BY MIKE LUCAS
UWBadgers.com Senior Writer
MICHIGAN STATE LINEBACKERS VS. WISCONSIN RUSHING ATTACK
Pit Bulls. Riley Bullough. Chris Frey. Jon Reschke. Attack dogs.
They're aggressive, downhill playmakers and disrupters. Bullough is tied for the team lead in tackles. Frey is second. Reschke would likely be the overall leader but he missed the Furman game with an injury. (His replacement, Andrew Dowell, is the leading tackler.) At Notre Dame, Reschke returned to the lineup and had eight tackles, one TFL, a forced fumble and his first career interception.
Bullough (6-foot-2, 227) is a second-year starter, a team captain and a third-generation Spartan (grandfather Hank, dad Shane). He's the younger brother of Max Bullough (now with the Houston Texans), the older brother of Byron Bullough (a MSU sophomore) and the nephew of Chuck Bullough (a former first-team All-Big Ten linebacker). Bullough is a synonym for linebacker at MSU.
Frey (6-2, 227) is a newcomer, a first-time starter. The aforementioned Reschke (6-2, 227) started all 14 games at Sam linebacker last season in the absence of Ed Davis who was sidelined for the year with a torn ACL. In 2014, Davis (6-2, 237) had 12 TFLs and 7 sacks. After being granted a sixth year of eligibility, Davis has been slowly rounding back into shape. He's not yet 100 percent.
Although Malik McDowell wears a linebacker/DB number (No. 4), he's a tone-setter on the defensive line. The 6-foot-6, 276-pound McDowell will attack from different angles -- from over the center or from the edge. Defensive end Demetrius Cooper (6-5, 253) is usually the beneficiary of teams that are preoccupied accounting for McDowell. That goes for Bullough, Frey and Reschke, too.
"They're tough guys," UW fullback Alec Ingold said of Michigan State's linebacker trio. "They may not be as big as some of the other guys (i.e. LSU) that we've played against, but they come every single play. It's a huge challenge. We've played teams where the linebackers are softening up (in the second half). But they're going to get even tougher."
It's no secret that the Badgers are banged up at tailback. Corey Clement didn't play against Georgia State. Taiwan Deal and Bradrick Shaw were injured during the game. Dare Ogunbowale was the leading rusher with 65 yards. The Spartans have been historically tough against the run. Since 2011, they've held 42 opponents under 100 rushing yards, second best to Bama.
MICHIGAN STATE RUSHING ATTACK VS. WISCONSIN LINEBACKERS
Here's all the evidence that you need to know about Mark Dantonio's commitment to the run: Over the last decade, the Spartans are 72-11 when outrushing teams, including 56-4 since 2010. Last season, they reached the College Football Playoff, in large part, because they won the rushing battle in 9 of 14 games. To put it all into perspective, under Dantonio's watch, they are 17-22 when outgained on the ground.
L.J. Scott (6-1, 230) is the bell cow at tailback. He rushed for 105 yards (20 carries) against Furman. And he tied a career high with 22 carries (98 yards) at Notre Dame. As a true freshman, Scott led the Spartans in rushing (699 yards), carries (146) and rushing touchdowns (11). On MSU's epic game-winning drive (22 plays, 82 yards) against Iowa in the Big Ten title game, he had 14 rushes for 40 yards.
Sharing the tailback snaps with Scott will be Gerald Holmes (6-0, 222) and Madre London (6-1, 206). Last Saturday, Holmes had a 73-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that helped break open the game. He finished with 100 yards on 13 carries, marking his second career game of 100 or more. (He had 117 against Nebraska). London rushed for 103 yards against Oregon early last season.
The Spartans, like the Badgers, will employ fullbacks, whether it's Prescott Line (6-0, 253), a graduate transfer from SMU; or Delton Williams (6-1, 228), a converted tailback. Also factoring into the running attack is flanker R.J. Shelton, a senior from Beaver Dam. Shelton (5-11, 202) is dangerous on jet sweeps (MSU tosses the ball rather than handing it off) or end arounds because of his quickness.
Over his 42-game career (13 starts), Shelton has 70 rushes for 476 yards (6.8) and four touchdowns. That has complemented his receiving numbers (71 catches, 762 yards, 7 TDs). His dad, Rodney Shelton, played tailback and cornerback at Wisconsin in the early '90s before transferring to Middle Tennessee State. His mom, Erin Broome, played basketball for the Badgers.
Quarterback Tyler O'Connor (6-3, 228) poses a threat as a runner, too. He had 10 rushes for 43 yards at Notre Dame. Whether running or throwing, O'Connor will test the UW linebacker corps, which welcomed back T.J. Edwards to the starting lineup against Georgia State. Edwards, who had a team-high 11 tackles, Jack Cichy, Vince Biegel and T.J. Watt will surely be O'Connor's focal point.
