Michigan State: A Look Ahead

After wrapping up the 2008 season with a tough loss out in Happy Valley, Mark Dantonio and the MSU football team now await their bowl assignment.  With a record of 9-3 (6-2), and New Year's Day trip down to sunny Florida all but assured, things could be a lot worse in East Lansing. 

While Spartan fans chat about which bowl MSU will end up in, or which SEC match up is a more favorable one (South Carolina), I would like to take a glimpse into the future. I'm looking at what a 2009 Michigan State team could look like.

OFFENSE

Starting off at quarterback, we know that someone new will be under center when the green and white take the field next August.  Brian Hoyer, while compiling a 16-10 record as a starter, has taken a lot of heat from fans and the media alike when it comes to his on the field inconsistencies. 

He has been a serviceable signal-caller for the past two years, and has done nothing but lead MSU to it's first back to back winning seasons since the early '90s.  He has been a vital part of how this team has bought into Mark Dantonio's system. 

Critics, mostly, are more interested in Brian's completion percentage, or how he has lacked in some big games.  What those critics don't always take into consideration is that his team leadership will be very hard to replace.

Waiting in the wings are two very capable gunslingers, in Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol.  Cousins, a three-star (Rivals.com rating) QB out of high school, has looked impressive when he has been on the field this fall. 

Seeing limited playing time against Eastern Michigan earlier in the year, along with mop-up duty in the team's blow-out losses to Ohio State and Penn State has, at least, allowed Cousins to get somewhat wet behind the ears before engaging in what should be a fun QB battle this spring.  The other gun in this fight is Oklahoma transfer Keith Nichol. 

Many remember the awful situation the football program was in back in the fall of 2006.  John L. Smith was slapping himself,  Ohio State was taking over Spartan Stadium, and overall, the program was falling apart. 

After Smith's dismissal, many of the Spartan's incoming verbal commitments for 2007 had to re-evaluate their decisions.  When a coaching change happens, other schools often look to capitalize on the uncertainty, and so when Bob Stoops swooped in and offered Keith, he did exactly that. 

Keith was an Elite 11 invitee, a four-star prospect, and Oklahoma had just lost Rhett Bomar to NCAA rule violations.  Nichol would have the chance to compete for the starting job at Oklahoma as a true freshman, with only a red-shirt freshman coming back to challenge him for the job.

Fast forward to 2007.  The red-shirt freshman that was to challenge Keith for the starting job, turned out to be Sam Bradford.  We all know how that turned out. 

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