Dr. Green and White Sports Authority

Here we are in Week Five of the 2021 Michigan State Football season, sitting at 4-0 after a gritty overtime win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers last weekend. Pretty soon, it will be time to head out on a little Big Ten road trip, but before the Spartans leave town, there is one more chance to hit the drive thru and fortify the record with a late-night Group of Five snack.  On the menu this week is the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers mascot, Big Red, is a fuzzy red guy who looks like a cross between a fast food restaurant mascot and a rejected Jim Henson Muppet project. It is unclear if he is beef or pork (but he probably tastes like chicken). I am personally looking forward to a spirted round of fist-a-cuffs between Big Red and Sparty. I am expecting our Green and White clad hero will eat Big Red for breakfast. As for the actual football, the Spartans will also, hopefully, make quick work of the Hilltoppers. After all, WKU is almost certainly the weakest FBS team that t...

Let's cut right to the chase. This was not a game that the Michigan State Spartans should have won. The Nebraska Cornhuskers had the Spartans dead to rights, and the Spartan somehow managed to steal victory in the final few minutes and in overtime, thanks to just enough great plays on special teams, defense, and offense in the late hours of Saturday night. First, it was the special teams. With the Spartans trailing by seven and with just under four minutes to play, Jalen Reed fielded a punt and raced to the end zone to tie the score at 20 all.  Then, it was the defense's turn. After giving up three drives of 10 play or more in the second half alone, and trailing miserably in time of possession, the MSU defense stymied the Cornhusker offense in the final minutes of regulation to force overtime.  Then, on third and goal in the overtime period, Spartan cornerback Chester Kimbrough picked off a Nebraska pass and almost ended the game with a return inside the Nebraska 30-yard line....

The calendar has turned to late September and as of today, fall is officially here. In Michigan the temperature has started to dip and the leaves have started to turn. Signs for apple picking have sprung up and the tables at the local farm stands and farmers' markets have begun to fill up with the bounty that is so indicative of the Midwest in the fall: potatoes, onions, peppers, tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, and so much more. Harvest season is upon us. This week, corn is on the menu for the Michigan State Spartans hopes are high that it will be the sweet variety. The Nebraska Corn Huskers are coming to town and MSU is hoping to enjoy a nice early season meal. Coach Mel Tucker put the pot onto the stove over the spring and summer. The water has been simmering for a couple of weeks, and last Saturday in Miami it seems to have reached a rolling boil. All of a sudden, the Spartans are one of the hottest teams in the country and they still look hungry. For the first time this season, MSU...

Towards the end of ABC's broadcast of the Michigan State Spartans' impressive 38-17 road win over the then No. 24 ranked Miami Hurricanes, the cameras focused on a thunderstorm close to Hard Rock Stadium. It appeared as roughly rectangular block of solid rain, surrounded by blue skies. Apparently, this is normal in southern Florida, but to this Michigander, it was rather surprising. Strange things are certainly afoot in 2021. Winds of change are blowing. Based on the shear oddness of the 2020 college football season, 2021 was bound to be unique. But, so far, it has been more surprising that I expected after just three weeks. I have not been shocked by MSU's strong start to the 2021 campaign. I have been mildly surprised, but not shocked. That said, I still expected the Spartans to return from Miami with an "L." I tend to be about as much of an optimist as you may find in the MSU community, but the data and the weight of history led me to the conclusion that the mo...

When last we saw the Michigan State University Spartans, it was just after morning, and the sun was out. Spartan Stadium was shaking and pretty loud. MSU's offense was purring, and the defense hemmed YSU in. There was very little wrong with the Spartans' second win. But there are more days to come and new places to go. MSU's got to leave East Lansing; it's time for a show. This week the Spartan head to South Beach, and the goal is to rock the Miami Hurricanes. Are you ready, baby? The more relevant question is: "are the Spartans ready?" What we have seen so far on the field from the Spartans is encouraging. I think that it is safe to say that the Michigan State already appears to be stronger than many prognosticators thought during the off-season. Meanwhile, things in South Beach have not exactly gone to plan. The Hurricanes were ranked in the teens nationally by most outlets this summer and were as high as No. 8 in S&P+.  But, Miami was blown about by Ala...