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Friday, September 14, 2012

No. 19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at No.10 Michigan State Spartans Preview ... - Pregame.com

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College Football Week 3 continues on Saturday night and we will see the No.19 Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to East Lansing to take on No. 10 Michigan State Spartans. The game is scheduled for an 8:00 PM (Eastern) start time and it will be televised live on ABC. Currently the odds for the game have Michigan State favored by 5.5 points, while the total sits at 44. Currently 76% of the Public is on Michigan State, while 62% is on the Over. Find out what side the Public is taking on all the games by clicking HERE.

Free Analysis: Notre Dame is after its first 3-0 start since 2002 but will have to snap a nine-game losing streak against Top 10 teams to achieve it when it visits No. 10 Michigan State on Saturday. The No. 19 Fighting Irish haven’t defeated a Top 10 team since toppling Michigan in 2005 and are 2-11 on the road against Top 10 foes over the past 16 seasons.  Notre Dame QB Tommy Rees came off the bench to lead a late, gamewinning drive and the Irish kicked a FG with seven seconds remaining to edge Purdue last week. However, word has it that ND head coach Brian Kelly is going back with his former starter, redshirt freshman Everett Golson, as his starter today. Quarterback Everett Golson has played the first two games, completing 67.3 percent of his throws for 433 yards, with two TDs and one INT. Golson should once again be aided by All-American candidate Tyler Eifert (eight receptions, 120 yards, one TD) at tight end and DeVaris Daniels (six receptions, 119 yards) at wide receiver. The ground game has been paced by Theo Riddick (4.7 ypc, two TDs) and George Atkinson III (9.9 ypc, two TDs) thus far, but the backfield will get a huge boost with the return of senior Cierre Wood, who was suspended for the first two games. Last season, Wood rushed for over 1,100 yards and scored nine TDs. The Irish defense has been good in both outings thus far. The team handled Navy's vaunted option attack and is only giving up 119.0 yards per game through two weeks. The pass defense is yielding just 195.0 yards per game. Senior middle linebacker Manti Te'o is among a few favorites for the Butkus Award this season and hasn't disappointed in the early going. The 6-foot-2, 255-pounder leads the team with 18 total tackles, with one interception and one fumble recovery.

Mark Dantonio's Spartans have looked the part of an early favorite in the Big Ten. Michigan State opened the season with a hard-fought 17-13 win over then nationally-ranked Boise State and followed that with a complete dismantling of instate rival Central Michigan last weekend in Mount Pleasant, 41-7. The Spartans are putting up impressive offensive numbers in their own right, at 478.0 yards per game, but the undeniable strength is the ground game (193.0 ypg) thanks to junior tailback Le'Veon Bell. The 6-2, 244-pound workhorse already has 62 carries on the young season. He is averaging 4.5 yards per touch and is netting 140 yards per game, with four TDs. Bell has made quarterback Andrew Maxwell's job a bit easier. The junior signal-caller has completed just over 60 percent of his throws, for 523 yards and two TDs, although he has thrown three INTs. The MSU defense has yet to really be challenged and the stats reflect that. The team is yielding a mere 225.5 yards per game, showing equal disdain for the run (54.4 ypg) and the pass (171.0 ypg). The unit has only seven TFLs and one sack in the first two games, but has been opportunistic with five forced turnovers (three INTs, two fumble recoveries). Junior middle linebacker Max Bullough leads the team in tackles with 11, with 2.5 TFLs. Fellow junior Denicos Allen (five tackles) hasn't produced big numbers yet, but is regarded as one of the Big Ten's top defenders.

This is a road-and-underdog oriented series for sure: the visitor has cashed to the tune of 8-2-1 ATS in the last 11 games and road underdogs of 6 or less points have fared even better, going 10-1 ATS. Notre Dame holds a 46-28-1 series advantage, including an 18-15-1 edge in East Lansing. The Irish have won 15 of the last 20 meetings at Spartan Stadium, but Michigan State has won the last two matchups on their home field. Nine of the last 12 meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less.

Free Pick: The Last 3 in this series has averaged 57.3 ppg, with all 3 games putting up at least 44 points. The Spartans have played great defense this year, but have hardly been tested, as their opener was vs a Boise State team that had brought back just 3 starters on offense, while their second game was vs C. Michigan. The will be tested in this one/ Last week the Irish put up just 20 points on Purdue, but their offense may have been a bit sluggish after playing a game in Ireland the week before.  Defensively the Irish has played well thus far but have struggled vs the pass. They have done well this year vs the Run but that could change some in this one vs super RB Bell. Both offenses can and will put points on the board and with a close game expected we may even get OT here. I look for this one to be played in the 50’s  

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MovieCollege Football Free Picks: Notre Dame at Michigan State Betting
What college football bettors need to know about Notre Dame at Michigan State on Saturday (9/15/12) - with a free pick from Pregame.com's Vegas Runner, plus Bryan Leonard and Marco D'Angelo. 

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