It'll be back to Orlando for the MSU Spartans to take on the Nick Saban-led Alabama Crimson Tide. For all my band friends, I believe that would be "Go State, Beat the Tide." Although many were hoping the BCS would realize MSU is more deserving of a bowl slot over Ohio State, it's hard to see someone turning down a higher payout from the OSU fanbase. In any case, the Capital One bowl is the best non-BCS bowl out there. Actually, it's probably better than 2 BCS bowls - expect UConn and VaTech to get blown out in the Fiesta and Orange bowls, respectively.
A brief history lesson for all you kids: Nick Saban was head coach at MSU between 1994-1999. In 1999, after leading his team to a 9-2 record, Saban suddenly resigned after the last game of the season to take the head coaching job at LSU. His name was in the media constantly with regards to his job, but several of his players have stated that Coach Saban had said he wasn't going to skip town suddenly....and then he did. Saban has risen to the top of the coaching food chain, winning a national title at LSU and at Alabama. Additionally, Mark Dantonio served as the Secondary Coach under Saban - that's where his original MSU ties come from.
I'll put up a solid analysis closer to the bowl, but the one interesting thing to watch will be the Spartan run defense against a very potent rushing attack from Alabama. 2009 Heisman Winner Mark Ingram (from Flint, MI) teams up with the speedy Trent Richardson to create one hell of a ground attack. Greg Jones and Eric Gordon make up one of the best run-stopping duos in the country, so it'll be one of those unstoppable force vs. unmovable wall kind of games.
The other thing, off the top of my head, is to see what QB will make fewer mistakes. Kirk Cousins has been banged up recently, but put up fantastic numbers in his final regular season game. They may not look impressive on paper, but pretty damn good if you consider it was 30 degrees and windy that day. Alabama's Greg McElroy is 4th in the country in completion percentage and has been very solid all year. This will easily be the biggest test the revamped MSU secondary has seen all year.
In short, if you're feeling like MSU got snubbed, they did. The best way to show that is if MSU shows up and wins this game so the pollsters take notice. An MSU team that went 12-1 and beat Wisconsin and Alabama in the same season will do wonders for the Spartan brand identity and make the team much harder to pass over in years to come. I hope many of you considering the bowl trip will pull the trigger on a plane ticket! Also, a large congratulations to the senior class of the Spartan Marching Band that will be going to a 4th bowl game in 4 years - that has happened only one other time in the history of the band. Enjoy, and Go Green!
MSU Offensive Coordinator Don Treadwell has interviewed for the head coaching vacancy at Indiana University. IU has been looking at a number of coaches after the firing of Bill Lynch and it's no surprise that Treadwell was on that list. His name has come up a number of times for MAC job openings in recent years.
This is far from a done deal but it wouldn't be a shock if Treadwell took the job. However, it should be noted that his son, Blake Treadwell, is currently a Defensive Tackle (and a pretty good one) at MSU currently. Many speculate he'll stay until his son graduates, but I don't think the younger Treadwell would mind if his dad became a Big Ten Head Coach. It would also be interesting due to the fact that Indiana becomes a protected rival of Michigan State starting next year.
OC Treadwell did a phenomenal job of heading the team in Dantonio's absence and also in recent recruiting, so whatever decision he makes, he'll be successful. I would expect Treadwell to wait until after the bowl game to announce if he's leaving - that's a distraction the team does not need. BEGIN TREADWELL WATCH 2010!!!
Happy Friday, everyone. Students, it is now officially time to stop blowing all your money on booze and actually study for a few weeks. Studying the college football landscape counts. It's the last weekend of the regular season, which means conference championship games and upsets. Almost every year, this weekend causes the BCS to go all out of whack and makes the guys at ESPN shit their pants with excitement. Let's take a look:
Big Ten
We'll start with the Big Ten, naturally. As I stated before, very little has changed in the Big Ten picture, BCS-wise. Wisconsin is still ahead of OSU, who is ahead of MSU by two spots. By Big Ten rules, Wisconsin would get the Rose Bowl berth, since they hold the highest BCS Ranking. I'm not sure where that rule originally came from, but we use it because it's written on a giant stone tablet in a reinforced bunker underneath Big Ten headquarters in Chicago.
However, another BCS bowl will certainly pick a Big Ten team as an "at-large" and that selection has no restrictions. MSU Athletic Director Mark Hollis has been lobbying hard to get MSU to a BCS bowl instead of Ohio State, the effects of which are showing up in the national spotlight. However, Hollis is fighting an uphill battle, to say the least. Ohio State has one of the largest fan bases in the country and have always shown up well for their bowl. MSU's angle, however, is that they have gotten the highest ratings on ABC/ESPN games in the Big Ten (that means $$$$), plus they beat the supposed "best" team in the Big Ten. The at-large spot will come down to the wire. If MSU doesn't make the BCS, they will most likely be back in Orlando for the 3rd time in 4 years.
Conference Championships/Rivalry Games
There's some interesting football on the way this weekend. Oregon (ranked #2) visits rival Oregon State this weekend. Regardless of rankings, Oregon has normally struggled in Corvallis - between 1997-2007, the Ducks didn't get one win on the Beavers home turf. I recommend watching that one - Oregon State's fans are absolutely nuts for this game. SEC Championship puts Auburn up against South Carolina, with the Tigers being an overwhelming favorite. Auburn has plenty of motivation - they win, they go to the championship game.
Automatic BCS berths are on the line in the ACC and Big 12 Championship games, as well. Florida State - Virginia Tech and Oklahoma - Nebraska should both be great games. Finally, feel free to watch UConn at South Florida. It's hilarious how mediocre the Big East Conference is this year - the same UConn team that got trampled by barely-bowl-eligible Michigan goes to a BCS game if they win. Make sure you play Yakety Sax at least 4 times during the game. I promise it will be appropriate.
I'll leave you with my predictions for the Big Ten Conference Bowls. The selection show is this Sunday at 8pm, I believe, for BCS games. The rest of the bowls should be online at the same time:
Rose (Pasadena, CA): Wisconsin
Sugar (New Orleans, LA): Ohio State
Capital One (Orlando, FL): Michigan State
Outback Bowl (Tampa, FL): Iowa
Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL): Michigan
Insight Bowl (Tempe, AZ): Penn State
Texas Bowl (Houston, TX): Northwestern
TicketCity Bowl (Dallas, TX): Illinois
Discontent doesn't begin to describe my hatred of the BCS as the regular season of college football expires and the postseason preparation begins. Wisconsin, Ohio State, and MSU are dead even at the top of the Big Ten standings: 10-1 overall, 6-1 in Big Ten play. This Saturday is the last game for all 3. Wisconsin has Northwestern at home, OSU has Michigan at home, and the Spartans head to Happy Valley to take on Penn State. Here's a quick breakdown about all the tie-breaker nonsense, in case you missed it:
1. If all 3 win, Wisconsin gets the Rose Bowl, OSU goes to a different BCS game, MSU gets nothing special.
This is the most likely scenario. No team has much success in Camp Randall, very low chance that a floundering Michigan team upsets a strong OSU team in the Shoe. Wisconsin wins the Rose Bowl tiebreaker because they are highest in the BCS polls. Great system, right?
2. If one of the three teams stumble, the tie-breakers shift slightly
If OSU loses, MSU wins the new tie-breaker. If Wisconsin loses, OSU goes. No reshuffling happens if MSU loses, as they are the lowest down the totem pole currently.
3. On the off chance that all 3 are defeated this weekend, you might as well start praying to whatever god(s)/people/forces of nature you believe in.
In that case, the BCS poll would again determine the Rose Bowl representative, but depending on what team loses worst in the voters eyes, the order of the 3 teams could change. Too much crazy.
NOW THAT'S OUT OF THE WAY. Here's what to watch for in the PSU - MSU Matchup.
RUNNING WILD
Both teams had high hopes for their running games early on. PSU's Evan Royster had earned a lot of buzz before this season as one of the Big Ten's best returning RB's. However, a restructured offensive line has prevented the talented back from being a force in the PSU offense. Don't expect that to change much against an MSU front seven that has been well-prepared against the run. On the other side, MSU's running game looked spectacular in the early season, but the wear and tear of the season has shown itself constantly in the MSU OLine - less holes have opened up and freshman phenom Le'Veon Bell has all but disappeared. It'll be interesting to see if MSU can get their ground game going.
ALL BANGED UP
Kirk Cousins has been banged up for the back half of the season. He's taken quite a few hits in the last month of so and it has shown. The "throwing off the back foot" problem that has led to several bad passes and interceptions are a result of a lingering ankle injury as well as a diminished confidence in his pass protection. His effort in the Purdue game was nothing short of heroic - he put up fantastic numbers in the second half of that game, despite hardly being able to walk on one leg. He described his ankle pain as "excruciating" during the game and simply refused to stay out of the game. It'll be very clear early in the game whether Cousins injuries have subsided a bit, or if he's going to have to turn in another heroic game to get the W.
FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH/TIME TO MOVE ON
Is Joe Pa ever going to leave? He's 84. The guy WILL die either at practice or at a game. He announced last week that he will return for the 2011 season, provided his bionic heart/kidneys/liver/legs are still working. Can't say I blame him, I hate the idea of retirement, too. This game will mark the final installment of the "Land Grant Trophy" battle as the Big Ten moves to divisions next year - MSU and PSU are in separate groups. PSU has been a nightmare for MSU, so personally, I'm happy to see it go.
There you have it. Hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving and the time away from work. Here's the broadcast info for the two games Spartans should watch (sorry, but you're going to have to root for Michigan if you want the Rose Bowl.) Go Green!
UM at OSU: 12pm, ABC/espn3.com
MSU at PSU: 12pm, ESPN2/espn3.com
Not much to wrap up for the Minnesota game. MSU cruised, doesn't prove much except Edwin Baker is a stud and the Spartans are 9-1. I've gotten a couple questions about what the Big Ten's situation is for bowl games, so I'll do my best. Here's some tidbits about the bowl-bound teams to look for:
Michigan State
Why not start with the Michigan Staters? The Rose Bowl tiebreakers were elaborated on in an earlier post, but it may get extra messy in the home stretch. Wisconsin, OSU, Iowa, and MSU are tied at the top. Wisconsin and Iowa win out, MSU goes to the Rose Bowl. However, if OSU beats Iowa in a few weeks, an 11-1 MSU team in the top ten nationally may not get to a BCS bowl. Only two teams from each conference can go to BCS games - if Wisconsin and OSU win out, both will be ranked ahead of MSU so the BCS would make the logical choice. I believe riots are warranted if that happens.
Michigan (Skunkbears)
Bowl eligible in the worst kind of way. Pretty sure Bo rolled over in his grave and Woody laughed like hell on Saturday, when the Wolverines won a 67-65 nailbiter in Ann Arbor. This basketball score brought to you be Terrible Defense! I will give credit where credit is due - Denard Robinson went out with a head injury, and Forcier came in and played a solid game. The Big Ten will likely get 8 bowl-eligible teams, so Michigan should start looking at plane tickets for Florida or Texas.
Ohio State
These guys again? Stop hogging all the glory. Penn State, Iowa, and Michigan still on the schedule. The Bucknuts have been anything but flashy this season, with Terelle Pryor seemingly being held back a bit. OSU fans have been criticizing Tressel quite a bit over the years because he's still playing smashmouth, grinding football without letting Pryor run wild as much as possible. OSU can hope for a BCS bowl, but not the Rose Bowl (unless Wisconsin craps the bed).
Wisconsin
They beat Iowa and Ohio State. That's impressive. MSU's win against the Badgers looks that much more impressive late in the season. They've got a relatively easy schedule remaining - Indiana, Michigan, and Northwestern - so they're hoping for Ohio State to win out, which would lead to a Badger trip to Pasadena
Iowa
So close to the elusive Rose Bowl...but can't quite get there. Unless they beat OSU and Wisconsin and MSU both drop one, Iowa's best argument is Capital One Bowl. They'll be ranked high, but once again the two-teams-per league rule is in effect.
Penn State/Illinois/Purdue/Northwestern
I lumped these 4 in together because they're in the same boat - three are at 6 wins with Illinois likely to get one more against Fresno State in the season finale. They'll contend for a better bowl slot - the Capital One bowl and Outback will be taken, but there will be a giant clusterfuck to determine what team goes where. If someone accurately guesses this week, you get 10 dollars from yours truly.
Minnesota
Flailing right now. Head Coach fired, staff is likely not going to be around after the season. Gophers don't have much hope to get another win so they're playing for dignity in their last two games.
Indiana
Gotta feel for the Hoosiers. Ben Chappell is one of the best QB's in the Big Ten and they've got the best WR corps as well. They have yet to win a Big Ten game, with 3 games slipping through their fingers. Quite literally, in regards to the most recent game. 4th and 10 with the game on the line, a well-placed pass to the end zone was caught...but subsequently bobbled and dropped. A catch would have certainly meant Indiana getting one of the biggest wins in recent memory, upsetting the Big Ten leading Hawkeyes. They need two wins out of Purdue, Penn State, and Wisconsin to go bowling - doesn't look good.
There you have it. Football 101 on Tuesday. I'm going to summarize the ridiculous controversies and headlines from the season so far. See you then!
4 weeks of Big Ten play to go, 4 teams tied atop the standings. Wisconsin, Ohio State, MSU, and Iowa all have one loss in conference play and the results of the next few weeks will determine who gets to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl. Exciting? Yes. Bad News? The tiebreaker rules are the literary equivalent to an Escher painting. Here's the remaining schedule for each team. The bolded match-ups are the ones that each team will be heavily favored in...
MSU: Minnesota, BYE, Purdue, @ Penn State
OSU: BYE, Penn State, @ Iowa, Michigan
Wisky: @Purdue, Indiana, @ Michigan, Northwestern
Iowa: @Indiana, @ Northwestern, OSU, @ Minnesota
I'm leaving Penn State as a question mark...Both MSU and OSU will be favored against them in their match-up, but not as intensely as the other games. As you can see, it looks like MSU and Wisconsin have a good chance to win out, leaving both with a 7-1 conference record. Additionally, the winner of the Iowa/OSU game will likely finish with a 7-1 record. So where do we go from here???
You may remember a similar debacle between MSU, Penn State, and Ohio State that occured in 2008 - if MSU had beaten PSU in the last game of the season, all three would've had 1 conference loss and MSU would have gone to the Rose Bowl due to tiebreaker rules. The added wrinkle this year is that MSU and OSU did not play each other. So let's assume two scenarios...
SCENARIO 1 - Iowa beats Ohio State
Final Standings:
MSU 11-1 (7-1)
Wisconsin 11-1 (7-1)
Iowa 10-2 (7-1)
Ohio State 10-2 (6-2)
Here's the progression of tiebreakers for 3 teams, per the Big Ten Conference. They go down this list, in order:
1. If one of the tied teams beat the other two, that team goes. Doesn't apply. Iowa lost to Wisconsin, Wisconsin lost to MSU, MSU lost to Iowa.
2. If two of the three teams beat the third team, third team is eliminated and you go to the 2-team tiebreaker. Again, doesn't apply
Thanks, Herky, for getting owned by Arizona's DLine
3. If one team has worse OVERALL record than other two, they are eliminated from consideration. In this case, Iowa's extra loss eliminates them from the Rose Bowl discussion.
We are now down to a two-team tie between MSU and Wisconsin. Since MSU beat Wisconsin during the season, MSU smells roses! But what about the other scenario???
SCENARIO 2 - Ohio State beats Iowa
MSU 11-1 (7-1)
Wisconsin 11-1 (7-1)
Ohio State 11-1 (7-1)
Iowa 9-3 (6-2)
Once again, the first 2 rules do not apply. Additionally, the tied teams all have the same overall record. MOAR RULES PLZ
4. If three teams are still tied, the highest-ranked team in the final BCS standings shall be the representative. The latest BCS standings have Wisconsin at 9, Ohio State at 11, and MSU at 14. Ohio State will likely jump the Badgers in the next few weeks, if they both continue winning - Ohio State has a stronger out-of-conference win against the Miami Hurricanes and their computer average will be bumped after a win against the Hawkeyes. There's a chance Wisconsin could squeak in, but most likely Ohio State will go to the Rose Bowl. If both Wisconsin and OSU keep winning, there is no chance MSU will jump them, regardless of how they do.
The Bobcat just did what we all wanted to do...
So there you have it! If MSU, Wisconsin, and Iowa all win their last batch of games, MSU goes to the Rose Bowl. I suggest you park your ass in front of the TV on November 20th and perform whatever superstitious ritual you know to enable Iowa to beat Ohio State.
Apologies from yours truly for being absent this week. I've been battling a virus that's been going around campus recently and this fell by the wayside a bit. Didn't make it any easier with what happened on Saturday...
In case you missed the second half because you were blackout drunk, final score was 37-6. There's something about big games that plays mind games with the Spartans. After coming out flat in the first half against Illinois and Northwestern, it seemed like the team would recognize and respond knowing that the same couldn't be done against one of the best defenses in the country. The problem, it seems, is that after 9 weeks of football, the team is emotionally and physically drained. Although it may not seem like it due to the lack of players sitting out, the only logical conclusion is that there was not enough left in the tank to play the best game of the season on Saturday.
Kirk Cousins had arguably his worst game in a Spartans uniform. It happens. It's easy to see that he takes the team's performance very personally and puts a lot of pressure on himself to perform. A little factoid that many didn't know going into the game is that he grew up a die-hard Iowa fan - his grandfather and great uncle played football for the Hawkeyes and his mom was a member of the dance team. It's understandable that he'd put additional pressure on himself to play better for his family. He made some very odd mistakes - fundamental errors that he hasn't made (to that degree) before in his career. His ankle (which he broke in HS) has been taped up for the last few weeks, but it's unclear if that had any effect on his game play. In any case, he'll bounce back and be fine.
As for the rest of the team, bright spots were few and far between. The offensive line got dominated in the trenches by Iowa's D-Line. In all fairness, there are at least 2 NFL players on that line in Adrian Clayborn and Christian Ballard, but I did expect some better play from the line. The running game hardly put up any numbers, mainly because it was virtually abandoned because of the early deficit. Even Greg Jones looked mediocre, as he uncharacteristically missed a couple tackles and made a few bad reads.
As for the positives? The future looks to be in good hands. Freshman William Gholston keeps getting better - he tallied 5 tackles including a half tackle-for-loss and he's only had 8 tackles in the previous 8 games. Jerel Worthy, who has been double-teamed most of the season, did significantly better when he was one-on-one (thank you to the 360-lb Antonio Jeremiah for freeing him up). RS Freshman Bennie Fowler, who caught the "Mouse Trap" pass, played for the injured Keshawn Martin and played like an upperclassman. The defensive line as a whole is getting better at pressuring the QB, as well.
Anyone want to take a guess about what was said here???
Was the game a giant ass-whooping? You bet. Should the team (and fans) be discouraged at all? No way. The team's performance wasn't indicative of how they normally play. There's 3 regular season games to go and the Spartans will still be favored in all of them. There's numerous Rose Bowl tie-breakers to discuss, and I'll cover that in Football 101 tomorrow. Next week's game is vs. Minnesota, Noon on the BTN. Go Green!
I'm kind of sad MSU and Northwestern weren't made into a "protected rivalry" in the new Big Ten divisions - they've played some amazingly great games the past few years. This last one was no exception. This was MSU's first time outside the State of Michigan (road games were in Ann Arbor and Detroit) and it appeared to show in the first half. The Spartans came out flat and went down 17-0 early. No matter who your opponent is, that's tough to break out of.
Northwestern made life tough by stopping the run. I don't think "stopping" gives them enough credit - it was more likely "bringing the running game to a screeching halt." The Spartans had close to no success in running plays in the first half and adjusted at halftime and went pass happy in the second half. The play-action pass, one of MSU's specialties, still worked against the Wildcats, but NU was able to put pressure on Cousins repeatedly, putting some hard hits on him after he threw the ball. Cousins is likely feeling it today - he already had a brace on one of his ankles and a dinged up shoulder from the Illinois game. Get some rest, Captain Kirk!
Dantonio and defensive coordinator Pat Narduzzi made some great adjustments at the half. The defense was clearly struggling for the first 30 minutes of play, with veteran athletes with their hands on their hips, trying to catch their breath, at the end of the first quarter. The D got some great pressure on QB Dan Persa in the second half and racked up 8 sacks - they had 10 sacks in the previous 7 games COMBINED. Game ball on defense has to go to Defensive End Tyler Hoover, who made 9 tackles, 2 tackles-for-loss, a forced fumble at the 1-yard line, and 2 sacks.
So lets talk about the play of the game. It would've been the play of the day had Wisconsin's punter not ran for 17 yards from his own 22 yard line to keep a drive going (attention whore). Down by 6 in the 4th quarter, Dantonio decided to try a fake punt to try to get the first down. However, it was a slightly bizarre setup: it was 4th and 4 and MSU decided to let the play clock run out, take a delay of game penalty and be backed up 5 yards. This is relatively normal practice when a team is punting from MSU's location on the field - it makes it a little easier for the punter to try to get the ball deep in opponent's territory. However, if you're trying to fake it, it's a terrible move to make the first down 5 more yards away. Apparently Dantonio's crazy like a fox, because "Mouse Trap" worked to perfection.
Last point: The WR corps deserves some mad props. Keith Nichol, who just started playing WR this spring, made some crazy grabs down the stretch to keep drives going. Mark Dell and BJ Cunningham both caught for more than 100 yards. Bennie Fowler, a RS Freshman in for the injured Keshawn Martin, scored a rushing TD and caught the "Mouse Trap" pass. Impressive all around. (P.S. Martin was out because he rolled his ankle. He said he should be good to go next week).
So there you have it. Remember 2008 where there was a giant clusterfuck atop the Big Ten standings to see who goes to Pasadena? Well, it's happening again. After Saturday's action, there are 4 title contenders: Wisconsin, Iowa, OSU, and MSU. MSU is the only one without a conference loss - Iowa and Ohio State both lost to Wisconsin, and Wisconsin was beaten by MSU. Saturday's game @ Iowa effectively answers the question: does MSU win the Big Ten? or will it share it with others? This feels like a parallel bizarro universe. If I'm dreaming, don't wake me up.
Landry Jones' trash stache has lead Oklahoma to the first #1 ranking in the BCS Poll
It's Tuesday! Know what that means? Correct - buckets of beer are $5 off at Crunchy's. Also, it's Football 101. Today's topic is the BCS Poll, the magical printout of glory that determines the high-level bowls. It can be equated to a Computer Jesus with too much free time on its hands....or hardware...or something.
The BCS system started in 1998. Before that, the National Title game rotated between the Fiesta, Orange, and Sugar bowls. However, the Rose Bowl always had the top Big Ten and Pac-10 teams, so it was a giant clusterfuck and it was up to the media voters to sort it out when all the dust cleared. AWESOME SYSTEM. The BCS has 3 different components: The USA Today Coaches' Poll (comprised of selected Coaches around the country), the Harris Poll (former players, administrators, media members), and the BCS Computer ranking system. The Computer ranking is actually a combination of 6 different computer rankings, all using a different equation to determine a team's "score."
The Computer Ranking is usually what causes the most frustration in the world of college football. In all of the computer polls, the amount you win a game by does not matter - it's limited to your record and the record of those you've played. WHY, YOU ASK? Basically, the BCS didn't want top teams running up the score as much as possible in order to get additional points in the BCS computers. Computers can't tell if you're being a dick, but the human voters can (usually). Although these equations have been tweaked and polished over the years, there are still some oddities that pop up because of the formula. For example, in the Sagarin computer ranking, Oregon State (3-3) is ranked higher than Alabama (6-1), who only lost to a ranked team.
Bubbles is upset with the pollsters' love for Boise State
Okay, so there are 3 polls, each with an equal influence in a team's BCS ranking. In the two polls done by people, normally a team won't be "leapfrogged" if they keep winning, regardless of who they play. For example, Boise State won't play ANYONE tough for the rest of the season but they're not going to move down in the human polls if they win against them all. The exception to this rule was shown earlier this year - Oregon was ranked just behind Boise State, but jumped them after the Ducks dismantled #9 Stanford. Clearly, Oregon looked much better after that than BSU's awesome win over Toledo, so jumping is justified.
As the season goes on, there will be fewer "leapfrogs" in the human polls, the reason being that there just aren't many statement games left on the slate where a team can make a case for jumping someone above them. Since conference play has started, teams will face one, maybe two, high-ranking opponents and must disembowel them to have a chance to jump. The computer polls, however, are a different story. As teams from the major conferences play more games, their strength of schedule goes higher. For example, Iowa will play Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Ohio State (combined 19-2 record) in the next month. Boise State's toughest opponents, on the other hand, are Nevada, Fresno State, and Hawaii. Although Boise State's computer score will increase with each win, Iowa's will increase faster.
Remember, the wins of opponents (and sometimes your opponents' opponents) will affect a teams' ranking. That's why you heard many sports conessieurs go nuts when Wisconsin took down Ohio State - it makes MSU's computer ranking go higher. As the season goes on, the computer poll will change significantly - even if every team in the top ten wins, changes will still occur in the BCS standings due to strength of schedule.
That's a small taste of the BCS formula. There's about a million and three rules for eligibility and bowl selection, but we'll come to that later in the year. Here's a link to the current BCS Standings. Go Green!
Gerard Butler (a.k.a King Leonidas) was in attendance. I believe in this pic he is saying "SPARTANS! WHERE IS YOUR PERCUSSION?!?!"
Well, what started off as a defensive battle that had people yawning blew up at the end. MSU has fallen victim to the post-Michigan hangover before, but improved to 4-0 after the Michigan game under Mark Dantonio. Main point to take away from this game: the Illinois defense is good. Real good. Also, Kirk Cousins can carry the team if needed - he hasn't been a big gamechanger all season but he came through in a big way.
If it seemed like the team was playing terrible on offense in the first half, give credit to Illinois. I'd be amazed if Martez Wilson (LB) and Corey Liuget (DT) don't get drafted for the NFL. Those guys have now given MSU and Ohio State all they can handle. Here's the stats from the MSU RB Stable:
Illinois denied MSU any sort of running game - expect Illinois' run defense to be that good for the rest of the season. Coach Ron Zook called MSU "the best team we've played so far." That statement includes Ohio State...hmm...
The biggest story, in my opinion, was the play of Freshman Darqueze Dennard, who was starting in place of drinking enthusiast Chris L. Rucker. Dennard made two GREAT plays throughout the game:
1. Longest Illini pass of the day that put them in the red zone. As the WR was getting tackled, Dennard swiped at the ball, knocking it loose, then recovered the fumble. The play was reviewed - on TV, it could've gone either way. His knee hit the ground at the same time the ball popped out, it looked like. Since the call on the field was fumble, it stood.
2. Late in the game, Dennard lost a step on his assignment and the ball was thrown. He caught up without turning to look at the ball and put his hand between the receiver's hand and knocked it away. Pass Interference. On TV, there was hardly any contact and was clearly not interference. A great leadership moment happened directly after, as Greg Jones went straight to him, calmed him down and basically told him that was one great defensive play.
Lastly, three main points going into next week:
1. Spartans are 7-0 for the first time since 1966. Projected to be in the Top Ten of the BCS rankings when they are released tonight.
2. MSU defense has recorded 12 interceptions in 7 games. They had 6 all of last year. There's still 6 more games to play.
3. Greg Jones has 419 tackles in his career. With 2 more, he moves into 3rd place in all-time MSU tackles leaders.
The Spartans will leave the state of Michigan for the first time this year as they take a visit to Evanston to battle Northwestern. Noon on ESPN. Go Green!
The first BCS standings of the season don't come out until next week, but there's plenty going on that deserves recognition. Virginia Tech made history (the bad kind), Penn State looks pretty special on offense (the bad kind), and TCU is once again nasty (the good kind) on defense. But here's some less obvious stuff:
Midseason Awards Time!
Most Likely to Win the Lottery - Les Miles, LSU
Coach Miles could probably go golfing during a thunderstorm without a care in the world. Somehow, his team is undefeated while looking horrendous on offense. The latest pure-luck moment? How about a last-minute bounce pass for a first down...
Most Likely to Get Hit by a Bus - Anyone from Purdue
Purdue has been hit by injuries worse than anyone in the country...and it's not even close. Their starting QB, Robert Marve, a transfer from Miami, tore his ACL. So did their best WR, Keith Smith, and their best RB, Ralph Bolden. Both were on the All-Big Ten team last year. Coach Danny Hope has required all remaining offensive players to wear suits of armor when not playing football.
Most Likely to Never Score Again This Season - New Mexico
The Lobos are 0-6 and have scored 10 TD's all season. While other teams have scored less (Looking at you, San Jose State) New Mexico has also ran about 100 more plays than them. No way New Mexico scores again unless ruffies are involved or someone gets really, really drunk - Wyoming has been known to...
Coach Mark Richt approves of the change in rivals
The Silver Handcuffs Award - Georgia
Although MSU's Dion Sims wins the award for most bizarre charge against him, the University of Georgia has had 11 players arrested since March - all separate incidents. The latest came from RB Caleb King. The reason? He didn't show up in court for a speeding ticket. The University System of Georgia took immediate action, making UGA's new archrival the Georgia Police Academy.
Most Likely to Be Hated By Everyone - Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News
Mr. Wilner is a writer who votes in the AP Poll that you see every week. This voting right is given out to a handful of journalists who the NCAA believes give a diverse and accurate view of the college football landscape. Mr. Wilner's accurate viewpoint has Oklahoma as the number one team (not one other voter came close to agreeing with him), Oregon State (3-2) as the #10 team, and Virginia Tech, who lost to the powerhouse of James Madison, ahead of undefeated Michigan State (who, by the way is ranked 23rd). Great work, Jon!
Enough made up awards, here's some quick predictions on some BCS match-ups: National Championship Game: Boise State vs. Oregon Rose Bowl: Ohio State vs. TCU Fiesta Bowl: Nebraska vs. Auburn Sugar Bowl: Alabama vs. West Virginia Orange Bowl: Florida State vs. Michigan State
Just my two cents. MSU vs. Illinois preview will go up tomorrow afternoon. Go Green!
Welcome back to Football 101. Today's topic is shorter, covering the strength and conditioning aspect of building a football team. A nice alternative to the reports every day of our football players channeling their inner Lindsey Lohan and going berserk (speaking of which, Chris L. Rucker is probably looking at jail time). But I digress...
While recruiting top-level talent and having coaches that can draw up great plays and schemes is essential for football success, it doesn't mean jack unless that top-level potential can develop into a top-level athlete. As you can imagine, not many players can come in from high school and be just as strong or big as the juniors and seniors on the field. Similarly, you might have been aced every high school class you took and made the ACT your bitch, but you're still a dumbass compared to that smelly kid in your bio lecture that just pwned you like a noob on Midterm 2. Whatever, he has no friends.
It takes years of experience to understand how the human body works and how to athletically develop "the right way." You'll hear that a lot from people trying to manage their weight, both in losing and gaining weight. You can't just pound protein shakes every day and expect to look awesome, just like you, ladies, can't resort to anorexia and expect to look awesome (bulimia is the way to go). Just like your doctor says, it takes a solid balance of working out your muscles and eating right to get results. However, for athletes the exact formula for that balance will be debated until the end of time.
Ken Mannie, the MSU strength and conditioning coach, has been a well-knows staple in the athletics department for quite a while. "A while" meaning 15 years - one year short of Tom Izzo's tenure. He was a grad assistant alongside Mark Dantonio when they were at Ohio State in the 80's and came to MSU with Nick Saban. He stayed on when Saban left...and when Bobby Williams left...and then WHATYA KNOW his buddy Dantonio got hired after John L. Smith left. He's a rare commodity in these parts - even Jim Tressel has tried to lure him away multiple times to Ohio State. He's usually the intense guy with a mustache on the MSU sidelines. Look for him, he's entertaining.
The bottom line for strength and conditioning: your athletes need to be strong enough to push the other guys around like sumo wrestlers, fast enough to race a cheetah, and have more endurance than a Kenyan marathon runner. Obviously, you can't turn everyone into Superman, but you can sure as hell try. For anyone, you gotta eat and eat A LOT to gain the muscle that you see on football players...but it gets weird. I'm pretty sure Tom Herzog was required to eat an entire Meat Lover's pizza for lunch every day but the guy never seemed to gain more than a few pounds. MEANWHILE, IN FOOTBALL LAND, Antonio Jeremiah, a highly-touted recruit, resembles a refrigerator more than a well-toned killing machine these days. Not that a fridge couldn't kill you, but it would be a lot less graceful in doing so.
Jerel Worthy is huge, but his biggest asset on the line is his quickness in getting around his assignment
How do you see this on the football field? We'll take the offensive and defensive lines, for example. It's no secret that usually these positions require the longest to develop players at - you'll see a majority of offensive line players are Juniors and Seniors. It's very hard to find an "impact freshman" in these groups. The OLine has to be able to push their defenders up and down the field for 60 minutes. You'll see some poorly-conditioned lines in games that start to wilt in the second half, not being able to push their man around or just being too gassed to keep going down after down after down. A big focus is being able to increase strength without sacrificing speed or endurance. If a coach can do that for his players, he's got it made.
These guys are scary. Like zombie teddy bears with an appetite for destruction.
That's all for now, ladies and gents. I'll take a look at the national landscape tomorrow, as things have gotten quite interesting because of th...USE A PLAYOFF SYSTEM DAMMIT...sorry I get frustrated sometimes. See you then! Go Green!
An update on the Chris L. Rucker situation: Detroit Free Press reported today that Rucker was arrested for OWI on Saturday night after the Michigan victory. Blew a .10 behind the wheel, just over the legal limit. In many cases, this would be plead down quickly (see: Korie Lucious), but Rucker is currently on probation because he was at the Rather Hall potluck brawl.
Dantonio said on Sunday that Rucker was gone for at least the Illinois game and after hearing this, I imagine it will be for significantly longer than that. Freshman Darqueeze Dennard will be starting in Rucker's place, backed up by walk-on Mitchell White. This is terrible news for the Spartans, who have been playing solid pass defense all season with the DB's starting to gel in coverage.
It was quite a game for the Spartans as they handed the Michigan Wolverines their first loss of the season on Saturday. Heisman front-runner Denard Robinson was held in check for most of the contest as MSU's defense held the Wolverines to only 17 points - they were averaging over 41 points per game before the contest. The Spartans were amazingly balanced on offense, gaining 287 passing yards and 249 rushing yards. MSU has rushed for over 200 yards in 5 of its 6 games is ranked 10th in the country in total offense. That's a considerable feat, considering there is only one team ahead of them (BCS-probable TCU) that runs a pro-style offense.
The most glaring point from this game were Denard Robinson's 3 interceptions, 2 of which were thrown inside the 5-yard line. The MSU pass defense did a solid job against their assignments all day, limiting extra yards after catches and only allowing 7.4 yards for each pass attempt, on average. Robinson did have some success against the MSU defense, passing for 215 yards and rushing for another 86, but it was severely limited compared to what he has done against previous teams. On the year, he has an 8.3 yards per carry average - MSU kept him to under half of that.
The two teams are now in two very different situations. The Wolverines - now 3-15 after October 1st under Rich Rodriguez - have to regroup and navigate the rest of their Big Ten schedule. UM faces an even tougher defensive team next week as the #15 Iowa Hawkeyes come to Ann Arbor. The last five weeks also include a night game at Penn State (which actually looks a little more winnable now), a date with #18 Wisconsin, and a trip to #1 Ohio State in November. Michigan is most likely looking at an 8-4 record on the year.
Michigan State, on the other hand, is looking at a very different picture. The Spartans face only one more ranked team this season when they travel to Iowa on the Eve of Halloween. The remaining schedule also includes Illinois, Minnesota, and Purdue at home, and road trips to Northwestern and Penn State to end the season. The Spartans have NEVER won at Penn State since they joined the Big Ten, but they look slightly like a trainwreck this year - they were completely manhandled by Illinois at home yesterday. It is very clear that the Spartans are in the running for the Big Ten Championship...and dare I say the dreaded R-word.
IN OTHER NEWS...
We couldn't even celebrate for 24 hours without bad news, could we? Defensive Back Chris L. Rucker has been suspended for AT LEAST the Illinois game for "violating team rules." Coach Dantonio won't specify exactly how long his punishment will be. Rucker caught one of the interceptions for the Spartans yesterday and has arguably been the best coverage man in the defensive backfield for the last 2 years. Some analysts are also predicting he'll see some time in the NFL. This is Rucker's second offense - he was present during the Rather Hall Ski Mask Massacre - but it's important to note that violating team rules can range from getting arrested to missing a few class lectures.
That's all for now, it's Homecoming Week in East Lansing! Illinois comes to town on Saturday, Noon on the Big Ten Network. Go Green!!!
Time to put up or shut up. I'm actually going to have some actual football analysis this week. It's worth it. If you want to skip all that, scroll to the bottom because I made a drinking game for tomorrow.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
The Denard Robinson Show
Spartans, enough of the blind hatred. Robinson is putting up Heisman like numbers. Yes, he's doing it against cupcakes, but other Heisman contenders aren't putting up numbers like that against their cupcakes. He's a talented player. That being said, Michigan fans, there are several holes in his game that are actually going to show up Saturday.
1. Running game - Robinson is a fantastic runner in space. He isn't shifty or resourceful with his body position, but he has some of the best top-end speed in the Big Ten. However, Robinson cannot make a living between-the-tackles. DRob has been slightly banged up a couple times this year, but if Robinson is forced to go between his offensive linemen, he's going to feel pretty bad by the 3rd quarter.
2. Passing game - Michigan's scheme is designed for misdirection and most passes are usually shorter since the WR's are more than solid making plays happen after they catch the ball. Robinson hasn't had to sit in the pocket for very long, as a result of this. Earlier this week, Robinson admitted that most of his "reads" of the defense were actually done by the coaching staff, who signaled to him on the field. On 3rd and long situations, he's going to need to step it up a notch as a passer.
The MSU Defense
Much has been made about the MSU defense and it's improvement from last year. I'll be the first one to agree, since the individual play of the DB's has been better and the defensive line is getting deeper. However, a few points...
1. Running game - The Spartans have been fantastic in that aspect and they've done it by being disciplined and tackling well. Everyone knows Greg Jones and his mile-long resume, but LB Eric Gordon is constantly overshadowed. Eric Gordon is currently 2nd on the list of active career tackles leaders (behind...WHO?!) and has been steady this year. Gordon was playing the game of his life against ND, recording 5 tackles in a QUARTER before he went out with an injury. However, the Spartans were burned twice against Wisconsin by letting runners get to the outside. This is Denard Robinson's forte, so the Spartans have to pick it up to stop him.
2. Passing game - Starting CB's Chris L Rucker and Johnny Adams have done a stand up job against opponents. They don't go for the interception very often, but they have been on their man like glue all season. The weakness of the passing defense, now, is the safety position and oddly enough, the LB's. Most of Michigan's passes are shorter and more times than not the Spartan LB's will be responsible for them.
MSU Offense vs. Michigan Defense
This point is very simple. Yikes. Michigan's Defense is atrocious. As bad as the Spartans were against the pass last year, Michigan is worse. They rank last - dead last - in the country in pass defense and are 102nd in total defense (that's out of 120). Here's some powerhouses that play better defenses: Duke, Marshall, Memphis, UAB, San Jose State, UNLV, and Florida Atlantic. All of those schools have only won one game this year. Expect to hear the phrase "pass complete to Mark Dell/BJ Cunningham/Charlie Gantt" quite a bit tomorrow. Although UM's rush defense is considerably better, it is still not great and there's no reason not to expect one of the best running duo's in the country won't be able to run all over them. Expect some points.
Although many are predicting a shootout game - UM can score on anybody and anybody can score on UM - I'm going a different way. It will still be close, but I think MSU takes more time off the clock than UM would like because of their running game. Robinson still has a big day, but not as prolific as we have seen the past few weeks.
Prediction: MSU 34, Michigan 28
OKAY NOW THATS OVER LETS GET OUR DRINK ON
Watch the game, grab a beer:
Drink 1 anytime...
...announcer mentions Denard Robinson's shoes/shoelaces/velcro
...announcer says the word "Heisman"
...announcer mentions anything related to Dantonio's health
...either team gets a first down
Drink 2 anytime...
...Greg Jones makes a tackle
...either team makes a play of 10 yards or more
...the announcers bust out that yellow highlighter pen on replays
Drink 3 anytime...
...either team ATTEMPTS a field goal (lets be honest, UM's not going to make one)
...either QB is sacked
...a video clip from a past MSU/UM game is played
Drink 4 anytime...
...either team intercepts a pass
...a fumble occurs
...either team scores a touchdown
In the event of overtime, one beer must be consumed for each overtime period. That is all. Enjoy. Go Green.
It is Paul Bunyan Eve, sports fans. Less than 24 hours until you're arguing with your buddy/uncle/co-worker about the academic merits of Michigan State or whether or not Denard Robinson KNOWS how to tie a pair of shoes. In fact, here's a few things I've pondered about but never debated with a UM fan. Please bring these up with them if you have free time:
- Schembechler is quite a long last name. Did he hate America?
- If they were allowed to sell only one kind of beer in Michigan Stadium, would it be PBR or Natural Ice?
- What happens first, Mike Hart starts an NFL game or Lindsay Lohan makes a porno?
- Will "Willie the Wolverine" ever return???
Yes, this actually happened. More on this later...
PRIDE COMES BEFORE THE FALL
First, we go back to when the rivalry was reborn. Let's be honest, MSU fans: in recent memory, the Spartans had done nothing to suggest that this game was worth anything except for ammo for workplace banter. No one had come close to having continued success at the expense of the Wolverines since the 1960's (Thanks Bo). However, in Mark Dantonio's 1st year, someone decided to add fuel to the (barely still burning) fire...
The first question directed toward Hart was asking what his mood was when his team was down by 10 with 7 minutes left...apparently he was laughing on the sidelines.
That was immediately after the 2007 MSU/Michigan game at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans, trailing 14-3 at halftime, delivered 21 unanswered points in the 2nd half. With minutes left in the game, the Spartans forced a fumble from the hands of Michigan QB Ryan Mallett...but the ball bounced directly into Mike Hart's hands. Hart took it for 11 yards in what would be the turning point of the final quarter. Michigan scored two monumental TD's in the final minutes to seal yet another victory. Here's what Coach D had to say...
"Little Brother" joined the vernacular of Michigan fans that day, with State fans retorting "Pride Comes Before the Fall" an estimated 9,452,762 times since November 4th, 2007. After that game, MSU seemingly erased the "Same Ol' Spartans" title by rallying to beat Purdue and Penn State in their final two games. The Spartans have beaten Michigan for 2 years in a row - a feat that hasn't happened since Duffy went 3-0 against UM between 1965-67.
DID I JUST SEE THAT???
In a much lighter story, let's talk about mascots. If you don't recognize the picture above, that is Willie the Wolverine at Spartan Stadium in 2003, I believe. Willie was a product of MSU, more specifically the group who coordinates Sparty's activities. Similar to the Mr. Potato Head mascot that they developed for a 2005 MSU vs. Idaho game, Willie was basically a punching bag for Sparty at numerous MSU/Michigan events. However, it caught on in some University of Michigan circles that Willie was actually a new mascot developed by UM Athletics. Obviously, that myth went away quickly. In 2003, Willie was barred from athletics events because UM's AD called the use of the costume "unsportsmanlike."
However, somehow, someway, Willie made a special appearance...at a popular "mascot camp" filmed by Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. At 26 seconds, 37 seconds, and at 1 minute and 15 seconds in this trailer video:
Thanks to the Red Cedar Message Board for bringing this up...and thanks to the University of Minnesota for putting this on. I'm pretty sure the stadium announcer is Fred Willard.
My favorite part is the Chili pepper strutting out onto the court like a Drum Major. Well, that'll do it for now. Look for the Game Preview going up at about 8 tonight. Party safe this weekend, everyone. Go Green!
Less than 48 hours until kickoff to the game that is as important as it has been in recent memory. Last time both teams were unbeaten coming into this game was 1999 - the Nick Saban-coached Spartans won 34-31 in East Lansing to improve to 6-0. Today, I thought we'd have a couple historical tidbits about MSU from the "good ol' days."
LETS GO WAAAAAAAAAAY BACK
Let's start from State's rise into the Big Ten. In the 1930's and 40's, MSU began to make a name for itself as an independent team. Another independent team, Notre Dame, started playing MSU every year, in part to help Michigan State develop a national reputation. Although the rivalry with ND stands today, it's important to remember that their actions directly helped MSU get into the Big Ten.
In 1946, when the U of Chicago withdrew from the Big Ten, Michigan State sought to take its place. In 1949, the Big Ten teams voted for the Spartans to join the Big Ten, by a vote of 8-1. Can you guess what school voted no? Just to be sure they deserved it, MSU went a combined 18-0 in 1951-52, earning a national championship in '52.
The legendary Duffy Daugherty started coaching MSU in 1954. His biggest claims to fame are 2 national championships in 1961 and 1962. However, in realm of history, his biggest accomplishment was heavily recruiting black athletes - at that time, heavy racism didn't allow for many black athletes to join major teams. Duffy was helped with this by the coach of Alabama who recommended to black players who wanted to play for the Crimson Tide to join the Spartans, instead - the administration and culture in the south didn't make it easy for him to have black players, even though he wanted them. That coach was none other than Paul "Bear" Bryant.
Duffy and his team certainly embraced the Michigan rivalry, making it the biggest game every year. He had his hands full, however - some guy named Bo Schembechler took over in 1969. There's quite a few stories of MSU lore that came out of Duffy's tenure. Here's a great one, from his autobiography:
I remember a fine young quarterback named Pete Smith, and he became our quarterback by accident. He had been a pretty good high school player at Ecorse, Michigan, but he wasn't the type of kid you'd go out and beg on your hands and knees to come to Michigan State. Pete was what we call a walk-on. He didn't come to school on an athletic scholarship. More often than not, a walk-on walks out unnoticed three or four days after walking on. But Pete became very important to us. We had recruited two good quarterbacks the year before, but both of them got big bonus contracts in baseball and that left our freshman team without a recruited quarterback. So Pete was it. He weighed 165 pounds and he didn't have intimidating strength. At a banquet, you might mistake him for a bus boy. So Pete started the first game of his junior year simply because we didn't have anybody else. We beat Wisconsin 20-0. The next week, we defeated Stanford rather handily, but in the middle of the game, Pete's father died. He was in the stands in East Lansing. The funeral was scheduled for the following Thursday so, naturally, Pete went home for the entire week. It was prior to our all-important game against Michigan, and I cannot describe the mood of our practices that week. Hardly anyone spoke. Pete had said he would be back on Thursday following the services, so we held the start of practice up half an hour. We had been working quite a while when Pete came onto the field. Everyone saw him, and the young quarterback who had been running the first string offense in Pete's absence simply trotted over to the other side, as if to say, "O.K., Pete, here's your job back." The players still were quiet when Pete went into the huddle. When he finally looked at them, all he said was, "I didn't come back here to lose to Michigan." Pete played the most inspired game I've ever seen anyone play. He did nothing you could call spectacular, but here was a young man with what you'd honestly have to call ordinary ability, and he reached deep down within himself that afternoon on Michigan's field before 103,198 fans and led the Spartans to a 28-0 victory.
The year after Duffy retired, 1973, MSU made one hell of a dig at the Wolverines. In the final game of their season, Michigan tied Ohio State, 10-10. However, UM clearly looked like the better team and most likely didn't win because their starting QB broke his collarbone. As was the practice back then, the AD's of the Big Ten voted whether to send UM of OSU to the Rose Bowl. MSU Athletic Director Jack Breslin and UM's AD, Don Canham, were as far from friends as you can be. Breslin voted against UM and the Buckeyes went to Pasadena. Bo Schembechler was clearly not a fan of the decision, as his team proceed to win 11 out of the next 13 games against the Spartans.
So there's a brief history lesson about the Duffy Daugherty era in MSU history. I leave you with this...because it's entertaining:
Apparently the Spirit of Liberty post was pretty popular. This one's a big longer. Thanks for spreading that around and reading, people! Today, we examine one of the most controversial finishes in both the Michigan-MSU rivalry and the Big Ten - the 2001 game...or as it has been coined...Clockgate
THEY STOPPED THE CLOCK, JIM
The controversy is usually related to the final 3 snaps of the game. Then-MSU Savior Jeff Smoker was the QB and drove his team down the field in the final minutes, the Spartans trailing 24-20. Here's some key notes about the last drive:
- MSU on the 50 yard line
- 1 minute, 25 seconds left in the game, 1 timeout remaining
- Facing 4th and 16
Smoker throws an incomplete pass, which would effectively end the game...but wait. Michigan's defensive backs had double-teamed Charles Rodgers (star MSU Receiver at the time) and one of the held him at the line of scrimmage and grabbed his facemask, resulting in an automatic 1st down and 15 yards for MSU.
After 2 incomplete passes, facing 3rd and 10, Smoker throws a first down to Herb Haygood. 43 seconds remaining. 18 yard line. Very next play, Smoker gets covered by the Michigan Defensive Line and is sacked. MSU uses it's last time out to stop the clock.
As MSU players walk toward the sideline to talk to coaches, refs throw a flag...Michigan called for 12 men on the field on that 1st down sack. When this happens, standard NCAA procedure is to stop the clock, blow the play dead, and the penalty is half the distance to the end zone. Since the refs didn't realize there were 12 men until after MSU called time out, the clock had already been stopped. MSU should not have needed to take their last time out, but as in all games, there is a certain degree of error in officiating.
However, mistake 2 from the refs: they gave the Spartans half the distance to the end zone from the 22 yard line, where Smoker was sacked. It should have been from where the play started, the 18 yard line. MSU should have gotten the ball at the 9 yard line, but instead got it from the 11. Well, 2 yards isn't a big deal, right? It turned out to be quite a big deal (keep reading).
A 3rd mistake also presents itself: Michigan was penalized, the ball was moved forward, but for some reason, it is second down for the Spartans, even though the penalty came as soon as the ball was snapped on FIRST down. The Spartans should have had one extra down to work with.
Now 27 seconds left, 4th and 5 after two incomplete passes. Smoker throws a short slant to RB TJ Duckett for the first down, ball at the 4 yard line. Smoker spikes the ball on the next play, clock stopped at 17 seconds, 2nd down. Smoker scrambles, dives for the end zone as he gets tackled AND....
...he's stopped at the 1 yard line. Clock keeps running
Remember, MSU has no timeouts left because of the officiating miscue, so Smoker rushes to get off the turf. MSU lines up as quick as it can to spike the ball...the clock ticks...and ticks...and ticks...and it APPEARS to stop about a half-second early, with 1 second on the clock.
Next play, Smoker is on his heels, but throws a lob to TJ Duckett in the end zone. Ball caught, game over. Here's the clip of the last 2 plays. Keep in mind this is the ABC video, but the audio is the radio commentators that cover Michigan sports, so you can hear a small bias.
Two distinct viewpoints on whether or not the play should have existed:
Viewpoint 1: Spartans got home-cooking, the clock operator stopped the clock too soon just to give MSU another chance to score. Completely valid. The NCAA changed who works the clock to avoid either this from happening again, if this is actually what happened, or to avoid the perception that this CAN happen.
Viewpoint 2: The clock shown on TV and stadium scoreboards lie slightly - the clock will change from displaying "0:02" to "0:01" when time reaches 1 and nine-tenths seconds remaining, i.e. the clock shows 1 second for "0:01.9, 0:01.8, 0:01.7", etc. It continues display 1 second for "0:00.9, 0:00.8, 0:00.7" etc, so the clock will actually take 2 seconds for "0:01" to change to "0:00". Confusing, I know.
Truth is, it will always be a controversial ending. However, if you think Michigan got robbed, then it works both ways: the Spartans should have been given an extra two yards after Michigan's penalty and arguably, an extra down and time out. Who knows what would've happened if the refs and clock operators were guaranteed to be correct?
If you want to watch the full game in it's entirety, you can actually do so on Hulu! I love the internet.
Until tomorrow, Go Green!
I thought I'd do something slightly different from the current schedule, it being rivalry week and all. I'll post a short story about the Michigan/Michigan State rivalry every day until Friday night, when the MSU/Michigan preview will go up. Let's begin!
THE ORIGINS OF "THE VICTORS"
The Victors, one of the most recognizable and beloved fight songs in the country, is well-known by any fan of college football or resident of the State of Michigan. However, in the past decade or so, the origins of the music have come under scrutiny. Many SMB members already know everything I'm about to say, but hey, why not get it in writing???
The composer of The Victors, Louis Elbel, first displayed his work in 1899 to give the University of Michigan a fight song. However, a composer by the name of Michael Rosenberg released a band piece entitled "The Spirit of Liberty March" in April 1898, before "The Victors" was composed. The trio of said piece very closely resembles the "HAIL" chorus of the UofM fight song. Don't believe me? Listen for yourself, the clip in question starts at 1:42:
I feel like MSU is becoming the Big Ten's feel-good story. Most importantly, here's the latest on Mark Dantonio's health:
- Dantonio had been at home all week and was planning to be in the press box for this game
- Thursday afternoon, he was re-admitted to the hospital because of a small blood clot in his leg. It's fairly common for this to happen and the action was purely precautionary.
- As stated many times by the athletics family, there is NO set time table for return
- That being said, Coach Treadwell said a few weeks ago that "it would take more than one rope" to keep Coach D away from the Michigan game.
Another musing: Dantonio was watching the game on TV. There were a couple times when the staff was actually talking to him on the phone about some crucial decisions. On the first 4th and goal from the 1, here's the announcers' dialog:
"Okay so what do you do here?"
"Tough call, you're only up by 3 and you'd like to have 7"
"7 would make it a 10 point lead...so what do you do??"
"I think they should text Mark Dantonio"
"Ok, so Coach Treadwell calls time out to allow an extra 30 seconds for that text message to go through..."
Anyways! back to football. The one, clear-cut, absolute point that should be taken away from this game: The MSU Defense can and will step up when needed. They were simply incredible against a Wisconsin team that boasts among the best in the Big Ten at the QB, RB, TE, and OL spots. Game ball on defense has to go to DB Chris L Rucker, who had his man on lock down the entire game. He tackled well, had a few deflections and helped make Wisconsin's passing game look medicore. It should be noted that Wisconsin's offensive line is gargantuan - the average weight is 323 pounds. Even against that, the DL and LB's of MSU did a great job of containing RB John Clay and limiting QB Scott Tolzien to only 11/25 passing for only 127 yards.
As for the offense, it was a different kind of game than we have seen up to this point. Although the MSU backfield of Baker, Bell, and Caper (I believe the name "The BBC" is catching on) tallied 184 yards on the ground, the biggest influence of the game came in the air. Kirk Cousins completed 20/29 of his passes for 269 yards and 3 TD's. However, he also threw 2 bad interceptions - the first was a poor decision and read by Cousins, the second was actually tipped at the line of scrimmage. After the fumble by WR Keith Nichol, it's hard to believe that the Spartans won this game by 10 after committing 3 turnovers in the first half alone.
All in all, this is fantastic news for the Spartans. Going into the season, there were 4 "benchmark" games on the MSU schedule: vs. Wisconsin, @ Michigan, @ Iowa, and @Penn State. One is in the books. The game at Iowa will be tough, as always, but the matchup against Penn State looks a little more winnable this year - Penn State has failed to impress in any game this year. As for the Michigan game, it'll pit #17 against #18 at 3:30pm on ABC next Saturday.
Quick Update: Mark Dantonio went in for a check up on Thursday and a blood clot was found in his leg. This isn't uncommon for his situation, but as a precautionary measure, he will not be at the game today. News coming from AD Mark Hollis. Get well soon, Coach! Anyways....
It's Gameday!!!! Wisconsin @ MSU kicks off at 3:30 here's a few things to expect from the game:
1. Wisconsin returns all of the dangerous parts of their offense from last year - QB Scott Tolzien is one of the most efficient in the country in passing, RB John Clay is a bowling ball who gives every team fits, and the WR/TE combo of Nick Toon and Lance Kendricks are matchup problems teams would like to avoid. The Spartan defense is improved since these two teams last meetings, but they need to be better to stop this offense.
2. Wisconsin's defense has been underachieving all year. They saved a win against Arizona State by blocking an extra point, but have let opposing running back's run quite a bit since they lost their starting middle LB for the year. They have a better defense than what MSU's seen all year, but among running backs with over 40 carries, BOTH Edwin Baker and Leveon Bell are in the top 10 NATIONALLY in yards per carry. MSU should be able to run the ball well.
3. The MSU Offense will be more potent against the Badgers than they were last year - Cousins is the sure-thing starting QB, the RB's have developed, but there is still no "go-to" receiver (it was Blair White). As stated before, Wisconsin's D has been suspect...
Bold Prediction: Both defenses are not on the same level as the opposing team's offense. This will turn into somewhat of a shootout and I really think it will be a close one, much like 2008. Baker hits 100 yards again and Bell tacks on another 50. Both Cousins and Tolzien are going to make the opposing defenses pay. I like the Spartans in this one.
Here's part 2 of the preview of Big Ten season. Yesterday's post covered OSU, Indiana, and Iowa. Today is the Cheeseheads, both teams from the land of Lincoln, and the team of a million lakes...or something like that.
Wisconsin Badgers
Mushroom, mushroom, snake, a snake, repeat. Had to get that out of the way. Many a national pundit picked Wisconsin as a definite Top 10 team and for good reason. Wisconsin entered the year with a slew of offensive talent, led by QB Scott Tolzien, who was one of the B10's most efficient passers last year. The Wisconsin faithful have been looking forward to a BCS bowl this season, but so far, they've been slightly underwhelming due to injuries and a defense that hasn't performed to its potential.
Best Player - RB John Clay
Clay has been regarded as one of the best, if not the best, running back in the Big Ten due his steady production and massive size (6-1, 255 pounds...think Jehuu Caulcrick but faster). Needless to say, Clay is a bowling ball who is close to impossible to bring down just by initial contact alone. He's on the watch list for the Maxwell Award (most outstanding player in the nation) and it sure to be on the All-Big Ten team come November. One weak point is that Clay had surgery on BOTH ankles in the offseason and put on extra weight - he's a step slower than he was last year.
Biggest Concern - Injuries
Injuries have plagued this Wisconsin team very early this season, at a time when competition is easy and starters rarely have to go the full 60 minutes of a game. Nick Toon and David Gilreath (WRs) have missed the last 3 and 2 games, respectively, and they have also lost talented MLB Chris Borland for the rest of the year. It will be interesting to see if this is a recurring problem throughout the year.
Northwestern Wildcats
First off: Northwestern University is abbreviated as NU. Not NW. Are the readers from Northwestern gone?....yea?....ok so onto the NW Wildcats. Coach Pat Fitzgerald has had some significant success with the Cats since taking over - a big deal considering their lethargic fan base, small school, and higher academic standards than any other Big Ten school. This year marks their 3rd QB in as many years, but the turnover has hardly been noticeable. They've already had two very close wins, winning @ Vanderbilt, 23-21, and a close call against Dan Enos-coached Central Michigan, 30-25. There are several ???'s all over the depth chart, but there are a few things that are certain...
Best Player - QB Dan Persa
Ok, who saw this coming? Persa owns the highest QB rating in the COUNTRY, as well as the highest completion percentage, 17th in total yards, and is 8th in yards per passing attempt. Oh, and he can also run if he wants to. Northwestern has made a living on short, quick passes over and over to get some success, and Persa's accuracy is one hell of an asset for that system. The way they've been playing, expect some crazy stats from Persa as the season goes on.
Biggest Concern - Running game
...or lack thereof. Persa is their leading rusher, at 172 yards in 4 games, but his yards per carry is 3.4. 1st string RB Arby Fields just moved down the depth chart and he's only averaging 2.9 ypc. If Persa can keep doing what he's doing, it might not be too big of a deal, but if it happens to rain or snow or hail or sleet or get cold in the Midwest (happens occasionally in October/November) the Wildcats are going to have to find a run game to stay competitive
Illinois Fighting Ron Zooks
Ok they're the Fighting Illini. But I like that name better. Coach Ron Zook is on the hot seat, mainly because his team has blown ass for years, save for the one 2007 campaign where they got to the Rose Bowl and subsequently demolished by USC, but that's pretty much what happens every year, regardless of what Big Ten team is there. The Illini lost their opener to Missouri for the 75th time in a row but since then have beaten Southern Illinois and Northern Illinois. Too bad Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, and Illinois Institute of Technology aren't in the Big Ten, otherwise they'd be a shoe in for champions.
Best Player - RB Michael Leshoure
Leshoure has been steady for the Illini both last year and this year, averaging 6.8 yards per carry. He's a sizeable back who's hard to bring down and has broken 100 yards in all three games this season. His strength comes from his ability to hit holes in the line and get between the tackles, but those holes could close up pretty quick against bigger defensive lines.
Biggest Concern - The Rest of the Offense
Although Leshoure pulls his weight well, the rest of the offense has been less than stellar. 1st year QB Nathan Scheelhaase did well against SIU and NIU, but was borderline awful against the BCS foe, Missouri - 9-23, 3 interceptions, 1 TD. He's going to see defenses like that more and more often in Big Ten play, so his receivers need to get open quickly for Illinois to put any points on the board. Prediction? The Zooker gets canned.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
I'm not going to write a ton about Minnesota..."if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all" applies here. One thing, though: Thank you for screwing up during your recruitment of Greg Jones. Jones was high on Minnesota coming out of high school, but due to a head coaching change Mark Dantonio was able to scoop him up. But yea...football....they lost to South Dakota. and Northern Illinois. Doesn't bode well for the team and SPOILER ALERT Coach Tim Brewster is on the hot seat, which has to be scorching because it's about 20 degrees in Minneapolis already.
Best Player - WR Marquies Gray
Yes, Quise from MSU's basketball team decided to take up football. He's also completely altered his physical appearance. Gray was a QB recruit coming in, but has moved to WR because he's that talented of an athlete that he NEEDS to be on the field. He's 6-4, big, and can probably bowl a 300 if you ask him to. He's been the one shining spot in a horrid non-conference season for Minnesota and he is definitely capable of keeping his production up....provided Adam Weber doesn't get sacked 8 times a game.
Biggest Concern - They Lost to South Dakota
Did I mention they look bad???
Wisconsin vs. MSU Preview will be up in a little bit, and the remaining Big Ten teams (UM, MSU, Purdue, Penn State) will come Saturday around noon. Go Green!
