East Lansing, MI
Max Bullough comes from a long-line of successful football players at Michigan State.
But the sophomore Spartan linebacker is taking no backseat in trying to make a name for himself and lead the Spartans to another Big Ten title.
Bullough recorded eight tackles for the No. 23 Spartans in Saturday's 28-14 victory over previously undefeated Michigan. He leads the team in tackles and was tied for 17th in the Big Ten with 6.6 per game. He had nine tackles plus a key 7-yard sack in MSU's win at Ohio State.
Bullough took over for four-year starter and two-time All-American Greg Jones at the middle linebacker sport. His father Shane was a linebacker at MSU in the 1980s and his grandfather, Hank, was a guard for the Spartans in the 1950s. He has two uncles, Chuck Bullough and Bobby Morse who were a linebacker and running back in the 1980s at Michigan State.
Last year, Bullough was true freshman who saw action in all 13 games for MSU and had 23 tackles and 1.5 for losses. He was selected to ESPN.com's Big Ten All-Freshman team.
The Spartans will be severely tested the next two weeks when they play Wisconsin at home on Oct. 22 and visit Nebraska Oct. 29.
Coming into the Michigan game, MSU's defense was among the best in the country, allowing 173.4 yards per game and was second nationally in pass defense with 109.4 yards per game and third in rushing defense at 64 yards per game. Some critics, however, charged that the State defense hasn't been severely tested by a high-powered opponent.
"Everyone has to do their job. When you do that, you can stop teams like Michigan," Bullough said. "We hope we earn respect but it doesn't matter that much. What matters is that is the confidence we have in our team. What matters is the wins we get. They can call us the worst team in the country, but as long as we're winning, we're happy. We got a win today, that's what we wanted."
During its current three-game win string, Michigan State is giving up only 46 rushing yards per game. The Spartans also have seven sacks and 10 tackles for 68 yards in losses. The Spartans had a combined 16 sacks and 23 tackles for losses in their last two games against Ohio State and Michigan.
Bullough and his teammates stymied Michigan's explosive quarterback Denard Robinson for only 42 net yards rushing and 123 passing on nine completions.
"Denard likes to throw the ball this year," Bullough said. "He also has more running plays. We really wanted to stop him. It's their whole offense. It's a whole team game. If' you're plugging up all the holes, you're going to stop Denard. Its about us playing together and playing as a team."
Bullough agreed that the way the Spartans were able to torment Robinson with a strong pass rush may have rattled him enough to lead to the interception by Isaiah Lewis of a Robinson pass for a touchdown.
"We always emphasize getting to the quarterback and getting him on the ground," Bullough said. "That gets him a little rattled. He's a great runner and a great thrower."
The fact that the Spartan defense is among the stingiest in the country puts a smile on Bullough's face. "We're trying to have an identity," Bullough said. "We're trying to be one of the best in the country. That was our goal coming into the season. Every week is a new challenge in trying to stop someone."
CFB Preview: Week 8 matchups
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