Bringing the Payne

I have to admit, I was surprised by how thoroughly and convincingly the Spartan basketball team beat the Texas Longhorns today. I didn't see that coming, but one would think that after almost 19 years of Tom Izzo-coached teams pulling out great gutty win after great gutty win, I should have expected it.

The game was actually nip-and-tuck through at least the first 30 minutes and change, but that's when MSU's experience, grit, and talent took over. Despite Matt Costello's absence, despite Adreian Payne's lingering aches and pains, despite Gary Harris not being at full strength, the Spartans beat a talented athletic team on its home floor, and made it look like a breeze. One would never guess that any of MSU's players were playing through health issues.

This could be one of those games we will consider a pivotal win once the season is over.

How about Adreian Payne? I'm trying to decide if that was the best game I've ever seen him play. It just might be. To borrow the tired old cliche, he was a man among boys, as he completely took the game over. If he can bring just 3/4 of that effort throughout the Big Ten season, the Spartans could roll to a conference title.

Gary Harris had a productive return into the lineup, with 19 points. Travis Trice also chipped in with perhaps his best game of the season. 13 points in 21 minutes and an astounding 3 for 4 from beyond the arc. Gavin Schilling also continues to grow by leaps and bounds. His emergence in Costello's absence has been extremely important for this team. Schilling had 4 points and 5 rebounds in only 12 minutes, and actually hit both of his free throws--quite remarkable considering the struggles he had from the charity strip against North Florida.

So there you have it, a fantastic hoops win for MSU and a splendid way to welcome in the official start of winter.

Impressions from the North Florida basketball game

On Tuesday evening, I attended my first MSU basketball game of the season, a somewhat snooze-worthy blowout win of North Florida in front of a vaguely disinterested, Izzone-less crowd. The biggest excitement of the evening, quite frankly, took place during the timeouts. In the first half, the seniors for the Spartan football team came out with their championship trophies and saluted the crowd and were received with the most rousing applause of the night. Late in the second half, Tom Izzo called timeout and addressed the crowd, saluting Ed Hightower, who was officiating his last game at Breslin Center before his retirement. Hightower has taken quite a bit of abuse from MSU fans over the years, but he received a warm ovation and he seemed truly touched by the gesture.

As for the game itself, the play of Gavin Schilling and Russell Byrd was encouraging, but given the competition is probably not worth getting overly excited about. Certainly, it'd be great to see Schilling continue to improve this season since this basketball team's biggest weakness is in the front court. Derrick Nix's departure has left a hole that the Spartans have had a difficult time filling. Russell Byrd played the best game I've ever seen from him. He made some big shots and looked confident. He was even able to drive to the basket and lay it up and in. I've never seen that from him. Yes, I know it's "only" North Florida, but maybe this is a good sign. Maybe, just maybe, Byrd can become a guy to come off the bench and provide a spark. One can't help but root for this kid.

The last highlight of the evening occurred after the game, when Adreian Payne and Branden Dawson joined in the singing of "MSU Shadows" and offered some interpretive dance moves to go with it. It was an amusing moment.

Coming up is the game against Texas, and this game will probably be a big challenge for MSU. I watched most of the second half of the Longhorns' win over North Carolina at the Dean Dome, and Texas looks like a very good team. Considering how depleted the Spartans currently find themselves, it'll be tough for MSU to come away with a win, but I'm sure they'll play hard and you just never know--stranger things have happened. Never count Tom Izzo out of any game.

Still basking

It's been over a week since the Spartans defeated Ohio State for the Big Ten title and a trip to the Rose Bowl, and I'm still on cloud nine, with no sign of falling off anytime soon.
 

A 26 year wait will do that.

MSU played Oakland in basketball yesterday, and it barely registered a blip on my personal radar screen. Sure, I was a bit concerned with how the Spartans struggled--though to be fair, this wasn't too surprising considering the ten-day layoff between games and Harris, Costello, and Kaminski out of the lineup-but I've been so consumed with Spartan football that I barely felt any angst regarding the hoops team.

 

I don't know how many times I've watched the Big Ten Network's replay of the championship game. I've lost count, but I'd guess about four times. I can't get enough of it. Sometime before January 1, 2014, I'll have to snap out of this euphoric state in order to watch the Tournament of Roses Parade and the Rose Bowl game, though I know the second I see the Spartan Marching Band turn the corner on Colorado Boulevard, I will have tears streaming down my cheeks.

 

I feel a certain amount of vindication this season from a fan's perspective. I may have already mentioned this here, but my single biggest regret from college (besides obtaining my fairly useless liberal arts degree) is not purchasing season football tickets in 1987. I was so angry over the disappointing '86 Spartan football team that I decided to save my pennies in 1987.
 

Collossal mistake, and big failure as an MSU student and fan.

 

I only attended two football games in 1987, the two worst home games of the season: Florida State and Illinois. The only good that came out of the Florida State game was that it was a warm, sunny September day, and I can say I saw, in person, Deion Sanders play as a collegian. The Illinois game was Homecoming. A rainy, cruddy cold day in which John Langeloh's potentially winning field goal was blocked, resulting in a tie.

 

I missed the 17-11 win over Michigan, and the Rose Bowl-clinching victory against Indiana. (I had to settle for a mad dash from Shaw Hall to Spartan Stadium immediately after the game to join in the celebration).

 

This year, I enjoyed a warm, sunny Homecoming win over Indiana, and then the most electrifying atmosphere I've ever experienced at Spartan Stadium when MSU crushed Michigan, 29-6.
 

It only took me 26 years, but I got it right this time.

Sixth Annual Treasures from the Spartan Attic Big Ten Football Awards

For the sixth year in a row, I give out my much coveted Big Ten football awards. This is my list, and if I can ever find more time to spend on this blog in the next week or so, I'll elaborate further on why I chose these particular honorees.

Most Valuable Player: Braxton Miller, Ohio State

Best quarterback: Braxton Miller, Ohio State

Best running back: Carlos Hyde, Ohio State

Best wide receiver: Jared Abbrederis, Wisconsin

Best kicker: Jeff Budzien, Northwestern

Best defensive linemen: Shilique Calhoun, Michigan State

Best linebacker: Ryan Shazier, Ohio State

Best defensive back: Darqueze Dennard, Michigan State

Best punter: Mike Sadler, Michigan State

Coach of the Year: Mark Dantonio, Michigan State

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.

A few thoughts before the big game

The 2011 Big Ten championship game broke my heart.

I can still picture the official tossing the yellow flag while Keshawn Martin was in the process of returning a Wisconsin punt deep into Badger territory in the waning moments of the game, and knowing with a heavy heart that his long return was not only coming back, but the game was essentially over. I can also picture Russell Wilson, on fourth down, eluding MSU defenders like a matador and throwing a spectacular 36-yard pass to keep the winning Wisconsin drive alive. If MSU had stopped Wilson on that play, the Spartans probably could have sealed the victory. There were many "what-ifs" and "woulda coulda shoulda's" in that game. It took me days to get over the agony of that loss.

I don't want a return of that game.  I don't know if my heart can take it. Of course, I've said that on countless occasions, but I always come back for more.

The thing about being a fan is that we always want our team to be successful no matter what. But the more successful ones team becomes, the higher the stakes. Now, MSU compiling an 11-1 record and the Big Ten Legends Division title isn't quite "good enough"--which is completely absurd. I would have been ecstatic if someone had told me, during the dark days of the Bobby Williams/John L. Smith era, that the day would soon come when the MSU football team would record three double-digit win seasons in four years and go to seven straight bowl games.

But it's just not enough. Gotta win that outright Big Ten title. But I have to keep in mind that, regardless the outcome of tonight's game, it's been a great season. This beats the hell out of the misery we Spartan fans have had to endure for far too many seasons.

I know I'm biased, but I see this game as a battle between what is right about college football versus what is wrong with the game. I don't like Urban Meyer, as I've already mentioned in this blog. He seems just a little shady and at least somewhat ethically challenged, not to mention arrogant. I see a Michigan State victory as proof that a team can win with players that were overlooked as high school recruits. Proof that hard work and a team concept (MSU) can overcome an athletic budget equal to the GNP of some small nations and a team loaded with 4 and 5 star players (OSU).

And then there are the Ohio State fans. I'm sure there are some out there who are intelligent and reasonable, but I have yet to encounter many of them. Most seem completely maniacal and almost comically arrogant with little to no knowledge of any school or team beyond their beloved Buckeyes.

So let me conclude this post by imploring the football gods to smile down upon the Spartans tonight. How much longer must be suffer? Isn't 26 years long enough to wait for an outright Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl berth? Can you please throw us a bone? Thank you in advance...and as always, Go Green!

Gearing up the Big Ten championship game

If this was boxing, Michigan State would be Joe Frazier. The battler, the scrapper, the fighter who, despite being a bit undersized, never ever quit and made his opponents earn everything they attained. Frazier didn't win every fight, but if you fought against him, you damned well felt every punch.

In this boxing analogy, Ohio State is Muhammad Ali. Glamorous, sexy, seemingly effortless.

As is generally the case in almost any big athletic contest it enters, Michigan State is the underdog. The Spartans enter the game with a chip on its shoulder. MSU is a defensive team, and defense is decidedly unglamorous.

I have no idea who will win tonight, but MSU definitely has a shot. Play within themselves, don't get too caught up in the emotion of the moment, play the same aggressive, relentless defense that got them there. The same defense we saw against Michigan. I don't expect the Spartans to dominate Ohio State's offense the same way they did Michigan's, but the key to victory may be to simply limit the Buckeyes' scoring chances in the red zone. On the other side of the ball, Connor Cook needs to remain the same steady performer he has been for the last 3/4 of the season, and don't be surprised one bit if Coach D throws in a few trick plays.

And don't forget special teams. Great special teams play has been a hallmark of the Dantonio era, and this year is no exception. Mike Sadler is the best punter in the Big Ten, and it's obvious why Michael Geiger was the most highly recruited placekicker last year. In a close game, the final could very well be decided by special teams play.

There is still a part of me that isn't sure what to expect from Ohio State. Are they a team that has been playing with one arm tied behind the back all year? Have they put in just enough effort to win their games, but are saving their very best for this game? Could we be in for a repeat of the 2011 Capital One Bowl against Alabama? I highly doubt it, but it's in the back of my mind. I'd prefer to compare this to the MSU basketball team's 1999 Elite Eight game against Kentucky. It was, to that point, Tom Izzo's biggest game as coach, and the MSU basketball team was on the ascent and trying to make a name for itself. Most of the national pundits predicted a Kentucky win and gave MSU little chance, but the Spartans shocked everyone by decisively beating the Wildcats, though the game got off to a rocky start with MSU falling behind early 17-4. Still, it was a signature win and established MSU basketball as a program to be reckoned with on the national stage.

Speaking as a fan, I have come to despise Ohio State almost as much as Michigan--(although Michigan has been such a Keystone Kops operation in recent years, I've come to pity them more than hate them). It's really the Urban Meyer factor, the guy comes across as so incredibly smug and arrogant. I have never really had that much of a problem with OSU in the past, but I'd love nothing more than to stop that 24-game winning streak and deflate Meyer's enormous ego just a tiny bit.

This is probably the biggest football game Michigan State has played since 1966. A victory would be huge for the program and for the national perception of MSU football. As usual, I'm trying not to get overly jacked for the game, but realistically I know that no matter what the outcome of the game, I'll probably be up until about 4:00 in the morning. That's just how I operate when it comes to MSU sports.

Win or lose, I'll be back later to either celebrate or commiserate. And, as always, Go Green!