Michigan State is arguably one of the most well-balanced team in the nation. Stout defense and good offense. 2 RB punch with and effective Kirk Cousins can't be beat. I think the only thing that NU can hope for is that they look past this game... but seeing as Ryan Field will be half Green and White, I doubt that will happen. I suppose we can always pray to the Turnover God.

make that a three RB punch

The thing about teams that rely on superior running and defense is that they rarely come out flat.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

Dont tell Alabama that.

Amen. And that makes 3 more RBs than we have. The line opened at 7... I'm a little stunned its only that. This is against a team that lost to Purdue's walking wounded.

It seems like NU has been the same team every year since the days AFTER Gary Barnett.
Great offense,always exciting,very proficient. Defense has massive holes that gets exploited by the better teams. Can't anyone teach Defense & recruit defense up at NU?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

I wouldn't say massive holes, but you are absolutely correct that we haven't had a legit good defense since '95-'96. Over the last 3 years, depending on how you measure it, NU has had better defenses Michigan, Indiana, Purdue, and arguably Minnesota. NU's defense started getting better when Fitz hired Hankwitz as DC. We produced two NFL defensive draft picks last year alone (Corey Wootton and Sherrick McManis). But I wholeheartedly agree with your point that the offense does consistently outshine the defense.

This is a great spot in the schedule for Northwestern to play MSU. Coming off a homecoming win with a huge game against Iowa the next week is a great position for MSU to be caught.

I think Northwestern will play really well too. Good luck.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I admire your belief without evidence! Wish I had some

No, the letdown game was against the Dr. Ken's. He told us so.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

Starting Indiana-Illinois "Eric Gordon" week quickly aren't you.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

I do what I can.

_________________
"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

I'm looking at another potential letdown game this week after Indiana's stirring and emotional, come-from-behind victory over Arkansas State.

Here's a fun fact: Indiana's 4 wins are against opponents with a combined 3-23 record. That's beating the teams that you are supposed to - Gettin' it done.

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My Maserati does 186.

I see what you did there.

♫ Purple Pride. Purple Cats.
Northwestern Wildcats.
Purple Pride. Purple Cats. ♪

This will make it all the sweeter when IU wins the boob bowl this week.

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"He is a loathsome, offensive brute
--yet I can't look away."

FWIW, the line on this game is 5. I would give those points all day long. MSU matches up too well against NU.

I'm still on the fence here. Total trap game for MSU. Basically the Rose Bowl could be on the line next week for them and playing a team with a spread like offense could spread em out and give them hell.

You guys think Mike Quade will be at this game?

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

If I'm not on the fence, how could you be? The matchup is horrible. This is the best defense that NU has faced. Despite putting up phenomenal passing stats, the Cats are among the worst in the Big 10 with red zone scoring. The Cats struggle when the field gets shorter. That makes sense because we have ZERO running game. Michigan State is going to drop its LBs into zones and dare NU to throw the ball. And if Persa thinks he can continue to be the leading rusher on the team, then he should talk to Robert Marve to see how that ultimately turns out. And let's not talk about our defense. We can't stop the run and they have a stable of RBs that are going to pound us into submission. And when we stack the box... Kirk Cousins is going to make some high percentage passes to keep our LBs honest.

Fun fact I just heard... this will be the fist game that Michigan State has played outside of the state of Michigan this year. That and $1.50 will buy you a cup of Starbucks.

MUD, stranger things have happened....and seriously, this is the perfect spot for MSU to be looking ahead. A couple quick strikes changes this game entirely.

I predict that Northwestern has the lead in the game with under 2 minutes to go.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

MSU 37 NU 24

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favrefan said:"Chris Coghlan isn't gonna pay your rent, Jimmy."

ESPN's Mark Schlabach is picking NU over MSU for his Upset Special of the Week

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=5710243

Apparently Phil Steele is predicting an upset too. Jeeeeez... I don't know what they are seeing that I'm not.

i'll be watchin', hoping for a wildcat upset. but i agree with ya mud, i don't see it happening without some miracle work.

Phil Steele got his underdog play of the week when he read the post from boilermaker rick. He nailed it at the top of the week. Great situational spot. Good technicals for NU also. Fundamentals all MSU though.

The only reason that NU is getting this attention is that they have a little reputation as a "spoiler"... frankly I think that is a b.s. reason to pick NU. Like Coast said, the fundamentals are all MSU. My 5 year old could figure out the gameplan for this game. MSU run the ball... wear down NU's bad rush defense... then make several high percentage passes to keep the LBs honest. And despite the great yardage numbers for Persa, the red zone scoring offense is not good. It's not a coincidence that when the field gets shorter, NU's offense really starts to miss a good rushing attack.

Sparty always lays an egg in the middle of the season, but I am starting to think this team is different.
They aren't sleeping through the 4th Quarter anymore.

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There goes one over the fence..Tru Link Fence..Beauty, Privacy Security....Call Tru Link.
Murph's Union 76 Truck Stop....A great Thanksgiving Tradition!!!!

WOO LIFE!!!!

MSU by a minimum of three touchdowns.

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O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

I'll take that bet.

I've changed my view. Northwestern plus the points.

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.