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.
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.
