Michigan State Too Much for Bobcats in Opener
9/5/2009 5:40:07 PM | Football
Montana State's starting defensive lineup underwent some changes Saturday morning. Cory Nicol (shoulder) will not play against Michigan State, and middle linebacker Clay Bignell (toe) is questionable to play, but will not start.
The linebacker shuffle includes Jeff Price moving to Bignell's Mike position, with Jody Owens starting at Will. Zach Coleman starts at cornerback for Nicol.
The loss of Nicol leaves MSU without three-quarters of its projected starting secondary. Safety Kevin Retoriano misses the opener with an elbow injury, while cornerback Arnold Briggs is out for the season (knee).
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Michigan State's Spartan Stadium is the second-largest stadium the Bobcats have visited.
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The Bobcats played just one game on natural grass last season. Today's game marks the first of four games MSU plays on the real stuff in 2009.
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Each of today's MSUs break in a new starting quarterback (although Bobcat Mark Iddins started one game last fall), and each team replaces a standout running back (Demetrius Crawford ran for 1,314 yards as a Bobcat senior in 2008).
