Wrap Up: MSU @ Northwestern

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.

AND SO IT BEGINS (Part 2)

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!