Michigan State football thoughts

On two separate occasions today, I have tried to write my preseason thoughts about the 2014 MSU football season. Both times, the device I have used has CRASHED, and I've lost everything I wrote. So let me just say that I have upgraded my usual "cautiously optimistic" to "reasonably confident."

If I can get a PC or smartphone to cooperate, I will elaborate later.

Game Day is here

It's finally here.

Michigan State's 2014 football season starts tonight at 7:31 PM. Ready or not, it's time to buckle the seat belt and get ready for the thrill ride.

The Spartans' opening day opponent is the Jacksonville State Gamecocks, a team that--despite being at the FCS level--should not be taken lightly.

A quick Wikipedia search yielded the following information about Jacksonville State: First of all, the school is located in Alabama and NOT Florida. So let's get that straight right away. JSU's most famous alumni are author Rick Bragg and former Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Todd Jones. Ashley Martin, the first female to ever score a point in NCAA football, was a Jacksonville State player.

The Gamecocks have been playing football since 1904 and have an overall program record of 521-366-40. Not too shabby. They have won 18 conference titles, and since joining the Ohio Valley Conference in 2003, have won their league three times. Jacksonville State is currently riding a streak of eleven consecutive winning seasons, and entering the 2014 season are ranked #6 in FCS. They are coming off an 11-4 2013 season.

The Spartans better strap on their helmets tightly.

Jacksonville State is led by first-year head coach John Grass (who, coincidentally, is two days older than yours truly). The Gamecocks feature a quick strike offense led by senior running back DaMarcus James, who rushed for 1477 yards in 2013. JSU also piled up 3033 yards through the air last season.

MSU should have enough to win this game, but it may not be easy. With some new faces in the Spartans' defensive backfield, I could see some missed assignments or miscommunication leading to some big plays for Jacksonville State. The Spartans may also have some first-game jitters that may not disappear until after the first quarter.

Expectations are so high for MSU, that the Spartans may try a little too hard to look good and may stumble a bit in the early going of the game. By the second half, however, Jacksonville State should wear down and MSU should get it fully rolling. I see the Spartans winning this by a score of something in the neighborhood of 41-17. 41 points may be a bit too high for MSU's point total, but the Spartans' offense should be able to score on Jacksonville State. If anything, I may be lowballing the Gamecocks' total. Depending on how MSU's revamped defense performs (with a secondary that is replacing Darqueze Dennard and Isaiah Lewis, as well as a linebacking corps that lost Max Bullough and Denicos Allen), JSU could go over 20 points. Though I'm not certain of the score, I'm confident that Jacksonville State will be no pushover.

In any case...

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

Old Spartan football games on Big Ten Network, and how I love them (In particular, 1987 MSU/UM and 1998 MSU/OSU)

I am an absolute sucker for the Big Ten Network's "Greatest games" series. During the slow summer months, these replays get quite a bit of rotation as BTN tries desperately to fill programming time. I find it fun to revisit these games years later, to reminisce about the old uniform designs, the cheesy graphics used in the original broadcasts (the same graphics that seemed so hi-tech at the time), and even other minutiae like the clothing and hairstyles of the spectators. (I can't believe how utterly ridiculous and horrible we all looked in the 1980s. However, I suppose we'll be saying the same things twenty years from now when we watch replays of current games).

A few weeks ago, BTN broadcasted Michigan State's 17-11 win over Michigan from the 1987 football season. This was an especially pleasant treat, because with the exception of highlights on YouTube, I hadn't seen this game since it was originally played on October 10, 1987.

I had completely forgotten that MSU--and Michigan--had run several wishbone plays. Maybe I simply didn't understand the significance of this back then, or else I flat-out didn't notice or care.

I had also somehow forgotten what a slobber-knocker that game was. Twenty-two guys just obliterating each other on practically every play: the direct result of how the game was played back in the 1980s, particularly when the two coaches (Perles and Schembechler) had the same "three yards and a cloud of dust" offensive philosophy.

The Spartans dominated the game, with hapless Michigan quarterback Demetrius Brown almost completing more passes to MSU defensive backs than his own receivers. Still, Michigan scored a touchdown and two-point conversion early in the second half--after Andre Rison coughed up the ball on a fumbled punt return--and were remarkably only down by six points. On two separate occasions in the fourth quarter, the Wolverines had a chance to score a winning touchdown, but each time Demetrius Brown threw a pick. Todd Krumm's interception with under a minute left in the game finally sealed the victory for Michigan State.

The 1998 Ohio State game still blows me away. To this day, it's stunning that the Spartans came back from a 24-9 deficit to score the final 19 points of the game, stop the Buckeyes on a goal-line stand in the final minutes of the game--sealed by a Renaldo Hill interception--and come away with a 28-24 victory over a powerhouse football team loaded with NFL talent. Almost sixteen years later, it still ranks as one of the greatest upsets in college football history.

Julian Peterson drills Joe Germaine in the 1998 MSU/OSU game (AP Photo)

When Ohio State took the 24-9 lead in the third quarter, it looked at that point like the Buckeyes were en route to rolling to a victory. It looked especially bad when the Spartans were forced to punt deep in their own side of the field, but in one of those crazy twists of fate that can completely change the momentum of a game, the ball hit an OSU player at midfield and the Spartans recovered. From that point on, MSU played like a team that was given an adrenaline injection, while the Buckeyes seemed to be waiting for MSU to simply pack it in. The Buckeyes would wait almost the rest of the game for this to happen, but it never did.

Watching the game, I am reminded of how aggravating and frustrating that '98 MSU football team could be. They were capable of crushing Notre Dame (42-3 lead at halftime en route to a 45-23 win) and beating #1 Ohio State at The 'Shoe--yet they could also lose to a weak Minnesota team and follow up the OSU upset with a home loss to Purdue. The Spartans had talent on that team, but it was raw talent. Players like Plaxico Burress and Julian Peterson showed flashes of brilliance that would come to full fruition the next season, when the Spartans finished 10-2.

It's been fun passing the lazy days of summer watching these old games and engaging in one of my favorite activities: reminiscing.

The end of June post

Time for me to get in my end-of-the-month post.

The NBA draft took place last week, and both Adreian Payne and Gary Harris were selected in the first round. Of the two, Adreian Payne--barring injury--should have the best NBA career. He has the length and the inside/outside game.. But I wish both Payne and Harris the best.

Maryland and Rutgers are set to officially join the Big Ten on Tuesday, July 1. I'm underwhelmed by the addition of these two schools, and think it waters down the conference. I suppose Rutgers women's basketball improves the Big Ten, and Maryland men's basketball is formidable, but neither school was added with athletics that much in mind. It's a money grab, plain and simple.

Maybe as time goes on, I'll soften and fully accept Maryland and Rutgers in the Big Ten. But as of now, it doesn't excite me at all. The bottom line is that, in many ways, I don't like the direction college athletics is taking. I don't do well with change to begin with, and this sort of change is irksome for me. I grew up with a Big Ten that actually had TEN schools. Now the conference has added three more schools in the span of three years. I was just finally getting used to Penn State in the Big Ten.

Now, Maryland and Rutgers have been added, and not due to athletics, not due to academics, but in a cynical attempt to stake a claim of the east coast television market. Sure, Jim Delany will claim that this had nothing to do with it, but let's be honest. That's what it was about.

My one post for May

I happened to notice that I'd written no posts during the month of May.

Seeing as how this is my last chance to do so, I am here to rectify the situation. So here is my lone post for May.

I'm enjoying the "off-season." Quite honestly, I'm also still reveling in MSU's tremendous 2013 football season and I want this warm glow to last for as long as possible. For that reason, I can't say I'm "looking forward" to the 2014 football season. Not that I'm dreading it or anything. Certainly not--though it's difficult to see how 2014 could possibly top 2013. As I believe I already wrote in here, the only way for that to happen is if the Spartans finished the season undefeated and went on to play in the national championship game.

Just today, the Big Ten Network replayed the Rose Bowl and followed that up with the Spartans' 29-6 dismantling of Michigan. I never, never, never tire of watching either one of those games. I could easily put those two games (along with the Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State) on an endless loop and watch it for several days in a row without getting bored.

Watching those games, though, I still see room for improvement: not with MSU's defense, but with the offense. Connor Cook made enough mistakes in those games that, as successful as he was for the most part, he needs to tighten up his play and make better decisions at times. Of course, he was only a sophomore and I expect that he WILL be a better quarterback in 2014.

For now, I'll continue to revel in the 2013 football season (and if the Big Ten basketball tournament title game against Michigan is replayed, certainly catch that). No need to rush the 2014 football season, there's plenty of time to enjoy the summer and reminisce.

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.