Northwestern and Michigan State sport identical 2-2 records coming into Saturday’s contest in East Lansing, Mich. But nothing about the last two weeks has been the same for the two squads.
While the Wildcats found an offensive rhythm in victories against Duke and Navy the last two weeks, the Spartans were upset by California on Sept. 14 and lost a heartbreaker to Notre Dame last Saturday.
After decisive wins over Eastern Michigan and Rice to open the season, Michigan State was shocked when the Golden Bears pulled off a 46-22 win in East Lansing, capitalizing on four Spartans turnovers. The loss to then-No. 14 Notre Dame was not nearly as embarrassing, but it dropped the Spartans from the Top 25 and brought up questions about starting quarterback Jeff Smoker.
NU knows its opponent has something to prove this weekend, and head coach Randy Walker said Michigan State has a lot of weapons to choose from — aside from the duo of Smoker and star wideout Charles Rogers.
“They have a multitude of receivers,” Walker said. “Just when you think you can stop Rogers, they throw someone else at you. And Smoker has a big-time arm. He’s a great talent.”
After his team struggled to defend the option last weekend against Navy, Walker said the best thing about entering Big Ten play might be the possibility of avoiding another option offense the rest of the year.
Instead, Cats face a more conventional attack Saturday. But Walker knows his young defense — eight starters are underclassmen — will have to fix a lot of problems if it plans to stop Smoker and Rogers.
“Collectively, there have been a lot of breakdowns and missed assignments,” Walker said. “There’s been too much ‘I’m not making a play, but I’m not screwing up.'”
He added that the best NU can hope to do is limit Rogers; stopping him entirely is unrealistic.
The man who will be mostly responsible for guarding Rogers is NU’s lone senior on defense, Raheem Covington. The cornerback, who is seven inches shorter and 25 pounds lighter than Rogers, held the receiver to five catches and 68 yards last year.
“I think he’s a good receiver,” Covington said. “Definitely one of the best I’ve ever guarded. But we’re going to be very prepared for him. I covered him a lot last year, and I think I covered him pretty well.”
Since Michigan State’s receiving corps is so deep, Walker said it would be crucial to cut the power off at its source.
“It’s real important to put pressure on Smoker,” he said. “Anybody can throw strikes off the mound. Knock his ass off the mound and see if he can still throw strikes. If we let Smoker throw from the mound all game, we’re in for a long day.”
