1999 Michigan State Spartans football team

1999 Michigan State Spartans football
Florida Citrus Bowl champion
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 7
APNo. 7
Record10–2 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorMorris Watts (9th season)
Defensive coordinatorBill Miller (1st season)
MVPAric Morris
Home stadiumSpartan Stadium
1999 Big Ten Conference football standings
Conf. Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 4 Wisconsin $   7 – 1     10 – 2  
No. 7   6 – 2     10 – 2  
No. 5 Michigan %   6 – 2     10 – 2  
No. 11 Penn State   5 – 3     10 – 3  
No. 18 Minnesota   5 – 3     8 – 4  
No. 24 Illinois   4 – 4     8 – 4  
No. 25 Purdue   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Ohio State   3 – 5     6 – 6  
Indiana   3 – 5     4 – 7  
Northwestern   1 – 7     3 – 8  
Iowa   0 – 8     1 – 10  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1999 Michigan State Spartans football team was an American football team that represented Michigan State University as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1999 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their fifth and final year under head coach Nick Saban, the Spartans compiled a 10–2 record (6–2 in conference games), outscored opponents by a total of 341 to 211, tied for second place in the Big Ten, and were ranked No. 7 in the final AP and UPI polls.[1] The Spartans' two losses came at the hands of Heisman Trophy finalists. In their loss to Purdue, Drew Brees passed for 509 yards,[2] and in their loss one week later to Wisconsin, Heisman winner Ron Dayne rushed for 214 yards.[3]

Saban announced on November 30 that he was leaving to take the head coaching job at LSU.[4] Bobby Williams took over as interim head coach[5] and led the Spartans to a 37–34 victory over Florida in the Citrus Bowl, winning on a last second, game-winning field goal by kicker Paul Edinger.

The Spartans averaged 134.6 rushing yards and 200.3 passing yards per game. On defense, they held opponents to 70.6 rushing yards and 203.5 passing yards per game.[6] The team's individual leaders included:

  • Quarterback Bill Burke completed 152 of 277 passes (54.9%) for 1,957 yards, 17 touchdowns, 16 interceptions, and a 122.9 quarterback rating.[6]
  • Wide receiver Plaxico Burress tallied 53 receptions for 957 yards and nine touchdowns.[6]
  • Running back Lloyd Clemons tallied 854 rushing yards on 171 carries, an average of 5.0 yards per carry.[6]
  • Placekicker Paul Edinger led the team in scoring with 104 points, converting 39 of 40 extra points and 18 of 22 field goals.[6]

Safety Aric Morris was selected as the team's most valuable player. Linebacker Julian Peterson received first-team All-America honors from Football News. Eight Michigan State players received honors on the 1999 All-Big Ten Conference football team: Burress (Coaches-1, Media-1); Peterson (Coaches-2, Media-1); Edinger (Coaches-2, Media-2); Morris (Coaches-2, Media-2); defensive lineman Robaire Smith (Coaches-1, Media-1); defensive back Amp Campbell (Coaches-1, Media-1); punter Craig Jewett (Coaches-1, Media-2); tight end Chris Baker; and offensive guard Shaun Mason (Coaches-2, Media-2).

The Spartans played their home games at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, Michigan.

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 28:00 p.m.Oregon*
ESPNW 27–2072,923[7]
September 111:00 p.m.Eastern Michigan*
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
W 51–772,569[8]
September 181:30 p.m.at No. 24 Notre Dame*
NBCW 23–1380,012[9]
September 253:30 p.m.at IllinoisNo. 19
W 27–1052,417[10]
October 212:10 p.m.IowaNo. 14
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ESPN PlusW 49–373,629[11]
October 912:00 p.m.No. 3 MichiganNo. 11
ABCW 34–3176,895[12][13]
October 163:30 p.m.at No. 20 PurdueNo. 5
ABCL 28–5268,216[2]
October 2312:10 p.m.at No. 16 WisconsinNo. 11
ESPN2L 10–4078,469[3]
November 612:10 p.m.No. 20 Ohio StateNo. 19
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI
ESPNW 23–774,639[14]
November 131:00 p.m.at NorthwesternNo. 17
W 40–030,045[15]
November 203:30 p.m.No. 13 Penn StateNo. 15
  • Spartan Stadium
  • East Lansing, MI (rivalry)
ABCW 35–2874,231[16]
January 1, 20001:00 p.m.vs. No. 10 Florida*No. 9
ABCW 37–3454,866[17][18]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

Rankings

See also: 1999 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415Final
APRVRVRVRV19141151119191715111097
Coaches PollRVRV*RVRV21141171320191714111097
BCSNot released15—131211109Not released

Game summaries

Oregon

Oregon at Michigan State
Team 1 234Total
Oregon 7 1003 20
• Michigan State 7 01010 27

Michigan

No. 3 Michigan at No. 11 Michigan State
Team 1 234Total
Michigan 0 10021 31
• Michigan State 7 6147 34
Scoring summary
16:55MSUT.J. Duckett 1 yard run (Paul Edinger kick)MSU 7–0
214:55MICHHayden Epstein 56 yard field goalMSU 7–3
25:28MSUPaul Edinger 39 yard field goalMSU 10–3
23:39MICHMarcus Knight 81 yard pass from Drew Henson (Jeff Del Verne kick)Tied 10–10
21:17MSUPaul Edinger 43 yard field goalMSU 13–10
36:15MSUGari Scott 19 yard pass from Bill Burke (Paul Edinger kick)MSU 20–10
33:02MSUPlaxico Burress 15 yard pass from Bill Burke (Paul Edinger kick)MSU 27–10
414:23MICHAnthony Thomas 2 yard run (Jeff Del Verne kick)MSU 27–17
412:19MSUDawan Moss 14 yard run (Paul Edinger kick)MSU 34–17
48:11MICHDavid Terrell 19 yard pass from Tom Brady (Jeff Del Verne kick)MSU 34–24
42:47MICHAaron Shea 8 yard pass from Tom Brady (Jeff Del Verne kick)MSU 34–31

Bill Burke threw for a school-record 400 yards and two touchdowns while Plaxico Burress set a new mark with 255 yards receiving. Burke broke Ed Smith's record of 369 against Indiana in 1979 while Burress surpassed Andre Rison's 252 yards against Georgia in 1989. Michigan State was now 6–0 for the first time since the 1966 national championship season.[19] Michigan quarterbacks Tom Brady and Drew Henson combined for 396 passing yards, but the Michigan State defense held the Wolverines to six rushing yards for the game.

Roster

1999 Michigan State Spartans football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
TE 83 Chris Baker So
QB 16 Bill Burke Sr
WR 4 Plaxico Burress Jr
C 51 Brian Grant Jr
FB 00 Ericson Rico So
OT 74 Tupe Peko Jr
OT 76 Greg Randall Sr
WR 86 Gari Scott Sr
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
CB 3 Amp Campbell Sr
LB 8 T. J. Duckett Fr
CB 15 Renaldo Hill Jr
DB 9 Aric Morris Sr
LB 98 Julian Peterson Sr
DT 95 Josh Shaw So
DE 91 Robaire Smith Sr
LB 50 Josh Thornhill So
LB 35 T. J. Turner Jr
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
K 1 Paul Edinger Sr
P 12 Craig Jarrett So
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

2000 NFL draft

The following players were selected in the 2000 NFL draft.

Player Round Pick Position NFL team
Plaxico Burress 1 8 Wide receiver Pittsburgh Steelers
Julian Peterson 1 16 Linebacker San Francisco 49ers
Gari Scott 4 99 Wide receiver Philadelphia Eagles
Greg Randall 4 127 Tackle New England Patriots
Aric Morris 5 135 Strong safety Tennessee Titans
Paul Edinger 6 174 Kicker Chicago Bears
Robaire Smith 6 197 Defensive tackle Tennessee Titans

References

  1. ^ "1999 Michigan State Spartans Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Tom Kubat (October 17, 1999). "Brees, Daniels haunt MSU: Purdue QB throws for 509 yards, receiver catches 21 passes for 301 yards". Journal and Courier. pp. B1, B2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b Tom Mulhern (October 24, 1999). "Rush to judgment: Badgers look good; Dayne, defense dominate Spartans". Wisconsin State Journal. pp. 1D, 9D – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Goodbye Here, Hello There". Lansing State Journal. December 1, 1999. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Tim Martin (December 1, 1999). "So long, Saban: Veteran MSU assistant to lead team to bowl". Lansing State Journal. p. 1B – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ a b c d e "1999 Michigan State Spartans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved March 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Larry Lage (September 3, 1999). "Happy returns: Big plays by Campbell, Scott help Michigan State overcome Oregon". Lansing State Journal. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Larry Lage (September 12, 1999). "Take That, MAC: Michigan State manhandles Eastern Michigan". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "No Irish QB dilemma". South Bend Tribune. September 19, 1999. pp. C1, C6 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Dye, Dave (September 26, 1999). "Spartans' defense shuts down Illini". Detroit Free Press. p. 1E. Retrieved October 6, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Larry Lage (October 3, 1999). "Perfect Showdown: MSU moves to 5-0 in dominant fashion". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1D, 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Gary Ahern (October 10, 1999). "State of perfection: MSU 6-0 and rising after win over U-M". The Lansing State Journal. pp. 1A, 8A – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Larry Lage (October 10, 1999). "State Champs: Record-setting passing day propels Spartans past Michigan". Lansing State Journal. p. 1C, 2C – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ Larry Lage (November 7, 1999). "Buckeye Bashing: Spartans back on track after defense dismantles Ohio State, 23-7". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1D, 2D – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Bill Jauss (November 14, 1999). "Spartans answer Saban's request". Chicago Tribune. p. 8 (section 3) – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ Larry Lage (November 21, 1999). "MSU Rides T.J. Train: Duckett's 4 touchdowns spark 35-28 win, probable New Year's Day bowl bid". Lansing State Journal. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  17. ^ Chris Harry (January 2, 2000). "UFrustration: Last-second field goal gives Michigan State win". The Orlando Sentinel. pp. C1, C10 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ^ "Michigan State KO's Florida on final play". The Flint Journal. January 2, 2000. Retrieved October 19, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ^ "NCAA Football - Michigan vs. Michigan State". USA Today.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.