I keep hearing, on local sports talk radio, about how Michigan State football fans are "disappointed" with this season.
I'd like to know who these fans are, because I have yet to meet one or talk to one. Perhaps some younger MSU football fans are disappointed, but I'm old enough to remember the dark days--and there were plenty of those--so a 10-2 season for me is like heaven. No, 2014 did not equal or exceed 2013, but I didn't expect that. But anyone who is "disappointed" with a 7-1 conference record (10-2 overall record) is a complete idiot with no historical perspective.
***
Eastern Michigan basketball is no joke. They will give Michigan State a huge challenge tonight with their smothering and quick 2-3 zone. Rob Murphy has done a great job in Ypsilanti and this is probably EMU's best basketball team since the 1997-98 MAC championship team led by Earl Boykins and Derrick Dial. Coincidentally, that EMU team gave MSU everything it could handle in the first round of the 1998 NCAA tournament. The Mateen Cleaves-led Spartans pulled away late and won 83-71.
I watched EMU beat Michigan last week and that game was no fluke. Granted, Michigan is struggling a bit this season, but the game was at Crisler and the Eagles were relentless the entire game. The Eagles are fast and energetic. They never gave Michigan a break at any point in that game.
At the same time, Eastern has MSU's full attention, so the element of surprise won't be there. In addition, Eastern's zone may not match up as well with MSU as it did with Michigan. MSU can both distribute and shoot the ball well, though if the shots happen to not fall tonight then the Spartans could be in trouble. MSU, though they are a good passing team, are prone to turnovers and EMU's pressing, in-your-face zone defense can create turnovers. I could easily see EMU pulling the upset...but I'm leaning towards MSU anyway. Eastern will play hard, but MSU should win by between 5-10 points. Call it: Michigan State 65, Eastern Michigan 57.
Showing posts with label Eastern Michigan Eagles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eastern Michigan Eagles. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Thursday, September 25, 2014
My weekly (and somewhat "weak") football post
Michigan State 73, Eastern Michigan 14. Looking at that score, one might assume that the Spartans had left their starters in maybe a bit too long, or perhaps tried to run up the score to impress pollsters...but nothing could be further from the truth. MSU emptied the bench in the first half, and four Spartan quarterbacks saw action.
That was the worst Eastern Michigan football team I've ever seen. They were terrible even by the low historical standards of the EMU program.
The first half of the game was such a mismatch that I felt sorry for the Eagles. That was not a football game, it was an annihilation. I have no doubt that Michigan State has had practices and scrimmages more challenging than what passed as a football game last Saturday.
---
I'm back after several days of not being able to find enough computer time to write and post this.
So now the Spartans are on to the homecoming game against Wyoming. This is the earliest date I can ever remember homecoming arriving at Michigan State. Looking at MSU's upcoming schedule, I can see why homecoming is on September 27. October 4 would have been the more natural homecoming date, but it's a night game against Nebraska. Night games are no good for homecoming, and tough opponents like Nebraska are rarely homecoming opponents. MSU is then on the road for two weeks, with the final game in October against Michigan. Michigan is never the homecoming opponent (for reasons that should be obvious) and October 25 is way too late for homecoming, anyway.
The Wyoming Cowboys should be a big step up in competition after Eastern Michigan. (Then again, almost anyone would be step up compared to EMU). Wyoming comes to East Lansing with a 3-1 record and played Oregon tough at Autzen Stadium. Though they lost 48-14, the game was much more competitive than the score indicates. The way the Cowboys play the game is a mirror image of MSU, so this could be quite a battle in the trenches. Still, I see the Spartans pulling away in the second half and winning by a score in the neighborhood of 34-13.
That was the worst Eastern Michigan football team I've ever seen. They were terrible even by the low historical standards of the EMU program.
The first half of the game was such a mismatch that I felt sorry for the Eagles. That was not a football game, it was an annihilation. I have no doubt that Michigan State has had practices and scrimmages more challenging than what passed as a football game last Saturday.
---
I'm back after several days of not being able to find enough computer time to write and post this.
So now the Spartans are on to the homecoming game against Wyoming. This is the earliest date I can ever remember homecoming arriving at Michigan State. Looking at MSU's upcoming schedule, I can see why homecoming is on September 27. October 4 would have been the more natural homecoming date, but it's a night game against Nebraska. Night games are no good for homecoming, and tough opponents like Nebraska are rarely homecoming opponents. MSU is then on the road for two weeks, with the final game in October against Michigan. Michigan is never the homecoming opponent (for reasons that should be obvious) and October 25 is way too late for homecoming, anyway.
The Wyoming Cowboys should be a big step up in competition after Eastern Michigan. (Then again, almost anyone would be step up compared to EMU). Wyoming comes to East Lansing with a 3-1 record and played Oregon tough at Autzen Stadium. Though they lost 48-14, the game was much more competitive than the score indicates. The way the Cowboys play the game is a mirror image of MSU, so this could be quite a battle in the trenches. Still, I see the Spartans pulling away in the second half and winning by a score in the neighborhood of 34-13.
Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Back from my "bye week": Oregon post-mortem, and the upcoming EMU game
The Spartans had a bye week, and it turned out that I had my own bye week as well. I didn't intend on being away for so long, but so it goes.
As everyone already knows by now, MSU lost to Oregon way back on September 6. I wasn't surprised that the Spartans lost, but I was somewhat perplexed and disappointed with the way they lost. MSU got out of the gates slowly, had a tremendous second quarter in which they took the lead and appeared to have the Ducks on the ropes. This dominance looked like it was about to carry over into the second half, but then the game took an inexplicable and sudden downward turn.
Part of the problem for MSU in the second half was that Marcus Mariota remembered that he is a Heisman candidate and probable first round draft pick, and played like it. Unfortunately, some blown assignments by the Spartans secondary made the task easier for Mariota.
(There is a degree of historical irony in a Hawaiian quarterback wreaking havoc on the Spartans. In the 1950s and 1960s, Duffy Daugherty heavily recruited Hawaii, and had a "Hawaii pipeline" for several years. Players like Bob Apisa, Charlie Wedemeyer, and Dick Kenney--to name a few--were important contributors for the Spartans when Duffy was coach. I have a feeling that if Duffy were alive today, he'd be wondering how Marcus Mariota wasn't wearing green and white rather than green and yellow).
To paraphrase Mark Dantonio, football is about the inches: what team gets them and what team doesn't. MSU had a few opportunities to get those inches, but came up short. Oregon, on the other hand, converted when they had to do so. It all added up to a 46-27 loss.
Beyond the disappointment of the loss itself, what still irks me is the meaningless touchdown that Oregon scored with 1:25 left in the game. The Ducks can't really be faulted, it's not as if they threw the ball into the end zone for the touchdown. It was a simple running play that MSU didn't stop. Still, it changed what should have been a 39-27 loss to a 46-27 loss. (Yes, I know that a loss is still a loss, but perception is reality. Folks will look at that final score and assume the game wasn't as close as it actually was. That could end up haunting MSU at the end of the season).
So now a truly wretched Eastern Michigan football team heads into Spartan Stadium. The Eagles are so bad, they not only were hammered 65-0 by a rebuilding Florida team, but even lost by two touchdowns to Old Dominion. Now I don't know about you, but when I think of Old Dominion, I think of women's basketball and Justin Verlander (who played baseball for the Monarchs). I certainly don't think of football. Well, the Monarchs handled EMU quite handily.
I don't see EMU putting up much of a fight against what should be a Michigan State team itching to get back into action after the Oregon disappointment.
As everyone already knows by now, MSU lost to Oregon way back on September 6. I wasn't surprised that the Spartans lost, but I was somewhat perplexed and disappointed with the way they lost. MSU got out of the gates slowly, had a tremendous second quarter in which they took the lead and appeared to have the Ducks on the ropes. This dominance looked like it was about to carry over into the second half, but then the game took an inexplicable and sudden downward turn.
Part of the problem for MSU in the second half was that Marcus Mariota remembered that he is a Heisman candidate and probable first round draft pick, and played like it. Unfortunately, some blown assignments by the Spartans secondary made the task easier for Mariota.
(There is a degree of historical irony in a Hawaiian quarterback wreaking havoc on the Spartans. In the 1950s and 1960s, Duffy Daugherty heavily recruited Hawaii, and had a "Hawaii pipeline" for several years. Players like Bob Apisa, Charlie Wedemeyer, and Dick Kenney--to name a few--were important contributors for the Spartans when Duffy was coach. I have a feeling that if Duffy were alive today, he'd be wondering how Marcus Mariota wasn't wearing green and white rather than green and yellow).
To paraphrase Mark Dantonio, football is about the inches: what team gets them and what team doesn't. MSU had a few opportunities to get those inches, but came up short. Oregon, on the other hand, converted when they had to do so. It all added up to a 46-27 loss.
Beyond the disappointment of the loss itself, what still irks me is the meaningless touchdown that Oregon scored with 1:25 left in the game. The Ducks can't really be faulted, it's not as if they threw the ball into the end zone for the touchdown. It was a simple running play that MSU didn't stop. Still, it changed what should have been a 39-27 loss to a 46-27 loss. (Yes, I know that a loss is still a loss, but perception is reality. Folks will look at that final score and assume the game wasn't as close as it actually was. That could end up haunting MSU at the end of the season).
So now a truly wretched Eastern Michigan football team heads into Spartan Stadium. The Eagles are so bad, they not only were hammered 65-0 by a rebuilding Florida team, but even lost by two touchdowns to Old Dominion. Now I don't know about you, but when I think of Old Dominion, I think of women's basketball and Justin Verlander (who played baseball for the Monarchs). I certainly don't think of football. Well, the Monarchs handled EMU quite handily.
I don't see EMU putting up much of a fight against what should be a Michigan State team itching to get back into action after the Oregon disappointment.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Michigan State 23, Eastern Michigan 7...and thoughts about the (Not so) Big Ten
As a lifelong Michigan State football fan, there is that sense of impending doom that often materializes sometime near the first 1/3rd of the season. It's a feeling that all of ones high hopes for the season are about to come crashing down to earth. Thankfully, this has rarely happened in the Mark Dantonio era--with '09 being the only year that comes to mind--but it has occurred many, many other years under the regimes of Darryl Rogers, Muddy Waters, George Perles, Nick Saban (yes, even Saban), Bobby Williams, and (shudder) John L. Smith. I fear that it could be about to happen this year.
I watched the MSU/EMU game at my brother's house in Owosso. He and his wife were having a house-warming party. I thought that by the time we arrived at his house at 4:30, the game would be a complete Spartan blowout and I could ignore the game and spend more time socializing. I certainly did not expect a life-and-death struggle with the lowly Eagles. I sat with my dad on the couch, drinking a Leinenkugel and imploring someone, anyone, to catch a damned pass.
MSU's football team is at a crossroads this season: either the offense will not improve and the team is headed for a 3-5 or 2-6 record in the Big Ten, or the team has bottomed out, Dantonio's fury will make the players catch fire, and the offense will improve just enough to carry the team to a good Big Ten record (6-2 perhaps) in a year in which the conference is terrible. All I know is that someone besides Dion Sims has to step up as a viable receiving threat, or we could be in for a long season.
The one thing helping MSU is that the Big Ten is god-awful. Let's take a look at the teams:
The undefeateds...
Minnesota 4-0 with no wins that really stand out as impressive. I'm sorry, but a triple overtime win over 1-3 UNLV doesn't blow me away, nor does a 17-10 home win over 1-3 Syracuse. Jerry Kill does have the program headed in the right direction, but I am not sold on them quite yet.
Northwestern The Wildcats are also 4-0, and at least deserve credit for beating three teams from BCS conferences, although Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Boston College are hardly powerhouses.
Ohio State Probably the best of the unbeatens, with a stout defense and a playmaking quarterback in Braxton Miller. However, they were uimpressive in their win over UAB, but the Buckeyes often seem to sleepwalk against weak non-conference opponents. I'm still not quite sure what to make of OSU.
The undisputed bad teams...
Let's start off with Iowa. The Hawkeyes are horrible: losing to a middling MAC school at home is inexcusable (just ask Michigan State). Illinois is also bad, getting shellacked by Louisiana Tech at home. Indiana barely beat Indiana State and lost to Ball State. Add the Hoosiers to the list of lousy Big Ten teams.
The jury is still deliberating on these teams...
Michigan State might have the best defense in the conference, but the offense is struggling mightily. The Ohio State game is a pivotal for the Spartans. As I've stated over and over on this blog (and it's no secret to anyone who follows MSU) the Spartans must find one or two more players who can actually catch a ball consistently.
Denard Robinson was horrible against Notre Dame, but Michigan's defense played well and the Wolverines only lost by a touchdown. Michigan has a bye week before starting the Big Ten season on the road against Purdue. That is a game that will tell us a lot more about both teams.
Of the three Big Ten teams that played Notre Dame, Purdue was the closest to actually winning. The Boilermakers may be the best team in the conference, which is akin to being the world's tallest dwarf. (No offense intended towards dwarfs).
After an awful start to the season, Penn State is actually presenting a pulse. The Nittany Lions may still end up in the "undisputed bad teams" category, but after two consecutive wins I will give them the benefit of a doubt.
For all the offensive woes that MSU has experienced this season, Wisconsin's are even worse: The Badgers are currently ranked 113th among all FBS teams in passing yardage, 88th in rushing, and 102nd in points scored. (MSU's ranks in those three categories are 61, 55, and 104--as a whole, slightly better than Wisconsin). Danny O'Brien hasn't come close to adequately replacing Russell Wilson, and Montee Ball's struggles are mystifying. The Badgers may still end up in the ranks of the terrible.
The Badgers' first Big Ten game is against Nebraska, a team that has played well, with the exception of a road loss to UCLA. Nebraska could end up as Big Ten champion.
All told, an inauspicious start for the Big Ten. But it was probably inevitable. The best football players in the nation are in the South and West. The Midwest has been losing its population and economic clout for four decades, and football--the most expensive of sports--has declined here also. The Big Ten as a second-tier football conference may be the new reality.
I watched the MSU/EMU game at my brother's house in Owosso. He and his wife were having a house-warming party. I thought that by the time we arrived at his house at 4:30, the game would be a complete Spartan blowout and I could ignore the game and spend more time socializing. I certainly did not expect a life-and-death struggle with the lowly Eagles. I sat with my dad on the couch, drinking a Leinenkugel and imploring someone, anyone, to catch a damned pass.
MSU's football team is at a crossroads this season: either the offense will not improve and the team is headed for a 3-5 or 2-6 record in the Big Ten, or the team has bottomed out, Dantonio's fury will make the players catch fire, and the offense will improve just enough to carry the team to a good Big Ten record (6-2 perhaps) in a year in which the conference is terrible. All I know is that someone besides Dion Sims has to step up as a viable receiving threat, or we could be in for a long season.
The one thing helping MSU is that the Big Ten is god-awful. Let's take a look at the teams:
The undefeateds...
Minnesota 4-0 with no wins that really stand out as impressive. I'm sorry, but a triple overtime win over 1-3 UNLV doesn't blow me away, nor does a 17-10 home win over 1-3 Syracuse. Jerry Kill does have the program headed in the right direction, but I am not sold on them quite yet.
Northwestern The Wildcats are also 4-0, and at least deserve credit for beating three teams from BCS conferences, although Syracuse, Vanderbilt, and Boston College are hardly powerhouses.
Ohio State Probably the best of the unbeatens, with a stout defense and a playmaking quarterback in Braxton Miller. However, they were uimpressive in their win over UAB, but the Buckeyes often seem to sleepwalk against weak non-conference opponents. I'm still not quite sure what to make of OSU.
The undisputed bad teams...
Let's start off with Iowa. The Hawkeyes are horrible: losing to a middling MAC school at home is inexcusable (just ask Michigan State). Illinois is also bad, getting shellacked by Louisiana Tech at home. Indiana barely beat Indiana State and lost to Ball State. Add the Hoosiers to the list of lousy Big Ten teams.
The jury is still deliberating on these teams...
Michigan State might have the best defense in the conference, but the offense is struggling mightily. The Ohio State game is a pivotal for the Spartans. As I've stated over and over on this blog (and it's no secret to anyone who follows MSU) the Spartans must find one or two more players who can actually catch a ball consistently.
Denard Robinson was horrible against Notre Dame, but Michigan's defense played well and the Wolverines only lost by a touchdown. Michigan has a bye week before starting the Big Ten season on the road against Purdue. That is a game that will tell us a lot more about both teams.
Of the three Big Ten teams that played Notre Dame, Purdue was the closest to actually winning. The Boilermakers may be the best team in the conference, which is akin to being the world's tallest dwarf. (No offense intended towards dwarfs).
After an awful start to the season, Penn State is actually presenting a pulse. The Nittany Lions may still end up in the "undisputed bad teams" category, but after two consecutive wins I will give them the benefit of a doubt.
For all the offensive woes that MSU has experienced this season, Wisconsin's are even worse: The Badgers are currently ranked 113th among all FBS teams in passing yardage, 88th in rushing, and 102nd in points scored. (MSU's ranks in those three categories are 61, 55, and 104--as a whole, slightly better than Wisconsin). Danny O'Brien hasn't come close to adequately replacing Russell Wilson, and Montee Ball's struggles are mystifying. The Badgers may still end up in the ranks of the terrible.
The Badgers' first Big Ten game is against Nebraska, a team that has played well, with the exception of a road loss to UCLA. Nebraska could end up as Big Ten champion.
All told, an inauspicious start for the Big Ten. But it was probably inevitable. The best football players in the nation are in the South and West. The Midwest has been losing its population and economic clout for four decades, and football--the most expensive of sports--has declined here also. The Big Ten as a second-tier football conference may be the new reality.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Eastern Michigan
The Eastern Michigan Eagles are coming to town and I have a feeling they are in for a whipping from an angry Michigan State team. This is probably the worst possible scenario for EMU to play MSU, as I'm sure the Spartans will be in a foul mood after last week's Notre Dame debacle.
On the subject of Eastern Michigan, it's remarkable that they even still have a football program. EMU has not won a MAC title since 1987, and that is the only MAC championship in the 40 years that Eastern has been in the conference. The average attendance for home football games is less than 10,000 per contest. EMU, in order to help pay the bills, depends on big paydays from games like tomorrow's probable drubbing at Spartan Stadium.
I have a graduate degree from EMU, so I have some perspective on the culture in Ypsilanti, or at least as it existed between 2000-2004, when I attended school there. When I was a student, I never noticed any buzz or enthusiasm towards EMU sports, even when the game was against an intrastate rival like Central or Western. Of course, this may have something to with the fact that (surprise, surprise) EMU sports teams were terrible, and I was spending the majority of my time with graduate students who were not interested in sports.
The biggest strike that EMU has going against it is that the shadow of the University of Michigan looms large over all of Washtenaw County. Unlike fellow Mid-American Conference brethren Central Michigan and Western Michigan, Eastern is only eight miles away from an enormous university with twice the student body of EMU--and this is not just any enormous university, but one with just about the most storied and famous athletic programs in the nation. There's really no way EMU can compete against that, and not only can they not compete, they can barely keep themselves afloat.
But EMU also has themselves to blame. I trace it back to 1968 when Eastern decided to demolish its football stadium, located on the southwest corner of the main campus at the corner of Oakwood and Washtenaw. By this point, EMU was transitioning into primarily a commuter school and desperately needed parking, so Briggs Field was sacrificed to make way for a commuter lot. Briggs Field's replacement, Rynearson Stadium, was built several miles west of the main campus making it difficult for students to get to games and killing any excitement on the main campus on football Saturdays.
Eastern didn't help itself by getting rid of the Hurons nickname. I know this brings up the whole issue of political correctness--and in general, I'm not a big fan of Native American nicknames, but eliminating "Hurons" in favor of the bland and boring "Eagles" alienated many EMU alumni.
Ron English is the new coach at EMU, and has injected some signs of life in the program, but it's hard to imagine EMU's football program ever becoming a consistent winner or a draw for fans. There just seem to be too many inherent disadvantages in Ypsi for this to be possible.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)