Eastern Michigan at Michigan State

Coach Pat Fitzgerald has been part of each nine-win squad, playing on the 1995-96 teams and coaching the 2008, 2012 and 2015 teams.

Michigan State has more than four months before it can claim the main title it wants, but the Spartans can start learning how to win championships this week. “(Then I) walk into my daughters’ rooms and kiss them on the head and come back into the office and stare at film for 17 hours”.

A win against the Spartans, who’ve laid an impressive blueprint for program-building in Franklin’s eyes, would expedite the process.

“When the game was in the balance [in the first half], we had some opportunities to score”, said EMU coach Rob Murphy. Cook did not play in this past Saturday’s win over No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus. O’Connor completed only seven passes and Terry completed only one, but those two combined for 50 yards rushing as the Spartans hurt Ohio State a bit with some option-based runs.

Up next for the Spartans is their first game of the DirecTV Wooden Legacy tournament in Fullerton, California against undefeated Boston College (3-0) this Thursday at 5:30 p.m. CT on ESPN3.

Meanwhile, special teams continue to be a mess.

Well, I think it’s safe to say that the Spartans are seasoned and ready to go and the media agrees as they have placed Michigan State at #3 in the latest AP Poll.

A lot of that progress is happening behind the scenes.

James Franklin sees what you see. “When our class came in, I can speak defensively, it was our starters still were learning the defense through camp”. “The next thing you know you’re going to be down 20 or something (while) away or on the road”.

On the field, Franklin points to incremental improvements as evidence that all has not been for naught.

“We have more wins right now than we did at this time past year, so there is progress being made”. Now, pillar DTs Anthony Zettel and Austin Johnson might be without DE Carl Nassib for the second week in a row due to injury.

This is a quicker way, Franklin admitted. He’s sticking to that, despite it taking longer than he’d like. Boston College will be MSU’s best opponent so far outside of Kansas but I do think this MSU team has a good understanding of player roles early on and enough weapons on offense that BC won’t be too much of threat. “That first year we could have went out and signed 15 junior college players”.

“He’s going to be a great player here at some point”.