It's been 16 days since I last posted here, because what is there really to write about? The Spartans followed up their uninspired and anemic loss to Illinois with a 49-0 blowout of Rutgers, one of the worst teams in FBS. They then played a tough, competitive game against Ohio State but just didn't have enough to get over the top and lost 17-16. In the (mercifully) last game of the season, MSU was able to hang with Penn State for one half--actually maintaining a 12-10 lead at intermission--before the bottom fell out in the second half and getting blown out 45-12.
In what seemed like a fitting twist of fate, Damion Terry was knocked out of the game in the first half after suffering a concussion. Terry was playing his best game of the season, and though it was disappointing that the Spartans had to settle for field goals, Terry was at least leading the offense down the field and looked as confident as he had all season. When Terry couldn't return after getting hit in a helmet-to-helmet collision, I certainly had a sense of impending doom. But then again, the entire season has been about impending doom.
By the time the score was 31-12 in favor of Penn State, I'd had enough and went for a run to let off some steam. By the time I'd finished, the game was over and MSU had lost 45-12.
So the football season comes to a merciful end. I don't have a heck of a lot to add right now, just that this season seems to have mirrored what has been a fairly putrid 2016.
Showing posts with label Damion Terry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Damion Terry. Show all posts
Monday, November 28, 2016
Saturday, November 21, 2015
No Connor Cook
No Connor Cook.
This is a tough position to place Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry, playing against Ohio State at the Horseshoe. It may be on the defense to win this one.
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Spring Game...and Earl Morrall
After several weeks away, decompressing after the wild football and basketball seasons, I'm back.
I went to the spring football game yesterday, along with my wife, two kids, and my parents--who drove down to Lansing for the game. It really was an enjoyable way to spend a family get-together, and something a little out of the ordinary to share with my extended family. To make matters even better, we bumped into my sister-in-law and husband at Spartan Stadium, so we were all able to sit together on the west side of the stadium at roughly the goal line.
I can't say I devoted as much time to analyzing the play on the field as I perhaps would have had I been alone. I spent most of my time spending money on food (cotton candy, soda pop, nachos, hot dog, peanuts) to keep the kids happy, chatting with family, and just generally enjoying the sunny April afternoon.
From what I could tell, though, the defense will be strong again. I was looking forward to seeing Damion Terry and he did not disappoint. Terry lined up at slot receiver/flanker in his first play on offense and scored a touchdown with an exciting mix of speed and shiftiness. He also played quarterback for the both the Green and White squads and displayed a strong arm and maneuverability. Terry will be one to watch in 2014.
The spring game also afforded an opportunity to celebrate the 2013 season and what this 2013 senior class achieved in their four seasons at MSU. A great halftime video montage on the scoreboards showed highlights from the Little Giants game against Notre Dame, through all the wins over Michigan, and the bowl game victories culminating in the Rose Bowl. It's been an amazing journey for this football program and one I quite frankly never thought I'd see in my lifetime.
2014 should be another excellent year for MSU football, but the only way 2013 can be topped is if the team goes undefeated and wins a national title (or perhaps loses one game and wins a national title). I don't expect that to happen. It's not that I don't think it can happen, it's simply that to expect such a lofty achievement is setting ones self up for potential disappointment if it doesn't occur.
I don't know how much I'll be poking around on this blog until football season. I'd like to do a season-ending wrap up of what has been a truly great year of MSU sports, but I can't guarantee I'll get to that.
I should close this post with a salute to Earl Morrall, a great Spartan football player who died two days ago at age 79. Not many players have won a Rose Bowl AND multiple Super Bowls. Morrall did both. As an All-American quarterback at Michigan State, he led the Spartans to a 1956 Rose Bowl win, and then played an incredible 21 seasons in the NFL: a career that spanned parts of three decades. It was in the twilight of his NFL career that Morrall enjoyed his greatest professional success. At age 34, he was the 1968 NFL MVP. Morrall had a splendid season replacing an injured Johnny Unitas that season, and quarterbacked the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III against the Jets. Though the Colts lost to Joe Namath and the Jets, they went on to win Super Bowl V two years later where, once again, Morrall replaced an injured Unitas.
As a member of the Miami Dolphins, Morrall won championship rings in Super Bowl's VII and VIII. In the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season, Morrall once again had to step in for an injured star quarterback, this time Bob Griese. Morrall started 11 of the Dolphins' 17 games that year, beginning in game five of the regular season and extending to the AFC championship game--when, due to a poor performance against the Steelers, he was lifted in favor of a healthy Bob Griese. (Though looking at Morrall's stats from that game, they were not that much different from Griese's). Still, not bad at all for a 38-year-old "has-been" who had been claimed by the Dolphins on waivers in April '72 for a paltry $100. Morrall's efforts that season earned him the AFC MVP award and NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Earl Morrall stuck around for another four season before hanging up his spikes for good in 1976, thus ending a career that proves that, with perseverance and a little bit of fate mixed in, an athlete can be a late bloomer and achieve great success when conventional wisdom would suggest the opposite.
Farewell to a great athlete and a great Spartan. Rest in peace, Earl Morrall.
I went to the spring football game yesterday, along with my wife, two kids, and my parents--who drove down to Lansing for the game. It really was an enjoyable way to spend a family get-together, and something a little out of the ordinary to share with my extended family. To make matters even better, we bumped into my sister-in-law and husband at Spartan Stadium, so we were all able to sit together on the west side of the stadium at roughly the goal line.
I can't say I devoted as much time to analyzing the play on the field as I perhaps would have had I been alone. I spent most of my time spending money on food (cotton candy, soda pop, nachos, hot dog, peanuts) to keep the kids happy, chatting with family, and just generally enjoying the sunny April afternoon.
From what I could tell, though, the defense will be strong again. I was looking forward to seeing Damion Terry and he did not disappoint. Terry lined up at slot receiver/flanker in his first play on offense and scored a touchdown with an exciting mix of speed and shiftiness. He also played quarterback for the both the Green and White squads and displayed a strong arm and maneuverability. Terry will be one to watch in 2014.
The spring game also afforded an opportunity to celebrate the 2013 season and what this 2013 senior class achieved in their four seasons at MSU. A great halftime video montage on the scoreboards showed highlights from the Little Giants game against Notre Dame, through all the wins over Michigan, and the bowl game victories culminating in the Rose Bowl. It's been an amazing journey for this football program and one I quite frankly never thought I'd see in my lifetime.
2014 should be another excellent year for MSU football, but the only way 2013 can be topped is if the team goes undefeated and wins a national title (or perhaps loses one game and wins a national title). I don't expect that to happen. It's not that I don't think it can happen, it's simply that to expect such a lofty achievement is setting ones self up for potential disappointment if it doesn't occur.
I don't know how much I'll be poking around on this blog until football season. I'd like to do a season-ending wrap up of what has been a truly great year of MSU sports, but I can't guarantee I'll get to that.
I should close this post with a salute to Earl Morrall, a great Spartan football player who died two days ago at age 79. Not many players have won a Rose Bowl AND multiple Super Bowls. Morrall did both. As an All-American quarterback at Michigan State, he led the Spartans to a 1956 Rose Bowl win, and then played an incredible 21 seasons in the NFL: a career that spanned parts of three decades. It was in the twilight of his NFL career that Morrall enjoyed his greatest professional success. At age 34, he was the 1968 NFL MVP. Morrall had a splendid season replacing an injured Johnny Unitas that season, and quarterbacked the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III against the Jets. Though the Colts lost to Joe Namath and the Jets, they went on to win Super Bowl V two years later where, once again, Morrall replaced an injured Unitas.
As a member of the Miami Dolphins, Morrall won championship rings in Super Bowl's VII and VIII. In the Dolphins' undefeated 1972 season, Morrall once again had to step in for an injured star quarterback, this time Bob Griese. Morrall started 11 of the Dolphins' 17 games that year, beginning in game five of the regular season and extending to the AFC championship game--when, due to a poor performance against the Steelers, he was lifted in favor of a healthy Bob Griese. (Though looking at Morrall's stats from that game, they were not that much different from Griese's). Still, not bad at all for a 38-year-old "has-been" who had been claimed by the Dolphins on waivers in April '72 for a paltry $100. Morrall's efforts that season earned him the AFC MVP award and NFL Comeback Player of the Year.
Earl Morrall stuck around for another four season before hanging up his spikes for good in 1976, thus ending a career that proves that, with perseverance and a little bit of fate mixed in, an athlete can be a late bloomer and achieve great success when conventional wisdom would suggest the opposite.
Farewell to a great athlete and a great Spartan. Rest in peace, Earl Morrall.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Is it Terry time?
Well, it's Thursday and I'm finally posting in here.
At this point, I don't have much to add to what has already been said about MSU football and its putrid offense, which continued its...er, "offensive" ways against South Florida in a lackluster 21-6 win. It was a game in which, once again, the Spartan defense outscored the offense.
So, the quarterback carousel continues. Now, reports are that Connor Cook will get the start Saturday against Youngstown State, and freshman Damion Terry may get playing time as the backup quarterback.
I'd hoped that Terry would be red shirted this year, but I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. And speaking of "desperation," it does seem odd to use that word for a team that HAS won its first two games--but this is despite the offense performing appallingly bad against two extremely weak opponents.
I don't expect Damion Terry to be the savior. That is expecting way too much from a true freshman. But if he could at least provide a spark, as well as a true passing and running threat, that could be a positive step. Maybe Terry can also inspire his teammates, in particular the wide receivers, to play better as well.
I don't have much hope for Connor Cook. Hey, I would love for Cook to start the YSU game and perform great and eliminate all quarterback questions, but based on how he's looked in the first two games of the season, there's no indication that will happen.
But really, the problem is more than the quarterbacks. This team has NO tight end, and has receivers that have a difficult time "receiving" anything. They continue to struggle to get any separation from defenders and even when they do, they can't hold onto the ball.
The thing is, the offense doesn't have to be great. It just needs to be adequate or average. With MSU's defense, that's all that may be necessary in order for this team to have a good season.
There's a part of me that thinks that it would be just MSU's luck that, in the season they have one of their best defenses ever, they are saddled with possibly the most inept offense in program history.
At this point, I don't have much to add to what has already been said about MSU football and its putrid offense, which continued its...er, "offensive" ways against South Florida in a lackluster 21-6 win. It was a game in which, once again, the Spartan defense outscored the offense.
So, the quarterback carousel continues. Now, reports are that Connor Cook will get the start Saturday against Youngstown State, and freshman Damion Terry may get playing time as the backup quarterback.
I'd hoped that Terry would be red shirted this year, but I suppose desperate times call for desperate measures. And speaking of "desperation," it does seem odd to use that word for a team that HAS won its first two games--but this is despite the offense performing appallingly bad against two extremely weak opponents.
I don't expect Damion Terry to be the savior. That is expecting way too much from a true freshman. But if he could at least provide a spark, as well as a true passing and running threat, that could be a positive step. Maybe Terry can also inspire his teammates, in particular the wide receivers, to play better as well.
I don't have much hope for Connor Cook. Hey, I would love for Cook to start the YSU game and perform great and eliminate all quarterback questions, but based on how he's looked in the first two games of the season, there's no indication that will happen.
But really, the problem is more than the quarterbacks. This team has NO tight end, and has receivers that have a difficult time "receiving" anything. They continue to struggle to get any separation from defenders and even when they do, they can't hold onto the ball.
The thing is, the offense doesn't have to be great. It just needs to be adequate or average. With MSU's defense, that's all that may be necessary in order for this team to have a good season.
There's a part of me that thinks that it would be just MSU's luck that, in the season they have one of their best defenses ever, they are saddled with possibly the most inept offense in program history.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Tomorrow the roller coaster starts up again
I've spent the last four months not thinking much about MSU sports, which explains my absence from this blog. I've spent the summer watching Tiger baseball, reading, and catching up with Breaking Bad on Netflix (and thoroughly enjoying the final season of the series). I've also taken up running, and my exercise regimen has occupied a good portion of my thoughts and energy this summer.
To tell you the truth, I'm still not that excited about college football season...but I'm slowly getting there. By Friday evening, I may be fully in football freak mode. But for now, I'm not quite feeling it.
The Spartans take on the Western Michigan Broncos tomorrow in the first game of the 2013 campaign. It will most assuredly be a sweltering Spartan Stadium and I'll be happy to watch the game in the air-conditioned comfort of my living room. I'm sure that at least some of my humdrum attitude towards the beginning of football season has to do with the hot and humid weather that has been hanging around mid-Michigan for the last week.
Now on to the 2013 Spartan football team:
As usual, I enter an MSU football season with guarded optimism. There are so many unknowns and what-ifs with this team, that's hard to know exactly what to expect. At least the coaching staff finally decided on a starting quarterback, but who knows how long Maxwell keeps the job. (For what it's worth, I'm rooting for Maxwell). MSU fans have to be encouraged that Damion Terry was so outstanding in camp that he pushed the other three quarterbacks to step up their game. At the very least, this bodes well for the future. I'm looking forward to 2014 and beyond when Damion Terry should be leading this offense.
The defense should be excellent--that at least seems to be the only known quantity with this team. But I'd like to see them create more turnovers this year, thereby creating more opportunities and shorter fields for the offense.
How will the receivers do? They improved slightly as the 2012 season went on, and Aaron Burbridge and Keith Mumphrey stood out. I've also heard that DeAnthony Arnett has shown improvement. I hope that Bennie Fowler can have a big senior year and perhaps Macgarrett Kings (who looked impressive to me in last year's CMU game) will get a chance to shine.
Okay, hold that thought. I'll try to get back to this later...
To tell you the truth, I'm still not that excited about college football season...but I'm slowly getting there. By Friday evening, I may be fully in football freak mode. But for now, I'm not quite feeling it.
The Spartans take on the Western Michigan Broncos tomorrow in the first game of the 2013 campaign. It will most assuredly be a sweltering Spartan Stadium and I'll be happy to watch the game in the air-conditioned comfort of my living room. I'm sure that at least some of my humdrum attitude towards the beginning of football season has to do with the hot and humid weather that has been hanging around mid-Michigan for the last week.
Now on to the 2013 Spartan football team:
As usual, I enter an MSU football season with guarded optimism. There are so many unknowns and what-ifs with this team, that's hard to know exactly what to expect. At least the coaching staff finally decided on a starting quarterback, but who knows how long Maxwell keeps the job. (For what it's worth, I'm rooting for Maxwell). MSU fans have to be encouraged that Damion Terry was so outstanding in camp that he pushed the other three quarterbacks to step up their game. At the very least, this bodes well for the future. I'm looking forward to 2014 and beyond when Damion Terry should be leading this offense.
The defense should be excellent--that at least seems to be the only known quantity with this team. But I'd like to see them create more turnovers this year, thereby creating more opportunities and shorter fields for the offense.
How will the receivers do? They improved slightly as the 2012 season went on, and Aaron Burbridge and Keith Mumphrey stood out. I've also heard that DeAnthony Arnett has shown improvement. I hope that Bennie Fowler can have a big senior year and perhaps Macgarrett Kings (who looked impressive to me in last year's CMU game) will get a chance to shine.
Okay, hold that thought. I'll try to get back to this later...
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