Michigan St. defense will have familiar look against Baylor in Cotton Bowl

No. 5 Baylor’s Cotton Bowl appearance will almost certainly force the Bears to face some demons from 2014.

No. 8 Michigan State’s cornerbacks like to bump-and-run man press on wide receivers, just like West Virginia did to Baylor so successfully in the Bears’ only loss this season in Morgantown, W.Va.

It’s a situation sure to challenge Baylor and new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles when the teams meet at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday at AT&T Stadium.

“West Virginia was a tough situation,” Briles said. “It’s a hard deal to try to get ready to play at 11 [EDT]. It was a tough, tough situation.

“West Virginia was a really good football team at the time. They still are. I think we’re just a better prepared team right now.”

The Bears were also coming off a highly emotional victory against TCU.

“Of course, they want to disrupt,” wide receiver Antwan Goodley said of West Virginia’s game plan. “And I feel like we didn’t do a good job of making checks or being ready for that, but I feel like we’re definitely ready.”

Baylor receiver Corey Coleman also hadn’t reached his comfort level for the West Virginia game.

Coleman, a sophomore from Richardson who missed playing time early in the season with a hamstring injury, had five receptions for 77 yards and a touchdown in the West Virginia game.

He’s taken off, though, and fit into Baylor’s growing reputation as Wide Receiver U. While playing in only nine games, Coleman is Baylor’s leading receiver with 57 receptions for 969 yards and 10 touchdowns. In the Bears’ final four regular-season games, Coleman has 28 catches for 397 yards and three touchdowns.

“Man, we just love competing against each other,” Coleman said of Baylor’s receiving corps. “Like, our coach said, Backup All-American, you better be All-American next year.”

Conversely, Coleman and Baylor’s receivers are the type that Michigan State has struggled, in addition to up-tempo teams.

The Spartans fell to No. 2 Oregon 46-27 in September.

“I think their speed was off the charts,” defensive end Marcus Rush said of Oregon. “And [Baylor] is kind of similar with their talent. They’re all athletic guys and guys that are capable of making big plays.

R-e-s-p-e-c-t

Baylor has won 21 consecutive games in the state of Texas and is 32-3 over the past 31/2 years in the state.

Yet, even with back-to-back Big 12 championships, the Bears still find themselves fighting for respect in the domain of Texas, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, all with bigger fan bases.

“We want to change it obviously,” left tackle Spencer Drango said. “In Waco, it’s always Baylor stuff everywhere. But it’s funny. It used to be when I first got to Baylor, when you go into Academy, it was more A&M and UT stuff. So it’s been fun to see that change.”

Foreign territory

One advantage Baylor should have is familiarity with AT&T Stadium, which can be imposing at first sight.

That’s an understatement, said Michigan State linebacker Ed Davis.

“It was like nothing I’ve seen before. It looked like a spaceship,” Davis said. “And I think it was real cool.

“And just the atmosphere when you walk into the stadium and on the field, you know, the turf is different, especially big screen TV. It was big! It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before.”

Baylor plays there annually against Texas Tech.

State tabs Tressel nephew

Michigan State coach Mark Dantonio announced a restructuring of his coaching staff for next season promoting linebackers coach Mike Tressel, the nephew of former Ohio State coach Jim Tressel, and secondary coach Harlan Barnett as co-defensive coordinators.

This story was originally published December 28, 2014 at 8:30 PM with the headline "Michigan St. defense will have familiar look against Baylor in Cotton Bowl."