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MICHIGAN STATE SPARTANS BY DAN MURPHY ichigan State started its 2012 season with a dangerous blend of question marks and high expectations. A dominant defense and back-to-back 11win seasons sparked conversations about a trip to a BCS bowl or more. The offense averaged 20 points per game, though, and the 7-6 Spartans eked out a win over TCU in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl to finish the season. This year begins with many of the same ingredients — a veteran defense full of playmakers and an untested offense void of them — but without the same lofty goals. Hopes this year are aimed more at avoiding another season full of nail-biting, heart-breaking losses. "The spring was very different than last year where there was a lot of bravado coming off the two 11-win seasons," said Graham Couch, a columnist at the Lansing State Journal. "I think they really believed they were going to be pretty good last year — that the offense would find a way. It just didn't happen." First-year starter Andrew Maxwell completed only 52.9 percent of his passes and threw nine interceptions. The 66 dropped passes from his green receiving corps didn't help. Maxwell held the No. 1 spot during spring practice, but sophomore Connor Cook is expected to compete for the starting job in fall camp. The wide receivers, particularly sophomore GAME 4 • SEPT. 21 • NOTRE DAME STADIUM M 2013 Schedule Date Aug. 30 Sept. 7 Sept. 14 Sept. 21 Oct. 5 Oct. 12 Oct. 19 Oct. 26 Nov. 2 Nov. 16 Nov. 23 Nov. 30 Opponent Western Michigan South Florida Youngstown State at Notre Dame at Iowa Indiana Purdue at Illinois Michigan at Nebraska at Northwestern Minnesota 2012 Result — — — L, 20-3 L, 19-16(OT) W, 31-27 — — L, 12-10 L, 28-24 L, 23-20 W, 26-10 Strength: Linebackers A mixture of depth and individual talent makes this one of the best groups of linebackers Michigan State has put on the field in program history — one that draws comparisons to the days of Percy Snow and Chuck Bullough in the late 1980s. Max Bullough, Chuck's nephew, is the headliner of the corp. He made 111 tackles in the middle of the Spartans defense in 2012. He's joined by pass-rushing threat Denicos Allen on one side and junior Taiwan Jones on the other. Jones took the starting job away from a team captain last season by being too good to keep off the field. X-FACTOR: Senior Max Bullough is the clear-cut leader of the Michigan State defense. The third-generation Spartan has made 223 total tackles in his 40 career games. He was a first-team All-Big Ten middle linebacker as a junior in 2012 and a semifinalist for the Butkus Award, which Notre Dame's Manti Te'o won. PHOTO BY MATTHEW MITCHELL/COURTESY MICHIGAN STATE Aaron Burbridge (29 catches, two touchdowns) and senior Bennie Fowler (41 catches, four touchdowns), should be better this season as well with a year of on-field experience behind them. The main question for this year's offense lies at running back, where losing Le'Veon Bell and Larry Caper leaves a sparse backfield. Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio shifted backup linebacker Riley Bullough to running back during the last week of spring camp, and the redshirt freshman may have won the job. The Bullough family has been pulling Michigan State football out of tight spots for three generations, and the newest addition has the natural tackle-breaking ability to continue that tradition. "He's got the wiggle in the hips and the power to be effective," Couch said. "Otherwise they'll probably use a true freshman." Bullough's older brother, Max, is the centerpiece of a defense that lost only two starters after posting the fourth-best yards-per-game average (274.4) in the nation a year ago. It's hard to find a hole anywhere in the Spartans' two-deep roster on defense. The two biggest losses in personnel from last season are defensive end William Gholston and cornerback Johnny Adams. Sophomore Shillique Calhoun will replace Gholston and is expected to have a breakout season in front of a daunting linebacker crew. Darqueze Denard, who led the team in interceptions a year ago, will take over the lockdown cornerback spot Weakness: Running Backs Le'Veon Bell was the most productive running back in the Big Ten last year with his 1.793 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. By turning pro, he left a year of eligibility on the table and a big hole in a struggling Michigan State offense. Nick Hill (5-8, 193 pounds) and Nick Tompkins (5-9, 185 pounds) both had a chance to win the job this spring, but looked more like change-of-pace backs. That leaves converted linebacker Riley Bullough or a pair of incoming freshmen, Delton Williams or Gerald Holmes, as potential feature backs at the start of the season. for Adams in a defense that leans heavily on its secondary to play man-to-man coverage. Prediction Notre Dame 17, Michigan State 16 — Both teams might still be trying to find themselves offensively at the end of September. Notre Dame will struggle mightily to sustain a long drive against the Spartans defense. This game may come down to who can make one more big play than the other team, and the Irish have slightly better playmakers in the passing game. Quick Facts All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 47-28-1 Last Meeting: Notre Dame 20, Michigan State 3 (Sept. 15, 2012, at East Lansing, Mich.) Head Coach: Mark Dantonio, 51-28 (7th year) and 69-45 overall (10th year) 2012 In Review: 7-6 overall, 3-5 Big Ten (4th Legends) Final 2012 Ranking: Unranked 2012 Stats Rankings: 95th total offense (359.3 yards per game) and 4th total defense (274.4 yards allowed per game) Returning Starters: 14 (8 offense and 6 defense) Key Losses: RB Le'Veon Bell (1,793 yards) and DE William Gholston (59 tackles) 2013 Preseason Rankings: No. 20 by Lindy's, No. 23 by Phil Steele's and No. 32 by Athlon Last Bowl Appearance: 2012 (Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, TCU, W 17-16) Did You Know?: The Notre Dame-Michigan State series has been decided by a touchdown or less in nine of the last 13 games … Spartans punter Mike Sadler, a 2012 second-team Academic All-American, has landed 20 percent of his career kicks inside the 20-yard line … Athlon rates Michigan State's linebackers as the fourth-best group in the country and its defensive backs as the ninth best … The winner of this series is presented with the "Megaphone Trophy" each season. Returning Leaders Rushing: Nick Hill (48 yards, 1 TD) Passing: Andrew Maxwell (2,606 yards, 13 TD) Receiving: Keith Mumphery (515 yards, 1 TD) Tackles: Max Bullough (111) Sacks: Denicos Allen (3) Interceptions: Darqueze Dennard (3) BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2013 FOOTBALL PREVIEW 116-127.Opponent Previews.indd 119 ! 119 6/25/13 2:54 PM