http://cdn1.sbnation.com/community_logos/48841/cleveland-fave.png 2013-06-20T03:22:02Z http://cleveland.sbnation.com/authors/chris-vannini/rss 2013-06-20T03:22:02Z 2013-06-20T03:22:02Z <img alt="153100239" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15080473/153100239.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/massey_evan" target="_blank">Evan Massey</a> of Pro Football Spot did some interviews with MSU incoming freshmen and sent them to me to use. Figured I'd just post them here.</p> <p><b>Damion Terry:</b></p> <p>Q. What made you choose to sign with the Spartans? What convinced you they were the right fit?</p> <p>A. Just right away when I was there on my junior day, I knewit was a special place an I had a good relationship with all of the coaches.</p> <p>Q. What kinds of things have you been doing to prepare for the season?</p> <p>A. Just following the workout plan they have all of the recruits do and making sure I stay in shape for fall camp by running a lot. Also, throwing the football around.</p> <p>Q. How would you explain your game to those who haven't seen much of you?</p> <p>A. A QB who is a pass first guy but also can run when he wants to, like Russell Wilson.</p> <p>Q. Heading into the Big Ten, how excited are you for the rivalries?</p> <p>A. Really excited to go against great teams like Michigan and Ohio State, and also playing my home state team next year in Penn State. Will be a real fun time and great games.</p> <p>Q. How have the fans welcomed you since committing to MSU?</p> <p>A. I love them. There's no better fans in the world. They've been welcoming since day one.</p> <p>Q. How do you feel about your chances for playing time this season?</p> <p>A. As of right now I'm feeling pretty good about it, but will have to see when we get up there.</p> <p>Q. Have you become close with any of your new teammates in particular?</p> <p>A. Yeah, every single one of them and especially my roommate Jon Reschke.</p> <p>Q. What are your individual and team goals for your career at MSU?</p> <p>A. Rose Bowl, graduate and make it to the NFL or be successful doing somethingelse.</p> <p>Q. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What kind of music do you listen to?</p> <p>A. Video games or just hanging out with friends. I listen to all kinds of music, but rap mostly. It gets me pumped up before games.</p> <p>Q. What would you tell a young QB with dreams of playing D1 to do?</p> <p>A. Just to be a great leader for your team on and off the field and make sure you have a short term memory. You will mess up in a game, but don't let it affect your future plays. </p> <p>---</p> <p><b>Darian Hicks</b></p> <p>Q. What made you sign with MSU? What convinced you that they were the right place?</p> <p>A. The coaching staff and players made me feel welcome there, and it felt like home there when I went.</p> <p>Q. What would you say is the most difficult part of playing CB?</p> <p>A. Just knowing that you're on an island by yourself and it's only you and the receiver.</p> <p>Q. What would you say is the number one area that you need to work on?</p> <p>A. I would have to say my footwork.</p> <p>Q. How excited are you to be heading into the Big Ten conference? Excited for any games in particular?</p> <p>A. I'm very excited to be heading into the Big Ten conference, and I'm really excited for the Michigan vs. Michigan State game at Spartan Stadium.</p> <p>Q. Who would you say has made the biggest impact on your career to help get you to this point?</p> <p>A. I would say that my mom has made the biggest impact.</p> <p>Q. What would you say to expect from you on the field?</p> <p>A. Expect a guy who's always running after the ball and gives 110%.</p> <p>Q. What do you think is the most difficult part of making the jump from High School to NCAA football?</p> <p>A. Adjusting to the playbook and speed of the game.</p> <p>Q. What kind of stuff do you enjoy doing in your free time? What's your favorite food?</p> <p>A. I enjoy just relaxing and watching TV. My favorite food is probably Subway sandwiches.</p> <p>Q. What would you tell a young CB with D1 dreams to do?</p> <p>A. I would tell him to work hard in the offseason, attend some camps, introduce yourself to the coaches, show them who you are, make yourself a standout at their camp so you're a target on their radar, and always thank the coaches after the camp is over for allowing them to coach you, and just be grateful. </p> <p><a href="http://twitter.com/massey_evan" target="_blank">Evan Massey</a> of Pro Football Spot did some interviews with MSU incoming freshmen and sent them to me to use. Figured I'd just post them here.</p> <p><b>Damion Terry:</b></p> <p>Q. What made you choose to sign with the Spartans? What convinced you they were the right fit?</p> <p>A. Just right away when I was there on my junior day, I knewit was a special place an I had a good relationship with all of the coaches.</p> <p>Q. What kinds of things have you been doing to prepare for the season?</p> <p>A. Just following the workout plan they have all of the recruits do and making sure I stay in shape for fall camp by running a lot. Also, throwing the football around.</p> <p>Q. How would you explain your game to those who haven't seen much of you?</p> <p>A. A QB who is a pass first guy but also can run when he wants to, like Russell Wilson.</p> <p>Q. Heading into the Big Ten, how excited are you for the rivalries?</p> <p>A. Really excited to go against great teams like Michigan and Ohio State, and also playing my home state team next year in Penn State. Will be a real fun time and great games.</p> <p>Q. How have the fans welcomed you since committing to MSU?</p> <p>A. I love them. There's no better fans in the world. They've been welcoming since day one.</p> <p>Q. How do you feel about your chances for playing time this season?</p> <p>A. As of right now I'm feeling pretty good about it, but will have to see when we get up there.</p> <p>Q. Have you become close with any of your new teammates in particular?</p> <p>A. Yeah, every single one of them and especially my roommate Jon Reschke.</p> <p>Q. What are your individual and team goals for your career at MSU?</p> <p>A. Rose Bowl, graduate and make it to the NFL or be successful doing somethingelse.</p> <p>Q. What do you enjoy doing in your free time? What kind of music do you listen to?</p> <p>A. Video games or just hanging out with friends. I listen to all kinds of music, but rap mostly. It gets me pumped up before games.</p> <p>Q. What would you tell a young QB with dreams of playing D1 to do?</p> <p>A. Just to be a great leader for your team on and off the field and make sure you have a short term memory. You will mess up in a game, but don't let it affect your future plays. </p> <p>---</p> <p><b>Darian Hicks</b></p> <p>Q. What made you sign with MSU? What convinced you that they were the right place?</p> <p>A. The coaching staff and players made me feel welcome there, and it felt like home there when I went.</p> <p>Q. What would you say is the most difficult part of playing CB?</p> <p>A. Just knowing that you're on an island by yourself and it's only you and the receiver.</p> <p>Q. What would you say is the number one area that you need to work on?</p> <p>A. I would have to say my footwork.</p> <p>Q. How excited are you to be heading into the Big Ten conference? Excited for any games in particular?</p> <p>A. I'm very excited to be heading into the Big Ten conference, and I'm really excited for the Michigan vs. Michigan State game at Spartan Stadium.</p> <p>Q. Who would you say has made the biggest impact on your career to help get you to this point?</p> <p>A. I would say that my mom has made the biggest impact.</p> <p>Q. What would you say to expect from you on the field?</p> <p>A. Expect a guy who's always running after the ball and gives 110%.</p> <p>Q. What do you think is the most difficult part of making the jump from High School to NCAA football?</p> <p>A. Adjusting to the playbook and speed of the game.</p> <p>Q. What kind of stuff do you enjoy doing in your free time? What's your favorite food?</p> <p>A. I enjoy just relaxing and watching TV. My favorite food is probably Subway sandwiches.</p> <p>Q. What would you tell a young CB with D1 dreams to do?</p> <p>A. I would tell him to work hard in the offseason, attend some camps, introduce yourself to the coaches, show them who you are, make yourself a standout at their camp so you're a target on their radar, and always thank the coaches after the camp is over for allowing them to coach you, and just be grateful. </p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/19/4447322/damion-terry-darian-hicks-interviews Chris Vannini 2013-06-19T21:02:50Z 2013-06-19T21:02:50Z <img alt="153100236" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15064527/153100236.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p>It's that time of year.</p> <p>MSU has released three options for the 2013 student section shirt. It's a nice little offseason event that reminds us football is getting that much closer.</p> <p><a target="_blank" href="http://www.msuspartans.com/ot/t-shirt-vote-13.html">You can see the options and vote here</a>.</p> <p>The first thing you notice is going to bring up <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/10/4417566/michigan-state-football-the-student-section-problem-again">the student section debate </a>again.</p> <p>Why are the shirts green?</p> <p>After MSU unified the student section for the 2007 season, the shirts were white. That continued until 2011, when they went green. The result was a student section that didn't stick out from the rest of the crowd. It appeared that mistake was realized when last season's shirts went to white.</p> <p>But now they're green again. The problem with dark-colored shirts is they don't stick out. It's always hard to know how well MSU fans travel to places because the green shirts usually get lost in the mix.</p> <p>A few years back, Michigan did a "Go Blue, Wear Maize" campaign and increased the amount of maize clothing available. Now they do things like maize-outs, and when Michigan fans travel to a neutral-site game, it's easy to see where they are. It's a bright color that lets everyone know that school's fans are in town. At the Big Ten Championship Game in Indy, one side was all red with Wisconsin fans, the other was a mix of green and white, and it was hard to tell how full it was.</p> <p>The problem with white is everything can use it (see: Miami Heat), but it's a school color, and one that sticks out. MSU needs to push the idea of wearing white. Yes, Penn State does a good job with white. That's fine. MSU can, too. It's better than a mix of green and white that just gets lost in the crowd.</p> <p>MSU finally pulled off a white-out this past year with the basketball games against Michigan and Indiana. They've tried it in football with rare success (2008 Notre Dame is the only one I can think of that worked). There are so many different shades of green that a "green-out" ends up just looking like a gray mix of fans. Also, not many people have white sweatshirts or jackets.</p> <p>The white sticks out. Sell the idea of wearing white. Sell more white sweatshirts and do a campaign to get people to buy them. Of course, but the time late October rolls around, student sections everyone become a mix of colors as jackets and sweatshirts come out.</p> <p>This is just me throwing out a theory here, but I wonder if the shirts are green so the partly-empty student section isn't as obvious. Student attendance has been a problem for years. If the students blend in with the rest of the crowd, your eyes aren't directed to a specific section that contains rows of empty bleachers. Given the home schedule this year, I'm expecting a lot of that. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/10/4417566/michigan-state-football-the-student-section-problem-again">You already know my thoughts on this.</a></p> <p>Yes, I realize in the grand scheme of things this means little to nothing. But it's the offseason, and we need to talk about something.</p> <p>Also, in order, my shirt choices would be 1, 3, 2.</p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/19/4446178/michigan-state-football-student-section-shirt-options-revealed Chris Vannini 2013-06-19T15:43:33Z 2013-06-19T15:43:33Z <img alt="20130615_jla_aa3_143" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/15043977/20130615_jla_aa3_143.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p><a style="background-color: #ffffff;" href="http://t.co/qpRPmZKCxQ">Is Baltimore&rsquo;s Nate McLouth a Walmart Wolverine? &laquo; CBS Detroit</a><br>Kind of. Some interesting comments about MSU and the state of Michigan. </p> <p><a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogergroves/2013/06/17/michigan-state-got-it-right-with-president-lou-anna-simon/">Michigan State Got It Right With President Lou Anna Simon - Forbes</a><br>Forbes writer talks about Simon's view of athletics. Good look at perhaps one of the more underrated college administrators, if that can be a thing. Worth noting the writer is an MSU alumnus. </p> <p><a href="http://t.co/x7DqWK8tMu">Detroit Pistons schedule workout for ex-Michigan State center Derrick Nix | MLive.com</a><br>Hard to see Nix ending up in the NBA, but you never know. Hopefully Nix can find a basketball career somewhere.</p> <p><a href="http://t.co/6WUnqeYaoD">MSU-bound Terry, Williams help Pennsylvania win Big 33 Classic | Detroit Free Press | freep.com</a><br> Two incoming MSU freshman looked good in a regional high school all-star game.</p> <p><a href="http://www.coachingsearch.com/home/3431-ken-mannie-michigan-state-recruits-high-school-captains.html">Ken Mannie: Michigan State recruits high school captains</a><br>MSU's strength coach talks about how Mark Dantonio has been bringing in a different kind of player compared to previous coaches.</p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/19/4445090/linking-laconically-is-not-a-fan-of-nate-mclouth Chris Vannini 2013-06-17T14:44:19Z 2013-06-17T14:44:19Z <img alt="20121020_gav_bc2_185" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14918125/20121020_gav_bc2_185.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p>Every time a team breaks out a new uniform, people say it's all about the recruits. </p> <p>Based on what we saw this weekend, it remains true. For a team like MSU, it's a good way to stick out.</p> <h3><a href="http://www.freep.com/article/20130617/SPORTS07/306170046/The-Only-Colors-Helmets-jerseys-paying-dividends-Michigan-State-recruiting" target="_blank">Here is my latest Freep guest column</a></h3> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/17/4437956/freep-guest-column-alternate-jerseys-and-helmets-continue-to-impress Chris Vannini 2013-06-14T14:17:22Z 2013-06-14T14:17:22Z <img alt="1-4-837-49-a001397" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14774429/1-4-837-49-a001397.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <blockquote> <p>The 1931 Michigan State varsity golf team poses on the steps.</p> </blockquote> <p>Those are some outfits. </p> <p><a href="http://onthebanks.msu.edu/Object/1-4-837/varsity-golf-team-1931/" target="_blank"><i>Photo via</i></a></p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/14/4429878/photo-of-the-week-varsity-golf-team-1931 Chris Vannini 2013-06-13T15:21:18Z 2013-06-13T15:21:18Z <img alt="141085764" src="http://cdn1.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14719083/141085764.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p>The first season of Big Ten hockey is coming, and MSU has released its full schedule. </p> <p>You can see the whole thing by <a target="_blank" href="http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/msu/sports/m-hockey/auto_pdf/2013-14/schedule/schedule.pdf">clicking here</a>. Below are some notes.<br>--</p> <p>- MSU plays a team from all six conferences.</p> <p>- There are 21 home games. </p> <p>- After opening the season at UMass, MSU hosts UMass-Lowell and Boston U for one game each. Lowell reached the Frozen Four last year</p> <p>- MSU travels to Michigan Tech for the first time since 1984 for a two-game series. </p> <p>- B1G play starts with a home series against Minnesota in early December.</p> <p>- MSU plays Tech again at Comerica Park for the first game of the GLI. Michigan and Western Michigan play in the other semifinal.</p> <p>- The first Michigan series is late January with a home game and one at The Joe. The other one is early March at Ann Arbor and then at home. </p> <p>- MSU doesn't face Wisconsin until late January. Two of MSU's final three B1G series are against the Badgers. Could make the #BorderBattle more interesting, or less interesting. </p> <p>- The B1G Tournament is in St. Paul, Minn.<br>--</p> <p>It's daunting, but MSU should be an improved team, and B1G hockey will be good for the sport. </p> <p> <iframe frameborder="0" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3a8GJyGeGnA?rel=0" height="315" width="560"></iframe></p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/13/4426564/2013-14-msu-hockey-schedule-released Chris Vannini 2013-06-11T21:17:03Z 2013-06-11T21:17:03Z <img alt="127831191" src="http://cdn2.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14616119/127831191.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p>The team ratings <a href="http://kegsneggsblog.com/" target="_blank">are out</a> for EA Sports NCAA Football '14, and MSU is given quite a bit of love.</p> <p>MSU is a 91 overall, 90 on offense and 93 on defense.</p> <p>Given the question marks on the offense, this is quite surprising. For reference, MSU was 93/89/89 last year. Then again, I think MSU's offense actually can be better than last year. Also worth noting that <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/ncaa-football/players/77195/denicos-allen">Denicos Allen</a> is the No. 14-rated player in the game at 95 overall.</p> <p>Alabama is all 99s, obviously. <a href="http://kegsneggsblog.com/2013/06/11/team-ratings-revealed-for-ncaa-14/" target="_blank">Click here for everyone else</a>. Here's the rest of the Big Ten:</p> <p>Illinois: 83/86/80</p> <p>Indiana: 81/83/82</p> <p>Iowa: 88/88/90</p> <p>Michigan: 91/91/92</p> <p>MSU: 91/90/93</p> <p>Minnesota: 79/79/80</p> <p>Nebraska: 88/91/85</p> <p>Northwestern: 86/86/87</p> <p>Ohio State: 95/97/92</p> <p>Penn State: 84/86/85</p> <p>Purdue: 84/84/85</p> <p>Wisconsin: 88/88/88</p> <p>Iowa better than Northwestern and Wisconsin? Not sure about that. I also think Indiana should have a better offense. These ratings often go based on reputation. Despite some good teams in the past, MSU always seemed to be underrated. Now they're getting perhaps some undeserved love. I remember how Greg Jones used to be horribly underrated. Now Allen is probably overrated. Wait, I mean MLB #53 and OLB #28</p> <p>I guess...</p> <blockquote data-partner="tweetdeck" class="twitter-tweet"> <p>So I guess EA's going with the "See? What player likenesses?" approach.</p> &mdash; Adam Jacobi (@Adam_Jacobi) <a href="https://twitter.com/Adam_Jacobi/statuses/344560430376693760">June 11, 2013</a> </blockquote> <p>The only defenses rated higher than MSU are Alabama (99) and Virginia Tech (95). MSU's D is rated the same at Notre Dame and Stanford and Texas.</p> <p>But it's just a video game, so no need to freak out too much. It's the one video game I still buy and play.</p> <p>SBN <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2013/6/12/4422378/ncaa-football-14-team-ratings-rankings" target="_blank">compared it to Football Outsiders' F/+ ratings</a>, and MSU is actually preseason No. 16 in their ratings. </p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/11/4420456/ea-sports-ncaa-football-14-team-top-player-ratings-revealed Chris Vannini 2013-06-11T03:31:42Z 2013-06-11T03:31:42Z <img alt="20120925_kkt_bc2_264" src="http://cdn3.sbnation.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/14568563/20120925_kkt_bc2_264.0_standard_400.0.jpg" /> <p>It's that time of the year when we can complain about the student section again.</p> <p>Mark Hollis <a target="_blank" href="http://www.freep.com/article/20130610/SPORTS07/306100031/michigan-state-spartans-mark-hollis-wants-students-attend-stay-at-games">recently spoke at the Detroit Economic Club</a>, and student tickets was a topic. The biggest conundrum is student tickets selling out - as they do - but students choosing to show up late, leave early or not show up at all.</p> <blockquote> <p>"We're seeing trends with student populations - not only at Michigan State but across the country, at Alabama, at Georgia, at Wisconsin, at Michigan - of individuals purchasing tickets and then making choices not to attend games," Hollis said last week at a downtown Detroit Economic Club event. "And you're seeing large (empty) blocks. And your hope is, you have to connect on, what is it that they're they missing in that experience? And what's gonna re-engage?"</p> <p>&hellip;</p> <p>"They're selling, that's the thing that (we) and so many other marketing folks have to deal with nationally," Hollis said. "When they all show up, they all want a seat. And you kind of have to stay on that barometer. So I don't anticipate us reducing that number, but I think we're gonna continue to monitor it."</p> </blockquote> <p>Student turnout has been so spotty at U-M that they're moving to general admission, like MSU does. This will probably result in a few visible rows at the top of the section. But if it gets more students to show up, it's worth it to them.</p> <p>The student section leads the charge at college football games. There's nothing like the atmospheres in college football. In my opinion, attending the games is more fun than watching them on TV, but I know that's not the case with everyone. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/5/12/4325136/spartan-stadiums-future">We've talked about things that need to be fixed at Spartan Stadium</a> before, and ticket prices can turn off some people.</p> <p>But this isn't that issue here. The tickets are already sold (for much cheaper prices). Students just aren't showing up. This is often because they want to make sure they have a ticket for a certain game (U-M, OSU) or because they want to sell tickets. If you fall in these camps, shame on you. I don't understand why you wouldn't want to go to every game if you paid for them. You only get seven a year. The beer will be there when you get back. But that's just me.</p> <p>My opinion is that the section needs to shrink. Probably take away the upper deck, or at least part of it. But that doesn't totally solve the problem. You want to make sure students who want to go to games are the ones that get season tickets. Based on student ID, there should be data on who attends games. Give the students who attend most of the games first dibs at season tickets for the next season. Then open it to all other students/freshmen. Kind of how the Izzone determines lower bowl tickets.</p> <p>Anyway, I don't expect this to change soon. I expect a full section for the Michigan game, and that will probably be it. We'll have this discussion again during the season and then the next offseason.</p> http://www.theonlycolors.com/2013/6/10/4417566/michigan-state-football-the-student-section-problem-again Chris Vannini