Some basketball and some football

Since I can't seem to find a computer that works in this house, I'm coming to you from my smartphone.
 

Last night, I was exhausted and slept through the first half of MSU's basketball game against Navy. It appeared that, with the exception of Travis Trice, the Spartan team slept through the entire game.  I caught a second wind and saw the second half and it was ugly. I don't know whether this was just a bad night or this is a sign of things to come. I lean towards thinking this team has deficiencies, at least right now, and Tuesday's game against Duke could be a train wreck.

In my previous post, I attached a photo of the 1950 game program from the MSU/Maryland gridiron tilt. On that day at Macklin Field, the Terps beat the Spartans 34-7 for MSU's only loss of the '50 season. What's most significant about the game, besides it being the last time the programs met on the football field until tonight, is that Michigan State would not lose another game until 1953. Biggie Munn's boys reeled off 28 consecutive victories.

Over all, Michigan State and Maryland have played five football games against each other, all of which took place between 1944 and 1950. The Spartans have won four of those five.

As far as what happens tonight, it all depends on MSU's frame of mind after the Ohio State disappointment. If the Spartans are itching to get on the field, it could be a long night for the Terps, but if the Spartans are still hungover, look out.

I'll pick MSU in a 35-20 win tonight.

Game program from the last time the Spartans and Terrapins met on the gridiron

I actually was able to find this image on Google. I love the artwork from old college game programs. Current programs simply don't have the same creativity or sense of fun. 

Ohio State 49, Michigan State 37

We're in the waning moments of what looks to be a 49-37 loss to Ohio State, provided Urbs doesn't decide to try and punch it in one more time...and that's it: the final score is OSU 49, MSU 37.

 

I couldn't have been further off on my pick. First of all, it was much higher scoring than I expected. Secondly, I never expected MSU's defense to get torn to shreds in the manner that occurred tonight. J.T. Barrett made none of the freshman mistakes I anticipated, and frankly I've not seen the Spartan defense look this overwhelmed in a long time.

 

I have to hand it to Urban Meyer, he had the Buckeyes ready and they were the ones who look like they should be a contender for the playoff. Clearly, Ohio State was motivated after last year's disappointment and they showed it.

 

Postscript: I'm coming to you on Monday, November 10. I've had a day to digest what happened on Saturday night.

 

The best place to start is with J.T. Barrett. What more could possibly be said about how well he played on Saturday night? He was incredible, and there is no doubt in my mind that he is better than Braxton Miller. He made some unbelievable throws, and is a powerful runner. But most impressive was his unflappability. He played like a four-year veteran, and seemed completely unfazed by the big crowd and the big stage.

 

Then there is the MSU defense. I was stunned at how porous it looked. This is not the first time this season it has yielded bushels of yards and points. Oregon did it, Purdue improbably did it, and even Indiana had success in the first half on MSU's 56-17 win. Ohio State is now the next to victimize the Spartan defense, with Barrett, Ezekiel Elliott, and Devin Smith running roughshod over the MSU defense.

 

I don't think the defensive problem is in personnel, though it's obvious that MSU's defensive backs this season are not nearly as good as last season's. My football knowledge is not astute enough to know what the solution is, but I have confidence that Pat Narduzzi will figure it out.

 

Before I spend too much time criticizing the Spartans, I have to single out Jeremy Langford and Macgarrett Kings in particular for how hard they played. Langford ran hard and with controlled aggression the entire game, and Kings had a brilliant run in the fourth quarter in which it looked for all the world like he was about to get caught in the backfield for a loss. Somehow, he managed to fight his way free and ran all the way to the OSU's 1-yard like. Langford then punched it in on the next play to score MSU's final touchdown of the night.

 

The turning point of the game came late in the first half when an apparent touchdown was taken away on a dicey holding call. That score would have put MSU up 28-14 and given them momentum. Instead, the Spartans had to settle for a Michael Geiger field goal attempt that he missed. OSU took over and soon scored a touchdown (79 yard pass from Barrett to Michael Thomas) to tie the game. The Buckeyes added another touchdown on a perfectly thrown ball from Barrett to Smith. Ohio State took a 28-21 lead into intermission and all the momentum.

Overall though, Ohio State played like the team with the chip on its shoulder. They clearly wanted to make amends for what happened in Indianapolis last season, and played their best game of the season.

Another reason I don't like MSU night football games

A few posts ago, I complained about the fact the MSU/OSU tilt was a night game. Basically, it's a money grab for the Big Ten, NCAA, ABC Sports (and a few others) with no thought or consideration given to the fans forking over $100+ to sit in a freezing cold Michigan November night.

But another problem I have with night MSU football games is of a strictly personal nature. I'm one of those crazy fans who takes at least two hours to decompress from a game, win or lose. I can almost guarantee that no matter what happens in this game, I won't go to bed until at least 2 AM. And even if I do finally get to sleep, it'll be a restless sleep. It's even worse when the Spartans lose.

You'd think that at my age, I'd be over it, but that surely isn't the case.

Ohio State pre-game post

I'm feeling the usual jitters and adrenaline rush I feel before every big MSU game. In fact, the mix of adrenaline and jitters set in as early as last Sunday, when the Spartans' bye week officially ended and the build-up for this game started in earnest.

 

I've been mulling this game over in my head all week, and though I certainly believe Ohio State can win, I just don't see it happening. Sure, the Buckeyes may still be smarting over their Big Ten Championship loss last year, but Michigan State hasn't lost the "chip on our shoulder/us against the world" mentality that has carried them the last few years.

 

Though J.T. Barrett has improved throughout the season, this is the biggest test he has faced in his college career. MSU's defense should be able to put enough pressure on Barrett to at least make a few mistakes. I just can't see a redshirt freshman coming to Spartan Stadium and pulling out a victory.

The Spartans know what's at stake here, and they will be prepared. Most of these players delivered last year in big games, and they've done so also this season in a similar high-stakes game against Nebraska.

 

Now, I'm not saying this game will be a blowout. The Buckeyes have a defense better than last year's, and Joey Bosa--who was so impressive in last year's Big Ten title game--is a beastly player. I expect him to have at least one or two sacks in tonight's game, or at least invite double-teams all night which will free some of his defensive teammates to make plays.

 

Like every other MSU fan, I'm concerned with the kicking game. It's not all Michael Geiger's fault either. From what I've witnessed, the snaps and holds have also been inconsistent. I just hope with two weeks to work on it, the kicking will improve. However, if this game comes down to a last second field goal attempt, I don't know if I can watch.

 

So, in the final analysis, MSU's defense, the Cook/Lippett/Langford triumvirate, and the home crowd should be enough to get the Spartans over the hump. Call it MSU 24, OSU 20.

Ohio State week and other stuff

It's Ohio State week, and the Buckeyes are a team that could be MSU's final major obstacle to a Big Ten East championship. It's definitely not like the old days, when a win over OSU was simply a feather in ones cap and a chance to ruin the Buckeyes' season. Now MSU is in the unfamiliar position of having their own season marred by a loss to Ohio State. The stakes are higher, one of the "pitfalls" of having a competitive football program.

 

J.T. Barrett, after a rocky start, has done a fantastic job stepping in for the injured Braxton Miller. I've heard J.T. Barrett compared to everyone from Cornelius Greene, Ohio State's quarterback in the mid-'70s, to Jimmy Raye, and if you read my blog you already know who Jimmy Raye is. Consensus seems to be that he is at least equal to Braxton Miller as a runner but a better passer. One of MSU's keys to success this Saturday is to force Barrett into freshman mistakes in the biggest college game he's played to date.

 

I don't like night games in college football that much. They make more sense in the South where weather is rarely a factor, but a November night game in Michigan is asking for trouble. Once again, it's a game scheduled solely for television with no regard given to the fans. Yet another example of the NCAA worshipping the almighty buck.

 

And now onto the NCAA football playoff. Four teams is too few for the playoff. I don't want this to turn into the de facto SEC playoff series. Open it up to eight teams and let's finally have a referendum on how good the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12, ACC and Pac 12 are. Have the five champions from each of the "Power Five" get automatic bids, with three at-large bids.

Michigan State 35, Michigan 11

Tony Lippett enjoys the fact that Paul Bunyan will stay in East Lansing for another year (Detroit Free Press photo)

I never thought I'd live to see the day the script was so dramatically flipped in the Michigan State/Michigan rivalry.

 

The Spartans didn't even play an especially good game yesterday, but still managed to beat Michigan by 24 points, easily covering the 17-point spread. It's as much a commentary on how far this MSU program has come under Mark Dantonio as it is how dreadful Michigan has become since the departure of Lloyd Carr in 2007. It's not just Brady Hoke who is to blame, but Rich Rodriguez also, and one may even argue that the rot began as early as Carr's final season.

 

But enough about Michigan, for now.

 

It's was, for the most part, a fairly enjoyable day for me as a Michigan State fan and alum. In the morning, I experienced the usual butterflies and anxiety I almost always feel before a game against Michigan. I ran took some glass to the recycling center in the morning, listening to NPR in order to take a brief respite from football. When I returned, I watched the first half of Wisconsin's blowout win over Maryland. Feeling some more nervous energy, and wanting to take advantage of the sunny fall weather, I went for a five kilometer run in my neighborhood. This was reasonably successful in relaxing me.

 

Having cleaned myself up and grabbed a bottle of Arcadia Angler's pale ale, I settled in for the game. It was the most NON nerve-wracking MSU/UM game I've ever watched. MSU took the opening kickoff and marched right down the field to take a 7-0 lead and never looked back.

 

The most upset I was came late in the game with victory firmly in hand for MSU. The Wolverines had a drive in which about three different questionable calls went against the Spartans, in particular a pass interference call and a roughing the passer penalty on Taiwan Jones. I was not happy. Otherwise, it was a relatively stress-free game.

 

Yes, there was a little more disappointment later when, with a 28-3 lead and carving the Michigan defense with relentless precision, Cook and Langford botched a handoff exchange, fumbled, and the Wolverines recovered the ball at the Michigan State 33 yard-line. It was Michigan's only opportunity to score a touchdown with that anemic offense and they succeeded. What I hoped would be a 35-3 MSU lead ended up 28-11 (after Michigan's two-point conversion) and the Wolverines' first touchdown against the Spartans since 2011.

 

I had no problem, and still have no problem, with Michigan State punching in a touchdown on the final possession of the game to make the final score 35-11. I find it amusing that many Michigan fans are complaining about running up the score. Get over it. I don't recall Michigan fans apologizing for 42-0 in 1983 (Bo Schembechler sticking it to MSU after George Perles declaring he had "recruited the pants off" Michigan) or the 2002 game when Lloyd Carr, still smarting over the "clockgate" 2001 loss, relentlessly battered MSU 49-3. As far as I remember, no apologies were issued after that game. And why should there have been any? This is big time college football, not Pop Warner football.

 

So I am enjoying this win. I will happily listen to all and every bit of sports talk radio I can find this week and probably tune in to WTKA (the unofficial U of M sports radio station in Ann Arbor) for additional amusement. With a bye week until the big showdown with Ohio State, my revelry will continue an additional week.

 

Sparty, looking as much like a Brooklyn, NY hipster as Paul Bunyan, celebrates with the MSU team after the 35-11 win over Michigan.