After a long hiatus, I am back to the keyboard. Sorry if you missed me :( I'm going to jump around on a few topics. First thing's first!
Alamo Bowl: MSU vs. Texas Tech
First note: This is the highest rated bowl ESPN has ever had. As in, more people watched this game than any other bowl game broadcast in ESPN's history. The BCS games have traditionally been on Fox and ABC, but ESPN usually gets most of the non-BCS games. The only games that had higher ratings this year was all five BCS games, and the Capital One Bowl (more on that later.)
Second Note: MSU played one hell of a game until the 4th quarter. By no means did Mike Leach getting canned level the playing field, per say. It was common knowledge that if Texas Tech went on the field and ran the same plays they ran all year, they'd destroy the Spartan D. To an extent, that happened, but the MSU Offense clicked during the game. Kirk Cousins showed why he has a lot of growing up to do, throwing two interceptions that should have been sacks. However, Keshawn Martin, the TE Corps, and most of all EDWIN BAKER showed up. The Offense got stagnant in the 4th quarter, and TT rallied. Was the game promising? yes. Was it winable? yes.
Third Note: It is important to note that this game (and season) showed that MSU has a ways to go before the 9-4 season achieved last season is the standard, not the exception. That being said, one can assume that moral victories aren't enough to keep the big wigs happy (ask John L. Smith). The team has promise, but isn't great. But don't start calling for people's heads just yet. While all of the staff have proven their worth before, remember that this is the hardest competition they've faced in their lives as well, at their respective positions.
The new Leader of the FIRE UP CHIPS bandwagon:
Dan Enos. It was reported late last night by the state news that the Spartan RB coach, Dan Enos, is the new head coach at Central Michigan University. Their old coach took the job at Cincinnati after Brian Kelly left for South Bend. I don't think anyone believes that Enos will be a bad coach at CMU, this is a major blow for the Spartans. All of the recruiting success of the Dantonio era can be traced to Coach Enos. The kids he has recruited include DE Will Gholston (get used to hearing his name), QB Joe Boisture and Kirk Cousins, RB Edwin Baker and Larry Caper, WR Keshawn Martin, and TE Dion Sims. That's a lot of big names that all had big name schools (Michigan, Notre Dame, to name a few) gunning for them. It will not be easy to bring in the same caliber recruits that Enos has brought the last few seasons.
Enos was a QB for MSU back in the 80's (I believe). Personally, the guy has a tremendous respect for the game and I would love to see him be the coach of MSU when Dantonio is done. MSU and CMU play numerous times in the coming years, so it'll be fun to watch the two coaches battle!
Oh Wait, its Basketball Season?
March Madness in less than 3 months. Take that in for a second. MSU was a lot of people's picks to take the Big Ten this season. After watching the non conference action, the Big Ten is arguably the deepest conference in the country. Here's the teams I think will make the tourney come March: MSU, Purdue, Illinois, Ohio State, Minnesota, Wisconsin. Northwestern may even be added to that list. NU and Michigan aren't bad, but it's an uphill climb from here. The biggest problem for the Spartans is getting production down low. Chris Allen is getting better with his game, Durrell Summers has stepped up, but the biggest story is Draymond Green. It's hard to think that the coaches though he would be too fat to start playing last season. In the Iowa game, he played for 19 minutes, scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Double-Double in half a game.
The team is well-rounded except down low. Delvon Roe is progressing, but still isn't as assertive as he needs to be. Add in the inexperience of freshmen Derrick Nix and Garrett Sherman with Herzog's slow development, and it could be a problem all year. The Spartan's are definitely a threat in the Big Ten, but many have hopes of another Final Four run this year. The FF is close to home, in Indianapolis, so any Big Ten team would love to play there. The way MSU is playing right now, I see them as an Elite 8 team. That may change after I see them play Purdue, Illinois, and Ohio State, however.
That's all for now! I just upgraded to a new computer (finally) so I think I'll post some computer tips in the next post. Good luck with the start of classes, everyone!
Monday, January 11, 2010
Monday, December 14, 2009
"A Vote of Confidence"
There hasn't been much light shed on the alleged brawl that took place on campus before Thanksgiving. As more details about the night come out, more players are getting suspended indefinitely. If I remember correctly, 11 players have been charged in connection with the fight and Myles White has been given an unrelated citation for MIP and Urinating in Public.
Every Spartan should keep in mind that Coach Dantonio suspended these players indefinitely as soon as he personally learned (before the press released their names and the police filed charges) that players were just PRESENT at the fight. Details of the fight at this point is pure speculation and anyone who claims they know what went down, outside of a few members of the fraternity involved, is probably full of crap. Coach D had the same policy for Glen Winston last year - as soon as he knew Glen was in a fight, he was out. Charges were filed about a week after that.
A quick note: suspended indefinitely, as it relates to an athletic team, means you don't participate in team activities until the coaches decide you can come back. There is no set time, players may return for spring practice, or they may never return. Glen Winston and Roderick Jenrette were kicked off the team, period. No strings attached. If anyone cares, both their scholarships are effective until the end of this academic year. After that, they will not be renewed. The university can take a separate action to dismiss the gentlemen from the school if their behavior warrants it.
Today, Tom Izzo had a decent sized press conference. The first issue, of course, was basketball. One of the key points was that he thinks he has settled on a rotation for the starting lineup, with Draymond Green being the sixth man. Although Green has been putting up huge numbers recently, it makes sense. It wouldn't be smart to put both Green and Roe out there (undersized) so it was pretty much Green or Roe at the 4 spot. Green coming off the bench makes sure we have a presence of some kind down low when Delvon is out. The team is off until the 19th, and then I believe they play #2 Texas soon after. A lot of fans are freaking out because we haven't looked the least bit polished, but Izzo always seems to get his guys in shape for the marquee matchups.
The other large order of business at the meeting was Izzo's take on the whole brawl situation and how it has affected Mark Dantonio and the program in general. Here's a link to the exchange, from Joe Rexrode of the LSJ:
http://noise.typepad.com/hey_joe/2009/12/a-luxury-train-a-sermon-a-recruit-and-izzos-sentiments.html
Here's a collection of quotes that pretty much summarize Izzo's feelings, if you don't want to sift through that:
"I can’t believe it’s front page (Sunday). I mean, I really can’t believe that"
Izzo made it clear that the media seems to be blowing this out of proportion, as young people, athletes or not, get into fights: “Without making light of this, did anybody that’s writing, talking, advising, did any of those people ever go to college? And what kind of Disneyworld do we think we live in.”
"So, me personally, I think Mark Dantonio has handled it a hell of a lot better than I would’ve. I’m sure as hell happy he’s our football coach. And I don’t think he needs anybody sticking up for him, either"
He made it clear that Dantonio shouldn't need a "vote of confidence" from the higher ups to be seen as a responsible and stand-up coach.
"And when I heard the second-chance [argument], people were mad because (Winston) got a second chance … I’d just like to know where all of us would be without a second chance. Or a third. Or a fourth."
Also mentioning that he's had his share of players in fights, notably Travis Walton, but he didn't get much flak from the papers. I know Mateen Cleaves, regarded as one of the all-time Spartan greats, had his share of trouble at MSU.
So this whole thing is interesting. Law nerds, let me know if I'm wrong, but the 9 players initially charged with "assault and battery" or "conspiracy to commit assault" could have been charged for just being identified at the fight. It could have been one guy showing up and throwing punches, with the rest of the guys showing up and standing back. Still a ridiculously stupid move, but not deserving of the same punishment as the one with fists of fury.
The one thing that irks me in all this is actually the fraternity's handling of the situation. Dantonio and Hollis have both expressed that they're not going to comment on the specifics of the fight, as it might hinder the investigation by the police. The MSU police have thanked them for this on several occasions. However, members of the fraternity haven't exactly followed that path. One member present at the fight said to a reporter that one of the MSU players was wearing a ski mask. Turns out, that was completely wrong. The media has gone so far as to interview the national president of the fraternity, who is out in California, on his opinion. He pretty much stated all of the football players present should be thrown in jail. Sorry dude, but if people within the athletic department and the police don't know what happened, you don't have a damn clue.
I'm not trying to justify what happened. I think if any one of the players was promoting this fight in any way, they need to be dismissed. But I'd like people to remember that the law in this country believes every person is innocent until proven guilty. The media is freaking out about this and it doesn't help anyone if the rest of us freak out too.
Every Spartan should keep in mind that Coach Dantonio suspended these players indefinitely as soon as he personally learned (before the press released their names and the police filed charges) that players were just PRESENT at the fight. Details of the fight at this point is pure speculation and anyone who claims they know what went down, outside of a few members of the fraternity involved, is probably full of crap. Coach D had the same policy for Glen Winston last year - as soon as he knew Glen was in a fight, he was out. Charges were filed about a week after that.
A quick note: suspended indefinitely, as it relates to an athletic team, means you don't participate in team activities until the coaches decide you can come back. There is no set time, players may return for spring practice, or they may never return. Glen Winston and Roderick Jenrette were kicked off the team, period. No strings attached. If anyone cares, both their scholarships are effective until the end of this academic year. After that, they will not be renewed. The university can take a separate action to dismiss the gentlemen from the school if their behavior warrants it.
Today, Tom Izzo had a decent sized press conference. The first issue, of course, was basketball. One of the key points was that he thinks he has settled on a rotation for the starting lineup, with Draymond Green being the sixth man. Although Green has been putting up huge numbers recently, it makes sense. It wouldn't be smart to put both Green and Roe out there (undersized) so it was pretty much Green or Roe at the 4 spot. Green coming off the bench makes sure we have a presence of some kind down low when Delvon is out. The team is off until the 19th, and then I believe they play #2 Texas soon after. A lot of fans are freaking out because we haven't looked the least bit polished, but Izzo always seems to get his guys in shape for the marquee matchups.
The other large order of business at the meeting was Izzo's take on the whole brawl situation and how it has affected Mark Dantonio and the program in general. Here's a link to the exchange, from Joe Rexrode of the LSJ:
http://noise.typepad.com/hey_joe/2009/12/a-luxury-train-a-sermon-a-recruit-and-izzos-sentiments.html
Here's a collection of quotes that pretty much summarize Izzo's feelings, if you don't want to sift through that:
"I can’t believe it’s front page (Sunday). I mean, I really can’t believe that"
Izzo made it clear that the media seems to be blowing this out of proportion, as young people, athletes or not, get into fights: “Without making light of this, did anybody that’s writing, talking, advising, did any of those people ever go to college? And what kind of Disneyworld do we think we live in.”
"So, me personally, I think Mark Dantonio has handled it a hell of a lot better than I would’ve. I’m sure as hell happy he’s our football coach. And I don’t think he needs anybody sticking up for him, either"
He made it clear that Dantonio shouldn't need a "vote of confidence" from the higher ups to be seen as a responsible and stand-up coach.
"And when I heard the second-chance [argument], people were mad because (Winston) got a second chance … I’d just like to know where all of us would be without a second chance. Or a third. Or a fourth."
Also mentioning that he's had his share of players in fights, notably Travis Walton, but he didn't get much flak from the papers. I know Mateen Cleaves, regarded as one of the all-time Spartan greats, had his share of trouble at MSU.
So this whole thing is interesting. Law nerds, let me know if I'm wrong, but the 9 players initially charged with "assault and battery" or "conspiracy to commit assault" could have been charged for just being identified at the fight. It could have been one guy showing up and throwing punches, with the rest of the guys showing up and standing back. Still a ridiculously stupid move, but not deserving of the same punishment as the one with fists of fury.
The one thing that irks me in all this is actually the fraternity's handling of the situation. Dantonio and Hollis have both expressed that they're not going to comment on the specifics of the fight, as it might hinder the investigation by the police. The MSU police have thanked them for this on several occasions. However, members of the fraternity haven't exactly followed that path. One member present at the fight said to a reporter that one of the MSU players was wearing a ski mask. Turns out, that was completely wrong. The media has gone so far as to interview the national president of the fraternity, who is out in California, on his opinion. He pretty much stated all of the football players present should be thrown in jail. Sorry dude, but if people within the athletic department and the police don't know what happened, you don't have a damn clue.
I'm not trying to justify what happened. I think if any one of the players was promoting this fight in any way, they need to be dismissed. But I'd like people to remember that the law in this country believes every person is innocent until proven guilty. The media is freaking out about this and it doesn't help anyone if the rest of us freak out too.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
The 11th hour...
The final day of bowl game deliberation is upon us. Here's a recap of yesterday's madness (which was quite exciting).
The two games that would've put a second Big Ten BCS-bid in question were 15 Pitt vs. 5 Cincinnati and 22 Nebraska vs. 3 Texas. Cincinnati won by 1 after a 21 point comeback in the snow. Pittsburgh missed an extra point earlier in the game, so they should be kicking themselves right now (no pun intended). Texas and Nebraska both looked pretty bad in the first half. After a wacky clock situation on the second-to-last play of the game, Texas had one second on the clock to kick a field goal. A 48-yarder barely made it through the uprights as time expired. Looked like 6 inches, maybe a foot away from the post. Crazy.
The BCS "drafts" teams to play in their games after their "tie-ins" are met. There's a lot of rules, so you'll have to trust me on how this goes down...
SEC Champ: Alabama
Big 12 Champ: Texas
Pac 10 Champ: Oregon
Big 10 Champ: Ohio State
ACC Champ: Georgia Tech (woohoo!)
Big East Champ: Cincinnati
National Championship - 1 vs. 2
Alabama vs. Texas
Automatic tie-ins
Rose Bowl - Pac 10 vs. Big 10
Oregon vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl - ACC Champ
Georgia Tech
ok...so after all the automatic crap, here's how many spots are left:
National Championship: 0
Rose Bowl: 0
Fiesta Bowl: 2
Sugar Bowl: 2
Orange Bowl: 1
At-large pool:
Cincinnati
TCU
Boise State
Iowa
Penn State
Virginia Tech
BYU
Fiesta and Sugar will select first, since they're automatic tie-ins went to the National Championship:
Sugar will select Florida (SEC)
Fiesta will select ??? - I'm thinking TCU
After this, the pecking order for selections changes every year. For this year, it goes Orange, Fiesta, Sugar. Its up to each bowl to see who they want in at that point, but as pointed out above, 3 spots remaining. I see those going to Cincinnati, Boise State, and Iowa, in no particular order.
Here's my predicted BCS Bowl Lineup:
National Championship Game: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Boise State
Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Iowa
NOW! It is almost certain the Big Ten will get 2 BCS teams in. After Wisconsin's demolition of Hawaii last night, here's the Big Ten Bowl picture:
Capital One Bowl: Penn State/Iowa (90% sure Penn State)
Outback Bowl: Wisconsin
Champs Sports Bowl: Northwestern
Alamo Bowl: (see below)
Insight Bowl: (see below)
Its-so-cold-in-the-D bowl: Please pick Notre Dame
As many of you know, Alamo will decide between Minnesota and MSU. It was general consensus that the Alamo would take MSU over Minnesota because of the extremely large fan base in Texas and large amount of alumni willing to travel. However, this was before Glenn Winston, Roderick Jenrette, Mark Dell, BJC, and CLR decided to go street after the football banquet. There's no doubt in my mind that MSU is a worse team without these guys. The Alamo has to weigh how good our team is without those guys, in addition to having the fear that one of our players will thug out in San Antonio. That's what's really up in the air right now.
Also, have no fear even if, by some stroke of magic, the Big Ten doesn't get 2 BCS teams in. If the Big Ten bowls get "bumped down" the Insight will be choosing between MSU and Minnesota. Minnesota has been there 2 out of the last 3 years, so MSU will make them more money.
The Bowl Selection shows are on at 8pm today. I believe there's one on FOX and another on ESPN. However, you'll probably find out sooner if you just look on their respective websites. They usually update them with the selections before they release them on the show. (wtf??) I'll be crossing my fingers for you, Spartan band!
The two games that would've put a second Big Ten BCS-bid in question were 15 Pitt vs. 5 Cincinnati and 22 Nebraska vs. 3 Texas. Cincinnati won by 1 after a 21 point comeback in the snow. Pittsburgh missed an extra point earlier in the game, so they should be kicking themselves right now (no pun intended). Texas and Nebraska both looked pretty bad in the first half. After a wacky clock situation on the second-to-last play of the game, Texas had one second on the clock to kick a field goal. A 48-yarder barely made it through the uprights as time expired. Looked like 6 inches, maybe a foot away from the post. Crazy.
The BCS "drafts" teams to play in their games after their "tie-ins" are met. There's a lot of rules, so you'll have to trust me on how this goes down...
SEC Champ: Alabama
Big 12 Champ: Texas
Pac 10 Champ: Oregon
Big 10 Champ: Ohio State
ACC Champ: Georgia Tech (woohoo!)
Big East Champ: Cincinnati
National Championship - 1 vs. 2
Alabama vs. Texas
Automatic tie-ins
Rose Bowl - Pac 10 vs. Big 10
Oregon vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl - ACC Champ
Georgia Tech
ok...so after all the automatic crap, here's how many spots are left:
National Championship: 0
Rose Bowl: 0
Fiesta Bowl: 2
Sugar Bowl: 2
Orange Bowl: 1
At-large pool:
Cincinnati
TCU
Boise State
Iowa
Penn State
Virginia Tech
BYU
Fiesta and Sugar will select first, since they're automatic tie-ins went to the National Championship:
Sugar will select Florida (SEC)
Fiesta will select ??? - I'm thinking TCU
After this, the pecking order for selections changes every year. For this year, it goes Orange, Fiesta, Sugar. Its up to each bowl to see who they want in at that point, but as pointed out above, 3 spots remaining. I see those going to Cincinnati, Boise State, and Iowa, in no particular order.
Here's my predicted BCS Bowl Lineup:
National Championship Game: Alabama vs. Texas
Rose Bowl: Oregon vs. Ohio State
Orange Bowl: Georgia Tech vs. Cincinnati
Sugar Bowl: Florida vs. Boise State
Fiesta Bowl: TCU vs. Iowa
NOW! It is almost certain the Big Ten will get 2 BCS teams in. After Wisconsin's demolition of Hawaii last night, here's the Big Ten Bowl picture:
Capital One Bowl: Penn State/Iowa (90% sure Penn State)
Outback Bowl: Wisconsin
Champs Sports Bowl: Northwestern
Alamo Bowl: (see below)
Insight Bowl: (see below)
Its-so-cold-in-the-D bowl: Please pick Notre Dame
As many of you know, Alamo will decide between Minnesota and MSU. It was general consensus that the Alamo would take MSU over Minnesota because of the extremely large fan base in Texas and large amount of alumni willing to travel. However, this was before Glenn Winston, Roderick Jenrette, Mark Dell, BJC, and CLR decided to go street after the football banquet. There's no doubt in my mind that MSU is a worse team without these guys. The Alamo has to weigh how good our team is without those guys, in addition to having the fear that one of our players will thug out in San Antonio. That's what's really up in the air right now.
Also, have no fear even if, by some stroke of magic, the Big Ten doesn't get 2 BCS teams in. If the Big Ten bowls get "bumped down" the Insight will be choosing between MSU and Minnesota. Minnesota has been there 2 out of the last 3 years, so MSU will make them more money.
The Bowl Selection shows are on at 8pm today. I believe there's one on FOX and another on ESPN. However, you'll probably find out sooner if you just look on their respective websites. They usually update them with the selections before they release them on the show. (wtf??) I'll be crossing my fingers for you, Spartan band!
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Saturday Update
It's the last Saturday of College Football. Here's some stuff to watch out for, Spartan fans:
Pittsburgh (15) vs. Cincinnati (5)
It's underway as I type, Pittsburgh is up right now. If Pitt loses, they will earn the automatic-BCS bid for the Big East conference and Cincy will not drop that low in the polls. This will most likely bump the second Big Ten team out of the BCS (3 at-large picks: TCU, Boise State, Cincinatti)
Texas (3) vs. Nebraska (22)
Same situation as the previous game. If Nebraska wins, the second Big Ten BCS team gets bumped out.
If the second Big Ten team gets bumped from the BCS, MSU and Minnesota will be the pool for the Insight and Little Caeser's Pizza Bowl. If that happens, the Insight bowl will probably pick MSU over Minnesota - Minnesota has been there 3 of the last 4 years, so fans won't travel anywhere close to as well as MSU's.
That's all for now! Its finals week for me this week, so don't expect much until after Tuesday.
Pittsburgh (15) vs. Cincinnati (5)
It's underway as I type, Pittsburgh is up right now. If Pitt loses, they will earn the automatic-BCS bid for the Big East conference and Cincy will not drop that low in the polls. This will most likely bump the second Big Ten team out of the BCS (3 at-large picks: TCU, Boise State, Cincinatti)
Texas (3) vs. Nebraska (22)
Same situation as the previous game. If Nebraska wins, the second Big Ten BCS team gets bumped out.
If the second Big Ten team gets bumped from the BCS, MSU and Minnesota will be the pool for the Insight and Little Caeser's Pizza Bowl. If that happens, the Insight bowl will probably pick MSU over Minnesota - Minnesota has been there 3 of the last 4 years, so fans won't travel anywhere close to as well as MSU's.
That's all for now! Its finals week for me this week, so don't expect much until after Tuesday.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
The Spartan Gods Are Angry....
WOW HOLY CRAP THIS WAS A BAD DAY FOR ATHLETICS.
Here's the whole story, I'll try to keep it short:
We get blown out by Penn State. That weekend, allegedly, a bunch of Spartan Football players go to Rather Hall in Brody Complex (my old home!) and get in a fight with a frat. One person gets treated for injuries. Dantonio immediately dismissed Glenn Winston (RB) and Roderick Jenrette (S) from the team. Today, they announced they've suspended 8 others. This means that they could return to the team at some point, whenever the coaches/athletic staff say its alright. Here's the list:
WR: Mark Dell, BJ Cunningham, Fred Smith
RB: Ashton Leggett
CB: Chris L. Rucker
LB: Brynden Trawick
DL: Ishmyl Johnson, Jamiihr Williams
This is a mess. Two of the top three receivers, our "power" back, our best cover DB, and four talented, promising young players. After suspending them, it's pretty clear that a group of players had a hand in the fight. Dantonio looks like somewhat of a jackass for letting Winston back on the team, as this is his 2nd violent act in the last year. There could be more coming as the story gets investigated.
Now, I'm not in their shoes and have never been a college athlete before, but here's the deal: They are going to college for free. All they have to do is go to class, maintain a C average (with access to all the tutor time they need), and go to practice. Rules: Don't disrespect the coach, don't try to beat anyone up, don't commit a felony. It speaks to their intelligence that they couldn't follow this. I'm ashamed that these guys are students at a University I graduated from.
If it turns out these guys had a part in the fight, I'd be appalled if Dantonio lets any of them back on the team. After the Winston debacle, Dantonio's character would be seriously questioned.
IN OTHER NEWS: MSU had kind of a major basketball game tonight. That school that throttled them twice last year, UNC...@ UNC. I caught a majority of the game, but from what I saw, consistency is going to be a huge problem for this team. That seems to be a trait in Izzo's team every year -- they lose a couple games they have no business losing, but this year's squad is a little more so.
The players inside will be a problem all year. We've got two young big men, Nix and Sherman, who still need a lot of work to compete with PF's and C's at the college level. Delvon Roe (8 pts, 10 rebs, 5 stls) and Draymond Green (13 pts, 7 rebs) looked like upper classmen out there. REALLY great to see how far they've come. Jeffrey (Raymar) Morgan had 18 points, which is always good to see. It's troubling to see the shooting struggle like that. Lucious and Allen were a combined 5-20 from the field. The only two who shot above 50% were Morgan and Roe. The shooters need to step up if we're going to win games in the Big Ten - we're young down low and give up a lot of size.
All in all, I'm glad we hung in there. The team showed a lot of heart in the second half, going from a buzzer beater to end the first half, going down by 19, then cutting the lead to 6. But 17 turnovers and allowing 89 points against ANY decent team is going to kill. Easy 4 games following this, but after that, a matchup against Texas. Hopefully the team will make some ground by then.
That's all for now, I've got to stop procrastinating and do some work!
Here's the whole story, I'll try to keep it short:
We get blown out by Penn State. That weekend, allegedly, a bunch of Spartan Football players go to Rather Hall in Brody Complex (my old home!) and get in a fight with a frat. One person gets treated for injuries. Dantonio immediately dismissed Glenn Winston (RB) and Roderick Jenrette (S) from the team. Today, they announced they've suspended 8 others. This means that they could return to the team at some point, whenever the coaches/athletic staff say its alright. Here's the list:
WR: Mark Dell, BJ Cunningham, Fred Smith
RB: Ashton Leggett
CB: Chris L. Rucker
LB: Brynden Trawick
DL: Ishmyl Johnson, Jamiihr Williams
This is a mess. Two of the top three receivers, our "power" back, our best cover DB, and four talented, promising young players. After suspending them, it's pretty clear that a group of players had a hand in the fight. Dantonio looks like somewhat of a jackass for letting Winston back on the team, as this is his 2nd violent act in the last year. There could be more coming as the story gets investigated.
Now, I'm not in their shoes and have never been a college athlete before, but here's the deal: They are going to college for free. All they have to do is go to class, maintain a C average (with access to all the tutor time they need), and go to practice. Rules: Don't disrespect the coach, don't try to beat anyone up, don't commit a felony. It speaks to their intelligence that they couldn't follow this. I'm ashamed that these guys are students at a University I graduated from.
If it turns out these guys had a part in the fight, I'd be appalled if Dantonio lets any of them back on the team. After the Winston debacle, Dantonio's character would be seriously questioned.
IN OTHER NEWS: MSU had kind of a major basketball game tonight. That school that throttled them twice last year, UNC...@ UNC. I caught a majority of the game, but from what I saw, consistency is going to be a huge problem for this team. That seems to be a trait in Izzo's team every year -- they lose a couple games they have no business losing, but this year's squad is a little more so.
The players inside will be a problem all year. We've got two young big men, Nix and Sherman, who still need a lot of work to compete with PF's and C's at the college level. Delvon Roe (8 pts, 10 rebs, 5 stls) and Draymond Green (13 pts, 7 rebs) looked like upper classmen out there. REALLY great to see how far they've come. Jeffrey (Raymar) Morgan had 18 points, which is always good to see. It's troubling to see the shooting struggle like that. Lucious and Allen were a combined 5-20 from the field. The only two who shot above 50% were Morgan and Roe. The shooters need to step up if we're going to win games in the Big Ten - we're young down low and give up a lot of size.
All in all, I'm glad we hung in there. The team showed a lot of heart in the second half, going from a buzzer beater to end the first half, going down by 19, then cutting the lead to 6. But 17 turnovers and allowing 89 points against ANY decent team is going to kill. Easy 4 games following this, but after that, a matchup against Texas. Hopefully the team will make some ground by then.
That's all for now, I've got to stop procrastinating and do some work!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)