One quick thought

I've been meaning to write an extended entry for some time, but have had the hardest time finding the time. Here's one quick thought: Who would have ever guessed that this year's Ohio State/Michigan game would be the third most important game in the state this week. Michigan State and Penn State are playing for the Big Ten title this Saturday, and tonight Ball State takes on Central Michigan in a game with both MAC title and BCS implications (Ball State is trying to stay undefeated and get a shot at a BCS bowl game, CMU is undefeated in the MAC and, along with Ball State, vying for the MAC title). It's been one odd, but exhilarating, year in college football.

Happy Senior Day! (Michigan State 21, Purdue 7)

The Spartans knocked off Purdue today in what was not a pretty game, but as the expression goes: I'd rather win ugly than lose pretty.

Here are some random thoughts about today's game and MSU football in general:

Is Michigan State a great team? No. Are they a good team? Most definitely. Are they a very good team? If the definition of a "very good" team is one that never gives up, always plays hard, makes the big play, and gets the most out of its talent, then the answer is certainly "yes." Depending on how the Penn State game goes, and how the Spartans play in their bowl game, it's still possible that they could be remembered as a great team, but I'm not too concerned about that. I want to just appreciate what this team has already accomplished this year.



Let's put this season into perspective. Two years ago, in John L. Smith's last (brutal) season as coach, the team completely imploded after the awful loss to Notre Dame. With the possible exception of Bobby Williams' awful 2002 season, the 2006 season was about as dark and dismal as it's been for Spartan football, and we're talking about a program that has had LOTS of peaks and valleys. In only two years, Mark Dantonio has taken this program and completely changed the attitude and culture from top to bottom. One can argue all they want that the Big Ten is down, and perhaps they're right, but that still doesn't change the fact that Michigan State has played with a desire, toughness, attitude, mental discipline, and flat-out consistency that we as Spartan fans have not seen since at least Nick Saban's 1999 squad. I'm as encouraged by this development as I have ever been in my 31 years of following this program. I'm amazed that in Dantonio's second year as head coach, we are uttering the words "Spartan football" and "Big Ten title contenders" in the same breath.

I continue to be flabbergasted by the Detroit media's hostility towards MSU's football season. Not every Detroit sports journalist has been nasty, but some (like the Free Press' perpetually negative Drew Sharp) continue to pooh-pooh MSU football every single week. I know that I shouldn't care what these people write, but it's still extremely annoying. I don't expect the media to be cheerleaders for any program, but a little positive spin once in a while wouldn't be asking too much.

Having just ripped on the Detroit media, I'd like to thank the Free Press' Michael Rosenberg for his classy article about the Spartans. For anyone interested, here's the link:



http://www.freep.com/article/20081108/COL22/81108058/1048/SPORTS

Back to the game: Purdue's offense looked AWFUL! Maybe that was just as a result of Pat Narduzzi having a great game plan against the spread (and MSU's defense playing really well--too bad they couldn't hang on to the shutout) but I couldn't believe this was the same Boilermaker team that tagged Michigan for 48 points and over 500 yards total offense. It further proves how wacky college football, and the Big Ten in particular, can be and how each game needs to be judged independently.

Johnny Adams' interception for a touchdown late in the second half was a HUGE play. One of the defining characteristics of this team is their uncanny ability to make big plays when they need them the most.

The bye week is coming at a great time for Michigan State. They sorely need it (pun intended). They're banged up and need rest before the Penn State game. Win or lose in Happy Valley, it's been a great season for Spartan football. Let's not forget how much they've exceeded our expectations.

College football is still the greatest sport in the world. Today saw Iowa upset Penn State on a last second field goal, and Alabama beat LSU in overtime in a thriller in Baton Rouge. I had the good fortune of listening to the LSU radio broadcast on my car radio as the Tigers blocked 'Bama's game-winning field goal try in regulation. Those guys were going completely bonkers--unfortunate for them that LSU couldn't win it in OT.

I'm keeping tabs on the Cal/USC game. I'd love it if Cal beat the Trojans (however as I write this, USC has a 10-3 lead deep into the second quarter).
 

That's all for now, I'm going to go back to watching "iCarly Goes to Japan" with my son!

Postscript: Texas Tech looks like the best team in college football. That offense is absolutely amazing and if I could vote for the Heisman, I'd go with their quarterback Graham Harrell. (Having just written that, watch them lose next week! That's what happens when I make statements like that).

Maybe outplayed, but definitely not out-toughed (Michigan State 25, Wisconsin 24)

I just returned from Spartan Stadium. I don't have much time to write, but I will be adding to this later. The first three hours of the game were "ho hum," but the last half- hour or so was the best half-hour (certainly the most surreal half-hour) I've ever spent at an MSU football game. Wow!

I'm finally returning to this post, and all I have to say is that there is truly something special going on with this Michigan State football team. They may not be the most talented team in the Big Ten, but they are certainly the guttiest and most determined.

As I wrote earlier, I was actually at Spartan Stadium for this game. Through most of it I was thinking that, as usual, I had selected the wrong game to attend. Wisconsin's beefy offensive line was blowing our defense off the line of scrimmage, and the Badger's outstanding tandem of tailbacks, P.J. Hill and John Clay, were running all over the field. Little did I know that the Badgers' (and their head coach's) lack of discipline, coupled with the Spartans' resiliency, would lead to the most dramatic finish I've ever witnessed at Spartan Stadium.

Here's an interesting side note to the game:

Our seats were in the west upper deck. Seated directly behind us were, as my wife referred to them, the "Brady Bunch": a mom and dad and their two sons (one who was probably 15 and the other about 11) who were clearly witnessing their first MSU football game. They were four of the most relentlessly cheery, guileless people I'd ever encountered (particularly the mom and dad). As it turns out, their eldest child, a daughter, is a freshman at State and they had come to East Lansing for the weekend to pay her a visit (and attend a football game). It was so funny to hear these MSU football "virgins" react to what was going on during the game. When the Spartan Marching Band took the field for their pre-game show, the mom and dad were beside themselves with joy and amazement, "Oh wow!!! Look at that! They're so precise! How do they do that? They must have to try out for this band!" I wish I'd written down everything they said during the game, because their comments were priceless. The mom made the cardinal sin of calling Michigan State "Michigan," the youngest son wanted to know why the smokestack next to the Stadium had the letters "M.S.C." (someone behind them explained the history of the school). Anyway, I'd like to think that this naive foursome brought some magic with them into the stadium!

This week in MSU football, rebuilding the Blue Wall, plus: Coming up, Wisconsin

I've meant to write in this blog earlier this week, but am just now getting around to it.

What a strange week it was for MSU football. Immediately following the Spartans win over Michigan, the "Blue Wall" was being reconstructed. Ancient Detroit sportswriter Jerry Green rose from his crypt and treated us to this column:

(The following URL is no longer valid. If you want to read this column--I don't know why you would, but if you do--find the Detroit News microform in a library).

http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081025/OPINION03/810250452/1004

Then, fellow Detroit News scribe Rob Parker stated on Detroit TV that MSU backup quarterback Kirk Cousins was involved in a fight involving Spartan football and hockey players. His information was bogus, and he apologized in the middle of the week for getting the story completely wrong. (I will give Mr. Parker credit for at least apologizing for his mistake).

On Monday, I made the egregious error of listening to Grand Rapids sports talk show host Huge (aka Bill Simonson) while he went on a diatribe about how MSU still "hasn't beaten anybody" and ripped MSU and its fans for getting overly excited about beating a bad Michigan team. Ugh! I really wanted to get on here and write after listening to that nonsense. Let's just say that Huge showed us his true (maize and blue) colors.

On the subject of the Michigan game, I must admit that I did not actually start watching the game live until the Spartans went for it on 4th down late in the 4th quarter--and even then I thought I'd have a heart attack if State didn't convert. I'm sorry, fellow Spartan fans, I was a WIMP. I did, however, watch the replay in its entirety on ESPN 360, and I gotta tell you it's probably for the better that I didn't watch the game live because I definitely would have had a heart attack. Pylon Pete's phantom touchdown call, combined with Hoyer's questionable fumble (resulting in another Weasel TD) and MSU's unfathomable placekicking woes would have certainly put me over the edge. I'm glad we at least had the highlight reel of Blair White and Javon Ringer to fall back on.

By the way, I view the Spartans win over Michigan more as relief than triumph.

Today, the Spartans are taking on Wisconsin and I will be at the game. Folks, I have not witnessed a Spartan win in person since 2002, so I sure hope my luck changes NOW. The Badgers should give State all they can handle, but I'm hopeful for a Spartan victory this afternoon--finally putting to rest all that "Same Old Spartan" talk.

I have gone to at least one MSU football game every year for the last 16 seasons, and I'm really looking forward to today's game, not just for the contest on the field, but the whole spectacle and atmosphere of college football. I love the Spartan Marching Band, and hope I'm able to see them march from Adams Field, past "Sparty" and to the stadium. I'm also excited to witness the football team take the field, because I know they'll receive a wildly enthusiastic welcome from our fans.

Michigan State 35, Michigan 21

A pictures tells a 1000 words. Not much for me to add, except that I'm one happy MSU alumnus right now!

(Post script: full disclosure, I was too much of a wimp to watch MOST of the game while it was being played. I finally tuned in with MSU up 28-21 and caught Brian Hoyer throw a a 3rd and goal touchdown pass to Josh Rouse to put the Spartans up 35-21. Then it was party time for yours truly).

Could Michigan really be that AWFUL and other pre-game thoughts

Tomorrow's the big game between MSU and Michigan and I have continually mulled the game over in my head for the last week:


My entire adult life, forty years and change total, the Michigan Wolverines have fielded a generally strong football team, usually contending for a Big Ten title. I can think of only one season in which they were truly mediocre: 1984. That was the year that quarterback Jim Harbaugh broke his arm in the MSU game and was out the rest of the year (see my post, "Spartan Memories Volume 2" below). The Wolvies finished 6-6 that season. Based on Michigan's incredible run of consistent excellence going all the way back to Bump Elliott's last year in '68, it's hard for me to fathom that they are so seemingly AWFUL this year. I continue to be nervous about State's chances in tomorrow's game, but then I remind myself that Michigan lost to a bad MAC team (Toledo) AT HOME! (To put Toledo's mediocrity in perspective, the Rockets have a record of 2-5. The week after defeating the Maize and Blue at the Big Hole...er House, the Rockets were thrashed at Northern Illinois, 38-7. One might argue that the Rockets, still sky-high after their upset of Michigan, were not focused for the Huskies. Keep in mind, however, that Northern Illinois is only 4-3--a good if not great team). It's absolutely amazing to me that Michigan has only two wins this year: a lackluster 16-6 win over Miami of Ohio (who are 2-5 so far) and a come from behind 2-point win over Wisconsin (which, at the time, looked like a big victory over a top 10 team. Wisconsin, however, is now winless in the Big Ten and has an overall record of 3-4).


If Michigan continues to struggle this season, we may finally see how many self-proclaimed "die-hard Michigan fans" are truly "die-hard." The Michigan football followers have no idea how good they have had it for such an astoundingly long period. No other major college football program has had such long-standing success. USC, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Nebraska--to name a few established football powers--have all had lean periods. Nebraska and Notre Dame continue to struggle. Perhaps Rich Rodriguez will get Michigan up and running by next year, but it's certainly also possible that Michigan could face a rough stretch. With Lloyd Carr's retirement, the "Michigan Men" have all been swept away. It's RichRod's show now, and it'll be interesting to see if he really is the guy to lead Michigan to national championship contention, or if he's just a snake oil salesman.

As far as tomorrow's game goes, I won't even bother to make a prediction. When Michigan State is involved, I can't be expected to go with anything but my heart. All I know is that Mark Dantonio is well aware of this game's importance. I just hope that MSU's players can play a smart, methodical game and not get the "deer caught in headlights" problem we've seen too often in the past with MSU teams. The keys to the game will be, as they usually are, eliminating turnovers, smart special teams play, and getting a decent passing game together to open up holes for Ringer. Hoyer needs to play smart. I hope MSU's defense can get pressure on Threet/Sheridan and get those guy(s) to make bad decisions. I'm a little concerned about Minor and McGuffie. If State's defense can at least contain these guys (if not completely stop them), then they should be okay.


Still, I worry. I worry that State should have caught these guys earlier in the year. I worry that Michigan will have finally worked the kinks out. I worry that our past history against the Wolvies will continue to haunt us. But, gosh darnit, all of that has to come to an end eventually, doesn't it? The losing streak in Ann Arbor can't last forever, and today seems to be the perfect day to put it to an end.


I hate to be a Debbie Downer, but I'm not nearly as confident of a Spartan victory as a lot of other people. First of all, the game is in Ann Arbor: secondly, I have a feeling MSU is getting a little tired; third, the Spartans never seem to do well when good things are expected of them. For the first time in forty years, they are favored to win this game, and that alone scares me. My fourth and final point is that Michigan knows full well they have no shot against Ohio State this year--a win over Michigan State is much more realistic. The MSU game is their season at this point.


Honestly, I don't even know if I can bring myself to watch the game today. I suffered through the 45-37 overtime loss in 2004, suffered through the 34-31 overtime loss in 2005, didn't even watch the 2006 game because everyone knew what the outcome would be (and the Detroit Tigers were in the playoffs), and then suffered through last year's 28-24 heartbreaker. I may get some yardwork done Saturday afternoon (I have lots of leaves that need to be removed and a lawn that should be mowed before the snow comes). If the Spartans win the game, I'll watch the condensed version next week on the Big Ten Network and actually be able to enjoy it. If they lose, I've saved myself lots of potential heartache and 3 1/2 wasted hours watching the Arrogant Asses celebrate once again at the expense of my Spartans. Call me what you will, but the bottom line is that I love Michigan State too much to watch this game (kind of like how Adrian couldn't bring herself to watch Rocky's fight against Apollo in the first Rocky movie).


Okay, I'm done for now. After all that verbal vomit, I have two words left...Go State!

My Spartan Memories, Volume 2: October 6, 1984

On October 6, 1984, Michigan State defeated Michigan 19-7 in Ann Arbor, thus ending a six-game losing streak to the Wolverines. At the time, I was a 16 year-old 11th grader living in Michigan's Thumb amongst hordes of what are, these days, known as "WalMart Wolverines". To say the least, I was ecstatic after MSU's win. (Unfortunately, I wasn't able to see the game on TV because I was working that day--in order to make money to attend MSU two years later. In those days, MSU's public televison station WKAR showed replays of Spartan football games late Saturday night, so I'm pretty sure I was at least able to see the game that way).

When I was in eleventh grade, my English teacher required us all to keep a journal for the entire school year. At the time, I considered it a pain and a nuisance, but I thank her now because I have so much fun going back and reading the stuff I wrote back then. I thought it might be fun to share my journal entry for October 6, 1984--the day the Spartans knocked off the Wolverines. Beside the Detroit Tigers winning the World Series that season, MSU beating Michigan pretty much made my year, and I think it definitely shows in this journal entry (where I use some colorful language that I hope my English teacher didn't read):

Saturday, October 6, 1984

Final score: MSU 19, Michigan 7

I repeat: MSU 19, Michigan 7

Yes, it's been six long dreary years, but finally we good guys at MSU have beaten those arrogant asses at U of M. We did it in front of 105,000 people at Michigan Stadium. We pulled down their pants in front of their hometown a**holes. Everything was right, [Dave] Yarema had a hell of a day, Keith Gates, Carl Butler, Bobby Morse, and Aaron Roberts led the offense. The defensive line was incredible. They held Michigan down. U of M couldn't get anything going on the ground. This Michigan team is terribly overrated and now that Harbaugh is out for the season, they're going absolutely nowhere.

This win over Michigan is probably the biggest football win for State in six years. It avenges that terrible loss of a year ago [UM 42, MSU 0]. Hopefully, the Spartans can take it on from here and have a good season. I think State is headed in the right direction. I'd be happy if they could win six or even seven games this year. Next week is Homecoming. They should be fired up. I can guarantee that all of the long-suffering MSU fans (especially the old codgers) are gonna go nuts.

Finally, it's the way it should be: the good guys victorious over the bad guys. Final score, Good guys 19, bad guys 7.

Words of wisdom from Duffy

Late last week, I started reading Duffy Daugherty's autobiography, published in 1974, entitled simply, Duffy. After reading some some typically insane, irate comments from MSU "fans" angry as hell over the Ohio State loss, I came across something in Duffy's book that can be applied to these fans. Duffy actually wrote this in regard to unrealistic expectations of media, but it also accurately describes many fans. Here's what Duffy said, "Quite often, a writer or broadcaster will want you to win so badly that he'll expect you to, even when you're saddled with a mediocre team. Then, when you don't do as well as he expected, he'll rip your guts out because of his own disappointment."

Spartan fans, I know you're disappointed that the team didn't beat Ohio State (and, did not even make it a game). Sometimes, you bump into a team that's just flat out better than your team. That's life. Now, I wouldn't necessarily classify this year's Spartans as "mediocre," but they do have some deficiencies that we all knew about before the season even started. We all need to take a deep breath and appreciate what this team has done so far this season. I still say that if the team wins eight regular season games, they will have exceeded expectations.

Ohio State is looming

As much as I've tried not to, I have been obsessing over tomorrow's MSU/OSU game since... well, since about a half hour after the MSU/Northwestern game.
 

The Spartans have a legitimate shot in this game, and let's face it--a victory over the Buckeyes would be huge for this program.
 

I am trying not to get my hopes up. As a longtime Spartan football fan, I have been conditioned to keep my expectations as low as possible so that when the inevitable disappointment occurs, it doesn't hurt as bad.
 

Still, I am greatly encouraged by the progress of this football program under Dantonio. I have no doubt that the guys will be ready to play tomorrow. If State can contain Beanie Wells and force Terrelle Pryor into bad decisions, while maintaining the excellent special teams play we've gotten so far this year, it could be a very happy day for the folks in green and white.

Michigan State 37, Northwestern 20

I am getting excited about this MSU football season, and this feeling is both exhilarating and a little scary. I, like many other Spartan fans, have been burned too many times before--but something seems different about this year. (Am I crazy to feel this way?) The Spartans have been mentally prepared for every game they've played, and have consistently made the big and important plays exactly when they've needed them.

As far as the Northwestern game goes, the Spartans set the tone immediately by jumping all over the Wildcats in the first quarter. By the time Northwestern woke up, they were down by 17 and could never get back in the game.

But what is particularly impressive about Michigan State is the way they consistently responded to every score Northwestern made. When the Wildcats finally got on the scoreboard to make it a 17-7 game, State immediately marched downfield, scored a touchdown, and went into intermission up 24-7. Then, when Northwestern took the second half kickoff and quickly scored again to cut the deficit to 24-14, and looked for all the world like they'd stolen momentum, the Spartans did not go into panic mode like, ahem, the Bobby Williams or John L. Smith teams of the past. Instead, they foiled the 'Cat's onside kick attempt and proceeded to stick it to the Wildcats again, upping their lead to 31-14. It was that sequence of events (NU TD, failed onside kick, MSU TD) that I believe sucked all of the air out of Northwestern.

Cudos to the Spartans for their outstanding special teams play and for the brilliant placekicking of Brett Swenson. This young man is the best kicker MSU has had since Paul Edinger (he really reminds me of Edinger, too. Not only does he physically resemble him, but he has icewater in his veins just like Edinger had). With one more year left in his college career, Swenson has a chance to become one of MSU's all-time great kickers. One more thing, when a team can consistently win the field position battle and force turnovers, that team will almost always come out victorious.

In conclusion, there just seems to be something very special about this team. They may not be the most talented team in the Big Ten, and their defense may give up its fair share of yardage, but they are tough, resilient and confident. They are becoming a reflection of their head coach, Mark Dantonio. I think that good things may be on the horizon. Only time will tell.

My Spartan Memories, Volume 1: November 12, 1977

In keeping with the Michigan State football theme that I seemed to have established thus far with this blog, I might as well keep the ball rolling, so to speak. I never consciously aimed to make this a "Spartan football blog," but with our nation's economy in utter shambles, and the election year increasing in intensity and nastiness, my mind really craves escapism lately. For the moment, MSU football is providing that escapism. So why not escape along with me?

I have been mulling this idea around in my head for awhile, and was actually going to start it prior to the Indiana game. However, it wasn't until now that I have finally got around to doing a little feature that I will call "My Spartan Memories." I hope all of my one or two readers out there in cyberspace enjoy it.

Michigan State will be playing the Northwestern Wildcats in Evanston tomorrow, so this is a perfect opportunity to reflect back on the very first MSU football game I ever attended. The date was November 12, 1977 and the place was, naturally, Spartan Stadium. I was a nine year-old fourth grader. The game program pictured above is the actual program that I begged my parents to purchase for me at the game. Look closely at the pant legs of the Northwestern quarterback, and one can see the actual stain from the hot chocolate I accidentally spilled on the cover. (Although the photo shows two MSU players about to deliver a bone-crunching sandwich hit on the QB, giving one the impression of Spartan domination, I suspect that this photo was taken during the '76 game in which the Spartans were drilled 42-21).
 

Allow me to provide a little background. I was literally born a Spartan fan. Both of my parents graduated from Michigan State, and were students during the last period of truly great MSU football in the mid-sixties. My parents were on the sidelines at the 1966 "Game of the Century" between State and Notre Dame. (My father was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. Traditionally, DU brings a large bell to every home game and rings the bell for every point MSU scores. So if the Spartans score a touchdown and extra point, the bell is rung seven times). I grew up on stories of Duffy Daugherty and Bubba Smith. (I may share some of these stories in future posts).
 

Although as a child I was raised a Spartan, it wasn't until I reached nine-years-old that a light switch went on and I became an actual football fan. I had a rivalry of sorts going on with the kid who lived next door to me, who was a Michigan fan. (At the time, we lived on the northwest side of Detroit, a city dominated by the University of Michigan. Spartan Nation, if you think a "blue wall" exists in the Detroit area now, it was really bad in the '70s.). The neighbor kid had gone with his parents to see the Wolverines squeek by Navy, 14-7, earlier in the '77 season. I remember him showing me the football program he'd aquired at the game. I decided that I wanted to see an MSU game, and I'm sure I pestered by parents about going to a game throughout that season (my memory on that particular point is a little hazy).
 

On November 12, 1977 my wish was fulfilled and I drove up to East Lansing with my mom and dad to watch the Spartans take on the Wildcats. My memories of the day and the game are fragmented now, so just today I researched the game by reading the account of it published in the November 13, 1977 Lansing State Journal. I work at a library in downtown Lansing, so it was easy for me to take some time during my lunch break to investigate the microfilm.
 

Prior to reading the newspaper account, here are my memories of that game: I'm pretty sure we parked on the south end of campus. I distinctly remember taking a shuttle bus to Spartan Stadium. It was extremely cold that day, but it was at least partly sunny. I received a free MSU raincoat/windbreaker (with a prominent Arby's logo on it). I loved that thing and wore it until it fell apart. As far as the actual game goes, all I remember is that State absolutely hammered Northwestern that day, and the final score was 44-3. I couldn't remember precisely who scored for the Spartans, but had a vague recollection of Kirk Gibson catching a touchdown pass. I remember all of us shivering on the old wooden bleachers of the north endzone, and briefly warming up with hot chocolate. We left a few minutes before the end of the game (on the way out of the stadium my parents bought me the game program pictured above), and I recall, in the warmth of our '75 Valiant, listening to the radio play-by-play announcers describe the [inebriated?] students tearing down the goalposts in jubilation. (Ah, the seventies!).
 

Here is how reality meshes with my perception (and in some ways contradicts my memories): the State Journal reported that it was indeed extremely cold that day (even by the standards of November in Michigan) with temperatures in the low 30s and a northerly wind of 15 miles per hour. I was also correct in recalling the Spartans' total domination of Northwestern that day, but had no idea of the extent of that domination. The Spartans racked up an astounding 607 total yards (275 rushing and 332 passing). After Northwestern took an early 3-0 lead on a Sam Poulos 37-yard fieldgoal, State struck back with 31 consecutive points. Kirk Gibson did indeed take a pass from Eddie Smith into the endzone for a score. (Gibby crossed the goal line with 29 seconds left in the first half to give MSU a 31-3 lead at intermission). Here's where the memory is a little faulty: I swear that the reason Michigan State couldn't convert their final PAT of the game was because the students were already in the process of "goalpost removal." However, the State Journal makes no mention of this (and, in fact, doesn't mention the goal posts being torn down) so perhaps I'm wrong on this point. (Can anyone out there clarify this?).
 

The Northwestern team that Michigan State faces tomorrow is undefeated. The Wildcats have won four of the last six meetings between the two schools and easily have had more gridiron success of late than MSU. Since MSU's last Big Ten title in 1990, Northwestern has won three (1995, 1996, 2000). However, when these teams met in '77, Northwestern was an absolutely terrible team. They entered the game winless (and finished the season 0-11). According to the State Journal, the day before the '77 game against the Spartans, a newspaper article was published in Omaha, Nebraska suggesting that Northwestern was on the verge of being removed from the Big Ten. They were to be replaced by the Nebraska Cornhuskers. Northwestern coach Jon Pont was incensed by the rumor and quickly squashed it. (My dad used to talk about Northwestern being so inept that they were going to be forced out of the Big Ten, but I was always a bit skeptical. Funny to see that such rumors were actually published and discussed in '77).
 

 

The 1977 Spartans were a good football team. After starting the season a bit shaky, they finished strong and placed third in the Big Ten with a 6-1-1 conference record (7-3-1 overall). The following season, with senior quarterback Eddie Smith and senior flanker Kirk Gibson (not to mention an underrated defense), MSU won the Big Ten title. Unfortunately, due to an extremely harsh NCAA probation, the Spartans were never on television and were barred from representing the Big Ten in the 1979 Rose Bowl. (I don't know if MSU football has ever fully recovered from those NCAA sanctions, but that's something to be explored in a later post). 

 

 

My first Spartan football game was a fantastic experience, and is at least partly responsible for making me the MSU fan I am today (for better or for worse). Let me end this post with some stats from that 1977 Northwestern game:
 

Attendance: 61, 228 (I do remember there being quite a few empty seats that frigid November Saturday)
 

Northwestern 3 0 0 0 -- 3

Michigan State 10 21 7 6 -- 44
 

Eddie Smith: 24 attempts and 15 completions for 286 yards passing, 3 TDs (2 passing, 1 rushing).

Mark Brammer (TE): 7 catches for 108 yards, 1 TD

Kirk Gibson (FL): 3 catches for 103 yards, 1 TD

Jim Earley: 7 carries for 83 yards

Steve Smith: 63 yards rushing and 2 TDs (and no, he's not the same Steve Smith who led the MSU basketball team to the 1990 Big Ten title!)

Bruce Reeves: 62 yards rushing

Dan Bass: 15 solo tackles

Mel Land: 13 solo tackles

Homecoming Parade

I am a graduate of Michigan State University (if you have not already guessed) and have lived in the greater Lansing area for the better part of 27 years. In all that time, I had never once attended the MSU Homecoming Parade...until this Friday, that is. I really had a good time (except for the parts where I had to make sure my kids didn't get by a car trying to get from our car to the parade, and the parts where I had to temper my kids' ravenous appetite for the candy being thrown from the paraders).

A few weeks ago, while watching an episode of the childrens show "Oswald" with my younger son, Oswald and his friends attend (and maybe even become part of--I don't remember precisely) a parade. My son immediately decided that he wanted to see a parade. My mind raced through a list of potential parades and, lo and behold, struck upon the Homecoming parade. "There's a parade next month, and we can go to that one," I said to my son. Later, I told my wife that "we should take the kids to the Homecoming parade." (I should probably include myself as one of "the kids").

We seem to have a habit in our family of saying that we're going to do something, but not actually following through with it when the time comes. I particularly have a hard time of doing family outings on Friday nights. I find that I'm so tired from the work week that I don't feel like fighting crowds and would prefer to stay at home. This time, however, we followed through on our plan. It was all dependent on what mood the kids were in when we picked them up from my in-laws (who, bless them, are our childcare providers when my wife and I are at work). The kids were in reasonably non-cranky moods, the sun was out, the temperature was a crisp 50 degrees or so, and we decided to head into East Lansing for the parade.

We found a place to park on Charles Street, just south of Burcham, and made the three-block trek to Abbott Road. With two rambunctious boys, even the seemingly routine task of walking a few blocks can be an adventure, but I'm happy to report that we made it to the parade route with everyone intact. We found a spot in front of the Lutheran Church on Abbot Road. This was a good location, because my younger son had to go to the bathroom twice. Thankfully the church was open and were generous in allowing us to use their facilities. My son even received a free hot dog after his second trip to the loo).

The parade lasted much longer than I expected, about one hour and fifteen minutes. The Spartan Marching Band was outstanding as usual (I always get a chill down my spine when I see them perform), the floats were amateurish but generally cute and occasionally clever, and the Muskegon High School Marching Band is probably the best high school band I've ever seen. Those kids have got some soul! Our kids scored more candy than they'll probably receive on Halloween, and the vibe in the air was extremely friendly and festive. If I have anything to do with it, we'll definitely be going to next year's Homecoming parade. (Oh yeah, we also saw my niece in the parade with her Girl Scout troop). For a city the size of East Lansing (40,000 and change), there is truly a small town feel that I have grown to appreciate more as I've gotten older.

Afterwards, we got Chinese takeout at my favorite local Chinese joint, Lucky House in Okemos, so it was a great topper to a fun Friday evening (and I hope I haven't bored everyone to tears!).

Michigan State 42, Indiana 29: post-game thoughts

Just finished watching the Spartans wear down the Hoosiers and get out of Bloomington with a win. Not pretty by any stretch, but I'll take it. Very nice to start off the Big Ten season at 1-0. MSU's next opponent is Iowa on Homecoming in East Lansing. The Hawkeyes lost at home to Northwestern, so next week's game for the Spartans is definitely winnable. (Having said that, Northwestern looks like they will be a tough team to contend with this year. They are still undefeated. With the parity in college football, which became particularly evident this weekend, that's saying something regardless of the competition the Wildcats have faced).
 

Back to MSU/Indiana: First of all, I could not believe the number of empty seats at Memorial Stadium. Is Indiana that indifferent towards football? (The answer must be a resounding "yes." I suppose the Hoosier faithful are too busy counting down the days until basketball season). If I didn't have responsibilities at home (or have to take my son to his soccer game this morning) I'd have hopped in the car bright and early, driven down to Bloomington, and bought a ticket at the stadium. (These are the kinds of things I wish I'd done when I was young and single with virtually no responsibilities and lots of time on my hands).
 

As far as the actual game goes, it was way more of a nail-biter than I'd have liked. Years of following Spartan football have made me uncomfortable with any lead that is less than two touchdowns. I thought Indiana hung in there pretty well, but dropped passes, too many penalties, and a little too much Javon Ringer was just enough to keep them from making this a closer ball game.
 

Some random thoughts:
 

Extremely rough game for Otis Wiley, but he redeemed himself somewhat by falling on that fumble.
 

Another good game for Ringer, but I sure wish the play calling was a bit more imaginative. I worry about what will happen when State plays better competition.
 

Our backup tailbacks have got to get more touches. Ringer is not going to be able to carry the load the entire season.

 

 

That's all I have for now. Gotta catch some of that Michigan/Wisconsin game now.

Michigan State 23, Notre Dame 7: post-game thoughts

As I write this post, I am relishing my "victory beer," a very smooth Indian Pale Ale from the Michigan Brewing Company. It's tasting pretty darned good right now.

Nice, solid win for the Spartans today. I knew that Dantonio would have the boys ready today, and MSU as a team was about as good as I have seen them in quite some time. I felt that for any Heisman talk regarding Javon Ringer to be truly justified, he'd have to bring it against big-name competition. Yes, I know Notre Dame is not a great team, but they have improved from last year and they are still NOTRE DAME. That name is nationally recognized and if you can light them up, you can guarantee that the national pundits will take a shine to you.

Having said that, the long Big Ten season is still in front of us, and the test for the Spartans will be if they can stay healthy enough to finish with a winning record. I am still maintaining relatively low expectations until proven otherwise.

I know that many of the MSU sports chat rooms and blogs will rip Brian Hoyer from here to Grand Rapids for this performance today, but he really was not that bad. Sure, he wasn't great, but he didn't make any mistakes that hurt the team. In fairness to Hoyer, there were some dropped passes that should have been caught. I was happy that when he didn't have an open receiver, he threw the ball away. Jimmy Clausen, who has a great arm and will be a solid quarterback for the Irish, made some mistakes that really hurt his team (particularly the throw into double coverage that Otis Wiley picked off in the end zone). The bottom line with Hoyer is that he's what you'd call a solid "program player," a little like former Spartan quarterbacks Bill Burke and Dan Enos. Some people expect him to be Tim Tebow, and that's just not going to happen. I still believe that Hoyer can have a solid year (have I used the word "solid" too much?). Let's not forget that, although he did have a bad game against Boston College in last year's Champs Sports Bowl, he did play a brilliant second half in last year's comeback win against Penn State.

After giving love to Hoyer, I have to admit that if anything bad happens to Ringer, MSU's football season is in serious jeopardy.

During the game, I was thinking that this may have been the best performance by an MSU defense since the Nick Saban era. Otis Wiley is a stud (and if he continues to play as well as he has--will be a high NFL draft pick) , Adam Decker is one tough hombre at linebacker (although does seem to be a bit of a hothead--he needs to temper some of that aggression), and Greg Jones will be playing on Sundays. Fortener had one of the game's most important plays breaking up a sure touchdown pass late in the game.

Overall, a good, tough, hard-hitting game (as would be expected in this rivalry) and a great win for the Spartans. I continue to be impressed with the way Dantonio consistently has this team ready to play, ever since his first game on the job. Bring on Indiana!

What, another football post?

I am still awake when I should be sleeping, but hey, it's Friday night (actually Saturday morning) and I don't feel like going to bed.

Now, let me gab for awhile about an important issue: college football. Later today, at 3:30 PM, Michigan State and Notre Dame will kickoff at Spartan Stadium. I have never seen as much confidence in a Spartan blowout as I have seen on various MSU sports chat rooms and blogs. Why so much confidence? How long have these people been State fans, I wonder? Yes, it's true that Notre Dame struggled against a weak San Diego State team and Michigan virtually gift wrapped last week's Irish victory (and, at least for now, Michigan is not a good team) but what exactly has Michigan State done? The Spartans lost to a decent, but not great, Cal team on the road, manhandled the predictably woeful Eastern Michigan Eagles, and then escaped the drizzly, rainy slopfest last week against Florida Atlantic. The bottom line is that it's way too early to judge how good any of these teams are, MSU and Notre Dame included. Add to that my reluctance to predict a Michigan State drubbing of the Irish based on my 30+ years of getting my hopes and dreams dashed by the Spartans. I've just gotten too cynical and pessimistic to get the least bit cocky about any Michigan State football game.

We will get a much clearer picture of how good Michigan State and Notre Dame are after today's game. I know that isn't a particularly original statement, but it's true. My hope is that Mark Dantonio's toughminded approach will have the Spartans ready to play, and hopefully come away with a solid victory. So far, I like what I've seen of Dantonio as a coach. He consistently has had MSU ready to play every game since he took over the job, that's a hell of a lot more than I can say for his immediate predecessors, John L. Smith and Bobby Williams.

I'm not a Michigan fan, but as one who has lived in this state his entire life I can't help but to have followed U of M football to a certain extent. Michigan football is pretty much ubiquitous around these parts--you can't really avoid it even if you try. Reports of Michigan's football demise seem a little premature to me--I'll believe it when I see it. It seems to me that Rich Rodriguez's new offensive schemes will make more sense to their players as the season goes on, and their offense will improve. (It is certainly strange to see Michigan running a spread offense, though. To me, Michigan is all about the power running game with the occasional long bomb to one of their long line of great receivers: Anthony Carter, Desmond Howard, Amani Toomer, Braylon Edwards, Steve Breaston, etc. I also recall Bo Schembechler running the option on virtually every play back in the late '70s. I have wondered about why a team that gets such a bumper crop of 5-star recruits year after year needs to implement a spread offense. I generally associate that type of offense with teams that need to use trickery to compete with the big boys, like Purdue, Northwestern and Michigan State in the John L. era. Am I off-base here?).

Here's another thing I don't understand. If Michigan gets a top-5 national recruiting class every year and is allegedly stocked with great athletes, why have I heard endless whining about RichRod not having the right players to run his system? This is Michigan football, folks! The winged-helmet, the Big House, and Hail to the Victors! Shouldn't the Wolverines have a stable of blue-chippers to run the spread? A veritable cornucopia of gridiron studs to run the new scheme like a fine-oiled machine? Not to drag MSU into this, but I don't recall John L. Smith saying he didn't have the right players to run the spread back in his first year at MSU. Yes, it is true that John L. inherited a senior quarterback in 2003, but it's not as if Jeff Smoker was the ideal spread quarterback. Still, John L. had his most successful year in '03: 8-5 record and Big Ten Coach of the Year. (Wow, I actually wrote something nice about John L. Smith!).

I don't profess to be a football expert, although I am a big fan of the game. If anyone thinks I'm off-base with these opinions and wishes to set me straight, please comment.

I know that no living humans are reading this blog, so for my pretend make-believe readers out there who are depairing of all the football talk, I assure you that I will at some point write extensively and intelligently about subjects other than football.

Michigan State defeats Florida Atlantic

Michigan State knocked off Florida Atlantic in a virtual monsoon at Spartan Stadium on Saturday. I still don't think we know anything about this Spartan team until they take on Notre Dame this coming Saturday. I will continue to maintain low expectations for this year unless proven otherwise.

Football season begins...Amen! (plus my own saga of the last 30-plus years of Michigan State football)

The waiting is over... no more suffering through a disappointing Detroit Tigers baseball season. I can officially put baseball on the back burner and say "hallelujah!" to the beginning of football season (in particular, college football). It was a sunny and unseasonably warm day in mid-Michigan (and also the day of my oldest son's birthday party), so I wasn't able to plop in front of the tube and take in the full glory of College Football 2008-Day One, but I did see enough to be quite satisfied. I caught a tiny bit of the Ohio State/Youngstown State game (the Columbus, Ohio version of "Christians being fed to the lions"), then once my son's birthday party had ended (which, by the way, was lots of fun and way more important than football--seriously!), I watched the bulk of the Michigan/Utah game. I must admit to being overjoyed at the Wolverines' demise. (I had the game on in the background while putting together a Lego "medieval catapult" for my son).

I was a little disappointed that my Michigan State Spartans couldn't get over the top against Cal, but I was happy that they at least hung with the Bears and didn't fold up the tent (which is precisely what most past MSU teams would have done in similar circumstances). I like the attitude that this team has under Mark Dantonio (the guys have no quit in them) and the future seems bright for Spartan football. I feel I need to temper my enthusiasm for MSU football's future because I've been burned so many times in the past. I've been following Spartan football since 1977, and it has been essentially one disappointment after another (with enough sporadically exciting moments mixed in to keep me going for another season).

Here is a brief summary of my up-and-down life as a Spartan football fan: 3rd place Big Ten finish in '77 (I attended my first-ever MSU football game that year, a 44-3 massacre of Northwestern) and Big Ten title in '78 (but no Rose Bowl because of NCAA probation)--then coach Darryl Rogers splits town after '79 season. Thus began the Dark Ages of the Muddy Waters era (no, not the bluesman Muddy Waters--this was Frank "Muddy" Waters). Muddy was a good man--a true Spartan who cared about the school and his players--he was just out of his element as a Big Ten head coach (and maybe a little past his prime).

George Perles arrives in December 1982 and brings promise. Indeed, he leads the Spartans to the Big Ten title in 1987 and a victory in the 1988 Rose Bowl. Three years later, in 1990, MSU tied for another Big Ten title. Little did I know at the time, but as an MSU student during this period (1986-1991), I was witnessing the most successful stretch of Spartan football since the Duffy Daugherty era of the mid-sixties. Unfortunately, after 1990, it was all downhill for Perles (once he'd attained dual role as athletic director/football coach, the football program was neglected and eventually punished for NCAA infractions).

Enter Nick Saban (or as some refer to him, Nick Satan): four up-and-down mediocre years (no doubt hindered by scholarship cuts due to NCAA probation) followed by a 10-2 record in '99 (and second-place Big Ten finish). Just as it appears that MSU has turned the corner and found its saviour, Saban bails for LSU. The Spartan Nation is devastated (not to mention mad as hell). Bobby Williams is appointed interim coach and leads Spartans to an emotional Citrus Bowl victory over Florida. In a knee-jerk, "let's circle the wagons" moment, MSU hires Bobby Williams as head coach. At the time, it was a great story: players gather en masse at President McPherson's house and plead with him to hire Williams, and the president does so. (Here is my unsolicited advice for university presidents: don't allow your football players to influence your head coaching hires). Like Muddy, Bobby Williams was (and I'm sure still is) a good man. My understanding is that he played "good cop" to Nick Saban's "bad cop," and I truly believe he cared deeply about his players--I just don't think he was ready to be head coach at the Big Ten level. Midway through a truly abysmal 2002 season (on and off the field), Bobby Williams is let go.

Once again, a new coach heads into town with loads of optimism. For a while, John L. Smith reminds me of the rootin' tootin' gunslinging cowboy that was Darryl Rogers 25 years earlier. After the terrible 4-8 finish of '02 (and all its attendant off-the-field problems) the Spartans bounce back for a solid 8-5 season. John L. Smith is named Big Ten Coach of the Year. Unfortunately, that's as good as it gets under John L. Three straight mediocre finishes (and an inability to beat Michigan, Ohio State, plus an absolutely devastating collapse against Notre Dame in 2006) and John L. is run out of town.

Now Mark Dantonio has arrived and brought some renewed optimism. With the changing of the guard down in Ann Arbor, Coach D has managed to land a national top 10 recruiting class for 2009 (and has re-established the all-important ties to the Detroit area). Will this lead to a consistently competitive program in the near future? Tune in later to find out...

"Number one vs. No one": Michigan State vs. Michigan football game 1990

The play that will haunt Michigan fans' dreams for years.

I was able to watch this controversial Spartan victory for the first time since the game was originally played, compliments of the Big Ten Network.

The most famous play in the game--the one that people still talk about and debate, was Michigan's failed 2-point conversion attempt late in the game that would have given Michigan the lead. Okay, it pains me to admit this, but the officials probably DID blow the call.

As a Spartan fan, I request that any Wolverine fans still hung up on this loss, give it up please. There were a few calls in that game that went against MSU, believe it or not (for example, Michigan running back Jon Vaughn's fumble at the Spartan goal line that was ruled to have been caused by the ground).

Both teams were very solid, and ended up deadlocked along with Illinois and Iowa in a four-way tie for the Big Ten title. The game was hard-hitting and featured several impressive individual performances. Desmond Howard had a great game for Michigan, and how did I forget about Jon Vaughn? He was a tough and rugged runner. For the Spartans, Tico Duckett and the late, great Hyland Hickson were outstanding in the backfield, and quarterback Dan Enos played arguably the best game of his college career, even though he had a horrible interception late in the first half that Michigan almost converted into a half-ending fieldgoal. Thankfully for Spartans, the kick was wide-left. If the Wolverines had converted the fieldgoal, they'd have taken a 10-7 lead into the locker room along with plenty of momentum.

MSU definitely had an advantage that year at running back, with the Duckett-Hickson tandem, but the real disparity in this particular game was at receiver, where Michigan had the dynamic duo of Desmond Howard and Derrick Alexander. MSU had (drum roll please)...Brian Smolinsky along with Hickson and Duckett occasionally catching a pass out of the backfield. (The Spartans' top receiver, Courtney Hawkins, was injured and didn't play in this game. If Hawkins had been able to play, maybe the Spartans could have won by more than one point and avoided the controversial ending. We'll never know). Still, two very evenly matched teams who duked it out like heavyweights that long-ago Saturday afternoon at the Big House. I'd love to see the teams of Dantonio and Rodriguez go at it for the next several years, with the Spartans somehow getting the upper hand.

If there are any Spartan fans out there who somehow stumble upon this blog, actually read the thing, and conclude that I'm being way too polite towards Michigan, I'm not apologizing. (Although, I will offer congratulations to you for being a fan of the correct school). This will not be my own personal launching pad for insulting and namecalling other teams (even Michigan), there's far too much of that on practically every fan site you can find on the web. (Of course, that's what I say NOW, but when MSU and Michigan play this fall--who knows what kind of colorful language you'll find on this blog! I'm not always so charitable towards that school down the road).