The Indiana game and other miscellany

My modest streak will continue.
 

I have attended at least one MSU football game every year for the last 21 years, and I'm happy to report that streak will continue another season. I recently purchased a ticket for the final home game of the season, against Rutgers, via StubHub.
 

When it comes to attending sporting events in person, I'm a bit of tight wad. I simply can't rationalize spending more than about $60 going to a game--any game. If you want to call into question my true fandom, go ahead and do so. I enjoy seeing sports in person, but I'm fine spending less than face value for a ticket and even prefer to do so. I don't really care who the opponent is. When I'm at a game in person, I'm really there for the game day experience more than the opponent, anyway. If the Spartans are playing with a Big Ten East title on the line on Senior Day, the buzz and anticipation should be palpable, though probably not at the same level it would be for the Michigan or Ohio State game. Oh well, I don't care that much, Maybe I'm just a cheapskate, but I'm not willing to part with $150 or $200 to see the Wolverines and Buckeyes, even if the game day experience is more electric.
 

Speaking of the Michigan game, as I documented in this blog, I lucked out last season and obtained a free ticket to the 29-6 bludgeoning of the Wolverines. It was probably the greatest and most memorable live sporting event I've ever attended, and I don't know how this year's game against the Wolverines could top it. Frankly, for the first time in my life, I can honestly say it would be an embarrassment if the Spartans lose to Michigan this season. I don't know if this is the worst Michigan football team I've ever seen, but it may be close. The only way this year's game could top last year's is if the Spartans gave the Wolverines the beating of a century. I'm talking about a score in the neighborhood of the 49-3 beat down that Michigan administered against MSU back in 2002. (There have been plenty of low points in my time as a Michigan State football fan, but few were as miserable as that particular game).
 

***
 

Today's game is against Indiana, a team that is down to its third-string freshman quarterback, Zander Diamont, who is making his first ever start. All I know about Diamont is that he is the son of former The Young and the Restless star Don Diamont, and that Zander was a standout player in the Los Angeles area. Full disclosure time, when I was a junior at MSU, I was a loyal watcher of The Young and the Restless, the same time that Don Diamont starred as hunky heartthrob Brad Carlton. My favorite story arc involving Brad Carlton--and really the only one I remember--is when he was kidnapped by his spurned lover and kept captive in a remote cabin outside the fictional Genoa City. For months, I was riveted every day for months wondering when Brad Carlton would be freed. Eventually, he was. Rarely has television drama been as exciting for me.
 

Here's hoping history repeats itself and the Spartan defense can keep young Zander Diamont captive in the IU backfield, at least until the game ends.
 

On the surface, it looks like the Hoosiers' only offense in today's game will come from running back Tevin Coleman, who comes in with over 1000 yards on the ground this season. Against MSU's front seven, I don't know if this will be enough. Though I've given up predicting enormous Spartan blowouts, I will call this one as a moderate blowout: MSU 48, IU 20.

Another Spartan football spiel

We've reached the half-way point of the season, and I--along with probably every other MSU fan--hasn't yet decided what kind of football team the Spartans are. At times, they look absolutely brilliant, capable of beating anyone in the country, but in far to many instances, they look very mortal.

So where are the problems?

First of all, this defensive secondary is no longer the No Fly Zone, not that it was ever fair to expect the 2014 defensive backfield to be as good as the 2013 edition. Kurtis Drummond has had some really tough games this year, getting burned twice on near-interceptions that resulted in huge plays for the opposition.

The team misses the leadership of players like Denicos Allen and Max Bullough. It appears, on the surface anyway (as someone who only knows the team through watching them on television), that the Spartans are waiting for leaders to emerge.

Then, of course, there is the problem with the fourth quarter woes that have allowed opponents to get back in the game.

The good news is, though, this team is still WINNING, and finding ways to get the job done; and it's obvious that the problems they experience have nothing to do with talent. The Spartans' have skilled players who are making correctable mistakes.

And, let's face it, MSU is now the biggest game on everyone's schedule; as is the case with Tom Izzo's basketball program.

Spartan football is also 20-2 in its last 22 games.

So though there may not be many style points this season, it's splitting hairs to excessively complain about a 5-1 team.