Aug. 31, 2005

2004 Record: 5-7 (4-4 Big Ten)
Head Coach: John L. Smith.  Record at Michigan State: 13-12, Overall Record: 123-72
Starters Returning: Offense 8, Defense 5. Special Teams 2

Consistency is the key.

Michigan State head coach John L. Smith returns to the Spartan sideline full of optimism in 2005 with perhaps his most talented and experienced group of players since taking over the team in 2003.  The Spartans return 37 letterwinners, including 14 starters, from last year's squad that showed a lot of potential in wins over Wisconsin and Minnesota, but also had a number of missed opportunities.  Three of Michigan State's losses in 2004 were by a touchdown or less, and another was an eight-point loss in triple overtime against Michigan.

Junior quarterback Drew Stanton will return under center for the Spartans this fall. In 2004, Stanton was an honorable mention All-Big Ten Selection as a sophomore, racking up over 1,600 yards in the air to go along with 687 yards on the ground.  Along with his excellent running and passing abilities, Stanton has emerged as a leader due in part to his willingness to sacrifice his body for a play.  Many head coaches would hesitate before saying that such a talented quarterback's best feature was his personality, but not John L. Smith.  "It's his competitiveness, his attitude, and the aura that he presents that makes him stand out," said Smith.  "All of that goes into the package that you see, and you're going to want to follow that guy."

Stanton is one of three returning Spartans who rushed for over 600 yards in 2004, along with running backs Jason Teague and Jehuu Caulcrick.  Teague is one of the team's most experienced returning players, with 37 games under his belt, and last year led the team with eight rushing touchdowns.  

Caulcrick averaged 5.5 yards per carry last season, including a career high 146 yards on 13 carries in Michigan State's win over Wisconsin.  "Jehuu has no idea how good of a player he can become," says Coach Smith.  "He has deceptive speed for a back his size and gets around that corner quicker than you think he can."

More offensive threats appear for the Spartans in the wide receiver spots, one of the team's deepest positions.  Junior Jerramy Scott returns as the team's leading receiver from 2004, catching 39 passes for 444 yards and three touchdowns on as a sophomore.  Senior Matt Trannon will present problems for his opponents with size and speed.  The 6-6 split end had 36 receptions and over 400 yards last season.

Senior Kyle Brown, who looks to be a third-year starter this season, adds a big-play element to the receiving corp.  Brown is not only the most experienced wide-out, but also brings all the intangibles to practice and has become a leader by example to his teammates.  "Kyle doesn't talk much, but he comes to the practice field ready to work hard and improve," according to Smith.  Terry Love will be a strong option off the bench for the Spartans, coming off a solid rookie campaign.  Senior Aaron Alexander, who caught 15 passes in 2004 despite being slowed by foot surgery, and newcomer Diego Oquendo will also compete for significant playing time.

The tight ends will also see more of the receiving duties, led by senior Ryan Woods, who is returning for a fifth year, and Kellen Davis, who saw action in 11 games last season as a true freshman.

The key to the Spartan offense will be the offensive line.  Though the team will have to replace first-team All-Big Ten selection Sean Poole, three starters will be returning from one of the nation's top lines.  Led by Rimington Trophy and All-American candidate Chris Morris, the line will continue to be the driving force behind a successful offense.  Drew Stanton has nothing but confidence in the teammates lined up in front of him.  "If you want to know what makes our offense so successful, it's our offensive line - definitely," he said.  "The stability up front to do what we need to do, and the trust we have within our offense is what makes us thrive."

Joining Morris in returning starting positions will be junior Kyle Cook, and senior Stefon Wheeler.  Cook started all 12 games last season, and Wheeler has started 22 games in his career.  Gordon Niebylski and Mike Gyetvai are looking to step into starting spots at right guard and right tackle, respectively.

On the other side of the ball, the defensive line will look to use its experience towards more consistent play.  The unit has always been hard hitting, but would like to put a little more pressure on the quarterback.  Clifton Ryan, a 300-pound junior will be the standout end on the defensive line.  Joining him up front will be senior defensive tackles Brandon McKinney and Domato Peko, and weak-side lineman Michael Bazemore. 

The Spartan linebacker corp will be led by Eric Smith, a former strong safety who will make the move to outside linebacker in 2005.  Sophomore Kaleb Thornhill will also look to step into more of a leadership role this season, after a 32-tackle campaign last year.  Returner David Herron will also expect to have a strong season after contributing 95 tackles last season, eight of which were behind the line of scrimmage.

Michigan State will have to rely on a mostly inexperienced secondary in 2005, with only one returning starter in Jeren Hayes, who made the switch from running back after his sophomore season.  Ashton Watson, a senior with 31 games played in his career, will likely start at cornerback.

Another area that will be filled with fresh faces is the special teams.  With the exception of All-American punter Brandon Fields, newcomers will make up a majority of the special teams positions.  John Goss will take over placekicking duties after transferring from a junior college and Carl Grimes and Kyle Brown will handle the kickoff and punt returns this season.

Overall, the Spartans will look to a strong offensive line, as well as a running game that was ranked in the top 10 nationally to overcome inexperience in a few key positions.  The team will also rely heavily on leadership from its veteran players. 

Center Chris Morris believes that his team has what it takes to contend for a Big Ten Championship.  "We'll be extremely exciting this year," he said.  "You're going to see a lot of people getting a chance to make a big play, and each player giving it his all for his teammates."

Defensive end Clifton Ryan agreed.  He added, "we're a much more mature team this year.  We're more athletic, stronger, faster, smarter, and we have more of a feel for what it takes to win."

"Our goals are the same every year," said Smith.  "Seniors are our number one priority- we always want them to be able to go out on top.  We want to win a championship and get a reward, which is a bowl game.  Those are always our three goals, the rest will take care of itself."

The rest will take care of itself, as long as the team performs up to its potential game-in and game-out. 

The Spartans will hope to avenge their loss to Hawaii at the end of last season by hosting the Warriors in their second game of 2005.  Kent State will also travel to East Lansing, with a trip to Notre Dame rounding out the Spartans non-conference schedule.  Rivals Michigan and Indiana will be traveling to Spartan Stadium, Michigan State's homecoming game will bring Northwestern, and a Senior Day brings Penn State on the final week of the season.  The Spartans will face tough challenges on the road at Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue and Minnesota.

Smith added, "As we become more mature as a football team we will become more consistent.  It's an on-going maturing process."

Spartan fans hope that maturity will show beginning September 3.