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Michigan State Has "Well Equipped" B1G Coaching Staff · Husker Buzz

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: It's time for the 1110 KFAB Certified Transmission Sports Brief.
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: It's the Husker Buzz edition. Sean Callahan and Lincoln joins
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: us here on Big Red Radio. Good morning, Sean.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Good morning.
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: What's this road game that I'm hearing so much about?
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  Speaker 1: This is where we don't play at Memorial Stadium at
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  Speaker 1: night with a drone show. We have to go play
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  Speaker 1: in someone else's stadium. It's been a while.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Nebraska will hit the road. They've got five of
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  Speaker 2: them now coming up here. Just one road trip here,
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  Speaker 2: and then they're back home for two weeks in a row.
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  Speaker 2: But Michigan State, Papage Gerald, a very familiar name, former
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  Speaker 2: Northwestern head coach, is in his first year, and he's
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  Speaker 2: got that program heading in the right direction. They gave
• 0:43
  Speaker 2: Notre Dame a pretty good fight. Obviously, they lost by 17,
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: but it was.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: A solid showing. Then LeVar Woods is his special teams coordinator.
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  Speaker 2: He was the longtime Iowa Hawkeyes special teams coordinator with
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  Speaker 2: Kirk Ferentz. They're well-equipped as far as Big Ten coaching
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: experience goes. There's no doubt there'll be a good crowd
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  Speaker 2: in East Lansing for this game, too. Basically a night
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  Speaker 2: game there at 5 p.m. with a kickoff.
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  Speaker 1: I like Pat Fitzgerald. I thought he could be at
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  Speaker 1: Northwestern from now until the end of time. Not quite
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  Speaker 1: sure exactly why he left. I know there's some controversy here. Well,
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  Speaker 1: he was forced out. It took a little longer than
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  Speaker 1: I thought for someone else to pick him up. But
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  Speaker 1: Michigan State and Pat Fitzgerald, it's an interesting blend. Yeah,
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  Speaker 1: they gave Notre Dame a battle, but they only scored once, right?
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, they only ran, I think it was 46 plays.
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  Speaker 2: So their offense did not do much in this game.
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  Speaker 2: They've got a veteran quarterback returning, but their offense had
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: a lot of problems against the Irish, so you hope
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  Speaker 2: that can translate for Nebraska where they can get off
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  Speaker 2: the field defensively. I don't look at Michigan State as
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: a high-powered offensive attack. I know when Fitzgerald talked about
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: this Nebraska game, he's like, look, this team is the
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  Speaker 2: real deal from what I've watched on film. He goes,
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  Speaker 2: they're significantly better these first three games that I watched
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  Speaker 2: compared to what they were a year ago, and That
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  Speaker 2: seems to be the consensus about Nebraska. We know they
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  Speaker 2: haven't played a marquee opponent yet, but I think the
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  Speaker 2: thought is this offense is much more connected for Nebraska. Obviously,
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Calandria has been outstanding. They've turned it over just one
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  Speaker 2: time as a team in three games, and it was
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  Speaker 2: kind of a phantom turnover when the ball was taken
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  Speaker 2: away from Ja'Cory Vardy as he was falling to the ground.
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  Speaker 2: So you can't really be even critical about the one
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  Speaker 2: turnover they have. So there's a lot there to like. Sure,
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  Speaker 2: there's questions, a couple special teams things here and there.
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  Speaker 2: A lot of teams have those issues early in the season,
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  Speaker 2: so that's something that has to get ironed out. But
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  Speaker 2: I thought the defense took a huge step last week, too,
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  Speaker 2: and all those things you hope can carry over now
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  Speaker 2: to Big Ten play.
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  Speaker 1: Coach Rule obviously showing Michigan State a ton of respect.
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  Speaker 1: What else did we hear from Coach yesterday?
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  Speaker 2: Well, yeah, his relationship with Pat Fitzgerald is big. No
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  Speaker 2: update on Cardinal Nelson. He left the game on crutches
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: with a knee injury. Matt Rule did not want to,
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: you know, he's not out for the season is kind
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: of how Matt described it. But today, or starting Wednesday,
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  Speaker 2: the Big Ten injury reports will be released. And I
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: believe they do three of these now before kickoff. So,
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  Speaker 2: That will be a new thing in Big Ten games
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  Speaker 2: where there's a Wednesday injury report that goes out. I
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  Speaker 2: think there's another one that goes out even later in
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: the week and then one the day of the game.
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  Speaker 2: So that will be something to watch with Carter Nelson.
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  Speaker 2: But he won't play this week. We know that. But
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  Speaker 2: just the significance of that knee injury he suffered.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: Travel rosters are expanded now. How many players you can
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  Speaker 1: take to East Lansing?
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: It's 80. And pre-COVID it was 70. After COVID, they
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: voted to be 74 because the rosters grew so much,
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: and now they're going to go to 80, and the
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  Speaker 2: Big Ten coaches voted unanimously on that. Your roster theoretically
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  Speaker 2: should be 105 kids with injured players that can't travel.
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  Speaker 2: You're almost going to be able to take everybody that's available. Obviously,
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  Speaker 2: there'll be a handful of guys that won't travel, but
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  Speaker 2: it's a good deal because a lot of these kids
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  Speaker 2: put work in. And if you're the 75th guy that
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  Speaker 2: doesn't get a go, you're usually still a pretty good
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  Speaker 2: player that's right there. So they'll have 80 on this
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  Speaker 2: first road trip out to Michigan State.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Sean, we'll be checking in with you all week,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: not just here in the morning, but also on the
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: Chris Baker Show at 5.05 with the afternoon buzz right
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: here on Big Red Radio. That is our Husker insider,
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Sean Callahan.