A fitting end to a disastrous season

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.

Football seaon excitement may NEVER hit me

Last night's MSU/Indiana game was simply terrible. So bad, in fact, that I don't even know where to start.

Stupid penalties kill this team in a way I haven't seen since the John L. Smith era, although we may have seen it in 2009 as well. Perhaps the most glaring was a "leaping" penalty on Indiana's first field goal attempt in overtime. Some on message boards felt it was an obscure penalty that may have been mis-applied in this case, but it was the icing on the cake of what was a mistake-filled, uninspired MSU performance.

The only time MSU had any fire under its collective butt was when they were down 21-14. They  finally ran the ball with some aggression and sense of purpose, with Gerald Holmes looking much better than a somewhat listless L.J. Scott.

Then there's Tyler O'Connor. He looks like Andrew Maxwell with mobility. There is little touch on his throws, and I don't sense much in the way of leadership on the field. Although he wasn't necessarily bad last night, he just seems to lack something. Perhaps I/we were spoiled by by Connor Cook more than we even imagined.

I don't know if it has to do with youth, injuries, complacency, lack of leadership, but this entire Spartan football team has taken several steps down this season. I expected a dip this season, but certainly didn't anticipate such a precipitous downturn.

Added to the unease is the great start for that school down the road. Michigan State fans will need to buck up and listen to a lot of boasting and chest-thumping from the blue-and-yellow clad hordes.

My conclusion: It looks like a long year for Spartan football.

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.