No flash or glory for MSU's Jeremy Langford, just 100s

Joe Rexrode
Detroit Free Press
Michigan State's Jeremy Langford (33) scores a touchdown on a 38-yard run in front of Rutgers' Delon Stephenson (27) and Steve Longa (3) during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 22, 2014, in East Lansing, Mich.

EAST LANSING – They're telling Jeremy Langford what they tell him every week — no one is talking about you, those other guys get all the attention, and this defense is going to load up to stop the streak.

The Michigan State senior running back from Westland Glenn can cap one of the most impressive rushing feats in Big Ten memory today, and he'll have to earn it against Penn State and its nation-best rush defense. He'll try to rush for 100 yards on a 16th straight Big Ten opponent.

His streak is the longest in any conference since 1996, when STATS started tracking such records, and the only longer Big Ten streak MSU has been able to identify was 23 straight in 1973-75 by two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin of Ohio State.

"It's kind of like hard to believe," Langford said, and so is the lack of recognition for a player with such consistency, durability and talent.

But Langford's timing is at once fortunate and unfortunate. He emerged at just the right time for No. 10 MSU, filling the void left by Le'Veon Bell and applying 2,664 rushing yards to a 22-3 showing for the Spartans in the past two seasons.

He's also playing in a league that features the three finalists for the Doak Walker Award (nation's top running back) — Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, Indiana's Tevin Coleman and Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah. Gordon and Coleman are strong candidates to be Heisman finalists. Minnesota's David Cobb is another standout runner who seems to get more attention than Langford.

"Muhammad Ali used to say, 'I'll show you how great I am,'" MSU coach Mark Dantonio said. "I'll let (Langford) know. So he'll be ready to go (today)."

Certainly, Dantonio and other MSU coaches use snubs as motivation. But why is so much of it so readily available for a guy with a chance today to set a new school record with his ninth straight 100-yard game overall?

"That I don't know," said Dave Warner, MSU's co-offensive coordinator and running backs coach. "He flies under the radar, is obviously quiet. Doesn't do a whole lot of craziness on the field. He just does his job and does it well. Certainly he's more deserving of some recognition, but he knows what's important and that's us winning football games. That's how he goes about his business."

There's definitely not "a whole lot of craziness" with Langford, and the lack of flash has caused some misguided observers to confuse it with a lack of ability. Some would say the Spartans will have a lot more talent in the backfield when sophomore Delton Williams, redshirting freshman Madre London and incoming freshman L.J. Scott battle to replace Langford. Warner is not one of them.

"I'm not sure it's a talent upgrade," he said. "I mean, Jeremy's been pretty good. It'll be a battle next year for whoever's willing to take a shot at it. But I think they'll be hard-pressed to duplicate what Jeremy was able to do."

So what has allowed him to do it? What makes the 6-foot-1, 208-pound Langford great? His answer to that question: "My offensive line."

It's arguably the best of Dantonio's tenure. It's also not that simple. Dantonio said Langford has "45-degree acceleration."

"When you're on that 45 degree plane and that tackler is coming at you like this," Dantonio said, trying to show it with his hands, "he can accelerate through that. Some people can't do that. Some people are straight-line fast. He's got an extra gear."

And he "runs with power for that size," Warner said.

"He always finds the seam," said Penn State linebacker Mike Hull, Langford's primary roadblock today.

And he has patience and vision, Williams said, and Langford agreed with that.

"I think just getting the 4 yards and being patient," Langford said. "And not getting too greedy and trying to hit the home run all the time. Putting the offense in good position."

Those are the particulars. There are intangibles as well. One of them can be summed up in the fact that Langford's playing with a big wrap on a left hand with an injury he won't specify.

"He's had to work and earn everything he's got," Warner said. "He's really had to struggle to work to get where he's at, fight his way to the top. So I think he appreciates it more. He doesn't want to give it up. He never wants to come out of the game. And you look across the conference and there are a lot of good running backs in this conference, but Jeremy Langford has not missed a game. I'm not sure he's missed a play because of injury."

He won't miss this chance today. For one thing, he has heard a lot about this Penn State defense.

"(Strength) coach (Ken) Mannie and Coach D talk about it," Langford said. "That's one of the top rushing defenses in the nation. I'm prepared and I'm excited to play them."