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12/27/07-Football
Injured Misch ends frosh season on MSU sidelines
By Mike Rosenbaum of The West Bloomfield Eccentric
Ironic doesn't begin to describe the injury that will keep Jonathan Misch out of Michigan State's final football game of the season, the Dec. 28 Champs Sports Bowl contest against Boston College.
The Orchard Lake St. Mary's graduate not only survived, but thrived as a 200-pound linebacker for MSU during the regular season.
"I'm the smallest linebacker in the Big 10 right now," Misch says.
His season-ending injury didn't occur while fending off a 300-pound offensive lineman, or tackling a 250-pound fullback. Instead, in a freak accident, Misch broke an ankle bone while jogging.
Misch first turned the ankle in practice, took some time off to let it heal, then re-joined the team for pre-bowl preparations. He was warming up when he suffered the second, more severe injury, which he believes occurred because his ankle was taped too tightly.
Whatever the cause, "it stinks to miss my first bowl," Misch says.
The season's disappointing end contrasts strongly with its bright beginning for Misch, who earned a starting spot in his redshirt freshman season. Misch led the Spartans in tackles in his debut, making nine stops to help MSU defeat Alabama-Birmingham.
"I still remember just walking out on the field, knowing I was a starter" in MSU's opener, Misch recalls. "It was amazing. It was just surreal. Then coming out at Notre Dame (the fourth game), being a starter at Notre Dame, and then making some big plays there, I was living the high life. It was just awesome."
Misch played most of the season as a backup strongside linebacker, as MSU coach Mark Dantonio shuffled his lineup throughout the year. In 12 games Misch had 22 tackles, including nine solo stops, for the 7-5 Spartans.
Overall, Misch was "pretty happy" with his initial college campaign, "especially being a redshirt freshman and being able to be a starter (at linebacker) for the first part of the season and starting on special teams, I thought that I did pretty well."
Misch saw some familiar faces along the way, making a point to chat with former St. Mary's teammates Taurian Washington and Aaron Gant after the Spartans played Ohio State, for example. He didn't have to wait as long to meet another ex-Eaglet when MSU played Northwestern. When Misch lined up as part of the Spartans' punt team, he was across the line of scrimmage from former teammate Malcolm Arrington. Misch also went head-to-head with high school teammate Chris McLaurin of the University of Michigan. Misch didn't talk - trash or otherwise - to his former teammates when they banged heads this season.
"I'm not really the type of player who on the field tries to get in people's faces," Misch says. "I usually just try to go out there and have a good time. It's kind of weird, some people say that when they get angry, that's when they play the best. But when I'm angry I play horribly. I have to be having fun out there and be smiling."
Misch, who's often described as 'undersized,' began fall practice weighing 210 pounds.
"That was the most I've ever weighed," he says, adding that after five days of two-a-day practices he was down to about 200, where he remained for the rest of the season.
MSU's coaches "are happy that I can play at that weight," Misch adds, "but they're definitely nagging me to gain a little bit of weight, which I've been trying to do."
Misch credits a competitive spirit he learned at a young age with helping him succeed despite his relatively small stature.
"My entire life, since I was about five years old, I've been involved in competition," Misch explains. "I started tae kwan do when I was five years old and I'd be going to tournaments in and out of state and around the nation. It pretty much taught me just how to become a competitor and just keep on fighting through anything - not let little things going against me slow me down."
As Misch learned this season, competition at the college level begins long before the team faces an opponent.
"At Michigan State pretty much every single position, there's not a definite starter," Misch says. "There's always somebody competing, right behind you, trying to take your spot. It's insane how hard you have to work just to be able to keep your spot. Pretty much everybody's that's a linebacker has started at one point in the season. I love how much competition there is. It's a good way to make the team better every day."
With seniors SirDarean Adams and Kaleb Thornhill leaving MSU after the bowl game, more playing time will open up for Misch and other young linebackers in 2008.
"I think all the linebacker spots are pretty much up for grabs," Misch says. "They've been talking about moving one of the outside linebackers to middle linebacker."
Misch's dream combination for next season would see himself starting alongside fellow freshmen Eric Gordon and Greg Jones.
"I really like that combination," Misch says. "Not just because we're young and we can communicate together and communicate well, but because each one of us is a quick linebacker. We're not necessarily huge (players who) fill up gaps, it's that we're elusive, we can get around blockers. We're quick, we can get in the backfield. We know how to blitz."
For now, Misch will stay busy rehabilitating his ankle, lifting weights and studying his homemade notebook of MSU's defensive schemes. He expects to be healthy in time for spring practice, when he hopes to compete for a starting position.
"Absolutely my goal is to be a starter for this team again," Misch affirms. "I did it this season, so I believe that I'll be able to do it next season. I've got to work hard and prove to the coaches that I'm the one for the spot."
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