Sunday, January 12, 2025
Fantasy Guru - Baseball

CFB Peach Bowl Preview: Michigan State Spartans at Pittsburgh Panthers

NO. 10 MICHIGAN STATE (10-2, 7-2 B1G) VS. NO. 12 PITTSBURGH (11-2, 7-1 ACC)

Michigan State Spartans Notes

►FIRST-AND-10
• Michigan State is making its third appearance in a New Year’s Six bowl game as the No. 10 Spartans will take on No. 12 Pittsburgh in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game will be televised on ESPN with Mark Jones, Robert Griffin III and Quint Kessenich on the call.

• Michigan State finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, marking the ninth time in program history the Spartans have won double-digit games in a season (1965, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021). MSU’s No. 10 finish in the final College Football Playoff Top 25 was the highest for the program since 2015 (No. 3) and third-best overall (No. 8 in 2014). The Spartans have finished in the final CFP Top 25 four times since the College Football Playoff began in 2014 (No. 8 in 2014, No. 3 in 2015, No. 16 in 2017, No. 10 in 2021). The Spartans are looking to win their 11th game for just the sixth time in school history.

• In just his second year in East Lansing, Spartan head coach Mel Tucker has led MSU to a 10-2 record and a berth in the New Year’s Six with a matchup against No. 12 Pitt in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Tucker is a finalist for National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association, the Paul Bear Bryant Awards and the Football Writers Association of America. He was also named the Big Ten Coach of the Year by both the coaches and media. Going from two wins in 2020 to 10 wins in 2021, MSU has already completed the biggest turnaround in school history (previous: seven-game improvement from 2016 to 2017). Tucker also became the earliest Spartan coach to win 10 games in a season (previous: Mark Dantonio with 11 wins in his fourth season at MSU in 2010).

• The Spartans are making their 30th all-time bowl appearance (13-16 record), including their third in a New Year’s Six bowl game (Cotton Bowl Classic during 2014 season; CFP Semifinal at Cotton Bowl Classic during 2015 season). This marks MSU’s first-ever appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Michigan State has won six of its last eight bowl games and is playing in a bowl game for the 13th time in the past 15 years.

• Pitt won the ACC Championship with a 45-21 victory over Wake Forest and enters the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl with an 11-2 record (7-1 ACC). This will be the eighth all-time meeting between the two schools and the first in a bowl game; MSU leads the series, 6-0-1. The Spartans won the last meeting in East Lansing in 2007, 17-13, when current Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi was in his first year as the defensive coordinator of the Spartans. Narduzzi spent eight seasons (2007-14) as the defensive coordinator for Michigan State under Mark Dantonio and was named the Broyles Award winner in 2013.

• Junior running back Kenneth Walker III, a unanimous first-team All-American who was named the Walter Camp National Player of the Year and winner of the Doak Walker Award, announced on Dec. 16 his decision to enter the 2022 NFL Draft and not play in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. Walker finished the regular season ranked No. 2 in the FBS in rushing (1,636 yards; 136.3 ypg) and led the FBS in rushing yards after contact (1,168), 20-plus yard carries (21) and missed forced tackles (89). He became the first Spartan ever to win the Walter Camp Player of the Year and the Doak Walker Award.

• Redshirt junior Jayden Reed was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) as an all-purpose player. Reed leads the team with 53 catches for 946 yards (17.9 avg.) and eight touchdowns. He was named one of five finalists for the Paul Hornung Award, which is awarded annually by the Louisville Sports Commission to the nation’s most versatile player. Reed, who was also named first-team All-Big Ten by The Associated Press as an all-purpose player, ranks among the Big Ten and FBS leaders in all-purpose yards (second in Big Ten and 17th in FBS, 130.8 ypg), yards per catch (second and 31st, 17.9 avg.), touchdown catches (fourth and 37th with eight) and receiving yards (fifth and 39th with 78.8 ypg). His 18.5 yards per play ranks sixth most in the FBS (946 receiving yards, 376 kick return, 213 punt return, 34 rushing for a total of 1,569 yards on 85 total plays). He also is tied for the FBS lead with two punt returns for touchdowns (62 yards vs. Nebraska, 88 yards vs. Western Kentucky).

• In his first season as the starter, redshirt sophomore quarterback Payton Thorne has completed 61 percent of his passes (206-of-339) for 2,886 yards, 24 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Thorne’s 24 TD passes are tied for second most in a Spartan season (school record: 25 by Kirk Cousins in 2011). He also ranks among MSU’s single-season leaders in passing yards per game (fifth with 240.5 ypg), passing efficiency (fifth with 150.3 rating), passing yards (seventh with 2,886) and total offense (eighth with 3,063 yards).

• Michigan State features five players on the roster from the state of Georgia: DT Simeon Barrow (Grovetown/ Grovetown High School); TE Connor Heyward (Duluth/Peachtree Ridge High School); DE Drew Jordan (Suwanee/North Gwinnett); OG James Ohonba (Stockbridge/Woodland High School) and RB Jordon Simmons (Marietta/McEachern).

• Ten Spartans are in their last year of NCAA eligibility and will participate in their final collegiate game in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl: C Matt Allen, OT AJ Arcuri, DE Drew Beesley, OT Luke Campbell, K Matt Coghlin and DE Jacub Panasiuk all returned for an extra season with MSU in 2021, while transfers Drew Jordan (DE), Spencer Rowland (DB), Anthony Russo (QB) and Cody Waddell (P) also played their final collegiate season wearing the Green and White. In addition, fifth-year senior tight end Connor Heyward will play in his final game as a Spartan; Heyward announced he will play in the 2022 Senior Bowl after the season.

►STAT LEADERS
Michigan State:
Rushing – Jr. Kenneth Walker III (263 carries for 1,636 yards, 6.2 avg., 18 TDs)
Passing – R-So. Payton Thorne (206-of-339, .607, 2,886 yards, 24 TDs, 9 INTs)
Receiving – R-Jr. Jayden Reed (53 catches for 946 yards, 17.9 avg., 8 TDs)
Tackles – Sr. S Xavier Henderson (94 tackles, 59 solo, 35 assists, 10 TFLs, 3 sacks, 1 INT, 2 PBUs, 1 FF)

Pittsburgh:
Rushing – So. Israel Abanikanda (118 carries for 635 yards, 5.4 avg., 7 TDs)
Passing – R-Sr. Kenny Pickett (334-of-497, .672, 4,319 yards, 42 TDs, 7 INTs)
Receiving – So. Jordan Addison (93 receptions for 1,479 yards, 15.9 avg., 17 TDs)
Tackles – Jr. LB SirVocea Dennis (81 tackles, 31 solo, 50 assists, 9 TFLs, 4 sacks, 1 INT, 1 FR)

►A QUICK GLANCE AT NO. 12 PITTSBURGH (11-2, 7-1 ACC)
• The Panthers tote an 11-2 overall record into the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl after winning the ACC Championship game with a 45-21 triumph over No. 16 Wake Forest for Pitt’s first ACC title since leaving the Big East in 2013.

• After opening the season 2-0 with wins over UMass (51-7 on Sept. 4) and at Tennessee (41-34 on Sept. 11), Pitt lost to Western Michigan (44-41 on Sept. 18), before reeling off four wins in a row over New Hampshire (77-7 on Sept. 25), at Georgia Tech (52-21 on Oct. 2), at Virginia Tech (28-7 on Oct. 16), and Clemson (27-17 on Oct. 23). The Panthers had their win streak halted with a home loss to Miami (38-34 on Oct. 30). Pitt got back in the win column with a win at Duke (54-29) on Nov. 6), the first of five straight victories to close out the season, including an OT win over North Carolina (30-23 on Nov. 11), Virginia (48-38 on Nov. 20) and at Syracuse (31-14 on Nov. 27) in the regular-season finale.

• In the ACC Championship win over Wake Forest, Heisman Trophy finalist senior quarterback Kenny Pickett accounted for three TDs, passing for two and rushing for another on a famous 58-yard scamper. Pickett was 20-for-33 for 253 yards with two TDs, while rushing six times for 20 total yards, getting sacked three times. Pickett, who also won the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award and was named to several first-team All-American lists, announced on Dec. 16 that he will not be playing in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl to begin preparations for the 2022 NFL Draft.

• Junior quarterback Nick Patti has played in eight games, passing for 140 yards on 12-of-14 with no interceptions and TDs, while  rushing once for 9 yards. Sophomore quarterback Davis Beville is 3-of-4 passing for 58 yards in two games, also without an INT or TD.

• Overall, Pitt led the ACC and ranks third in the FBS in scoring offense (43.0 ppg), while ranking second in the ACC and fifth in the FBS in total offense (502.9 ypg), including ranking second in the ACC and sixth in the FBS in passing offense (350.2 ypg), and ranking 11th in the conference and 72nd in the country in rushing offense (152.7 ypg).

• The Panther defense is fifth in the ACC and 43rd in the FBS in scoring defense (23.1 ppg), ranking fifth in the league and 41st in the nation in total defense (349.2 ypg). Pitt leads the ACC and ranks sixth in the FBS in rushing defense, yielding just 91.8 ypg, while ranking 12th in the ACC and 106th in FBS in passing yards allowed (257.4 ypg).

• Sophomore wide receiver Jordan Addison was named a first-team All-American and winner of the 2021 Bilketnikoff Award. He leads the nation with 17 receiving TDs, also leading the ACC and ranking third in FBS in total receiving yards (1,479), first in the ACC and sixth in the FBS in receiving yards per game (113.8) and second in the conference and 13th in the country in receptions per game (7.2), also ranking third in the league and 18th in the nation in all-purpose yards per game (130.15 ypg), with 11 punt returns for 195 yards (16.8 ypc) and six rushing attempts for 28 yards and one TD.

• Including Addison, a total of 11 Panthers have caught a TD pass, and Addison is followed by Jared Wayne and Lucas Krull, as Krull has six TD catches, part of 37 receptions for 443 yards (12.0 ypc/34.1 ypg), while Wayne has five TDs part of 46 catches for 654 yards (14.2 ypc/54.5 ypg).

• Sophomore running back Israel Abanikanda Abanikanda has 118 carries for a team-leading 635 yards (5.4 ypc/52.9 ypg) with seven TDs. Vincent Davis has a team-high 130 carries for 550 yards (4.2 ypc/42.3 ypg) with four TDs.

• Junior linebacker SirVocea Dennis spearheads the Panther defense with 81 total tackles (31 solo, 50 assists), with 9.0 tackles for loss (47 yards) and 4.0 sacks (38 yards), adding one interception, one fumble recovery, one blocked kick and four QB hurries.

• Junior free safety Erick Hallett II Hallett leads the Pitt defense with 11 passes defended on eight pass break-ups and three INTs (19 yards), with two coming in the ACC Championship game to earn MVP honors.

• Junior defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado has a team-leading 11.5 tackles for loss (54 yards) and 9.0 sacks (46 yards), also topping the team with nine QB hurries. Baldonado is fourth in the ACC and 33rd in the FBS in sacks/game (0.69).

• Sophomore placekicker Sam Scarton is 17-of-21 on field goals, with a long of 47-yards, and has had one blocked, while making 66-of-69 PATs.

• Senior punter Kirk Christodoulou has a 41.1 ypp average on 53 punts with a long of 58-yards, one of seven punts of 50+ yards, with 20 inside the 20.

►MSU/PITT SERIES NOTES
• This will be the eighth all-time meeting between Michigan State and Pittsburgh and the first in a bowl game; MSU leads the series, 6-0-1.

• The Spartans won the last meeting in East Lansing in 2007, 17-13, when current Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi was in his first year as the defensive coordinator of the Spartans. Narduzzi spent eight seasons (2007-14) as the defensive coordinator for Michigan State under Mark Dantonio and was named the Broyles Award winner in 2013. The Spartans were the only team to rank in the nation’s top 10 in total defense and rushing defense each season from 2011-14. Narduzzi is in his seventh season leading the Panthers.

►SPARTAN BOWL HISTORY
• The Spartans are making their 30th all-time bowl appearance (13-16 record), including their third in a New Year’s Six bowl game (Cotton Bowl Classic during 2014 season; College Football Playoff Semifinal at Cotton Bowl Classic during 2015 season). This marks MSU’s first-ever appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

• Michigan State is playing in a bowl game for the 13th time in the past 15 seasons. MSU played in a school-record nine consecutive bowl games from 2007-15 (2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, 2014 Rose Bowl, 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic, 2015 College Football Playoff Semifinal at Cotton Bowl Classic).

• MSU has won six of its last eight bowl games.

• The Spartans tied a Big Ten record and set a school record with their four-game bowl winning streak (2011 Outback Bowl over No. 18 Georgia; 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl over TCU; 2014 Rose Bowl over No. 5 Stanford; 2015 Cotton Bowl over No. 4 Baylor).

►SPARTANS LOOKING TO WIN 11TH GAME FOR JUST THE SIXTH TIME IN SCHOOL HISTORY
• Michigan State finished the regular season with a 10-2 record, marking the ninth time in program history the Spartans have won double-digit games in a season (1965, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2021). The Spartans are looking to win their 11th game for just the sixth time in school history

 

Pittsburgh Panthers Notes

Game Storylines

Champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference, Pitt will make its first appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and face Michigan State. The Panthers have played in 35 prior bowl games.

√ Boasting an 11-2 record, the 2021 Panthers are trying to become just the second team in school history to win 12 games in a season. In 1976, Coach Johnny Majors led Pitt to the national championship with a 12-0 mark.

√ Pitt was No. 12 in the final College Football Playoff rankings, the Panthers’ highest CFP listing ever. Pitt is also No. 12 in the latest USA Today AFCA Coaches Poll and ranked No. 13 by Associated Press.

√ A victory over Michigan State in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl could help Pitt earn its first Top 10 finish in the national polls since 1982.

√ Pitt and Michigan State last met in 2007—a 17-13 Spartans win in East Lansing. The Panthers are winless in seven all-time meetings (0-6-1) with Michigan State.

√ Pat Narduzzi served as Michigan State’s defensive coordinator from 2007-14 under thenhead coach Mark Dantonio, helping the Spartans to a pair of Top 5 finishes during that span.

√ Since 2015, Narduzzi has directed Pitt to 36 victories in ACC play, the third-highest win total during that span. Only Clemson (52) and Miami (37) have won more.

√ Winner of the 2021 Biletnikoff Award, Jordan Addison enters the bowl season with a national-best 17 touchdown catches. The last Pitt player to lead the nation in TD catches was Larry Fitzgerald, who had a school-record 22 in 2003.

Pitt-Michigan State History in Brief

Series Began: 1945
Series Overall: MSU leads 6-0-1
At Pittsburgh: MSU leads 3-0-1
At East Lansing: MSU leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 15, 2007
(Michigan State 17, Pitt 13)
Current Series Win Streak:
MSU has won 2 (2006-07)
Longest Pitt Series Win Streak:
DNA
Longest MSU Series Win Streak:
4 games (1945, ’50-51, ’58)

The Coaches

Pitt Coach Pat Narduzzi
Overall (season): 53-36 (seventh)
At Pitt (season): same
Alma Mater: Rhode Island, 1990
Record vs. Michigan State: 0-0

Michigan State Coach Mel Tucker
Overall (season): 17-14 (third)
At MSU (season): 12-7 (second)
Alma Mater: Wisconsin, 1995
Record vs. Pitt: 0-0

SERIES NOTES
Pitt and Michigan State meet for the eighth time in a series that began in 1945…the Panthers and Spartans have never previously met in a bowl game…Michigan State leads the series, 6-0-1…the last encounter took place during the 2007 season in East Lansing…first-year Spartans head coach Mark Dantonio (and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi) defeated Dave Wannstedt’s Panthers, 17-13…the lone tie in the series (7-7) took place in 1960 at Pitt Stadium…following the 1960 meeting, the teams did not play again until 2006, when
Michigan State claimed a 38-23 win at Heinz Field.

SERIES GAME-BY-GAME
MICHIGAN STATE LEADS SERIES, 6-0-1
Date H/A PITT MSU
Oct. 13, 1945 H 7 12
Nov. 18, 1950 H 0 19
Oct. 27, 1951 A 26 53
Oct. 11, 1958 A 8 22
Sept. 24, 1960 H 7 7
Sept. 16, 2006 H 23 38
Sept. 15, 2007 A 13 17

 

TEAM NOTES
ACC EXCELLENCE:
√ Since taking over as Pitt’s head coach in 2015, Pat Narduzzi has directed the Panthers to 36 victories in ACC play, the third-highest win total during that span. The Panthers trail only Clemson (52) and Miami (37).

√ Since 2015, Narduzzi is one of only two coaches nationwide with multiple victories over Clemson. He is 2-2 against the Tigers with wins in 2016 (43-42) and 2021 (27-17). The other coach is Alabama’s Nick Saban, who is also 2-2 against Clemson during that time frame.

√ The Panthers’ 2021 ACC championship is the first outright conference title in program history. Pitt twice shared the Big East  Championship (2004 and 2010).

ALL-TIME BOWL HISTORY:
√ Pitt has played in 35 prior bowl games in its history, compiling a 14-21 record.

√ Pitt’s last bowl appearance was the 2019 Quick Lane Bowl, a 34- 30 victory over Eastern Michigan at Detroit’s Ford Field.

√ The Panthers are making their first appearance in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

CHALKING UP WINS:
√ Pitt has 11 victories in a season for the first time since 1981, when Coach Jackie Sherrill directed the Panthers to an 11-1 record, including a 24-20 victory over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.

√ Only four teams in Pitt history have won at least 11 games in a season: Coach Johnny Majors’ undefeated (12-0) national champions in 1976 and Sherrill’s three consecutive 11-1 teams from 1979-81.

√ The 2021 Panthers would tie the school record for victories in a season with a win over Michigan State.

ON A ROLL:
√ Dating back to last season, Pitt has won 14 of its past 17 games.

√ That span includes a 3-1 mark to close the 2020 season and this year’s 11-2 record.

√ It is Pitt’s winningest stretch since 2001-02, when Walt Harris’ Panthers also went 14-3 over a 17-game span.

ROAD WARRIORS:
√ Pitt went 5-0 on the road this season, defeating Syracuse (31-14), Duke (54-29), Virginia Tech (28-7), Georgia Tech (52-21) and Tennessee (41-34).

√ Pitt last compiled an undefeated road record in 1987, when the Craig “Ironhead” Heyward-led Panthers went 4-0 away from home.

√ Prior to 1987, Pitt last went undefeated on the road in 1981. That squad, led by quarterback Dan Marino, was 5-0 on the road and finished the year 11-1 and ranked No. 2 by United Press International.

BIG ACC WINS:
√ Pitt won its four ACC road games this season by an average margin of 23.5 points. The Panthers’ smallest margin of victory in an ACC road game this year occurred when they defeated Syracuse by 17 points (31-14) on Nov. 27.

√ Before the Syracuse victory, Pitt had won three consecutive ACC road games by 20-plus points: 52-21 at Georgia Tech (Oct. 2), 28-7 at Virginia Tech (Oct. 16) and 54-29 at Duke (Nov. 6).

√ The 31-point win over Georgia Tech marked Pitt’s largest margin of victory in an ACC road game and the Panthers’ third largest win
overall in ACC play.

√ The Dec. 4 Subway ACC Championship Game, a neutral site contest played at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, was a 24-point Pitt victory over Wake Forest (45-21).

ATS Wins

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