Big Ten Teleconference Quotes & Notes

Tuesday marked another Big Ten Teleconference. Here is a few select quotes from Michigan coach Brady Hoke and MSU coach Mark Dantonio.

Brady Hoke

On the Bye Week: I thought we got a lot done during the bye week. It was a good time for us to evaluate where we are at, the things we need to improve on, the fundamentals, the techniques, look at the mistakes we made, making sure as a coaching staff we are doing a good job of coaching with clarity and how we want to play and our expectations. I think all those things were good and now we have a work week ahead of us for a tough challenge down in Lafayette against Purdue.

On Purdue’s Defense: I think their front is really a good front. A very active front, strong at the point of attack. I think Kawann Short, obviously, may be the best defensive lineman in the league. I think their other corner, Josh Johnson, is playing well. I think as a team, they are playing as well as anybody.

What kind of poise do you see in Denard Robinson compared to the beginning of last season: I think his poise has improved. I think there are still things that we all are working for and working towards where we can be better as a team and individually. I think us playing on the road is something that we need to have a quicker start and play better.

On Denard becoming to all-time leader in offense at Michigan: I think it is an accomplishment for him and what he’s given and what he’s done for the program. I think the guys that have been with him and playing out there, I think it’s a team accomplishment. Believe me, he’s made a lot of plays with his instinct and his feet and we are looking for him to make more plays.

On Purdue’s offense: I think they’ve got a lot of playmakers on offense. First off, the three guys up front who’ve got a lot of playing experience on the offensive line and I think Caleb TerBush is really playing good football and making good decisions. They have a bunch of guys that are making plays. (Antavian) Edison and (Akeem) Hunt and (Akeem) Shavers. I mean you can go through… (O.J.) Ross is another guy and (Gary) Bush, they are very, very skilled. They can run, they have good team speed and I think they’ve scored 42 points a game. They’re doing that by really…they seem to be in a good rhythm offensively.

On the video tape situation with MSU-Ohio State and what the Big Ten protocol is for sharing tape: You’d probably have to ask the Big Ten that. We get all the films that we need. It goes to a central place and we get the film.

What’s his philosophy on sharing film: We share film and they share film back.

Mark Dantonio

On William Gholston: I saw him yesterday, he looked fine to me. He seemed to be walking through the office with no problems.

On the game film incident with Ohio State: You know, I’m not going to go through that right now. I’m going to set my sights on what’s important to us, and that’ winning our next football game. What happened on the game film on Saturday translated into winning or losing. That’s where I am going to leave that.

On the offensive line injuries and if that will force changes to the offensive philosophy: We’ve lost two very good players but we get one back in Blake Treadwell. Travis Jackson is lost for the season along with Fou Fonoti, who could probably play the last couple games if he chose to, if we chose to. But, he does have a redshirt year. We do have guys with starting experience. Ethan Ruhland has started in the past for us. Blake Treadwell, Jack Allen have started along with Skyler Burkland and Dan France, so we have six players still available that have played well for us and started in the past. We’ve got some guys with some different things that we can work with and we are going to have to make it work.

How important is it to put together a complete game this week: Well obviously if everyone is playing well it is going to be good for everyone, for the entire team. We just need to stay balanced. We have to continue to try and make small success in different things, create small success that will lead to big success for the entire group. We aren’t in a panic mode or anything like that. We have guys that can make plays. I thought Andrew Maxwell played very well. We had zero turnovers on offense this past week. We have to run the ball a little more effectively, or more effectively in general, than we did this past week, which has been there in the past this year. Then, we have to throw it and be consistent in our throwing game, and we’ll be fine.

News and Notes from Dantonio

Dantonio also had his weekly press conference for MSU media on Tuesday prior to the conference call. A few notes from that:

- Aaron Burbridge is getting the start at WR along with Keith Mumphrey and Tony Lippett. Burbridge is replacing Bennie Folwer in the staring lineup.

- In replacing Travis Jackson at center, MSU is looking at Jack Allen (RFr.), Blake Treadwell (Jr.) and Ethan Ruhland (Sr.) to replace him.

- Jackson will need 3 months of rehab for his injury, should be back for spring football.

- MSU is sticking with Dan Conroy as its kicker. Conroy has missed one field goal in each game and is 10 of 15 kicking this year. He is 5 of 10 from 30-49 yards but 3 of 3 from 50 yards.

Three Big Questions facing MSU in 2012 season

The offseason of college football is like one long debate.

There are plenty of “ifs” and “buts”, however none of them really matter until kickoff of the opening game.

Still, debate and conversation is what makes football so popular.

Over the next two posts I will look at what are the big question marks entering the season for both Michigan State and Michigan. Today, I look at the Spartans.

BIG QUESTION NO. 1 – Can Andrew Maxwell lead MSU to success?

Maxwell comes into a nice situation as a first-year starting quarterback. He has a top-level defense that should keep the scores low and he has a veteran offensive line in front of him. His big concern has to be inexperienced receivers to throw to. But, he has probably developed some chemistry with these guys as backups last year during practice. Maxwell doesn’t need to be great, he just needs to be smart. Maxwell will be more likely to bring MSU down than to push them up. If he avoids turnovers and can make the short, accurate throws, he gives the Spartans a chance for a great season. If tries to do too much, he could make it a long year for Mark Dantonio.

BIG QUESTION NO. 2 – Can the MSU defense be as good as advertised?

I just said that the MSU defense should give Maxwell some ease, but what if they don’t? I think most everyone expects the Spartans to be one of the best defenses in the country, and with good reason. But things don’t always work out that way. Injuries could play a role or players could simply regress. The Spartans do lose a few key pieces on the defensive line, including defensive tackle Jerel Worthy, who helped the performance of someone like end William Gholston. The 2011 MSU defense did give up some big numbers to the likes of Minnesota and Northwestern last year, so it’s not out of the question they could struggle at times. If the MSU defense isn’t as dominant as many expect, it puts a lot of pressure on Maxwell. Conversely, if Maxwell struggles, it puts the MSU defense in a tough spot to have to be as dominant as expected.

BIG QUESTION NO. 3 – Can MSU stay at the top of the Big Ten?

The last two years have been an impressive run for Michigan State. But, it is clear that many (looking at you Michigan fans) expect the Spartans to drop back to the middle of the Big Ten pack with Brady Hoke and Urban Meyer in the picture. I am not so sure. I think the Spartans are still fighting for respectability and this season will go a long way in terms of getting it or losing it. Wisconsin should be strong, Ohio State should be improved and Michigan claims to have their man in Hoke. There are no excuses left on the table. If the Spartans find a way to win the Legends Division, or even the Big Ten Championship, I would expect them to be a factor for many years to come. If they stumble and go just 7-5, it may be back to the “Same Old Spartans” routine.

MSU's Treadwell the latest to get the injury bug

Looks like the injury bug is going around.

First it was Michigan that had some injuries that will impact the depth of the team, now it is Michigan State’s turn. (It is unclear if MSU caused the injuries themselves to get attention away from Michigan. Just kidding guys)

Joe Rexrode, formerly of the Lansing State Journal and now of the Detroit Free Press, reported on Wednesday that junior left guard Blake Treadwell suffered a fracture in his tibia and will be out for 4-5 weeks.

True freshman wide receiver Aaron Burbridge had arthroscopic knee surgery as well and will be out at least six weeks, which increases the likelihood he will redshirt this season. Burbridge had a chance to make the roster entering training camp, especially considering the inexperience MSU has at the position, but the injury won’t allow him to compete for a spot.

While the injury to Burbridge may not have a great impact, the tibia fracture for Treadwell is certainly an issue.

Treadwell was expected to start at left guard this season and he will now at least miss the season opener with Boise State on Aug. 31. The good thing for the Spartans is they have plenty of starting experience on the offensive line.

The injury opens the door for redshirt freshman Jack Allen, who has yet to see any live snaps in a college football game. Certainly opponents will look to exploit him as the weak link on the line.

The loss of Treadwell early in the season probably won’t be felt unless another lineman suffers an injury, then the depth up front will be tested.

As I have said before, the strong offensive line for the Spartans will be a key to the development of quarterback Andrew Maxwell. If the line starts to crumble, there may not be much hope for him to succeed.