Countdown to 2012: 6-0 all time record vs. Michigan St.

It’s officially game week. Six days to go! Grab a cold six-pack. Do some extra crunchies to work on your six-pack. The Golden Eagles are about to be put six feet under. I guess it’s six to some, half-a-dozen to others. Since we’re celebrating the glorious 6, let’s do it in style, as in Nebraska’s 6-0 all time record vs. Legends (West?) Division favorite

Michigan St

.

What’s that you say, McKayla Maroney? You’re not too impressed with the mighty Spartans of Michigan St.? Well, Mike Minter wasn’t either in 1996. That was one of the fastest INT returns I’d ever seen.

Nebraska has played

Michigan St.

six times; the Spartans have a combined 37 points in said six games. And in keeping with the theme, they’ve scored a total of 6 points against us the last two games (hmmm, who was the head coach for us those two games?).

Let’s be fair to Sparty, though.

• Two of those victories came in 1914 and 1920, respectfully. With the possible exception of Corn Nation site manager Jon Johnston, I doubt many of us were around back then. (Just my lame attempt at humor, Jon, please don’t revoke my writing privileges.)
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• Two of those victories came in 1995 and 1996, smack-dab in the middle of an unprecedented, and more than likely unrepeatable, 60-3 run.
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• The 2012 version of the Michigan St. Spartans are getting a lot of love in the preseason, and probably rightfully so given they’re the defending West Division champs. They’ve also had an impressive 22-5 record overall the past two years, including a 14-3 conference record (including last year’s B1G Championship game loss). They return what is considered to be the best defense in the B1G, anchored by a beast of a defensive end in William Gholston, a stud linebacker in Max Bullough, and an All-Conference performer in cornerback Johnny Adams. That gives them an All-Conference / All-American candidate on each level of the defense. Sound familiar to the 2011 Blackshirts, Nebraska fans?

But look at that offense. The very same offense that scored 3 total points in Lincoln last year that lost an experienced and accomplished quarterback and a nice set of receivers, including one who hadn’t gone a game without catching a ball since presumably his Pop Warner football days, isn’t going to spook the Blackshirts. Is there any reason to think this team will light up the scoreboard in East Lansing against the Blackshirts?

Yeah, I’m a homer, but I think six turns into seven on November 3^rd. The 2012 Cornhusker offense should be much improved over the 2011 version that put 24 on the Spartans, and I just don’t see Sparty putting more than two touchdowns on the board against the Blackshirts. It should be a smash-mouth game; the kind of football we’ve grown to love in the Midwest .

Six days to go. 6-0 all-time vs. Sparty. The great number 6, ah ah ahhhhhhhhh.