans have won four in a row, including a 24-7 decision back in 2004.

The Chippewas have been an offensive juggernaut over the past two seasons, but the team's strong offensive play was absent in the season-opener against Arizona. CMU, which averaged 29.5 ppg in 2008 was held to just six points on a mere 182 total yards of production. Standout quarterback Dan LeFevour has broken plenty of records since taking the field for CMU two years ago, and is coming off an '08 season in which he threw 21 touchdowns and also led the team in rushing. Unfortunately, LeFevour was no match for Arizona's defense as the senior signal caller completed just 18-of-31 passes for just 108 yards. LeFevour also tossed an interception and was sacked twice. The ground game was no better in the setback. In fact, the leading rushers were Antonio Brown, a wideout and LeFevour. Brown led the way with 31 yards, while LeFevour added 18 yards and one score. If the Chippewas are going to have any success this weekend, or throughout the season, the team will have to find a consistent ground attack.

Even though the Chippewas held Arizona to just 19 points, the team was unable to stop the Wildcats' charge throughout the contest, surrendering a whopping 448 yards. Poor defensive play was the downfall for Central Michigan in 2008, as the team was tortured for 30.2 ppg and 424 total ypg. Stopping the run in the opener seemed to be the main issue for CMU, as the team allowed the Wildcats to run wild, churning out 246 yards on 5.3 yards per attempt. Central Michigan did forced two turnovers in the contest, but allowed Arizona to convert on 6-of-16 third down attempts and 3-of-4 red zone chances. One bright spot for the defense was Nick Bellore, who was all over the field. Bellore, who led the team with 148 tackles in '08, racked up 10 stops against Arizona and also tallied two TFLs, while forcing one fumble.

The Spartans lost plenty of their key performers from 2008, but the team did not seem to miss a beat in its opener against Montana State, racking up 493 total yards en route to a 44-3 victory. Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousin both saw time under center in the win, and both players enjoyed plenty of success. Nichol completed just 9-of-18 passes, but finished with 135 yards and two touchdowns. As for Cousins, he threw for 183 yards and three scores on 10- of-17 passing. One thing the two signal callers had in common was their ability to find Blair White, who finished the game with nine receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns. The biggest problem for coach Mark Dantonio heading into this season was finding a replacement for running back Javon Ringer. While the Spartans used a few different running backs in the opener, the team as a whole had plenty of success running. Caulton Ray led the way with 71 yards on 5.9 yards per tote, while Larry Caper added 34 yards on seven carries.

While the play of the offense will get most of the attention, MSU's defensive unit also played as if it was already in mid-season form. The Spartans limited Montana State to just 160 total yards, including just 62 rushing yards on 2.2 ypc. The performance against the run was very encouraging for coach Dantonio, as his squad struggled in that area in 2008, allowing 142 yards per matchup. Michigan State did not force a turnover against Montana State, but did record three sacks and held the Bobcats to just 2-of-14 on third down attempts. One thing that did not change from 2008 to the new season was the play of Greg Jones, who is one of the top linebackers in the nation. Jones, who led the squad with 127 tackles last year, racked up an impressive 14 stops against Montana State with 1.5 sacks.

Central Michigan should put forth a better offensive effort this weekend, but the Spartans are too tough and should beat the Chippewas for the fifth consecutive time.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Michigan State 34, Central Michigan 17