Going bowling! (Michigan State 26, Minnesota 10)...and my week in Spartan sports

It sure wasn't pretty, which seeing as how this MSU football season has gone, was completely appropriate--but the Spartans wore down Minnesota 26-10 and clinched a sixth straight bowl appearance.

As far as the good goes in this game, Le'Veon Bell had a tremendous day (35 carries, 266 yards, 1 touchdown) in what could very well be his final regular season game as a Spartan.

The bad has to be Andrew Maxwell. I hate throwing a collegiate athlete under the proverbial bus, but Maxwell seems to have regressed as the season has worn on. I don't know if it's poor coaching or Maxwell simply not improving. His two interceptions were terrible and he continues to overthrow receivers. The quarterback position should be wide open in the spring and summer, and I'd like to see incoming freshman Damion Terry get a serious look. (And that, my friends, is my two-bit analysis).

Now, I've read some comments from MSU fans basically stating, "What is there to be excited about? Why do we accept mediocrity?" Nobody is accepting mediocrity, and I doubt anyone is excited about a trip to the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, but a sixth straight bowl trip is important for this program. It demonstrates a level of consistency under Dantonio that has not existed in many, many years. Not even George Perles was able to lead MSU to six straight bowl appearances (however, in fairness to George, it was a bit more difficult to become bowl-eligible in the eighties and early nineties). So count me as one of the "sunshine blowers" who is happy to see the Spartans going to a bowl game.

***

I went to two MSU basketball games this week. On Tuesday, my wife was the lucky recipient of four tickets  to the Boise State game. (Her employer is a sponsor of Spartan athletics and receives comp tickets). The seats certainly aren't prime, but it is always fun to attend a game at Breslin.  As it turned out, Boise State (and the officials) offered a stiff challenge for the Spartans. In what was undoubtedly the most surreal game I have ever attended at Breslin, I worried at one point that the arena would break out into a full riot when Derrick Nix was called for a questionable elbowing foul and an irate Tom Izzo received a technical foul. It got downright ugly at Breslin. The Izzone was getting into it with a few Boise State fans behind the Broncos' bench, and police got into the middle of the verbal sparring match. Thankfully, the arena calmed down, the Spartans regained control of the game and escaped with a 74-70 win.

I was looking forward to watching freshman phenom Gary Harris play in person, but he was knocked out of the game when he ran into a moving screen and separated his shoulder. After spending much of Tuesday night and Wednesday morning filled with anxiety over Harris' fate, I (and every other MSU basketball fan) was relieved to learn he will only be out two to three weeks.

On Friday night, I attended the MSU/Oakland game with my sister-in-law's husband, who has season tickets. It was another nip-and-tuck battle against a fairly solid opponent, but the Spartans pulled away in the final four minutes or so and won 70-52. With Travis Trice and Gary Harris out, the guard position has been seriously depleted and that has undoubtedly hurt the Spartans, but perhaps in the long run it'll make them a better team.

Keith Appling had some absolutely "wow!" inspiring drives to the basket. He is an exceptional talent and takes over the game when the Spartans need him the most. Denzel Valentine, though he occasionally makes freshman mistakes, is a great passer and looks like someone who will develop into a dependable scorer. Adreian Payne had one of his very best games. Brandan Kearney. Russell Byrd, and Branden Dawson had some trouble hanging onto the basketball. That really could be said for the entire team: there were far too many turnovers in the game. I suspect some of that may be because two of MSU's best ballhandlers, Trice and Harris, are out of commission.

Beast mode: Michigan State 17, Boise State 13

The one MSU player who was truly in "Beast Mode" last night was Le'Veon Bell, and when I saw this photo posted on Facebook today, I knew I had to post it on this blog.

It was far from the prettiest game ever played, but it was a win against a quality opponent, and in the end that's all that matters.  Here are some observations of last night's Michigan State victory:

Playing the very first game of the season against a very good opponent like Boise State only magnified the relatively minor flaws and kinks in Michigan State's team. If MSU had opened against a weak team like UAB or Youngstown State, I don't think many would notice these flaws because the Spartans would more than likely roll in a blowout.  The value in starting the season against Boise State is that the areas in which the Spartans need to improve are readily apparent.

The good news is that the mistakes MSU made are fixable, and to a large extent were repaired in the second half of the game.  For example, Andrew Maxwell threw three interceptions, all in the first half.  His decision making and overall play improved drastically in the second half.

The defense was outstanding, and was as good as advertised. Le'Veon Bell made quite a statement in a nationally televised game, and Dion Sims will be a big, bruising target for Andrew Maxwell.

On the subject of Maxwell, I was disappointed to read so many disparaging comments about him on Facebook during the game by Spartan fans. (I must force myself to stop looking at Facebook during MSU football and basketball games, there are too many hysteria-driven comments).  Folks, it was his first game as a starter...and it's not as if he was going up against Eastern Michigan or Kent State. This was Boise State (72-6 record since 2006) under the lights on national television.  That would give anyone a case of stage fright. Overall, I think Maxwell had a good game, and much better in the second half when it mattered the most.

Looking at Maxwell's deficiencies, the good part is that they are all fixable. Some poor performances happen simply because the player in question lacks talent or physical ability. This is definitely not the case with Maxwell. He is mobile, athletic, and has a cannon for an arm. His problems last night were with decision making, which is a common problem with new quarterbacks. Believe it or not, even Kirk Cousins had those problems in his first year as a starter in 2009, and to a lesser extent in 2010.

At this point, I'm a little more concerned about the wide receivers.  But once again, it has to be pointed out that all of these guys were starting for the first time in their careers. Both Bennie Fowler and Tony Lippett can fly, it's just a matter of hanging onto the ball.  Look for MSU to open up the passing game a little bit against Central Michigan to help these guys work the kinks out.

Back to Le'Veon Bell for a moment. The man has the most incredible spin move I have seen since Barry Sanders, and I really don't think that's a stretch.

Well, I'm being forced off the computer now, through forces beyond my control. I may or may not get back to this later (probably not). In any event, it was a solid win for the Spartans last night.

One more day...

Out of curiosity, I took a look to see how this year's low number of returning starters for Boise State football compares to years past for that program. Here is what I found, going back to 2009.

2009...14
2010...21
2011...14
2012...6

I have no idea what this means, other than six returning starters is ridiculously low compared to the three previous seasons, which might lead one to believe that Boise State will have some trouble this season. On the other hand, Chris Petersen has demonstrated that he is one of the premiere head coaches in college football, and I highly doubt that he is crouching in fear because he only has six returning starters. He has had several months to prepare for this and my assumption is the new starters will be well prepared.  I also assume that with the higher profile and success Boise State has had over the last six years or so, the Broncos have had incrementally better recruiting classes and, thus, better athletes.

So as usual, I approach another MSU football season with a mixture of excitement and trepidation. Don't get me wrong, the last two years have been great, and there is definitely reason for optimism--but I've been a Spartan football fan for too long to get cocky or over confident. Quite honestly, the preseason hype and love MSU has been receiving SCARES me a little bit.

More later...

A little catching up to do...

I finally get around to writing in this blog, and I have to fight my way through annoying pop-up ads just to write a post.

Only nine days until MSU's first football game of 2012, and I'm steeling myself for another four-month adventure ride.  With new faces at receiver and a brand-new quarterback, there are some unknowns with this team, and I really don't know what to expect.  Boise State should give the Spartans a good test in the opener, and I would not be shocked if the Broncos stole a victory here.  I don't necessarily expect Boise State to win, but they will arrive in East Lansing with no fear whatsoever.  Heck, look at their track record: since Chris Petersen became coach, Boise State has the obscene record of 73-6. In the last four seasons, the Broncos are 51-2! Sure, they lost some significant contributors from last year's team, including starting QB Kellen Moore, but something tells me they have plenty of guys who are just pining to get on the field. This game will not be easy for Michigan State.

Here's a little potpourri of MSU sports-related topics that I've been mulling over for the last few weeks:

Joe Rexrode, the excellent sportswriter for the Lansing State Journal, has left the LSJ for the Detroit Free Press. I'm not surprised to see this guy's career advance.  He's one of those writers whose skills transcend mere sports writing, and it was only a matter of time before his career advanced beyond Lansing.  I've long appreciated his wit, intelligence, work ethic, and great writing, and he should bring a welcome Green-and-White presence to the Freep.

Speaking of good local sportswriters, Jack Ebling's book Heart of a Spartan is officially out, and I'd love to pick up a copy (and I'm sure I eventually will buy one), but I just can't afford the 50 buck price tag right now. It's just gonna have to wait awhile.

I still haven't been on the MSU campus to see the enormous new Spartan Stadium scoreboards, but I've heard they are impressive. My only concern--and it's a lame, splitting-hairs concern--is that, from photos I've seen, the north end zone scoreboard looks "tacked on" the stadium, with the scoreboard supports resembling scaffolding that was left there and never removed. So my concern is merely cosmetic. I hope that  the scoreboard supports will be fully integrated into the Spartan Stadium architecture. (Go ahead and roll your eyes all you want!).

Some time ago, probably during the 2011 football season, I wrote about how I planned on finding and posting my own, literal, treasures (or perhaps, more accurately, garbage) from my personal "Spartan attic."  Well, a few months ago while going through some old papers, I found just the ticket.  I admit that I am an inveterate packrat, and I have saved notebooks from as far back as my MSU student days in the late '80s and early '90s.  In an English 101 notebook from my freshman year in '86, I found a silly little essay I wrote for my own amusement called "A Sappy Ode to Spartandom", and it was written shortly after the MSU football game lost a heartbreaking game to Iowa--a game I attended. So, here it is...

"A Sappy Ode to Spartandom" (written in October 1986)

I thought we were going to win. I honestly thought we were going to win. State had the ball first and goal at the Iowa 3 and there wasn't any doubt in the minds of anyone in the stadium that we were going to run it up the middle for an easy six and win the game. But did this happen? Of course not. What happens? [Dave] Yarema drops back and throws the ball in the end zone for an interception and we lose.

It's games like the one I just described which test the endurance of long-suffering Michigan State fans like myself. Sometimes I even wonder why I didn't go to a school with a better football team, like that snob school down in Ann Arbor. Luckily, I always come to my senses and remember that Michigan State is the best school in the world. 

Michigan State and Michigan State sports have always been a part of my life, so much so that if anyone ways something bad about either one, I take it as a personal insult. Both of my parents graduated from State, so I can remember watching the Spartans on television or listening to them on the radio all of my life. I can still remember the 1974 Michigan State-Ohio State football game in which the Spartans upset the favored Buckeyes. Levi Jackson ran the ball 83 [sic] yards from scrimmage for the winning touchdown. After the game, I knew where I was going to college.

I love Michigan State. Sure, as a Michigan State fan, I always have to hear about how much better the University of Michigan is. However, I never let these comments bother me. There is no school I'd rather go to, and that includes any Ivy League school or Its Royal Highness, the University of Michigan. Whenever I walk home from Berkey Hall after my English class and see the architecture and ivy on the old buildings and Beaumont Tower rising in its infinite majesty, I start playing the fight song in my mind and thank God that I'm a Spartan forever.

And on that note, I will sign off for now. I'm headed up to the Upper Peninsula for a five-day camping vacation, but will try and post one more time before the Boise State game.