Previewing College Football with Matt Shehand

Welcome to a Thursday night in the sports office. Thank you very much. Woody Woodruff in the captain's chair. We've got a couple of fine guests tonight. We've got Matt Sheehan from the Locked On Spartan. Thanks for coming in. We've got our pal Rich Luthor. Come on, pump it up, Matt, pump it up. And we want to start, we also want to bring you fans in. Don't forget, you all can join the Motor City Casino Hotel live line. Bet on it. Bet on it is right. Text the number right there. And you can also get into the Zoom room if you get on the QR code right there and we'll put you up right here in this screen and talk about sports. And the number one thing we're going to talk about tonight is college football. And with Rich Luterman here, it's a perfect way to start it. You see I got my menu here. Just in case you guys haven't seen it, I got the menu here. What's going to be happening tonight? Michigan, Michigan State, a little Central versus Western, all that kind of stuff. Lions, Red Wings, Pistons, okay. But we're starting with the Michigan Wolverines, okay. And who do they play this week? The Penn State Nittany Lions. Those are your boys, aren't they, Rich? I was an undergrad between 84 and 88, and I was there when they won the national championship, 86-87, in the Fiesta Bowl. They beat Miami. Vinny Testaverde, Jimmy Johnson. I remember it. I will give you that leeway as a Kings fan. I will give you that leeway. Yeah, it was an ugly day for Vinny Testaverde, and yes, Penn State won five. But what are they going to do on Saturday when they cut to Ann Arbor and take on the Michigan Wolverines? They have not looked well this year, Penn State. I mean, they've lost some big games at home, so now they're coming to the big house. I would not be surprised if they lay a deuce. How about that, man? I mean, they could get shellacked. They just might. Hey, Matt, two straight losses in the Big Ten for Michigan right now. Is this a temporary speed bump for the Wolverines, or are we starting to see bigger problems? Because 14 points last time out was not good. No. I hate to do this on your own show, but it's been three losses. It's been three losses in the Big Ten. Hey, remember last time I was on this show, I talked about how everyone from Michigan State is hurt and how I'm just so sad. I got great news. They're even more hurt than they were the first time. I saw that. It's insane. We're down our first four corners. We're down our first three linebackers. I believe it's like 14 players. Just 14, yeah. We're starting to let tackle. No, it's awesome. So what's going to happen this weekend? No one will ever know because it's noon on Peacock. So that is buried away for no one to see. Everybody's going to know. And everybody's excited about this. And, you know, luckily there's two teams in this town to talk about because if it was just Michigan State, I know you'd be down in the dumps and I'd probably have to scrape you up off the floor. But now we also have the Michigan Wolverines. And, okay, like we were saying, Michigan, are we going to see bigger problems? let's get to the one big problem Bryce Underwood he remains the starter even coming off the bye week uh what does he need to show on saturday to quiet all these doubters man oh my goodness gracious reading a defense but that's so much to do and just even a single bye we would have thought we'd be here by now at this point but i think that's it you know what i would do if i'm michigan do not do not pass the ball ever and that's not just a testament to bryce underwood how shaky he's been but rich i'm sorry the penn state pass or run defense i should say their kid just ran through yeah why not run the ball 65 times if you're michigan on saturday this could be like an old school big 10 game you know a lot of running and uh it's going to be a brisking cold now it's going to be dry there's no rain or anything but it's going to be chilly out there in the big house hey it's october let's play the game look having said all that the pressure is going to just start to intensify on michigan because judging by what you guys are saying this is a game that the Wolverines should have no problem with they should just handle it you know boom boom boom but what happens in situations where we think it's going to be boom boom boom it gets exploded yes boom boom boom and that's what we that's what we may get this week whatever's left of any Michigan faithful having hope in their team that this will be like a strong year anything close that they wanted to it has to happen Saturday off a bye week at home against a struggling team who has not had a bye week they've only had tough games lately so if it's not going to happen this Saturday I you might you might be seeing West House have a few for sale signs in his front yard that that might be true you know we've also seen Michigan's offense we just talk about how they're struggling is it more about the QB play calling or the supporting cast or all three that is I've seen the number two don't worry about it I've seen the number two over there it's really hard to have it not be the quarterback I'm sorry not to keep you know beating up on this kid but he's making enough money where I can make these comments I think the play calling is hampered because of the way he plays quarterback I mean they are only dropping back 15 to 20 times per game yes Michigan is a run first team but to that extent I I don't know if they want to just be that run heavy but they have to be so I am going to put it on the quarterback I'm sorry to the Underwood family if they're watching right now but yeah Rich a lot of pressure on a guy like Bryce Underwood there's a lot of pressure uh are we kind of done with uh hey be patient he's young I mean with all the money that's involved he has to start you know hitting the ground running doesn't and then if he if he comes out flat is he going to get pulled mid-game that's a very good question uh because I have to think over the bye week uh Tommy Carr was uh practicing maybe with the ones I don't know if that's true or not right but perhaps it could be an issue so maybe if they if they fall flat let me tell you something tell me something when it hits the fan some guys run and some guys stay you know what i mean so it's up to Underwood i mean come out play well and that that's that if he plays well the critics are gonna go away i think do you is that what you think i don't think they're gonna go away at all my friend at all i mean if this offense can't move versus Penn State where does the coaching staff turn to next i mean what what do they do where do they go like the big red car buttons right there it's just that seems like the most easy one to push right you got to go to the different quarterback and i know that's you know the fan base clamoring for it potentially already but just for the betterment of your team just to show the rest of your team that okay we are going to make changes that you know have us win games it seems like it has to be the next best case i mean it's just going to the next quarterback what about uh the idea that hey you know what let's be cautious about this okay let's give Bryce uh you know every chance uh let's uh you know make sure that we're not putting way too much pressure on this kid because he is a kid again yeah and all that kind of stuff but it gets getting to the point where how many games left in the season seven yeah so it's getting to that point where it's either put up or shut up it is and that's how far off i think it really looks when it comes to just processing the defenses and we saw it i know it's a one drive sample size but that final drive against Minnesota you got the tight end open up down the middle I mean and we're sending the ball into the third row instead on fourth down it's I know it's a one-play sample size, but it just pops up every now and then. It's wild. Yeah, it's things like that and then things like we saw in the NFL-Washington game where you're like, come on, guys, get it right, get it straight. You've had all week to plan and put this together. And when you see it fail spectacularly, it's like, come on, guys, what are we doing? And I think Kyle Whittingham is at that point right now where it seems that after every loss, he's like, come on, guys, what are we doing? Yeah, I know. Well, he has the same look on his face that I saw on Jonathan Smith's face for Michigan State. Like, boy, was it a lot better on the West Coast. I kind of missed that. I'm over here for what? Is it worth the money? Got some text coming in on the Motor City Casino Hotel Live line. It says right here, love your show. How long before they pull the plug on Underwood Saturday and give Carr a shot? Well, we are discussing that very aspect of it right now. Because I think that it's likely if all of a sudden Michigan finds themselves down, you know, by like two scores and not moving the ball, Rich. I mean, we've seen that movie before. Yes. I mean, we have seen that movie before. You know, what's interesting, we're talking about Michigan and we've hit on Michigan State. We'll talk more about them. But, you know, people are talking about this Ohio State-Indiana game. Yes. I mean, we're talking Big Ten football and that is the premier game. and I think a lot of people are going to be keeping tabs on that game while they're keeping tabs with Michigan and Michigan State. You know what? Look, I'll just come out and say it. You might just be watching that game instead of Michigan or Michigan State because let's be honest, Ohio State versus Indiana, it should be a great game. Who's your pick in that one? You know what? This is for my brother-in-law. OH, I am going with Ohio State. I think that their offense can just do enough to break Indiana, and Indiana's got an incredible defense, But I think this is a game that's first team to 20 game. And, yeah, Indiana's offense with Josh Hoover, quarterback, just looks two steps behind of where it was last year under Mendoza, in my opinion. I don't know, but Cignetti has a way of galvanizing that team. He's incredible. That's my problem. It's like if you're going coach for coach, I'd take Cignetti over day, any day. But it's just the Jimmys and the Joes, I think Ohio State, a little bit more talented in this one. You know what? Go ahead, Rich. You know what? I was going to say, that game's on Fox. That game's on Fox. Big, long kickoff. There's going to be a lot of people watching that game. And rightly so. You know, could the winner of that game, you know, be the team to beat in the Big Ten? They could be, yeah. You know, I got a question for everybody here. Michigan, they started 3-0. How much has changed over the last two games and how fast can things turn around? Because it seems like, you know, it was like as soon as the conference play started, it's like, oh boy, is this how it's going to be? For, you know, my Spartan nation, also for Bronco country, started 2-1. That's right. 60 minutes and one second to beat Western Michigan no i don't know it's just the offense never really took off and you saw that kind of in week one and you could say Western returned everyone they're very talented great defense and you can buy that to a certain extent but it turned out that all all the people that said no that's actually concerned ended up being right then even i doubted them and i'm a i'm a big Michigan hater and even i thought that things were going to be okay i'm i'm flabbergasted that this is what it looks like on offense look the texts keep coming in from you guys on the Motor City Casino Hotel live line it says Michigan football sucks the worst coaching i've ever seen in Michigan history i texted that sincerely Joe i mean that's from Joe and it says what gas station TV screen will you guys be watching the MSU U of M game on at 8 a.m 8 a.m on Quimby that's right exactly pump four and Speedway, that's gonna be fun. Hey, what would a win over Penn State tell us about Michigan that we don't already know right now? I think it's just a relax everyone kind of moment, you know, like and especially if they win in the fashion that they will, you know, first team to 20 running the ball and that means that they're holding Penn State's offense at bay and that's not saying a lot but it would be a reminder that we still have one of the better defenses in the Big Ten and that could guide us to a win. Unfortunately, you know, one of my last few questions here with Michigan we've talked about Bryce Underwood and the pressure that he's under, but what about the complimentary football aspect I mean what about the run game I mean is he getting help from his receivers I have to think that you know there's an added emphasis on that but specifically that run game how can that help bail him out, right? You know Buchanan to the receiver he's solid and the run game you'd think it would be a little better but I do wonder how much of it is just the lack of respect in the pass game and other teams are loading the box a little more so it can and it should be better, there's not having any favors done to it thanks to the pass game though. Well, you know what, I've also had the thought, but it's just one that I have that the Wolverines offensive line may not be the right... in a way for Kyle Whittingham because he likes to go east-west. These guys want to go north-south. So we'll see what happens with that. Hey, listen, I've got to squeeze in a quick break. You're in touch with the Sports Office, right here on Fox 2, Rich Luterman, Matt Sheehan, and you. Come on back after this break. That's right. Welcome back to the Sports Office. The texts are coming in. I've got one right here. Why are we letting a little brother talk about us? Let's talk about the coach. This is the Big Ten. Run the ball. The pass will open up. Oh, my goodness, Matt. Only 10 minutes I get to smile on Saturdays is when you guys lose a game. They don't like you talking about the maize and blue. So, you know what? Let's shift it to the green and white. There we go. Because that's something. You're wearing their colors and all that. Michigan State against number 25 Northwestern this week. 38-37 the loss against Illinois. Is that a wake-up call or a confidence killer? Yes, it's both. No, you know, I think it oddly boosts the confidence. and that sounds so strange as you're on the fourth game of a losing streak right now but they fought tooth and nail to come back in that one so as bitter as that was to walk away through all the adversity much of itself inflicted believe me you were still able to bring this game into overtime so seems a little rah-rah but I really think there's something to that I'll be honest I have to give the Spartans a lot of credit because I had written them off in this game when it was like 34-15 and I'm like oh man there's no way they're coming back and Rich you've seen it before with other teams well uh you know Michigan State earlier in the year they they uh played with uh respect against Notre Dame you know that wasn't a bad game no uh Matt is there something to build on here i mean moving forward is there hope and is there promise you know right there the guy running the ball Jazz Patterson that's where the promise comes right there okay i thought it'd be just a substantial drop-off between Cam Edwards and Jazz Patterson and there still is a drop off but he fared so well last week 5.5 yards per carry 4.4 of those after contact and i think he continues it this weekend because Northwestern for as good as they are obviously ranked their run defense is not that great so i think that's what we can build on keep the Jazz Patterson train rolling here yeah but can MSU put together four quarters of football i don't know you know what it's that first quarter that has been just the thorn in their side they have been outscored 41 to 3 combined in this four game losing streak they're on i mean they talk about getting off the fast starts we got to actually start doing it though so if they could just get off the ground and actually have it tied at the end of the first quarter i'd take that even with some of what we've seen is the record worse than the Spartans are yeah unfortunately i think so because the two wins are against MAC opponents now it's just the alarming stats too that have happened against power four opponents they only have one sack so far in their last four games that's that's incredibly hard to do just to not fall backwards into a sack every once in a while but it's been tough and yes they did score five touchdowns last week but going into that game still they only had nine touchdowns going into that one that's very low yeah and the Wildcats they come in ranked 25th but this is the kind of opportunity that could change the entire mood in East Lansing and uh could be the springboard for more positives as we move on so i gotta think that that is one of the messages being spread around the team around the campus around everybody wearing green and white including you my friend absolutely yeah against Fitz's old team of course I mean massive storyline so yes I joke that no one is ever going to hear about this game being at noon on some streaming channel it would be seismic with a lowercase s I don't want to go overboard here but it would do wonders to the confidence of this team a because they're on this losing streak but we're on third string cornerbacks I mean we're an injury away from you playing corner for Michigan State next week so put me in there I get it I believe in you you could do some press coverage I can see it in your eyes but if you can prove that you can beat a good ranked Big Ten team with what you got right now what that would do for the locker room and the fans like myself yeah that'd be massive i think and you know go ahead i was gonna say you know oh i'll hold my fire we have we have a ding ding ding and that means somebody's in the zoom room let's bring him in is this uh david oh yeah one three the number one fan how are you three one three strapping gentleman he is hey guys how you doing so as much as i love Michigan State i just can't think about Michigan State right now with everything going on but i'd love to hear you guys take on Jalen Duran in his first preseason game i see what you got behind you you got Ben Wallace back there so yes yeah he's hanging out with me right now we can easily shift into the Pistons if you like Jalen Duran 24 points in one half i have to think that that is something that we like to see and it's not just slamming it down i mean i saw him throwing assists out i mean what did you think did we lose i thought it was good sorry i was stuck on you i thought he looked good but i also don't want to put all my eggs in one basket it's your first preseason game so let's see if you can keep it consistent throughout the year well yeah i'm hopeful that he can it is his first preseason game you are correct but i think that uh he's gonna seamlessly fit in i don't see any issue that uh the Pistons are gonna have with Jalen Hey, I see you've got a fan in. We have some young Pistons fans in young Michigan State fans. I like it. I like it. Go Pistons. I love it. Young Pistons fans are always welcome here in the Sports Office on Fox 2. Thanks a lot for coming in. We really appreciate it. Thank you so much. Pretty good stuff. The best. Want to talk about the Pistons as well. That's another topic that we can get into. I mean, Jalen Duren was the big story. But I also like Cade Cunningham meeting the media today and talking about how, you know, he thinks that people are going to sleep on the Pistons this year. And that might not be the best way to go because I think these guys really want to break out. Count me in for the people that are sleeping on them. So I'm the one that Cade was talking to. I thought that they did not have a lot of moves in the offseason that were worth noting. But maybe that's the secret sauce for the Pistons. Under the radar. Very under the radar. The only notable thing was this whole Duren thing. and based on the first half in a preseason game okay we are actually just going to pick right off where we left the regular season look a lot of times uh people will say rich and you've heard this before bringing in new players they're not the same as what you lost you know to know Tobias Harris but now you got Isaiah Joe things like that but chemistry especially in basketball is one of the key things it's exciting i mean you know with this big performance from uh uh People are talking Pistons. Like, let's get to the regular season. Let's get some jump ball going on in there. It's exciting. It is. And it all starts for the Pistons on Tuesday against the Boston Celtics at home. It's going to be a big one. But they have one more preseason game against Toronto, and that'll be on Saturday night. So we'll see. I like what J.B. Bickerstaff has got going. And the guys really seem to buy into what he says and what he is all about. Definitely. I mean, he's talking about laying the foundation, Detroit basketball. I know it's cliche, but if they're not going to play it, I mean, you're not going to see winning success here in Detroit. So, yeah, I like what he's got. Let's get it going. I mean, people are talking Pistons basketball. That's the way it should be. Exactly. That's the way it should be. And I can't wait for it. And I can't wait for you fans to chime in on it too because I expect the Little Caesars Arena to be packed this year with anticipation for what the Pistons are going to do because last year it was Eastern Conference Finals Game 7, right? I mean, let's maybe this year go a step further, get into the finals, maybe get some hardware out of this. They did not make the ECF. Thank you very much. Will you point over there to my man? The Knicks got hot. What are you going to do? The Knicks were on a roll. He is Mr. Know-it-all. He is Mr. Know-it-all. You got it wrong. You said the wrong thing. And rightly so. He corrects me. In fact, when I throw this break, he'll have some choice words for me. So I'll be right back. This advertising. Welcome back to the sports office. Woody Woodruff in the captain's chair. i was getting things wrong in the last break but i want to get things right on this one so let's go to my man David in the Zoom room, Dave, how are you buddy? Welcome, i'm doing great, welcome, how are you guys doing? we're doing great, welcome to the sports office, what do you want to talk about? so i don't know if you can see this guy right here, Cassius Winston a little bit forward into Michigan State basketball, is that the only thing that MSU fans are hanging on to right now is just get through football so we can get the basketball, i think you may be on to something because when everybody talks about MSU football, they're like hey look this might be a uh you know a one-off season for Pat Fitzgerald, let him get in here and you know lay the foundation and then get his players in and move on but uh it's tough and as a Spartans fan David, i know it's got to be tough on you so right now i think the answer to your question is yes it is basketball and uh you should probably get a white headband and join the group yeah oh for sure that's my next purchase, white headband you're pulling off yeah you know hey uh we're uh probably looking at a pretty good Michigan State team this year, i mean uh pretty soon i'll probably get Tom Izzo in to chime in on what he's got but uh so far this summer i haven't heard too many uh you know complaints about what the Spartans are about so I gotta think they're gonna hit the ground running with what they have next Tuesday I've never looked forward to a random Tuesday in October more in my life exhibition game against UConn for our basketball team so yeah that's absolutely what we're all looking forward to also the hockey team over in East Lansing I know they haven't broken through the final the Frozen Four but man Big 10 champion factory and so many draft picks on that team it's gonna be a fun winner in East Lansing you know what before uh the time counts down let me get in the most important story of the day okay and it's the Western Michigan Central Michigan matchup that's right that is coming up I believe I believe it is the battle for the victory cannon is that what they call it and this is the 97th meeting and my man James over there is uh Chippewa so yeah he'll be in there and he'll be you guys will be in there but here's my question okay uh central okay if they can't run they can't win am i correct it sure seems like it's so far yeah and based on what we've seen from Western so far that's a very good defense yeah yeah good Good luck central so far has scored what 12 or 14 offensive TDs on the ground. So Angel Flores is gonna have a tough day. I love it. Never scared. That's why we are here on the Sports Office. Never scared. Thanks a lot to Rich. Thank you. To Matt Chianlock on Spartans