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Host Nick Lundberg discusses MSU sports recaps.
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 here end of the week sports update on all things MSU.
Right now I'm live from Impact station at Holden Hall on MSU campus with Cam McClarren Impact sports broadcast assistant football reporter. How are we doing today Cam?
Cameron McClarren 0:25
Pretty good. It's honestly it's just a great day to end the week on a Friday. You always love Fridays, so.
Nick Lundberg 0:31
Exactly, exactly.
So we're gonna get into a little women's soccer, men's soccer, and volleyball before we talk about that disappointing football game over the weekend. But I'd like to start with women's soccer as over the weekend they'd be Illinois three zip off a Lauren DeBeau hat trick coming off a previous Camryn Evans hat trick so two hattricks in a row. And with that performance Lauren was named Big 10 Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Week. The team's very hot going into big 10 play they now sit at six one and two on the season how we feeling about them Cam?
Cameron McClarren 1:02
To me after watching this team for the past two years this is almost like a national championship caliber team or bust it's natty or bust essentially at this point. I mean the team's played very well their few games that they didn't play super well. At, the game they played at Cincinnati rain delays throughout that entire match ended up with a nil nil draw. And then the one loss against or one of their few losses against Arkansas nationally, ranked at the time the number 11 team in the country a one no loss. They, I'm pretty sure Arkansas scored in the final five minutes of that game and that's something that soccer coaches hate is giving up goals late in the half or early in a half.
And that's something that Jeff Hossler has really talked to this team about because as you said Cam Evans getting that hattrick against number of nights in Colorado to really kind of kickstart the swing of momentum going into big 10 play and then that three no scoreline I mean Lauren DeBeau there's not much that you that you can't say about her she's just a one woman wrecking force at the moment she's played so well this entire year, scoring a hat trick and I believe under 13 minutes coming off the bench at halftime which is just remarkable. It's, it's it's pretty much the same thing that Heung-Min Son did for Tottenham over the weekend, as well so and in the English Premier League.
So to be honest, this is really just a team that looks like it's got that caliber to make a few splashes in the big 10 especially going into the big 10 tournament later on this year. And possibly, you know, beating those Michigan's beating those rockers those Penn State's of the women's soccer world.
Nick Lundberg 2:40
Yeah, you watched the Arkansas game earlier in the season. You were like this team. It has something to them, and then they come back they do a draw plus or scoreless draw against Oakland. And everybody was frustrated with that very disappointing. And then all of a sudden you turn around you played Colorado who was nationally ranked at home, and they just take it to them and then do the same thing at Illinois going into big 10 play. So you got to feel good about this team going forward.
Cameron McClarren 3:07
Yeah, and a lot of their victories against some of these other opponents. So you take a look at the seven nil over central at home, you take a look to for one over Dartmouth, which mind you in that game, the one goal that Kozel gave up was just a completely defensive lapse and along the back for and she was not happy about giving up that goal having that shutout streak but really, this is a team that can score and this is the team that doesn't allow goals. That's why Lauren Kozol is one of the best players in the country. And that's what that's who you want to have guarding between the sticks if you're Michigan State and you want to make a run towards the NCAA tournament.
Nick Lundberg 3:40
Exactly. Now moving on to the men's side of things. They played Washington last Friday, they lost 4-1 but Washington is top five in the country. So there's not a lot of shame in that but they scored first early in that one but ultimately led to forego onslaught by Washington with the loss they moved to to foreign one on the season and will play at Indiana tonight to open big 10 play.
Cameron McClarren 4:04
Yeah, that this is just a team that screams no identity to it. I mean, you get your one of your two main centerpieces back and Jack Beck who's taking a fifth year you lose from for Farai Mutatu to the MLS SuperDraft he is off doing bigger and better things. But this is really just a team that's still struggling to find its stride halfway through the season going into the toughest stretch of play that they'll have at Indiana tonight, Tuesday against Michigan, Wisconsin at home a few days later on Sunday that those are games that are going to put them to the test and mind you this is just a team that still struggling to find the back of the net might take away the Chicago State game which mine's a Chicago state's playing Division One soccer for the for only the second or third year since the 1980s.
This is a team that just brought back its men's soccer program and they still gave up a goal on a defensive miscue at the back but, in their past four matches, they've scored two goals. If you take away the Chicago State game, one against Washington, one in the tie at Bowling Green, and then getting shut out against number 14 Akron and your in-state rival and Western and Now, mind you, Western Michigan's a very good team, Western Michigan has a chance to make some splashes in the Mac Akron as well. That's a tough conference to play in for men's soccer, all those teams who are very good. Then you look at Bowling Green. You get the draw. Cool. And then you follow it up with a Chicago State victory at home against a team that really is that has a few bits and pieces but just doesn't play well collectively in Chicago State.
Then you go on you play Washington, the number four ranked team in the nation. Yes. Cromer gets the call to start things off. Will Perkins is playing out of his mind offensively as a defender, but then you lead in four straight goals. And now, mind you, you're going in tonight against Indiana, who's ranked I believe 15 or 16. Going into this match, and then you have Michigan at home and then you have Wisconsin and Penn State.
This is a grueling stretch for Damon Rensing's team. And to be honest, I don't know how they make it out of this with a win. That's just my opinion. But you take, you go through that Washington game, you lead in four straight goals. That's just been the staple of Michigan State for the past two years. Mind you there other when other than Chicago State came against Army, the season the season opener, and that was a surprising victory for them. I did not believe that Michigan State was going to win that game at all. But they played better. They played badly in spurts. But they played just well enough. They played a good solid, possibly 60-65 minutes, which is which was enough for them to win the game.
Nick Lundberg 6:43
And now it feels like at this point in the season. Like you said they don't really have an identity. You have four losses going into big ten play, only two wins. Now it kind of feels like you got to show us something the team has to, you know, step up in some way to get at least one or two wins out of this next stretch.
Cameron McClarren 6:59
And really your goal production has suffered massively without Farai Mutatu. Jack Beck doing his best from the penalty spot. Same thing with Will Perkins scoring from the penalty spot. Other than that, it's the freshman and Spadafora and Guggemos. Other than that, there's rarely any production. Besides Cromer getting the one goal against Washington. The front line is playing as best as they can, but you expect more with a senior or graduates senior fifth year and Jack Beck to be able to distribute, it's just for some reason things aren't clicking.
So for me, I don't really know how they go through this next stretch, getting victory. It's really — they're going to have to claw their way against Indiana; they're gonna have to do the same thing against Michigan just a few days later. Those are two back to back games that you don't want on your schedule. You would much rather have a non-con or maybe a lower-level big ten team to play against. But in the big ten and in men's and women's soccer. They are cracked at soccer. This is a tough conference to play in and I was thinking about it this morning.
The big ten does not have or rarely has a sport that they're not good at the big ten is good in football. It's good in men's soccer, women's soccer, ice hockey, women's ice hockey. I mean of course they play in the western collegiate Hockey League or the Western Collegiate Hockey Association most of the big ten teams that you would see, like your Ohio State's, your Minnesota's will play in that league. But they're just so good. Big ten schools are good at a lot of things. So it's really hard to find a sport where you can get those talent differentials like you see in big ten football where you know you're not so high up on a Northwestern football as you are as a Northwestern women's soccer.
Nick Lundberg 8:48
Very true.
So moving on to another team that has been making waves besides the women's soccer team is volleyball. Over the weekend, they swept green and white classic against Oakland and Chicago State in Evansville moving to nine and two on the season. Leah Johnson is off to a very hot start. And tonight they'll start big 10 play like most other teams are against Nebraska on the road. So Leah Johnson can't say enough about her in the start for women's volleyball.
Cameron McClarren 9:16
No, this has really been a dream start for them. I mean, coming back off of those two losses to North Carolina and Duke North Carolina getting swept but going up against Duke losing a five set thriller only by five points in the fifth set and then you come back at home you come back to Breslin you only drop one set out of nine on the weekend against decent competition in Oakland, Chicago State in Evansville. And it really rested on this service, the service rotation for Michigan State. Nil Okur, I believe, had 13 straight serves in the final set against Evansville. And it was tough to watch because I'm pretty sure in those in those 13 serves, she had four or five aces. Because just the way that she was able to put just ball placement right in front of the metal blockers, right and right to the left of the outside hitters, There's just nowhere for there was nowhere for Evansville to go. They couldn't get a read on the ball.
So for Michigan State to come home, just completely obliterate their competition, and then use that as kind of a stepping stone going into big ten play, especially going to Nebraska tonight. That's going to be a really tough test for Leah Johnson and her squad. But this that's something that you want, especially out of a first-year head coach at Michigan State, you want to be able to say, hey, look, our nonconference schedule was decent at best. It's this that's late; Leah Johnson said it was the noncon schedule that she was dealt with. She had no say in this schedule. Otherwise, you might see some of those higher-ranked volleyball teams and volleyball getting or volleyball universities on this non-con schedule. But there's a confidence boost that comes with only dropping one set out of 10 on the weekend. Exactly.
Nick Lundberg 11:11
Moving on to we got to talk about it, the football game over the weekend. I speaking for all the fans out there. It was just this very, very disappointing, but there were some silver linings. We'll get to those later. But first, I want to start with the Washington quarterback Michael Penix as we all know, the former Indiana transfer and every time he lays it up against MSU, at Indiana, it seemed like he would always, you know, give us trouble. But he definitely did that again over the weekend through for about 400 yards and four touchdowns. And we'll get to the defense, we'll get to the secondary, but I just wanted to talk about his day and how you thought he looked against Michigan State.
Cameron McClarren 11:49
He looked like a cheat code. It just looked like anything that he did was made of gold. And I mean, Mind you, the few 4000 stops at Michigan State had been because of running plays. They weren't in Penix's, his hands. If Penix throws in the first quarter when Washington's down at the two, they throw, you know, three to the right with the one slot receiver running a five-yard out, not even a five-yard out, just a straight flood route, or they go to each to each side play action to run the running back out to the flat.
It's 14. Nothing easily at that point for Washington, but Michigan State stops and Michael Penix is just an absolute cheat code every single time he's played against Michigan State. It's not even just when he plays against Michigan State he's just always been that quarterback that you want, especially I Whenever he was at Indiana. He's a big bulky guy he can run the ball when he needs to, but he's a good pocket passer as well. He's good on the run. He's exactly what you want. And not enough people give him credit. And when he torches a Michigan State team, that mind you tradition says that Michigan State defenses are one of the best in the country. And he tortures you through the air for 404 touchdowns. That screams warning signs for anybody that bleeds green and white. But that also raises some ears for everybody in draft talk because Michael Penix is a very, very good quarterback. And I did not give him enough credit going into Saturday's game.
Nick Lundberg 13:19
He definitely can sling it, and it was looking like he couldn't miss out there for a while. And in the third quarter, it seemed like he kind of cooled off. But he kept going on most mostly throughout the game. But talking about the secondary, some of these, some of these throws might have been a little too easy for him because his receivers just had so much separation coming off. I mean, you look at a guy like Chester Kimbrough, who made the move to nickel this year; he started off the first two games of the season, he looks pretty decent. He was making some tackles, and not giving up too many big plays. And because we were used to seeing that out of him last year against teams like Ohio State, Michigan, and then this game, they just started picking on him, and it just wasn't pretty.
Cameron McClarren 13:58
No, that's what you call it. I mean, that's what you get when you don't have guys that can play press coverage, and you're playing the soft zone. I mean, I remember back in high school I used to just brait my head coach. Meanwhile, I was upstairs or up in the stands with the band saying why are we playing a four to five with a blood safety? What's the blood safety going to do? Nothing, we don't have a good pass rush. Therefore, the blood safety is just taking up another lineman and you leave the middle of the field wide open. We got torched on third downs. We get we could put teams in third and 10/3 and 15. We'd give up first downs because the tight end would just tie it under slot receiver right up the middle of the field for 1520 yards.
But for Michigan State, it's just for some reason, there I don't understand how it could get worse than last year because it looked worse than last year on Saturday against Washington. It's just mind-boggling. I mean, you see all the people with the surrender cobra, you know, hands-on hands behind their head because it's third and seventh. And these receivers, especially on the outside, had our wide open exactly how does this happen? And you don't know whether it's, you know, the guys on the field or you don't know if it's just the defensive gameplan. But like, to me, it's just kind of like, it's not necessarily a lack of leadership, maybe a lack of accountability, or maybe just, it's just a lack of discipline and following the game plan following fundamentals. I mean, there are just too many factors. I mean, you take a look at what Tucker said in the press conference afterward, or on Monday of, you know, he takes it personally because he's a DB guy, he coaches the DBS.
So I don't know how you can go from being dead last to being even worse and looking like that on Saturday.
Nick Lundberg 15:43
And it doesn't help that Xavier Henderson, the captain of the defense, and the secondary were out for that game. But I do want to highlight one of the only bright spots of that secondary. And I want to give him his credit as Kendall Brooks. That guy has stepped in for Xavier Henderson. And I believe I know he has three forced fumbles on in the season, but I believe one is coming every game, and you had that goal-line force fumble that we were talking about during that stop. And he just seems like he's always in the right spot, and delivers the hit. And I just wanted to highlight what he's done so far this year.
Cameron McClarren 16:12
I just wish Kendall Brooks would pick his head up a little bit sometimes because there are a few plays where you look and you're like, if that's, you know, three inches higher, that's a target and he plays dangerous, he plays on the gray line.
Nick Lundberg 16:24
And I want to also want to give Washington some credit because there is a lot of factors that it seemed like guys; Tucker said that the scheme was put like there was no scheme issues. It was just it was a lot of different things going into it but Washington's offensive game plan the way they use motions and spread out the field. And that you mentioned that tight ends would be wide open down the seam for 1520 yards. And I could I can only imagine because MSU just looked lost on defense because of all the they would spread guys out there on motion guys back and forth and it just seemed like MSU had really no idea what was coming out of them and you saw like one of the touchdowns you had Cal Haladay 20 yards downfield covering a tight end which you don't normally see him all the way out there doing so they I would I want to get my props to Washington as well for solid offensive gameplay.
Cameron McClarren 17:10
Especially in a four-to-five why's one of your linebackers down 20 yards down the field.
Nick Lundberg 17:15
Exactly. Exactly. They really picked MSU apart. And also on another underrated part of the game for Washington was the line on both sides. It seems MSU could not get a running game going. Broussard had that safety early after that stop, which, you know, downplayed a lot of the momentum. Berger couldn't really get going. And then it seemed like the offensive and defensive line just I mean, there was no pass rush generated credit. It's offensive to Washington's game plan but it's still the lines for both sides for Washington just absolutely ate MSU up.
Cameron McClarren 17:47
Yeah, I believe MSU only had 47 Rush yards. And you know, maybe it's different with, you know, a kind of Walker in the backfield. You don't you necessarily had to win the line of scrimmage with Kenneth Walker. And you know, a lot of coaches would say otherwise, you could get a little push. But with Kenneth Walker in the backfield, any play could be a big play. Yep.
But with Berger and Broussard, you need to have some forced some, you know, bulldozing ability to at least push a guy, one, maybe two yards down the field, give them a chance to make a play, give them a chance to get their legs actually moving. Because as soon as that safety happened, it's almost it's a slap in the face to the offensive line. Because that's your job is okay, your defense when you have the ball. Now you go and you push these guys 98 yards down the field. And you score because your defense gave you that opportunity. They did what they needed to do. You give up a safety that hurts as a former lineman myself, that hurts. That's demoralizing. And it seemed like after that. That was the changing. That was a turning point in that first half because the second half was completely night and day. Yeah, difference. But that first half, it just it seemed like the air just was sucked out of every Michigan State player on that field. If they just looked bewildered, they look shocked.
It was like when Michigan gave up all those points late in the second quarter to Michigan State to make that a tight game last year. But on the defensive side, Jacoby Windmon was non-existent, and that's a credit to Washington's gameplan, and it's also kind of a little bit of a reality check for Michigan State's defensive. Hey, you lost Xavier Henderson and Darius Snow in the first game of the year. Your guys are getting picked apart. You know, you can't trust the secondary, and you're making you have to make those end game adjustments. You have to say screw this, and you have to make a play. Because when you take a look at the film against Western and take a look against Akron, you can maybe attribute one to maybe three sacks on coverage sacks. But it really just was Jacoby Windmon.
Nick Lundberg 19:58
Just one on one on ones.
Cameron McClarren 19:59
And it's If that's not going to happen against the PAC 12 offensive line and if you think that's going to happen against a Michigan or Wisconsin, or even like, dare you say an Ohio State, that's not going to happen. You need your secondary to help out your D line, and you need your D line to help out your secondary.
Nick Lundberg 20:17
They got to play, as Tucker likes to say, complimentary football, and it didn't help that Jacob Slade was out for this one, the big, you know, the big D tackle in the middle that usually that gives you know, Simeon Barrow and Eric Carmen breaks and I mean, the defensive line just looked gassed they were running on us when they, when they're running game, isn't their strength and they were doing it well. They were picking us apart through the air there. They just all together it was just not a pretty performance. But I wanted to talk about some silver linings Peyton Thorne came in had some questions. This was arguably the biggest question are coming into the game. He didn't start the season out very hot he was missing targets. And you learned before the game that there's gonna be no Jay Reed. So you're like, Okay, Thorne, you got to show us something. And he did. He threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns, and he looked collected calm in the pocket, and just overall had a solid day.
Cameron McClarren 21:11
Yeah, and it really was just the kind of Keon Coleman coming out party because I believe in the Western and the Akron games combined. Thorne and Coleman were just non-existent. It just was not working, Thorne to Reed was good, Throne to Trey Mosley, Thorne to Christian Fitzpatrick, I mean, he's hitting guys left and right, Malik Carr. But finally, you got to see that connection of okay. You had Nailor and you had Reed last year, now you have Reed and you have Coleman, then you maybe have a few of those other guys you know, your Trey Mosely's your Malik Carrs. So it's really just about getting the confidence bits in the timing correct on those routes between Keon and Payton, now mind you, the passing game plan was just not the best either. I mean, yes, Keon has nine for over 102 touchdowns. Great. But when there was no running attack, you're forced to just say, You know what, screw it. Somebody's down there somewhere. Exactly. And that's what happened on one of Thorne's picks was you immediately get that fourth down, stop down the way in your own end. And your next plays a fly out to Coleman, and it's just picked off immediately. Just not a very good decision.
So Thorne played better than he had played against Western and Akron but still, some of the decision making slightly questionable you don't throw that ball on a one on one with with a C or almost a one-on to win the safeties bout to just breathe down your throat because either a Keon makes that catching gets lit up or be it gets picked off. Because se is that ball was never going to get caught anyways.
Nick Lundberg 22:52
Exactly.
But I did want to mention Keon Coleman coming out in a big way. Like you said, nine catches over 100 yards, two touchdowns. And that one that his first touchdown just was to me just was incredible the way he kind of he even like, it looked like he tackled Tyler Hunt coming back to the ball and somehow made a play on it. And I was just I couldn't be more impressed with his day stepping up in a big way without Reed.
Cameron McClarren 23:17
Oh, yeah, that's what you need. Whenever you have your your some of your offensive starters out. You need somebody to step up. And that's exactly what he did.
Nick Lundberg 23:26
And he's only a sophomore too. So hopefully a lot more of those in the future. But just overall recap and the game. Just very disappointing. Defense, they need to figure it out. Tucker said there were there will be personnel changes coming soon. So I'm interested to see how exactly he means by that and what's going on. And I know there's a lot of people coming out there for coming out for Hazleton, and saying he some he needs to step up and which is, in my opinion is true, but I just I'm interested to see what he means by personnel changes.
Unknown Speaker 23:57
I can only speculate that, you know, there's got to be somebody in that receiving room that can play DB. Exactly. I mean, you know, the honest nature is, you know, defensive backs are just receivers that can't catch. Yep. So there's got to be somebody out there. There has to be there's got to be some competition.
Nick Lundberg 24:17
But moving forward, we've got Minnesota the Saturday at 3:30. The team Michigan State, rightfully so moved out of the AP poll after that performance said I don't think they deserve to be in the top 25 After that, but right now, minute the line is currently favoring Minnesota by two and a half. It's the first game of the big 10 play for, I believe, both Michigan State and Minnesota. But Minnesota recently lost their top receiver Chris Autman-Bell, but they're still three, and oh, and they have not really played anyone, anyone, yet. So this will kind of be their first test. So this game, kind of a lot of unknowns coming in.
Cameron McClarren 24:52
They're really is and for Michigan State, it really is I'm not going to say explicitly 100% that this is the must win game. But if you want to make a bowl game, this really is your biggest test. I mean, you take a look at Minnesota, be on New Mexico State, I feel bad for them. Western Illinois 62 to 10. And then they beat Colorado; Colorado is hurting at the moment. Most of the PAC 12 is hurting what Colorado's is especially hurting. But for MSU, I mean, you take a look at the rest of the schedule. You are two in one heading into Minnesota, you play Minnesota, then you go to Maryland, Ohio State, Wisconsin, and Michigan. That's a tough October. That is a terrible October. If you lose to Minnesota, you may be beat Maryland. That's your third win.
I mean, Illinois, Rutgers, Indiana, Penn State to finish off the year you need six wins Penn State at Happy Valley to end the year. If that's what you need for a sixth win, you're in trouble. Exactly. Because if they drop Minnesota and they drop Ohio State and Wisconsin, you're going into the Michigan game with three wins and playing Illinois. Rutgers, Indiana and Penn State. Now, mind you, for some reason. I mean, you take a look at last year, Michigan State played Nebraska overtime. I mean, you're talking a lot of Jay Reed, saved by Jaden Reed. I mean if that's how your season's gonna be, you're really gonna this is almost a must win game.
And it's at home after a crushing loss to a PAC 12 opponent now, mind you Michigan State hadn't beaten a PAC 12 opponent at home since 2015; I believe that was what it was, it's been a long time. The big ten does not have a lot of success against the PAC 12, especially in the Pac 12. Unless you're Ohio State playing Utah last year, which we know you don't need to get in the weeds of that we know how that went. But this really is going to be a test for Michigan State. It's going to be their biggest test so far.
Because how do you bounce back against that loss? How do you play a full 60-minute football game? Because, mind you, in the past year and a half I've really looked at this team really seen this team. They have yet to play a full 60 minutes of football. They really have to take take a look at the Peach Bowl. I mean, yes, your last game of the year, they do not play a full 60. Michigan day for sure to not play a full 60. No. Ohio State blew out of the water against that Penn State at times. Maybe the closest they got was that Penn State game, maybe possibly 50 to 55 minutes. But in reality, you're going to need a full 60 minutes of football from everybody that you have playing. Because there are personnel changes coming that is still not fixable. That's when the warning sirens need to go off. Yeah, because the flags have already been raised. But Next up are the sirens, and I would much rather prefer the flags over the sirens.
Nick Lundberg 28:01
Well, a lot of these questions will be answered tomorrow as the game like I said will be played at 3:30, but I just want to say thank you Cam and everyone else for listening to another edition of Sports Roundtable. We'll see you next Friday.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai