Lunch in the Outback

MSU players and coaches were made available at, where else, the Outback Steakhouse in Okemos.

I'll have a bigger write-up later, but among the highlights:

--Mark Hollis says MSU has sold about 5,000 tickets for the bowl game and will begin aggressively marketing the southeast in areas like Atlanta and the Carolinas, along with Florida.

--Hollis called the scoreboard upgrades to Spartan Stadium both fun and necessary. You can tell he's still hurting and will never get over the BTCG loss until MSU makes the Rose Bowl.

--Pat Narduzzi said Kevin Pickleman and Johnathan Strayhorn are out for the bowl game, meaning more reps for Jerel Worthy and Anthony Rashad White. Micajah Reynolds is the No. 3 DT.

--Narduzzi also brushed off a question about Akron and said he "hasn't really" talked to other schools and has been recruiting.

--Asked about NFL aspirations, Keith Nichol said he has been asked about playing defense. So versatility is going to be the selling point for him.

--Overall, everyone knows Georgia is a good team and finishing out with a win would be a step forward for the program. Mark Dantonio was not present, as he is in Ohio.