MSU sports update

Show Notes

Host Nick Lundberg introduces Impact FM Sports Director Brendan Schabath and discusses MSU women's and men's soccer, volleyball and last Friday's football game.

What is Sports Round Table from The State News?

The State News sports reporters discuss all MSU sports.

Nick Lundberg 0:10
Welcome back, everyone. My name is Nick Lundberg. And this is the Sports Roundtable podcast your end of the week sports update for all things. MSU.

Today I'm here with Brandan Schabath, the sports director of Impact. How are we doing today, Brendan?

Branden Schabath 0:21
I'm doing very good. Nick. It was kind of a rowdy morning. For me. I thought my car got towed. But it turns out, they just moved it to a different location, the parking lot. So we're all good able to be here and do this, which I'm very excited about being part of the Sports Roundtable. Pretty cool.

Nick Lundberg 0:34
That's good. I'm glad you're here. And so I just wanted to say that we'll be hosting instead of at The State News, where we'll be doing the Sports Roundtable from Impact and might not be Brendan every week with me. But we'll have some great people from impact coming on the show, and it should be a good time.

Branden Schabath 0:48
Yeah, there's a lot of awesome student journalists in general at the school, whether it's at Impact, or The State News, or, you know, big 10 plus whatever. An d it's cool that we can do something like this and collaborate and be together. And I'm very excited that we can be a part of this.

Nick Lundberg 0:48
That's awesome. And so before, obviously, the big thing of the week was football. I want to talk about some non-revenue sports give them a little shine. So women's soccer is has been doing very well after kind of what Jeff Hosler called a disappointing tie with Oakland. And I know you called that game for big 10 plus; they came back bounce back against number 19, Colorado, they won four to two. Cam Evans got her first ever hat trick. It was the first ranked twins since 2016. First, ranking on under Jeff Hosler. Can you, after calling the Oakland game? What did you have? What did you see from the team's performance over the over the week?

Branden Schabath 1:39
Yeah, I mean, this was a soccer team who started the first like 300 minutes of play this season without giving up a goal. And then they were up for nothing on Dartmouth and gave up a goal in the final minute. And it looked, you know, much like they were going to be pretty similar to last year were last season before the season, they were predicted to finish 13th in the big 10. And finished fourth, I mean, Jeff Hosler is an outstanding coach, he went to the national championship and division two at Grand Valley State every year, he was there either wonder finished runner up. And you know, then they go down to Arkansas and play close game with it with another ranked team Arkansas number 11 in the country. And it feels like Michigan State can get on this national spotlight and compete with SCC country and stuff like that. And then the game against Oakland Oakland is a very good soccer team. And they're perennially one of the best teams in this region in the noise. It was just a slow day for everybody, you kind of knew Oakland wasn't going to have the offense, really to compete with Michigan State, that's where they should have ran away with it.

And for that to end in a nil-nil tie was pretty disappointing. There wasn't a lot of energy on the field. It was a hot day, which might have played a factor in it. But it didn't seem like everybody came to play Michigan State only had two shots on goal, those were the only two shots on goal in the whole game. That's a number that can't happen. If you're Jeff Hosler. And Michigan State, you have to put shots on target, you have to make the defense, get their money's worth and make them make the right plays. And so to come back after that, you know, after the Oakland game, it's a draw and it's not a loss, and it's fine. But there's plenty of reasons to be worried about going against another ranked team in Colorado. Now you do have, you know, home field advantage. And that was a wet and slippery one. And I'm sure that played a factor in it too. And probably if Colorado had their choice, they play it on 75 degrees and sunny and, and no rain. But you know, they had to come up here to Michigan and kind of deal with it. And that's part of home field advantage.

And for Camryn Evans to show out with the hat trick was a really nice sign because she was one of the people that for me personally, I think other people that follow this program, when she didn't really perform against Oakland along with a lot of the other girls that was like that, that was one of the big disappointment. She was really kind of a nonfactor. And that Oakland game only had a couple touches near the net. And for her to come back with a hat trick against the rank team is pretty cool and I think this is a good kind of leaping pad to start conference play for Michigan State.

Nick Lundberg 4:00
Yeah. And you mentioned that, um, like the game, the conditions of the field were just-just bad. They were it was downpouring, every five minutes, it would stop and then start again and Cam Evans when I talked to her after the game, she actually mentioned that the fact that helped the ball kind of skip more, yeah, made the game more wide open and Hosler talked about how that's kind of the style they liked to play, whereas Oakland kind of kept him tight. And that's why they couldn't really they couldn't get any goals on the board because Oakland he was talking about they playing that low left that low block and that just made it impossible to score against them. But since the field conditions and the way Colorado played was a bit of an open style Hoster and Evans talked about how that really helped them, you know, get the win for the weekend.

Branden Schabath 4:43
And you know, nobody likes to be out in the rain and torrential downpour, but it made for some pretty sweet pictures too. So that was cool. Yeah, so they will have since Sunday. They have had a week off. They'll play Illinois to start big 10 play it to next Sunday.

Nick Lundberg 4:57
And moving on to men's soccer. They haven't looked as good as the women's team, but after just sort of a disappointing start, they tied one to one with Bowling Green two matches ago, and then they beat the winless Chicago State to move by four by three and with a score of four to one to move to two, three and one on the season. And then they play Washington on Friday night at 10pm. Just some thoughts over the men's soccer team.

Branden Schabath 5:23
The men's soccer team are, they're in an interesting spot. Damon Rensing has been here a while, you know, he's taken them to one of their best seasons in history to the college cup in 2018. But since then, there hasn't been a winning season for Michigan State. And it is not for lack of talent. It feels like they've had some outstanding players on that 28 team and since then, to go through this program and you know, move on and play professional soccer. You look at Farai Mutatu with the LA Galaxy, maybe not as much talent as some of the other schools in the country.

But they proved in 2018 that they can compete with that lack of talent and you hope that they can turn it around and kind of be competitive in the big 10 again, and now listen, for those that don't follow big 10 Soccer it is one of the best conferences, for college soccer there. There are some great teams year in and year out. And the school just down the road, Michigan is always good in both the men's and women's. And so this nonconference schedule looked like one that for the men's team, if you beat who you're supposed to, and are competitive with schools like Bowling Green, where they do get a draw competitive with schools like Akron, where they ended up losing two to one, you know, competitive with some of the better schools, it can set you up well, for the conference season, I don't think they got quite the intended results that they wanted. But this Washington game is going to be a big one, go on the road, you know, all the way across the country.

That in itself is a challenge for any team, you know, the football team is going to do it this week, as well. And we'll talk about that. But that's that's a game that it feels like you need to win, to really put yourself in a good spot to at least start conference play. Okay, before you really get into the nitty-gritty of it.

Nick Lundberg 7:09
And we know that when the team does, well, people show out like people care about men's and women's soccer, there were a ton of fans over the weekend for the big upset win for women's team. But especially for the men's team, if we know if, as you said, they've done they've won before. And we've seen, like huge, like huge crowds come to the marten and pack it. So it would be nice to see that kind of crowd come back sooner rather than later to the Martin.

Branden Schabath 7:34
Yeah, and you know, soccer is kind of a niche sport here in the States. And it's growing faster than I think almost any other sport. The nice thing that I like about it is you don't have to be a soccer fan, you know, be really deep into you know, the English Premier League and know all the players and stuff, you don't have to be a soccer fan to that level to enjoy what you see in front of you, it's still very exciting to watch those guys go out there and play, the stuff they can do is amazing for their age. And it makes it a lot of fun when we have fans that show out and can pack the marten and make it a good game.

And there's a lot to like about both teams. Again, they're not as you know, to the level talent wise as some of the other schools in the country. And that's, you know, partly regional, just partly the way the programs have gone, you know, over the last decade or so. But there are some really fun players for both of these teams. And I think for the men's team, at least, the freshmen are going to be really fun to watch.

There's some, you know, you talked about Jack Guggemos, Tyler Crawford, there's some really good guys on this team who looked like they can really be some some star players in the near future and add a nice little wrinkle to this Michigan State team who was trying to not necessarily replace Mutatu and everything that he brought, but they're still looking for their identity that way and I don't think they found it yet. I think they're still on that road to figuring out what kind of team they are, what they do best and how they're going to go out there and beat teams. But there's a lot to like about them.

Nick Lundberg 9:10
And you just mentioned freshmen coming in and doing well. I wanted to switch gears to men's tennis where Ozan Baris just won the US audibles Jr Cup and the hype around the tennis program after hiring a new coach this offseason replacing a legend and Jean Orlando which his name is Harry Jadun and I believe he was an assistant for Orlando for a while and after getting a couple of five stars last recruiting period to add Ozan who is top five in the in the nation. He's number one in Michigan number one in the Great Lakes region from Oke- from Okemos and I believe his name is Josh Portnoy, who plays who's going to be a sophomore he also was a five star from Okemos as well. So a lot of talent coming from the area. Just exciting times for the men's tennis program.

Branden Schabath 9:54
Yeah, you don't exactly think of Michigan State when you think of men's tennis as a powerhouse, but they're starting to add those people on the roster that they need to really bolster that that national brand. And there's nothing, in my opinion more fun about a team than a team that has a new coach, there's so much to kind of dive into and see how they handle certain situations and what they did in the past and how that translates to here and just the story overall of how they got here.

And there's so many new coaches at this school and a bunch of different sports and men's tennis is one of them, that it makes you want to take a closer look, if you're not a tennis fan. If you haven't really followed it here at Michigan State or just in the United States in general. It makes you you know, kind of do a double take and say okay, well what's going on over here with the men's tennis are starting to see some wins I you know, I see some five stars, like you mentioned, and Ozan and then oh, there's a new coach. Like there's a lot you can dive into with this team. And that's a lot of fun.

Nick Lundberg 10:52
And mentioning new coaches as well. Now I want to switch to volleyball, who as we know, Lea Johnson took over in the offseason for another legend and Kathy George. She actually started six and O with the team for the first time since 2012. But had over the weekend got swept in her ACC big 10 Challenge kind of when they went to play Duke in North Carolina, but still after starting for the first now they're playing in the Breslin center new coach. There's a lot of hype around the team. They started off very well, hopefully looking to continue this kind of play into big time conference play.

Branden Schabath 11:24
Yeah, and listen, the move to Breslin is awesome, don't get me wrong. I love Jenison Field House, and it's 105 degrees in there, and it just smells old, which it is and, and but that's a really nice place. But I think the move to Breslin was overdue for this volleyball program. I think it brings a lot of excitement for the players and when you can get your players excited, you know about a new coach and a new place and I think they did it at the right time. Like I said it was overdue, but it wouldn't have made sense to let Leah Johnson come in here and be here for two or three years and then make the switch. It's like okay, new coach, new place. Everything's exciting. Everything's fun. And if you can get your players to kind of buy into this new regime and new program, you'll be set up well, and we saw six and o start for the first time since 2012.

That's pretty cool. North Carolina and Duke are good programs every single year. And Michigan State while everything is new, they haven't competed in a while in the big 10 and nationally and the big 10 again for volleyball for women's volleyball is a gauntlet. You talk about teams like Wisconsin and Iowa and Penn State good every single year. Michigan's got a good volleyball team.

And so it's going to be a long road and we're not going you know, we're obviously not in the Big Ten play yet. And we'll see after the first couple matches how things look like they might shake out for this season. I think what I look for for Leah Johnson is you want to see different than under Kathy George, you want to see if you're going to see mistakes, you want to see different mistakes, you want to see them focusing on where they were lacking in the past and maybe they fix those and that leads to lacks and other departments.

But as long as they're improving, and these players are buying in it can be set up for a nice season that can hopefully put Leah Johnson in a good position to really kind of turn this program around and that's what she's hired to do. And that's kind of what she did at Illinois State. And I don't see any reason why she can't here

Nick Lundberg 13:29
And with that they'll be facing Oakland on Friday night as well at home at the Breslin center and switching to the other team at the Breslin center. We've recently got some news from the basketball side I know you were basketball court reporter for Impact so you follow the team very closely but Jaden Akins is out for four weeks as we learned earlier this week with a stress reaction I believe his left foot that he's is he's going to be a sophomore he's expected to make a big jump and minutes in production. How do you think that will, you know sort of hinder his develop is development going into the season?

Branden Schabath 14:03
I mean, obviously, surgery is never a good thing, especially on your foot for a basketball player. Everything you do is on your feet and it can be a struggle to deal with that mentally for a player and obviously physically, you know, getting back into the right shape and for someone like Akins you know I take Joey Hauser for example a stress reaction surgery for him is a little different than someone like Jaden Akins who is so athletic, probably the most athletic player on this team, probably the fastest player on this team. We've seen Him go high for dunks and blocks and even rebounds you know, and go coast to coast in what seems like half a second. So I think it will take some time for him to get back to that level. It gives us a fighter though he's a bulldog and I think he'll handle this challenge. Well, he's got some good people around him. He knows I think the expectations that are around him this season. And obviously you never want injury or surgery, but the silver lining with it is that maybe those expectations get rolled back a little bit, and maybe there's a little bit less pressure for him to perform right away.

I mean, we know the expectations that fans have around this program. It's national championship level. It's undefeated in conference play, ranked in the top 25 year in and year out, compete in the champions classic and like the season against Gonzaga and Notre Dame and Villanova, the gauntlet of a nonconference schedule they have. And so if it can relieve those expectations for him a little bit, then that's one plus you can take away. The biggest issue for me is I think I, whenever someone misses time, I always think back to the COVID season for Michigan State where they missed an entire offseason, essentially. And we saw what that did two rocket watts, who after his freshman season, was the shooting guard, you know, kind of under the wing of Cassius Winston and Aaron Henry and guys like that. And rocket showed a lot of potential and he had a couple 20 point games and kind of willed Michigan State to victory a couple of times in that, that COVID season.

Right, right before, you know, the world ended and looked like they were going to go on a Final Four run, he looked like he was going to be a big piece of that. And so everybody said, Okay, when he comes back, you know, he'll be the point guard, he can handle the ball, he just has to learn how to run the offense and pass and you should be fine. And without the offseason and the development to do that it never was fine. And that next season was a really roller coaster season for Michigan State with you know, ups and downs. And it took three top five wins in the last two weeks to just get into the NCAA tournament. And then obviously losing to an eventual Final Four team and UCLA.

But so you know, especially the four weeks leading up to the season, you really don't want to miss if you're gonna pick a time to miss it's in the middle of the summer at the start. But again, I mean, Akins will be there every day at practice, I fully expect him to take this as an opportunity to learn and kind of watch from a different perspective ever since he's been here. He's been watching and learning involved in practice and on the court. And you know, he gets utilized more in practice, obviously, then we see in the games. And so now it's an opportunity to see it from a different side. And especially for basketball, seeing the court from different views can really change how you see it when you're on there. And for someone like Akins who's probably going to have the ball in his hands a lot once he gets that leadership role, and is going to be a decision maker on this team that can be really beneficial. And if he uses this time, well, I fully expect him to come back and perform with flying colors, and not to scare anybody and base.

Nick Lundberg 17:50
I know he said they'll make a full recovery with the surgery. But I always think back when I hear stress, reaction stress fracture to Josh Langford and how that absolutely just destroyed, not destroyed. He did have a nice bounce back here as last season but kind of he was the five star coming in, you know with the class with Cassius and Bridges and Ward and everyone he was kind of the underrated piece of the class. Everyone expected him to kind of just stay throughout and keep getting better and be a leader in the team but that those injuries with the stress, the stretch, stress fractures and everything just kind of derailed his career. And hopefully, I'm hoping that it doesn't happen with the same with Akins. We can't help but think about what it did with Langford.

Branden Schabath 18:30
And a positive of that though, is that Michigan State has dealt with it and dealt with it recently. So they're going to exercise caution with Akins, and they will check on him every single day and see how that foot is doing. And it will it will probably be slowly. I know they said they expect him to be back for the start of the season. I don't think he'll have the same role to start the season that he will by the time December and January rolls around. I think they're going to take their time, which is exactly what they should do. It felt like with Langford, it was kind of not a rush to get back because you know, he missed a whole offseason one time and you know, stuff like that.

But it felt like there was this urge to kind of push him back in okay, we need this five star, we need these points. We need this production, we need this leadership and we need it now. And that can be tough. And I think that might have played a role in his you know, just chronic, you know, injury proneness and I think for Akins, there might be a little PTSD there and they'll make sure to take their time with it and I hope they do. I think that's what they should do. There's, you know, essentially in college basketball 14 like Michigan State who really should every season at this current time be in the top four of the big 10. The non conference schedule is important but it doesn't matter as much.

There's other teams who are on the cusp of you know the top eight or nine and their their conference or you look at you know the non power five conferences those teams need those big nonconference wins and if you're Michigan State, you want to get them too. You beat Gonzaga and you beat Notre Dame and you beat Villanova. You're going to be in the top five in the country. By the time November rolls around December rolls around, but they don't matter as much when you expect to make the NCAA tournament. Obviously, winning those games will help with your seating and whatnot, but you're not at the luxury right now to risk. Akins for the rest of the season for a couple nonconference games, I expect them to take their time with him and slowly ease him back into things I want to urge fans to be cautious and you know, I want to see Jaden Akins just as much as you guys do. But I want to see him healthy and I want to see him for a long time. So we got to take our time with bringing him back.

Nick Lundberg 20:46
And then moving on to a team who after last season now has almost as high as expectations as the basketball team which is Mel Tucker and the football team. I want to talk about the some performances from over the weekend, as you know with the 52 to nothing win against Akron. Jacoby Windmon had another huge game he went it was a kind of a quiet game though. You saw the four sacks against Western but this game he was kind of under the radar even though it's stats, if you just look at his stats and not watch the game, you would think how would this guy go under the radar but he had finished with five tackles two and a half of them for work for loss. A sack and a half three forced fumbles, fumble recovery and a past breakup. Just what has he done, in your opinion to bolster the team's pass rushers and just the defense overall so far?

Branden Schabath 21:32
You know, well first I think when they're six fumbles on the day, the three that he forces do tend to go under the radar a little bit. And that Akron game was a weird one for Michigan State where obviously they blew him out 50 to nothing was like one of the biggest margins of victory and you know, this century or whatever it was, but it still didn't quite feel that way. For some reason. I think it's because of the offense. And because of the wind, which we'll talk about but Jacoby Windmon is kind of the epitome of what we expected from Tucker. We expected him to get these transfers, get these recruits get these guys from different parts of the country that Michigan State is unaccustomed to, and for them to perform. And I hope, you know, we talked a lot about already expectations, I hope is his expectations from the fans aren't too high now, before the conference play, because you have to take into account that this these games that we're seeing are Western Michigan and Akron, this production will slow down, he will play better teams, it will probably slow down this weekend. Washington has a good offensive line.

They really haven't played anybody this year. But still the stat that Michael Penix hasn't been sacked yet in two games is really impressive. They had a great offensive line last year. So I expect this production to even slow down from Windmon As soon as this next game, but the nice thing is, is you know he has the potential, you know, if he stays around for another year, he can have one of the best seasons, defensively that Michigan State has seen in a long time. And I think this this leads to a breakout game. I think big time players make big time plays in big time games. And so Windmon feels like one of those guys. And on a defense that suffering right now that is dealing with some injuries.

And I know he's in the front seven, and their injuries are in the secondary, it's still kind of, you know, you take solace in the fact that he's up there and you know, he can probably go out there and have a breakout game when Michigan State is going to need it. I mean, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, obviously Ohio State and Penn State. It feels like one of those, you know, to maybe have those games or so he could break out and really propel Michigan State to a victory.

Nick Lundberg 23:37
And I was talking with some friends about his performances the past two games, and we were saying that, you know, last year MSU had a clear NFL guy and that was Kenneth Walker this year. It feels like the clear NFL guys Jacoby Windmon and you mentioned that you know, big time players make big time plays we saw Kenneth Walker score five touchdowns against Michigan and arguably our biggest game of the season countless other games he stepped up and so I agree with you I think that Windmon steps up this week this weekend, which is people are I feel like people are underrating this game because there's a lot of things coming in where the team hasn't looked like you really want it to be at and then Washington has been playing well despite you know, playing you know weaker opponents but there's a lot kind of in the mix here and you can see it we're going to talk about this more later but the betting lines and we always know that Vegas is very accurate and it always knows exactly and it moves from we were favored by three and a half to now Washington's favorite by three and a half and whenever Vegas has a close you know, it's we're in for an interesting one.

But I also want to talk about some other transfers to that Tucker's brought in and Jalen Berger and Jared Broussard, who combined for five touchdowns on the day over the weekend, and can't forget about our fellow club Eli Collins. Yes sir. It's great to see shout out to UD Jesuit but it's so far, like Berger and Broussard have kind of split the carries on the season and Berger has had a bigger production but Broussard kind of broke out last game. It was good to see the running backs even though I mean no one can replace Kenneth Walker like or people can, but it's very hard. And there's a lot of pressure on these guys shoulders being highly touted transfers, but I feel like they've done a good job so far coming in, in terms of replacing the production of Walker.

Branden Schabath 25:24
Yeah, and listen, I think it's I think it's fair. I think it's okay to say nobody's gonna replace Kenneth Walker, the dude had one fumble at Michigan State and ran for five touchdowns the most in the history of the rivalry against Michigan. He did things that nobody's probably ever going to do again, here at the school. But I always, whenever I see a team, professionally, college, high school, whatever it is, lose a big star like that. I always think of the movie "Moneyball" and with the Oakland A's and you know, they lost Giambi, and they lost a bunch of guys. And they're, you know, there's the scene. They're in that they're in the scout meeting and stuff and they're trying to find one player to replace Giambi and Billy Beane, is like, no, we can find three guys who equal the production that he had. And that's kind of what Michigan State's got to do with Berger and Broussard and it feels like there's the potential, it's not going to be the flash and the flair that Kenneth Walker was and it's, you know, not going to be one one person that this fan base rallies around.

But a nice duo is really fun to have. And the guys each propose different skill sets and different things that they do well in different things that as a defense you have to scheme against and be prepared for. And every defensive coordinator that you know, scouts against Michigan State this season, is going to have different plans and packages for their defense based on who's in the backfield. And that's a big advantage for Michigan State and big time games and big moments. It's tough to pay attention to the little things like that, oh, is that 25 In the back? Or is it 23? You know, and, and that changes your mindset as a linebacker as a dn as a safety, you know, whatever. And so having to is not as bad I think as people might expect it to be you know, it's I understand it, it's hard to watch Michigan State go 11 Into last year, or 12 into I should say and finish it up with an urn come back this year without Kenneth Walker without that Heisman candidate that they had. And there's a lot of fun around that. But there's a lot to like about Berger and Broussard. And again, it's early. You know, we mentioned that Washington hasn't had a tough schedule. They're saying the same thing about Michigan State, they've never heard of Western Michigan, you know, they've probably never heard of Akron.

And so they're saying the same thing about Michigan State and they're coming in, they're seeing the betting line, they're seeing the expectations. I think an ideal situation in this game for Michigan State is that you out there, and surprise people, you absolutely wipe the floor with Washington and run them out of their own building. And I think there's a big chance that that happens. I think Mel Tucker is very dissatisfied with this team through the first two games, dissatisfied with his quarterback and with his offense. And obviously, you know, luck plays a factor with, you know, the injuries that they're dealing with on defense, and there's reason to be upset about that. But I think he'll have this team ready for Washington. And there's a good chance that they just go out there and surprise some people and win this game by two or three scores.

Nick Lundberg 28:23
And it's interesting because I mean, we're ranked 11th and AP poll and Washington's unranked and people are still, you know, cautious about coming in. And I mean, how both teams are played. It's pretty similar. We're, you were saying with the schedules, but um, one player who has looked off that Tucker has actually said he's not concerned about at all and I kind of agree with the statement as Payton Thorne we've seen him the first two games he put up some good stats against Western Michigan they threw for four touchdowns had over 200 yards but he's still looked off like he would miss some passes deep in miss some passes high, he'd seem not to be in the in the best rhythm and he also got roughed up and two separate plays in two separate games.

And then last week, you had no touchdowns, two interceptions, even though one was kind of like one was just a stupid decision he did on a flag, I believe it was when he got he got nailed and he just threw it up to no one and it got picked off. But that's still and he's, it seems like to me he's been allergic to hitting Keon Coleman, at least last week because that guy was open. Every time we threw it at him, he just missed him and a left a lot of points on the board and I was just I was curious to see or to know your thoughts on what do you think about his his debut so far?

Branden Schabath 29:39
So Thorne is an interesting character in this movie that is Michigan State football this season. And he's a main character and someone that you need to have a good character arc this year.

The biggest thing for me is I'm not necessarily worried about the missed throws the ones that are off to argot we kind of saw him do that last year too. And it worked out, okay, for the most part, but for me, the area that I really wanted to see growth in from last season to this season, and that I haven't really seen yet is the decision making; there were a couple throws last year, double triple coverage, kind of going for the big play, maybe you're somewhere up the middle that that's, you know, closed off, that you would hope he would turn around this year, and especially against inferior teams like Western Michigan and Akron.

And for him to go out there and really struggle against an accurate team that they beat 52 to nothing, and to just look off against a Western team, who they usually beat by three scores every single year. It's not exactly confidence-inducing, you know, I fully expect him to turn it around. And as far as the accuracy, that's, that's something that just you got to kick the rust off. And, you know, it was probably a, it's, you know, difficult coming back from a big season like that, and having the same motivation to come out next season and do everything right.

So he might still just be kind of waking up for this season. And we might need another two or three games for those balls to really be crisp and on target. And that's something that just comes with time. But the decision-making has to turn around and has to turn around fast, or they're going to lose a game here. And you don't want to do that early in the season. Obviously, we saw how much fun how much excitement in added last year for them to get what was eight games before they lost if they can get to like that five-game mark and still have a zero in the last column. They put themselves in a position to compete for a national championship, you get through five games without a loss, and who knows what happens the rest of the way? And there's it's a tough schedule. And you know, they're going to have to go to the big house against the Michigan team who has national championship expectations. Or the Wisconsin team who just lost a Washington state is going to come here. They're going to be looking for some revenge and try to take that big 10 west that is still kind of up for grabs and Penn State every year. You never know what's going to happen there.

But so for Thorne, I need to see the decision-making turnaround. And hopefully, it's in this Washington game. I think it'll be a good test. I think this Washington team is one that they this is a Washington team who's not known for their run defense. And I think there's an avenue for Berger and Broussard to have really big days. Anytime there's an expectation that you can run the ball well, you know, you can pass the ball well, too, because the defense will be keyed in on the run. And that's what they're trying to improve in, turn around. And so that can open up Keon Coleman and Jayden Reed and Trey Mosley and as long as he hits him and makes good decisions in the right spot. It's a game that he can, you know, build off of and kind of set up the rest of the season. Well, for him if he has a good day. I think we really need a zero interception game from Payton Thorne sometime soon. We haven't had one yet this season. And obviously, you know, not every interception is the quarterback's fault. And certainly, that goes for Thorne as well. But like you said, those ones where he just throws it up, and nobody's there, there was a couple of those last year.

And for a quarterback who wants to lead a big, you know, a team to a big 10 championship. You can't make those same mistakes that you did last year and weeks one and two of the next season that has to be turned around. So I hope he does for the sake of this football team. And I think he will.

Nick Lundberg 33:31
Yeah, the one against Western always pops in my mind this year of just he seemed like he had a first down just run out of bounds. And he decides to throw it across his body to Jeremy Bernard, who is the defender. I don't know who it was but was all over him. And it was just not a good decision. I agree. We saw that last year and hopefully, kind of like Miami was last year kind of a turnaround game or like where people started to wake up and were like, this team could be legit. I hope that this game kind of serves. It feels like the same vibe coming into, you know, you're going on the road far away from home against a team who like has something to prove in Washington in this case, Miami was different. Two different things.

Branden Schabath 34:13
I see the similarities. They both have been really good in the past as well. Washington was you know, a playoff team at one point and stuff so.

Nick Lundberg 34:19
Yeah, so I mean, there are similarities and differences but the nonconference road game is the biggest game of the season so far. It's definitely those are the similarities from last year but Thoren might miss might be missing this week, a piece of an important piece in Jay Reed as Tucker gave him the sore status after he saw him walk off the game are out of the game with a nice catch on the sideline. Kind of look like he might have messed his knee up or something but Tucker never, you know, gets into the specifics. So we don't know what exactly is going on. Just kind of like Xavier Henderson is sore, even though it seems like he almost like broke a leg or something last week he could call that sore, which I don't know if that one thing that annoys me about soccer, but so hopefully, I mean, his status is unknown. But that'd be a big loss if Reed is out for this game against Washington.

Branden Schabath 35:08
Yeah. And then it's a game where you really have to rely on the running game and Berger and Broussard to do you know what we've seen them during the first two weeks. And this is a Washington team that they can do that against. But for Thorne nets really difficult to go without read. And that will, that will be a true test of his character as a quarterback, how he handles that situation, and not having his favorite target open.

I love the example that you brought up in the western game. Because I think, you know, he's trying to make the big play and the exciting play. And that's essentially all that Michigan State season was last year was big and exciting plays. And that's a big reason why there was so much hype. And last season was so much fun for this fanbase, and for this football team is because they had fleet flickers, and Kenneth Walker with big runs, and Jay Reed punt returns, and, you know, deep throws to Reed and it was the big play, you know, it felt like Ohio State, you know, Ohio State's been the best team, I think in the country for the last six or seven years at making the big play.

And that's kind of what last season felt like for Michigan State. But there's a time and a place for Thorne. And he has to learn that and that Western Michigan interception, I think, is a good example of, you don't need to make that big play there, you know, especially against the team like Western where you're just supposed to beat them, you know, you just have to tuck that and run it and get the first down and just do your job and move on to the next series. There's we'll see how he handles the Reed situation if he doesn't play again, with Tucker, who knows, you know, who's kind of play and not, I think Reed will probably be okay. And hopefully, he goes out there and plays it might be mental gymnastics for Washington; maybe that's part of it as well. And you know, Michigan State's completely healthy or maybe the other side of the mental gymnastics is that they're missing more guys, and they don't want to let Washington know, but either way, without Reed, Thorne is going to have his work cut out for him.

Nick Lundberg 37:02
Yeah, he definitely will have to step up and against moving on just to previewing that the Washington team itself. They are they're going up against a familiar foe Michael Penix. The transfer from Indiana, he's been very good these these first two games so far is thrown believe six touchdowns only one interception hasn't been sacked yet. So and with Xavier Henderson out for you know, as we said, Who knows how long he saw kind of the leader of that secondary and we know the problems, the secondaries had and it kind of seems like those problems are still there a little bit this year so far. I mean, you can't expect a shutdown, like every single play.

But there have been times and drives series this year where it's like, the corners still can't seem to cover anybody like you've seen you see Chuck Brantley out there, like hit sticking people. But like, really, does that matter when the guy has already caused gain? 12 yards? Yeah, you know, it's exciting. But at the same time, it's already a first down so like, it doesn't really mean anything. And then you've got a guy a huge guy like Ameer Speed out there, who seems I know Tucker has given praise to him so far. But in my eye, it seems like he hasn't done what I believe he can do and what he's capable of maybe still getting used to Big Ten Play and being on the team and all that because he is a transfer from Georgia. And he hasn't he didn't really see the field last year, but rightfully so because Georgia was very talented but got and then Kendall Brooks has stepped up. It's been a guy for Xavier Henderson has been forcing fumbles left and right. He looks solid and save your spot. And then Angelo Grose has kind of looked the same in my opinion. I don't I haven't really seen anything from him. Different from last year so far. But it's still a young season for the secondary but I do have my uh, I'm not—I'm not pessimistic, but I'm not optimistic about where the secondaries heading so far. And this week is definitely going to be a good test against a guy who can sling it like Penix.

Branden Schabath 38:55
Yeah. And I think, you know, we mentioned that Penix hasn't been sacked this year against their first two opponents, I thought I saw something to that. When he was at Indiana, he'd never been sacked against Michigan State. I mean, he's like, he's a Spartan killer. He's just one of those guys who, who he's like, he's like a raging bull when he sees that green and white. And it's, it's going to be a test for the secondary. I'm interested to see the scheme. You've seen it Michigan State really struggled during the soft zone defensively before and give up chunks of yards at a time. But then you go into man coverage and there's like you said some guys who just can't cover as well as they really should be able to at this level and you risk the big play and the last thing you want to do on the road in a hostile environment in a primetime game is give up big plays. So I think they'll try to pressure the quarterback I think they'll try to force Penix to make quick decisions and smart throws you know on the fly, but it's their defense their secondary is really going to have to do bear down in this game and probably play the best they've had the season.

Nick Lundberg 40:04
I think the end result will be a shootout. I really don't see, as there's been, you know, stats to back it up that Washington has been lining up teams and we have to. And our defense still to me doesn't hasn't seem like it's taken that next step yet. So I believe this game will end in the shoot out. But I mean, honestly, who knows with there's so many different factors coming in. So it's gonna be definitely an interesting result. And I know everybody will be tuned in for it. But that's all I have for content. Brendan, do you have anything else you would like to add?

Branden Schabath 40:38
No, I think I think you bring up a good point, there's a good chance this is a shootout, we talked about the favorite in this game, I didn't see the over underline. So I'm curious about that. This is one of those games that feels like Vegas is going to be wrong, though, you know, it feels like this over under is going to be off or the spread is going to be incorrect. So the over-under is at 56 and a half total. I feel like I want to take the under there. So there's some times it seems like there's one or two games every single season where it goes the complete opposite of what you expect. You expect to shoot out or expect a low-scoring affair. And it's the flip side.

And I think there's a chance for this Washington game to be that way. I don't know why I don't have anything to back it up. I just feel that way. So really good journalism over here. But I don't know, we'll see. I'm excited for this game. I'm excited to watch them in primetime. I'm excited to see how they handle the road environment. The road environment wasn't kind to them last year, look at Purdue look at Ohio State. They really struggled with that their best wins. And part of the reason that season was one of the best in the past couple years for Michigan State was because they played really well at home. And that's what you need to do. You have to play well, win at home, and make your home environment a hostile crowd. But the best teams will still play to that same level in a hostile environment like Washington and they're going to be ready, they're going to be excited, their fans are excited for this game. This is still a Washington Program that is good, that wants to get back to its winning ways of a couple of years ago. And a win like this could really set them up for a good year in the Pac-12. And you know, we talked about conferences are not conference expansion playoff expansion, the Pac-12 is primed to get into the playoff now once it expands to 12 teams. So for a school like Washington, who there were conversations about joining the big 10 After UCLA and USC did they have no reason to do that? No, they're gonna stay in the Pac 12. And they're gonna try to win it and they're going to try to make the playoffs that way.

And they set their program up for a good opportunity to do that with a win against Michigan State. So they're going to be ready. It's gonna be a fun game. I'm excited about it. I think it's gonna be low scoring. I don't know why.

Nick Lundberg 42:47
Safe to say, anyway, you caught it. It'll be interesting. So thankfully, fans have some. They have a big game to look forward to finally with the football team. So that is exciting for this weekend. But anyways, thank you so much, Brendan, for joining and thanks, everyone, for listening. And see you guys next Friday for another edition of Sports Roundtable. Thanks again, Brendan.

Branden Schabath 43:07
Thank you for being here. It was really fun.

Transcribed by https://otter.ai