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Four Spartans receive Big Ten offensive honors

Four Spartans have received post-season awards from the Big Ten Conference for their performance on the offensive side of the ball.

Redshirt senior wide receiver Jayden Reed was named to the All-Big Ten Second Team as selected by Big Ten coaches and received an honorable mention as selected by conference media.

Reed returned to Michigan State after a breakout season last year. He finished this season ninth overall in the Big Ten in receiving yards with 636 and tenth overall in touchdown catches with five, despite being sidelined early in the season after suffering a freak injury. Reed recently announced his intent to declare for the 2023 NFL draft after four seasons with the Spartans.

Sophomore wide receiver Keon Coleman was named to the All-Big Ten Third Team as selected by the media. He finished fifth overall in the conference in receiving yards with 798 as well as in touchdown catches with five. Coleman also received an honorable mention from the Big Ten coaches.

Senior offensive lineman J.D. Duplain and senior center Nick Samac also received honorable mentions from both the coaches and the media. The two veterans played key roles for the offensive line, both starting in all 12 games this season.

Redshirt senior running back Elijah Collins was also named MSU’s Sportsmanship Award honoree.

Abundant penalties force Nightingale to bench Jagger Joshua versus Miami (OH)

When Michigan State hockey suited up to play at Miami (Ohio) last Friday, one of its top scorers was not in the lineup.

Senior forward Jagger Joshua’s name appeared under the scratches, instead of sitting at the top of the line chart where he suddenly has found a home.

Head Coach Adam Nightingale said Tuesday the decision to remove Joshua from the lineup came after a troublesome string of penalties throughout the season. Additionally, Joshua was issued a 10-minute game misconduct penalty at the 18:33 mark of the first period during MSU’s second game versus Penn State the previous weekend.

The mysterious absence came just days after Joshua took to social media last Monday to speak out about being called racial slurs by an Ohio State player, who was later identified as forward Kamil Sadlocha.

“It got to the point where we needed to take away ice time, and at the end of the day, that hurts our team,” Nightingale said.

Joshua’s absence from Friday’s game was apparent on the ice as MSU gave up three goals to Miami, though pulled away with a 5-3 victory.

When Joshua returned to the ice on Saturday, MSU appeared more put together.

Despite being benched as a leader on the team, Nightingale said Joshua understood the coaches’ decision.

With No. 4 Minnesota in town this weekend, the key to MSU taking down a top five team will be keeping Joshua on the ice with the buzzing first line, while also keeping him out of the penalty box.

Leon Panetta visits MSU to talk government polarization, war in Ukraine

Former Congressman, U.S. Secretary of Defense, White House Chief of Staff and CIA Director Leon Panetta is concerned about the state of polarization in the United States and the future implications it can have on democracy.

Panetta visited Michigan State University on Tuesday to speak at the annual Governor Jim Blanchard Public Service Forum. He discussed issues ranging from Iran’s nuclear capabilities to his own experiences in government. However, he’s most concerned about both finding ways for lawmakers to come together and the war in Ukraine.

Panetta said that the events on Jan. 6, 2021 were the result of this polarization – and they were an example of how fragile democracy is. He said the U.S. needs two strong and unified parties with similar goals in order to govern the country.

Panetta said there has been a lack of governing in Washington and when lawmakers don’t govern, they play games with investigations and scandals which only serve political purposes. The American people are frustrated by this, and the midterm elections showed that they want both parties to work together.

Panetta said that he is hopeful that lawmakers will come together, as they have in the past.

Panetta also used the forum to discuss the importance of educating a new generation of leaders. He said that the US has made it through recessions, depressions, natural disasters and hundreds of other crises, but what has gotten the country through those times was the strength of the American people and leadership.

Based on original reporting by Jenna Malinowski, Maddy Warren and Hannah Woehrle.