I put this preview of Javon Ringer up over the summer, and am re-posting it as we get ready for the Spartans.  So far, he's done little to diminish the hype for this year, nearly cracking three hundred yards in the Florida Atlantic win Saturday and looking good doing it.  Stop the Ringer, maybe win the game.  Maybe.

• Name: Javon Ringer
• School: Michigan State
• Position: Tailback
• Year: Senior
  

Irish fans are fairly familiar with Javon Ringer at this point, as September 20th will be the fourth time he's faced off against Notre Dame.  He's never found the endzone, but he's amassed 244 yards on the ground over three games, including 144 yards on 26 carries last year, providing the balance to Brian Hoyer's four touchdown throws.  Ringer only had six rushing touchdowns last season, mainly because the thunder to his backfield lightning, Liberian refugee and New York Jet Jehuu Caulcrick, had 21. 

Despite splitting carries almost evenly with Caulcrick (245 to 222), he outgained him by almost six hundred yards and was fourth in the Big Ten in rushing, behind only beloved Wolverine Mike Hart, Zook-hater Rashard Mendenhall and 2008 Heisman favorite Beanie Wells.  He was the first 1,000 yard rusher for the Spartans since TJ Duckett in 2001 and ended up with 1447 yards and a 5.9 per rush average.  His high water mark on the season was against the Indiana with 203, but he also had 185 against Northwestern, 123 against Michigan, 101 in the bowl game against Boston College and 145 against Wisconsin (on a scant 10 carries) with another 88 yards receiving.

Ringer opted not to join fellow 2007 Spartan standout Devin Thomas in entering the draft, but he certainly has a lot of hype going into 2009's amateur allotment, with Mel Kiper praising him as the best running back in his class.  Granted, lots of things can change between now and next April, but that's pretty high praise.  I'm not sure he's even the best back in his conference (Wells had an incredible season last year and will only get better), but he's certainly a talented back that will make a professional team very happy some day.

The one problem with Ringer is his frame and the injury problems that tend to come with being a heavily used running back of smaller stature.  He's listed at 5' 9" and 200 pounds, and while he was healthy in 2007, he missed some time in 2006 and has injury difficulties tracing all the way back to high school, where he missed the last six games of his senior year.   Ringer was actually sidelined during the spring practices and intersquad scrimmage due to a shoulder surgery, although all reports are that he'll be fine come August 30th, when the Spartans open in a very exciting, colorful game against the California Golden Bears.  Barring something very bizarre happening, Irish fans shouldn't hope that Ringer will be out come the match-up in East Lansing.  After opening the season in Berkeley, Ringer probably won't have to do too much heavy lifting against Eastern Michigan and Florida Atlantic and can rest up.

If we are to make the rather safe assumption there may be some depth issues on the Irish defensive line, then it will be even easier for the Spartan front to make the slight cracks needed for Ringer to reach the second and third level.  He's almost doubled his yardage each time he's played the Irish since his freshman year, and while I wouldn't mark him down for 288 just yet, he might come close if Hoyer's passing is keeping the defense honest.  I have faith in the linebacking corps and secondary to wrap up, but I can't imagine the Irish will escape September 20th without giving up at least one or two big runs to Ringer.