PRACTICE NOTES

Spend any time around Western Michigan Head Coach P.J. Fleck and
you’re likely to hear about serving and giving being fundamental parts of the program’s values.

A few of his players demonstrated those values by coming to the aid of an injured man this week, a story that was shared with the rest of the players after their walk-through on Wednesday at AT&T Stadium.

The 15th-ranked Broncos (13-0, 9-0 Mid-American) are preparing to meet No. 8 Wisconsin (10- 3, 7-2 Big Ten) on Jan.

Wisconsin was back on the practice field Wednesday morning for a nearly two-hour workout at AT&T Stadium.

The No. 8 Badgers (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) conducted a spirited practice session in helmets and pads that touched on all three phases of the team’s game plan to face the No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos (13-0, 9-0 Mid-American) in the 81st edition of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

“It was a heavier work day. The kids approached it the right way. We got some work done so it was good,” said head coach Paul Chryst.

Wisconsin got back to work after a short holiday break Tuesday morning with its first practice at AT&T Stadium in preparation for the No. 15 Western Michigan Broncos and the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

“I thought the kids came out worked hard,” said head coach Paul Chryst. “It wasn’t a long practice but I thought it was good. I liked what they did.”
The No. 8 Badgers (10-3, 7-2 Big Ten) got their first work in earnest in four days in helmets and shells, beginning the final phase of their game plan to take on an undefeated Western Michigan team.

Different location, similar results for Western Michigan and its effective practice habits.

The Broncos conducted their first on-site practice at AT&T Stadium on Tuesday afternoon in preparation for the 81st Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and it went a lot like the ones they’ve held back home in Kalamazoo, Mich. Coach P.J. Fleck described the 90-minute, high-energy session as “elite.”

Consistently generating high-level practices has helped propel the Broncos (13-0, 9-0 Mid-American) to No.

The preparation is now complete.

All that is left is for the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide and for the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans are to meet in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to see which team will move on the play for a national championship.

The Crimson Tide (12-1, 8-1 SEC) went through a brief walk-through at AT&T Stadium this afternoon in anticipation for its New Year’s Eve showdown with the Spartans (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten).

Michigan State completed its final on-field preparation for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic by conducting a walk-through at AT&T Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.

The No. 3 Spartans (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) spent more than an hour doing light work for their New Year’s Eve game against No. 2 Alabama (12-1, 8-1 SEC) before heading back to the team hotel for final meetings. The winner advances to the College Football Playoff National Championship on Jan.

Michigan State turned in its final practice for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Tuesday, capping a full day.

The team started the day with pre-dawn wakeup calls so they could bus from the team hotel to AT&T Stadium for an hour-long media session. After more preparation back at the hotel, they returned to the stadium in the afternoon and worked vigorously for two hours.

“Long day,” Head Coach Mark Dantonio said.

After the fun associated with an hour-long media day session, the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide quickly got back to the business at hand and squarely put its focus on the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans.

The Crimson Tide (12-1, 8-1 SEC) put the final touches on its College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic preparation with a two-hour workout in shells and shorts in the team’s third practice, in what would normally be a “Thursday” practice, at AT&T Stadium.

Michigan State's focus has sharpened each day since beginning on-site practices for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

How that will carry over to game day is hard to know, Head Coach Mark Dantonio said Monday."My wife asks me that all time, how it's going to be," Dantonio said. "I just say, 'Hey, we'll see when the game gets here.'"

"I think our attention to detail is very good. I think the focus is good.

The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide put in another elongated practice session with more than two hours in full pads at AT&T Stadium.

Intensity continued to build and focus continued to sharpen as the Crimson Tide ready for its College Football Playoff Semifinal clash at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) three days away.

“I feel pretty good (about today’s practice), said LB Reggie Ragland. “Guys were flying around, being in the right position to get better today, so overall it was good.

Even as he prepares for the biggest game of his career, Michigan State Head Coach Mark Dantonio had the Dallas-area storm victims on his mind Sunday.

At least 11 people died, many others were injured and hundreds of homes were damaged when tornadoes tore through nearby cities Saturday evening. It was the first thought Dantonio shared Sunday after completing the team’s second practice for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

“Our thoughts and our prayers go out to the people that are affected by the tornadoes,” Dantonio said.

The No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide got down to business for its College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic with a two-hour practice in full pads on the AT&T Stadium turf in Arlington.

The Crimson Tide (12-1, 8-1 SEC) held a spirited workout in preparation for its New Year’s Eve matchup with the No. 3 Michigan State Spartans (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten).

“Practice has been going well,” said C Ryan Kelly. “This is a team with a honed vision of what we want when we started this a long time ago when we dreamed of getting here.

Michigan State began its on-site preparation Saturday for the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Spartans practiced for the first time in seven days, working 2½ hours in full pads at AT&T Stadium.

“Good practice today,” Head Coach Mark Dantonio said. “We got a lot of things done and got reconnected with the environment here, you could say, and had good work.”

The Spartans (12-1, 7-1 Big Ten) started the year at AT&T Stadium when they rallied from 20 points down to beat Baylor 42-41 in the 2015 Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

After touching down in North Texas earlier in the day, the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide wasted no time getting back to work on the practice field with its first workout on Saturday afternoon at Coppell High School.

The Crimson Tide (12-1, 8-1 SEC) went through an upbeat, 90-minute session in shells and shorts in the indoor practice facility for the Class 6A Cowboys football team. Coach Nick Saban said his second-seeded Tide are happy to be back in the College Football Playoff for a second year in a row and back in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic to face the No.

The mood was light but the focus remained sharp as No. 8 Michigan State got its last taste of AT&T Stadium before its Jan. 1 showdown with No. 5 Baylor in the 79th Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

MSU (10-2, 7-1 Big Ten) captured its official bowl memory with a team photo prior to a light walk-through. Spending nearly 45 minutes in t-shirts and shorts, the team was meticulous in putting the final touches on its preparations for the program’s 25th all-time bowl appearance.   

“We just wanted to move around for a little bit,” said head coach Mark Dantonio.