The dark cloud hanging over Dantonio and Izzo

I have tried to write this post a few times, but events at Michigan State seem to change on a daily basis, rendering my thoughts and impressions immediately dated.

 

Let me get right down to it: I am depressed. I am sad. I am infuriated. Infuriated with MSU's leadership void and incompetence, but also infuriated with unfair and vindictive shots MSU is taking from outsiders (and I don't necessarily mean ESPN, but mainly people on social media).

 

I don't know what to make of the dark cloud over the basketball and football program. How much of this is really malfeasance by Izzo and/or Dantonio, and how much is it an opportunistic ESPN with an axe to grind? How much of my reaction is knee-jerk defensiveness that my alma mater is under the microscope? Is it just that I can't handle the ugly reality and am taking out my anger on a media outlet that is simply trying to report a story?

 

I have never met Mark Dantonio, so I have no idea who he is as a human being. Perhaps he is capable of covering up sexual misconduct/abuse. I really have no idea. Certainly, Dantonio's program has been checkered by bad behavior by his players, so I regret to admit this is not a far-fetched notion.

 

On the other hand, I have met Tom Izzo twice, both times in everyday situations in which he could have easily "big-timed" me or ignored me. Instead, he was gracious and friendly. He struck me as, deep down, a hard-working blue collar guy from Iron Mountain. I felt like I got the measure of the man and insight into his character. It's hard for me to imagine Izzo ever knowingly covering up bad behavior by one of his players.

 

But what do I know? Clearly the culture at Michigan State is not what I thought it was just one or two years ago. It's an institution that enabled a predator like Larry Nassar, so who knows what else it has allowed?

 

All I really know is that if It's true that Izzo is guilty of a cover up, it will be one of the saddest days of my life. I will no longer feel like I can trust any public figure.

What a football season it has been!

The Spartans have played three games since I last wrote in here, and they've won two of them.

I was at the October 21 Homecoming victory against Indiana: a warm, gloriously sunny Saturday. I have never seen a Homecoming game as festive as this year. The stadium was so packed--and security so tight--that it took us until about midway through the first quarter to get to our upper deck seats. The game itself was painful until MSU woke up late in the fourth quarter to score two touchdowns and sneak out with a 17-9 win.

Last week, very little went right in a 39-31 overtime loss to a good Northwestern team in Evanston. But the Spartans more than made up by bouncing back to beat #7 Penn State 27-24.

There hasn't been anything overwhelming about MSU's Big Ten wins this season. They have won five games by a combined 25 points. Even if it isn't pretty, the team finds a way to win.

My son and I were at the Penn State game, but I regret to admit that after the stadium was evacuated, we didn't return to the see the conclusion. We had prior engagements that evening, so I watched the second half from the warmth of my living room. But here is a salute to the hardy people who stuck around to cheer the Spartans on. Well done!

There is a lot to like about this year's team. Just the fact that they have more than doubled last year's win total is reason enough to rejoice.

Brian Lewerke has thrown for 400 yards in two consecutive games. He established a new single-game passing yardage record against Northwestern and threw for another 400 yesterday against Penn State. Considering he still has two more seasons left at MSU, he could end up as the most prolific passer MSU has ever had.

The Spartans have a slew of excellent young receivers, but Felton Davis III has established himself--at least for now--as the number one guy. He was seemingly all over the field yesterday and made phenomenal catch after phenomenal catch.

So with Iowa blowing out Ohio State yesterday, the Spartans find themselves amazingly playing for the driver's seat in the Big Ten East race next week against the Buckeyes. For the fourth time in the the last five years, it is Michigan State--not Michigan--who goes up against Ohio State with a potential championship on the line.

I admit that after last season's 3-9 debacle, I wasn't sure if Mark Dantonio could get the program back to championship level. How wrong I was. He has to be a prime candidate for national coach of the year.

I fully expect the Spartans to be underdogs in Columbus next week, and I think that's the way they like it. Ohio State has proven themselves to be fallible, and though I don't expect them to look as bad as they were against Iowa, in no way do I think they are a guarantee to beat Michigan State. I have finally learned not to doubt Mark Dantonio.

Michigan State/Alabama pre-game post, volume I

With Christmas season upon us, and very little MSU sports action, I've been away from this blog quite a bit since the Big Ten Championship game against Iowa.

But now we're only four days away from the Spartans' College Football Playoff semi-final against the big bad Alabama Crimson Tide.

It's hard not to be reminded of the last time Michigan State played Alabama in football, the shellacking in the 2011 Capital One Bowl. That was one of the most uncompetitive bowl games I've ever seen, and at the time was a clear indication of how far Michigan State had to go to be among the elite programs in the nation.

On New Year's Eve, we will see how far the Spartans have come in the last five years. Obviously, I hope the Spartans beat Alabama, but I don't think it's necessary for MSU to win in order to prove that they belong among the big boys in college football. A hard-fought, close loss should be enough (though clearly a win over Bama would be considerably more satisfying).

I'm going on a limb and declaring that the Spartans are not only more athletically talented than the 2010 team, but they are tougher and more battle-tested. I'd be surprised if they don't battle Alabama all the way to the end, and frankly I wouldn't be shocked if the Spartans won this game. After the wild, crazy, seemingly improbable wins they have had since the 2011 season--and particularly since 2013--I'm finally done doubting this program.

There's been a lot written in these parts lately about Nick Saban: the way he left MSU and peoples' overall impression of the guy. My feelings towards Saban are somewhat ambivalent. Saban took over a Michigan State football program that had become flabby, undisciplined, and lazy (on and off the field) in the last few years of the George Perles regime. Saban cleaned it up, did what he could with scholarship limitations, and finally by his fifth year had enough talent to lead the program to a 9-2 record. Like most everyone in Spartan Nation, I was both angry and despondent when he bailed for LSU when the 1999 season ended. However, as has been pointed out by folks like Jack Ebling, the environment in the MSU administration and athletic department was much different in '99 than it is now. President M. Peter McPherson never did get football, (and neither did his predecessor John DiBiaggio, for that matter).

I won't pretend to know the ins-and-outs of Saban's decision to leave Michigan State. My sense is that it was a combination of factors: McPherson's refusal to give him a raise, Saban growing frustrated with playing second banana to Michigan--and by extension probably believing he'd taken MSU as far as it could go in football. (In fairness to Saban, Michigan under Lloyd Carr was a juggernaut and had won a share of the national championship in 1997, and I'm sure was extremely difficult to compete against in recruiting. When Dantonio took over in 2007, it coincided with the crumbling of the Michigan empire). Saban has been extremely complimentary of Dantonio, acknowledging that his protege has taken MSU further that he ever did.

So now mentor and protege face each other for the second time. We will soon see exactly how far the protege has elevated Michigan State football.

This Spartan football renaissance

In August 2001--I remember the date because it was just a few days before my first son was born--I met up with a group of friends at the Peanut Barrel, one of the best watering holes in East Lansing. At some point during the evening, the subject of Michigan State football was brought up and discussed. The previous season, the Spartans finished 5-6 overall and tied for last place in the Big Ten at 2-6. The 2001 season would see them perform slightly better (7-5 overall, though only 3-5 in conference play, with a win over Fresno State in the fleabag Silicon Valley Classic bowl game). Anyway, the topic of discussion centered on whether MSU should give up the notion of being a viable player in football. The previous spring, Tom Izzo had led the basketball team to its fourth consecutive Big Ten title and third consecutive Final Four while the football program looked stuck in the mud and completely unable to capitalize on its stellar 1999 season (10-2, 6-2 in Big Ten play, win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl). Most of us sitting at that table in the bar agreed that football at MSU may as well be dead, and the school may as well concentrate on what it was good at: basketball.

Looking back now, with MSU in the midst of an amazing football renaissance, it's hard to believe that we ever felt this way. In truth, I don't know if my feelings towards Spartan football were quite that bleak. Even in my darkest hours, I felt that if Michigan State ever got its shit together, it could at least have a program on par with Iowa or Wisconsin: consistently finishing in the neighborhood of 8-4 while challenging for a conference title once every five years. It seemed like a reasonable and realistic expectation.

Never in my wildest imagination could I envision where Mark Dantonio has taken the MSU football program. Five double-digit win seasons in the last six years, three conference titles in six years (with an additional division title thrown in for good measure), four straight bowl wins, and now a spot in the four team College Football Playoff with a shot at a national championship. There are times when I truly feel I need to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming the whole thing up. In fact, this morning I half expected to wake up only to find that I'd imagined MSU's insanely dramatic win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game.

What a game it was last night. A hard-hitting, defensive, all-out slobber-knocker. In retrospect, I feel a little sheepish about predicting a high scoring 37-30 game. I completely overestimated the impact that artificial turf and a climate controlled indoor environment would have on the game. I thought this would enable both offenses to stretch the field and have big plays. Instead, both defenses brought it with intense fury.

To answer my question of a few days ago, "How good is Iowa?": The answer is, "Very, very good." The Hawkeyes were just as good as I expected and maybe even better. C.J. Beathard is a calm, unflappable quarterback with a great arm and a bright future. Cornerback Desmond King is deserving of his Defensive Back of the Year award, as he and Aaron Burbridge engaged in hand-to-hand combat all night long. I'm happy to hear the Hawkeyes remained in front of Ohio State in the college football playoff rankings and will be headed to the Rose Bowl. They earned it.

Mark Dantonio and Kirk Ferentz's teams have had some classic battles on the gridiron since Dantonio arrived in 2007. Ferentz won their first meeting in 2007, an overtime thriller. Dantonio countered with a 16-13 win in '08 when the Spartans stuffed Shon Greene on a fourth down run. Iowa bounced back in 2009 in what was one of the most painful losses I've ever endured, scoring the winning touchdown on the final play of the game. The teams have played four games since then, with MSU winning in 2011, 2013, and this year--and Iowa winning another gut-wrenching overtime thriller in 2012. The bottom line is that this has been one hell of a compelling series.

The 2015 Big Ten championship game will be a contest that people will talk about for years to come. It was filled with drama. There was what I refer to as the "Immaculate interception" by MSU's Demetrius Cox (ball jarred loose by Riley Bullough's hit on the receiver) in the MSU end zone. It was a huge play that prevented Iowa from scoring a touchdown (or at the very least, a field goal) and potentially taking a 13-3 lead. With the way the defenses were playing last night, a 10-point lead may have been almost insurmountable. When it looked like MSU had seized momentum with a 9-6 lead, C.J. Beathard threw a play-action touchdown bomb that put Iowa up 13-9. And then there was the Spartans' epic 9-plus minute touchdown drive in which MSU slowly squeezed the life out of the Hawkeyes like a boa constrictor killing its prey. When watching MSU sports, I often feel like my heart will leap out of my chest and land pulsing on the carpet in front of my Vizio flat-screen television, and that feeling was especially profound last night when witnessing the game-winning drive.

I am a happy, content Spartan fan today. I am basking in the glow of last night's wonderful win and am not concerned about the tilt with Alabama on December 31. After this whirlwind, roller coaster ride of a regular season, I feel like a three week breather is just what I need.

Oh yeah, there's a game tomorrow

It's safe to say that all MSU football fans are just coming down on an almost week-long high and are just now realising that the Spartans have a game tomorrow.

The Indiana Hoosiers have perhaps the best aerial attack in the Big Ten, and I'm concerned with what a healthy Nate Sudfeld might be able to do against the Spartans' patched-together secondary. Sudfeld presents a challenge that Jake Rudock definitely did not.

Somewhat lost in the elation of the Michigan win is that the Spartans are still a team with plenty of faults and lots of improvements that need to be made.

Despite (arguably) the greatest special teams play in MSU history, the Spartans other special teams plays were dreadful in the Michigan game. In fact, in a season in which MSU's special teams play has been generally sub-par, it was terrible against Michigan--it's ironic that the greatest special teams play in Spartan history won the it in the final 10 seconds of the game.

The Spartans should beat Indiana tomorrow, though it may not be easy. It'll be interesting to see Indiana's mindset after last week's heartbreaking loss to Rutgers, in which the Hoosiers blew a 52-27 lead at home and went down 55-52. Will that loss demoralize them? I suspect Indiana still has some fight left in them, and it's up to the Spartans to not be hungover from the Michigan game and take care of Indiana. Mark Dantonio always has the Spartans ready after the Michigan game, and this year should be no exception.

Let's call this one: MSU 38, Indiana 28.

For several reasons, the most satisfying win over Michigan in my lifetime

Yesterday was to be the day of the Jim Harbaugh coronation. The day in which the Michigan Wolverines would once again claim their lofty position as one of college football's elite. The stage was set, with ESPN College GameDay broadcasting from U of M's Diag, followed by a national broadcast of the game on ESPN.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the coronation, Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans knocked Harbaugh's royal carriage off the road.

I did a count last night, and Michigan State has defeated Michigan in football 16 times in my lifetime (though I really shouldn't count the 1969 game since I don't remember it). So of the 15 I remember, yesterday's victory was far and away the most satisfying one.

Let's do a rundown of the various reasons this MSU win over Michigan was so sweet:

1. The Jim Harbaugh hype. All we've been hearing about since late December 2014 is "the wonder and glory of Jim Harbaugh." The media would have you believe he's Bo Schembechler, Vince Lombardi, and God Almighty in khakis. The hyperbole involving this guy had become truly nauseating, so knocking him off his pedestal, in the most gut-wrenching manner possible, is incredibly satisfying for Michigan State fans.

2. The Michigan shutout streak. Hey, I'll hand it to Michigan, three straight shutouts is a splendid accomplishment--but come on, let's get real. People talked about this Michigan defense like it was the 1985 Chicago Bears. Two of those shutouts were at home and all three against teams that are, at best, middling. Michigan was hanging its hat on last week's 38-0 win over Northwestern, but after the Iowa Hawkeyes trucked the Wildcats 40-10 in Evanston, it's now quite clear that this "signature win" was a mirage.

Though Michigan's run defense was stout against the Spartans (and so, too, was MSU's against the Wolverines), Connor Cook was able to exploit Michigan's secondary all day long with Spartan receivers making plenty of big catches (though credit must be given to Wolverines' splendid defensive back Jourdan Lewis, who battled Aaron Burbridge all day long). So Michigan's shutout streak came to a resounding end.

3. Turning the tables on the free publicity. As I wrote, this was all set up to be Michigan football's 2015 debutante ball and Harbaugh's coronation as the greatest football coach in the history of the world (or something like that). In the most incredible and improbable way--certainly one of the greatest-ever ends to a college football game--the Spartans pulled the rug out from under Michigan. The fumbled punt snap returned for a touchdown suddenly became THE play that everyone was talking about last night. Social media exploded. The replay was shown ad infinitum on the Big Ten Network, ESPN, and probably every other sports television network. It was posted on Twitter and Facebook by everyone. Michigan State couldn't possibly have scripted a better way to win that game and capture the most attention possible.

4. At least temporarily silencing the Michigan fan base. Oh my, had they become annoying. Where do I even begin? There was the whole Harbaugh mania, there was the incessant criticism of MSU's close wins in comparison to Michigan's blowouts, and just the fact that they'd crawled out of the woodwork like cockroaches.

Now, let me make this perfectly clear, there is no doubt that Michigan football is much improved over where it was under Rich Rodriguez and most of Brady Hoke's tenure, and Michigan will most likely remain a strong program as long as Harbaugh is there; but before we prepare to crown Harbaugh, keep in mind that Mark Dantonio and Michigan State are still here and aren't going away.

Mid-week thoughts about the state of Michigan State football

We're still waiting for Michigan State football to play for an entire 60 minutes, and with the team looking closer to a M*A*S*H* unit than a football squad lately, I don't when or if we will see that this season. Quite frankly, this is not the #4 team in the country right now. Whether that changes in the next few weeks or months, I have no idea.

Michigan State is still undefeated, but along with Ohio State, it has to be the shakiest and least impressive 5-0 record in the nation. I'm still trying to determine if this is due to: a) the targets on their backs (with every opponent giving the Spartans their best shot, b) the terrible injury situation, c) boredom, d) losing Pat Narduzzi, or e) all of the above.

The upcoming Rutgers game is important. First of all, MSU needs to find a way to win. And if looking at Rutgers' record you think I'm crazy to simply suggest that MSU needs to worry more about escaping with a win than blowing the Scarlet Knights out of the building, then look a little closer. Though by any statistical standard Rutgers is not a good football team, strange things have happened in Piscataway to high- ranked teams, and the Spartans are possibly the most vulnerable high-ranked team in the nation right now. Add to that, this is a night game and it's being promoted as a "black out" at Rutgers. It will be a frenzied atmosphere at High Point Solutions Stadium. (By the way, could there possibly be a worse name for a college football stadium?).

On the other hand, maybe getting away from East Lansing is just what the Spartans need. It could be the old "circle the wagons" mentality in front of a hostile crowd. It could also be that the Spartans are feeling the lofty expectations in their own stadium and could use a road game to temporarily escape that.

Though it's not Dantonio's approach or philosophy towards the game of football, a blowout win over Rutgers may be exactly what the Spartans need to boost their confidence (if it needs boosting) and, more importantly, get the media and fans off their backs for a week (because the media and fans will already be hyping the Michigan game).

And this leads me to...

...I don't think it's too early to start talking about the MSU/Michigan game:

Michael Rosenberg, on SI College Football Podcast, made an astute observation about the inevitable reaction if Michigan beats Michigan State--and let's face it, with the game in Ann Arbor and the Spartans severely beaten up and not playing well--it is a distinct possibility. Rosenberg said (and I'm paraphrasing) that if Michigan wins, the national and local media will trumpet how the "tide has turned" and "MSU's reign in the state is over" and similar nonsense.

Now listen, Harbaugh has done a great job with Michigan, and I have little doubt that he has already turned the program around, but Michigan State isn't going away under Dantonio. One win over the Spartans does not indicate that MSU's grave should be dug. Rosenberg believes MSU is here to stay under Dantonio and so do I.

A quick end of the year wrap-up

This is one final post before the end of the year, sort of a quick "year-end wrap-up."

 

For MSU sports fans, the year 2014 literally peaked on January 1. The next 364 days were a bit of a comedown.

 

In 2013, the final year of the BCS era, the Spartan football team finally made a BCS bowl; and in the last year in which the Rose Bowl was, for the most part, the game we grew up with, MSU participated. In what felt like a throwback to Rose Bowls of the past, the Big Ten champion Spartans took on the PAC 12 champion Stanford Cardinal. And in a good old fashioned defensive slobber knocker, the Spartans made a memorable 4th down stand and won 24-20. Spartan football ended the season ranked #3 for its highest finish in my lifetime.

 

And that day was the pinnacle of the Michigan State sports year.

 

MSU basketball had a very good season, albeit injury-plagued and somewhat frustrating. The highlight for me was the Big Ten tournament, in which a finally full-strength Spartan team demolished Wisconsin and Michigan to take the title. The team entered the NCAA tournament as many pundits' favorite to win it all. Even President Obama picked MSU to go all the way. (In retrospect, this may have been the kiss of death). The Spartans made it to the Elite Eight before falling to eventual champion UConn. I can still remember watching the game on a warm April day at my brother's house. The Spartans looked to be in command at halftime before everything inexplicably unraveled in the second half. Not only did MSU not win the national championship, but the 2014 senior class became the first one under Tom Izzo to not make a Final Four. This was a remarkable streak that was bound to end at some point.

 

With the end of basketball season in April, it was finally time to unwind and reflect on what an amazing time it had been in 2013-14 for MSU football (mainly) and basketball (to a slightly lesser extent). 2013 had been such an incredible year for football that I was really in no hurry for the 2014 season to begin.

 

I must have been one of the few who never expected the 2014 football team to improve upon what had been accomplished in 2013. A 13-1 record (undefeated in Big Ten play) plus a Rose Bowl victory is special. It may be a once in a generation season. So what the 2014 team accomplished (thus far) was NOT a disappointment for me. Sure, a spot in the four-team playoff would have been fantastic, but it just wasn't meant to be.

 

The 2014 Spartan football team is 10-2 (7-1 in conference play) with the Cotton Bowl still to be played tomorrow. In '13, a spirited and focused MSU team punched Ohio State in the mouth in the Big Ten title game. When the teams had their rematch in '14, the Buckeyes had a score to settle. It was MSU's only blemish in the conference season and probably the only roadblock to MSU actually making the four team football playoff.

 

With the 2014-15 Spartan basketball team floundering, who knows what 2015 has in store. If MSU football could find a way to beat a high octane Baylor team in tomorrow's Cotton Bowl, the year could get off to a rousing start.

 

As a grizzled veteran of many, many disappointing MSU sports seasons of the past, I have very little to complain about now. Tom Izzo, despite the travails of this year's team, is a great basketball coach who is still the envy of most college basketball programs in America. Despite the arrival of "The Messiah" Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor, there is no reason that both Michigan AND Michigan State football can't be simultaneously successful. MSU football is in great hands under Mark Dantonio.

When you get down to it, this is a great time to be a Michigan State sports fan, and there's no reason not to be confident and optimistic about the future.

The direct line from Biggie Munn to Mark Dantonio (or "Five Degrees of Munn")

The direct line from Biggie Munn to Mark Dantonio:

Biggie Munn, the godfather
Duffy Daugherty, assistant under Biggie Munn
George Perles, graduate assistant and later defensive line coach under Duffy Daugherty
Nick Saban, defensive coordinator under George Perles
Mark Dantonio, defensive backs coach under Nick Saban

...and just when everything was so "rosy"

"Sometimes, at the height of our revelries, when our joy is at its zenith, when all is most right with the world, the most unthinkable disasters descend upon us." --Jean Shepherd, A Christmas Story

Happy Boxing Day, everyone.

MSU football fans' "unthinkable disaster" was discovered late Christmas evening. It feels considerable worse than the Bumpus hounds tearing apart the Christmas turkey.

I woke up briefly late last night, and checked my phone, as I often do when I wake up late at night for some reason. At the top of my Facebook feed was a photo of Max Bullough, with the headline, "Michigan State's Max Bullough suspended for Rose Bowl" (or something similar). I (along with countless other MSU fans, I'm sure) was in utter disbelief. How could this happen to one of MSU's team captains, the "quarterback" of the defense, a kid who has worked his entire career to reach this pinnacle, scion of the famous Bullough family of Spartan football?

What could Bullough have possibly done to get him suspended from the Rose Bowl? And why is it that it never seems easy for MSU football? The Spartans finally make it back to Pasadena for the first time in 26 years, and arguably the heart and soul of the team will not be making the trip. It puts a big damper on the whole game now, which will only be relieved if the Spartans find a way to beat Stanford without Bullough.

I applaud Mark Dantonio for taking a stand and suspending Bullough for whatever his transgression was. I'm sure it's extremely painful for Dantonio, but I have a feeling that Max is receiving as much punishment, if not more, from his grandfather, father, and uncles. This has to be extremely disappointing and embarrassing for the entire Bullough clan, and especially Max himself. It's an incredibly sad way for him to end his, up to now, outstanding Michigan State football career.

It's time for the MSU defense to pick up the slack in Bullough's absence, though his loss creates a large void. Thankfully, the defense has depth, and this is a perfect opportunity for someone like Ed Davis, Kyler Elsworth, Denicos Allen, or Taiwan Jones to have a big day on January 1. Someone had to replace Max Bullough soon anyway, it'll just happen one game earlier than anyone expected.

Rose Bowl bound!

It couldn't possibly get any sweeter than last night. In my 45 years on this planet, I can not remember a bigger MSU football victory than yesterday's Big Ten championship win over Ohio State. Considering the opponent, and the stakes involved, it was the most important Spartan football game since 1966. I don't think that can be disputed.

Since the game ended late Saturday evening, I've been taking it all in and completely basking in the afterglow. I watched ESPN and the Big Ten Network late into the wee hours of the morning. I have watched the game replay twice, devoured the coverage in the Sunday papers. I can't get enough of it.

To not only win the Big Ten title, but defeat Ohio State and ruin their national championship dreams? And end Urban Meyer's 24-game winning streak while clinching a trip to Pasadena. How could it possibly get any better than that?

As I texted my brother immediately after the game, and I'm paraphrasing, moments like tonight are the reason we stick with MSU through thick and thin.

I have looked over some of my hysterical, sky-is-falling posts from the first month of the season, and I will go on the record right now and admit that I was a complete idiot. I'm particularly embarrassed by my post-Notre Dame post, in which I compared the MSU coaching staff to the Keystone Kops and questioned Mark Dantonio's competence and sanity. I admit I was dead wrong, although I am still puzzled by the decision to bench Connor Cook on the final possession against the Irish.

I can't believe how much this team improved from the beginning of the season until now. The coaching staff and players deserved a tremendous amount of credit for their hard work and determination.

This season has been an exciting and fun ride.

Izzo and basketball attendance; and Dantonio's place in MSU football history

Tom Izzo and last night's basketball attendance

Last night, after the Spartan basketball team dispatched the Portland Pilots at Breslin Center, Tom Izzo expressed his extreme displeasure that so few people had turned out for the game.

While I can understand Izzo's disappointment, or can at the very least empathize, the terrible storms in lower and mid-Michigan must have had something to do with this. Thousands of people lost power late on Sunday night and the wee hours of Monday morning. I speculate that this is what kept people away.

While I always welcome Tom Izzo's candor, and generally think he's on target with his comments and criticisms, I don't know if his anger over this was well-timed. I wonder if he considered that the damage caused by Sunday night's storm, and its aftermath, had anything to do with the empty seats?

Whatever the case may be, I certainly hope that attendance improves for the upcoming home basketball games. After all, we do have the number one team in the land. If we continue to see empty seats at Breslin Center, than there is a problem due more to complacency than bad weather and power outages.

Mark Dantonio's place in MSU coaching history

From Tom Izzo, undeniably the greatest coach in MSU basketball history (and possibly the greatest coach MSU has had in any sport), to Mark Dantonio, a coach who is staking a claim as one of the best the university has seen.

With the victory at Nebraska, Dantonio won his 60th game as MSU's head football coach. Yesterday, I did a quick Wikipedia search to see how he stacks up with other Spartan football coaches.

Dantonio currently has the second highest Big Ten winning percentage in MSU football history. He's behind only Biggie Munn, who coached the Spartans in their inaugural year of conference play before stepping down to become university athletic director. Munn had a 5-1 conference record in 1953, an .833 winning percentage. Dantonio's current Big Ten record is 36-18 (.667). So among Spartan football coaches who have coached multiple Big Ten seasons (probably a better basis for comparison than Munn's lone conference season in '53), Dantonio is all alone in first place.

Coach D, in only his seventh season, is already fourth all-time in victories. His 60 wins are behind Duffy Daugherty (109), Charlie Bachman (70) and George Perles (officially 68, with 5 wins from the 1994 season forfeited).

Dantonio, with an overall win/loss record of 60-29, has a .674 winning percentage. This is third all-time behind Biggie Munn's virtually unapproachable .846 and Chester Brewer's .699.

It's true that, unlike Munn and Daugherty, Dantonio doesn't have any national championships. But let's face it, the landscape of college football has changed since Munn and Daugherty were coaching in the '40s, '50s, and '60s. It may not be completely realistic at this point to expect MSU to contend for national titles when Alabama and the SEC rule the roost. Demographics have changed substantially over the last few decades, and the Big Ten may never be as powerful as it was in the days of Munn and Daugherty.

For what Dantonio has accomplished, with the resources he's had at his disposal, he ranks among the best football coaches in Michigan State University history.

(Addendum: At the conclusion of the 2013 football season, Dantonio's overall record is even better than it was when I originally wrote this post. He has an overall record of 64-29 (.679), and a conference record of 38-18 (.688)).

 

What in the H-E-Double-Hockey-Sticks is going on with MSU football?

Mark Dantonio and his koaching staff? (or is this the officiating crew at the MSU/ND game?)

I'm not sure if the above picture is that famous incompetent police force, the Keystone Kops, or the MSU football coaching staff (or should I say, koaching staff). In any case, they both have the same degree of expertise--at least in recent weeks. And the same can be said for the officiating crew that worked the Michigan State/Notre Dame game.

I've had a few days to stew over the latest head-scratching, gut-wrenching Michigan State football loss. The more I think of it, the angrier I get.

What in the hell is going on with this team. More specifically, what in the hell is going on with this coaching staff? Has Mark Dantonio lost his mind? I never thought I'd be so critical of Mark Dantonio, but he has really bungled this 2013 team from the spring game until now.

Yes, the team is 3-1; but it's the rockiest, ugliest 3-1 I've seen in quite some time.

Why in the world was Andrew Maxwell thrown into the game on the final drive, only to inexplicably run out of bounds on 4th and 20, sealing MSU's fate. Did Maxwell forget the down-and-distance? Even if so, it doesn't look good for him to make such a huge mental error in a pressure situation. It didn't look good for the coaches to throw him into that situation in the first place. And was Connor Cook really playing that badly? I don't think so. The team was only down by four points!

The coaching staff is in serious danger of alienating all of the quarterbacks and dividing the team if this dog and pony show continues.

And don't get me started on some of the offensive play-calling, specifically the ridiculous R.J. Shelton trick play, which destroyed a promising Spartan drive in which MSU was gashing Notre Dame on the ground.

But not all of what happened on Saturday was MSU's fault. I don't like to crow too much about bad officiating, but the pass interference calls against the Spartans were some of the worst officiating decisions I've seen since last year's Nebraska game. When poor officiating has a direct impact on the result of a game, there is a problem. This was definitely the case in the Notre Dame game.

That's all I have for now. I think I need to take some prozac and decompress.

Nebraska Cornhuskers: pre-game thoughts

I finally am able, this morning, to get one of the kids off the computer to write my thoughts about the game against the Cornhuskers, which is just a little more than an hour away.

So let me cut to the chase.  I'm nervous.  It's in Lincoln, where the last time the Spartans played (in the first game of 1996), they were mauled 55-14.  Granted, those were different times.  It was Saban's second year as head coach and the Spartans were talent-depleted.  Tom Osborne had the Nebraska machine going strong, with a team that would go on to finish 11-2 and #6 in the nation.  MSU was simply the first of several teams the Huskers would demolish that season.

The 2011 Michigan State team has considerable more talent than that '96 squad, and Nebraska doesn't seem quite as daunting as Osborne's team.  Still, the nervous Nelly, glass-is-half-empty, expect-the-worst MSU fan that I have been conditioned to become after years of disappointment is concerned about this game.  I have flashbacks of the Iowa game last year, and am reminded that the Halloween weekend has not been kind the Spartans the last few years.  Last season's Iowa road debacle took place the day before Halloween, and the heartbreaking (and poorly officiated) '09 road loss to Minnesota was on Halloween.

Well, haven't the last few years under Dantonio been all about defying expectations?  Why can't MSU beat Nebraska in Lincoln?  Of course they can!  After all, last season the Spartans clinched their first Big Ten title in 20 years by defeating Penn State in Happy Valley for the first time since 1965.  This year, they knocked off Ohio State in Columbus for the first time since 1998. (Granted, it was a depleted OSU team, but I digress).  MSU has now beaten Michigan for the fourth consecutive year, a feat I never thought I'd see in my lifetime.  And as further icing on the cake (to borrow yet another well-worn cliche) the Spartans beat the #4 Wisconsin Badgers on a hail Mary pass.  Yes, the last few years have been about defying expectations and killing old demons.

I can't be expected to give an unbiased prediction regarding the outcome of this game.  With this in mind, I will say that the Spartans defeat the Cornhuskers, 27-24.

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).

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!

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.

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!