I can't believe what I just saw

I'm almost speechless...I can't believe what I just saw. I realize I'm stealing that line from Jack Buck's call of former Spartan Kirk Gibson's walk off homer in game one of the '88 World Series, but it keep going in my head and seems apropos.

 

I can't believe what I just saw.

 

MSU, seemingly unable to stop Baylor's high-charged, sling-it-all-over-the-field offense, improbably and amazingly scored 21 unanswered points in the 4th quarter to complete the most amazing Spartan football comeback win I've ever witnessed.

 

(Yes, I know about the 2006 Northwestern comeback, but that doesn't belong in the discussion with this game against a national top five team playing in its own Texas backyard).

 

My hands have finally stopped shaking. My heart has stopped pounding at about 120 beats a minute. It will still take hours for my adrenaline to reach normal levels and for me to process this amazing 42-41 MSU win over Baylor.

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.

Maryland 68, Michigan State 66

Tonight's 68-66 MSU loss to Maryland was quite possibly the ugliest college basketball game I've ever witnessed. If nothing else, it was the most unsightly first half of basketball in my memory, If one were to see the 17-14 halftime score across the ESPN crawl, he or she would be forgiven for thinking it was a football score. The first half was so horrible, in fact, that with 6:24 left in the first half, Michigan State had only six points. Maryland wasn't much better, they had eleven.

 

Play was marginally better in the second half and the two overtimes, but the more prolific scoring was probably due more to the fact the game became a glorified free throw shooting contents. If the game comes to that, MSU is at a serious disadvantage.

 

MSU had a chance to win in regulation, and they had a chance to win in the first overtime. In fact, MSU had numerous chances to pull away in the game but just could not do it.

 

I know that criticizing Tom Izzo is practically verboten around these parts, and I do so rarely because the man's track record speaks for itself and he knows more basketball in his pinky finger that I could ever hope to know in a lifetime. Still, I question the timeout call on Bryn Forbes' breakaway with about twelve seconds left in the first half (though I have since heard that it was, in fact, Travis Trice who called the timeout) and not fouling Maryland before the Terps were able to launch the game-tying three-pointer that sent the game into the first overtime.

 

The bottom line is that this basketball team is not very good right now. Perhaps part of this is due to Branden Dawson still overcoming his injury. But even with a healthy Dawson, this team has struggled against good competition. There are just too many weaknesses: lack of a consistent interior presence, absolutely atrocious free throw shooting that never seems to improve, and an overreliance on perimeter shooting that is inconsistent at best. To top it all off, there is nobody on the team that seems able to take charge when the game is on the line.

 

It may just be "one of those years." But I fear that if matters don't improve, MSU's NCAA tournament streak is in jeopardy

Catching up

I am writing this on a brand-new tablet that I received for Christmas. It was a most unexpected but pleasant surprise. No longer will I have to tap out this blog on my Android phone or sneak it in via any desktop computer that makes itself momentary available.

 

It's been quite an eventful few weeks in collegiate sports.

 

At this point, it seems a certainty that Jim Harbaugh will end up as Michigan's new football coach. I'd hoped that he'd turn down Michigan simply so I could witness the collective hand-wringing that would inevitably occur. Unfortunately, with the way the San Francisco 49ers' season has flamed out, it's almost inevitable that Harbaugh will cast his lot with the Wolverines.

 

With Harbaugh to Michigan, we'll have to deal with the inevitable "Michigan is back" chatter. The nausea factor will reach extreme levels. The Detroit media in particular is just clamoring for Michigan football to be relevant again, and we non-Michigan fans will simply have to weather the hype machine for at least a few weeks or perhaps months.

 

Back to Michigan State: the Spartan basketball team has had a rocky few weeks. The Eastern Michigan game was an inspired victory over a team that I still maintain is a contender for the MAC title. The Spartans handled the 2-3 zone with aplomb en route to a 86-66 victory. I was lucky enough to score tickets to the EMU game and brought my oldest son, who agreed to join me even though he's not much of a basketball fan.

 

The EMU game was followed up by a game against Texas Southern that was a polar opposite in terms of energy and urgency--and MSU couldn't make a shot to save its life. In some fairness to the Spartans, the Breslin Center (at least as it appeared on television) was a morgue and there was little energy from the fans for the team to feed upon. The crowd didn't come alive until Texas Southern took the lead with under two minutes left in regulation. It seemed like the sheer shock of the deficit woke the fans from their slumber. Unfortunately, the Spartans had already fallen permanently to sleep.

 

After the embarrassing loss to Texas Southern, which was easily the equal of Michigan's stunning defeat at the hands of New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the Spartans bounced back with a win over The Citadel--a game that few saw because it wasn't on television.

 

MSU basketball opens up the Big Ten schedule in two days against 12-1 Maryland. The Terps' biggest wins are against Iowa State and Oklahoma State, with its only loss coming against Virginia. So not an overwhelmingly strong schedule for Maryland, but still a 12-1 record is nothing to take lightly.

 

Four days until MSU football's game against Baylor in the Cotton Bowl. I hope that Pat Narduzzi can leave Michigan State on a bright note with the Spartans' defense containing Baylor's "track meet on a football field" offense. I'm worried that MSU struggled against Oregon and Ohio State, two teams with similar offensive attacks as Baylor. My hope is that lessons have been learned from those two losses and will be applied to the Baylor game.

My own Michigan State football "Mt. Rushmore"

Before the Big Ten Network unveils its "Michigan State football Mt. Rushmore," I present to you my own. I can't say I spent much time pouring over names or agonizing, in fact I spent less than 15 minutes on this. I may very well be forgetting some important players that should be included. But looking at these four players, I feel fairly comfortable that it's not a half-bad "Mt. Rushmore." Just for the heck of it, I also added an honorable mention list.

Michigan State football Mt. Rushmore (or, more accurately, Mt. Spartan)

George Webster The glue, and certainly the undisputed leader, of the 1965/66 Big Ten and national championship Spartans. Duffy Daugherty created the roverback position for him, utilizing Webster's great talents to make a hybrid defensive back/linebacker. George Webster was voted MSU's greatest player ever when the question was put to vote during the 1969 college football centennial year.

Lorenzo White Two-time American and MSU's all-time rushing leader. Lo White finished top five in the Heisman voting of 1985 and 1987. He was the best MSU football player that this writer ever saw play in person.

Darqueze Dennard Is it premature to place Dennard in this list? Maybe. But he was the star player on the 2013 team, the best MSU football team in 47 years. That has to account for something. Dennard was the leader of the "No Fly Zone" and dared teams to attempt to pass on the Spartans. When opponents took up the challenge, they were usually unsuccessful.

Don Coleman Biggie Munn's first great player, helping to pave the way for Michigan State's glory years from 1950 to 1966. Michigan State's first unanimous All-American and the school's first African-American All-American.

Honorable mentions

Bubba Smith
Kirk Gibson
Gideon Smith
Brad Van Pelt

Disappointing football season: I think NOT...and the best EMU basketball team since 1998 arrives in East Lansing tonight

I keep hearing, on local sports talk radio, about how Michigan State football fans are "disappointed" with this season.

I'd like to know who these fans are, because I have yet to meet one or talk to one. Perhaps some younger MSU football fans are disappointed, but I'm old enough to remember the dark days--and there were plenty of those--so a 10-2 season for me is like heaven. No, 2014 did not equal or exceed 2013, but I didn't expect that. But anyone who is "disappointed" with a 7-1 conference record (10-2 overall record) is a complete idiot with no historical perspective.

***

Eastern Michigan basketball is no joke. They will give Michigan State a huge challenge tonight with their smothering and quick 2-3 zone. Rob Murphy has done a great job in Ypsilanti and this is probably EMU's best basketball team since the 1997-98 MAC championship team led by Earl Boykins and Derrick Dial. Coincidentally, that EMU team gave MSU everything it could handle in the first round of the 1998 NCAA tournament. The Mateen Cleaves-led Spartans pulled away late and won 83-71.

I watched EMU beat Michigan last week and that game was no fluke. Granted, Michigan is struggling a bit this season, but the game was at Crisler and the Eagles were relentless the entire game. The Eagles are fast and energetic. They never gave Michigan a break at any point in that game.

At the same time, Eastern has MSU's full attention, so the element of surprise won't be there. In addition, Eastern's zone may not match up as well with MSU as it did with Michigan. MSU can both distribute and shoot the ball well, though if the shots happen to not fall tonight then the Spartans could be in trouble. MSU, though they are a good passing team, are prone to turnovers and EMU's pressing, in-your-face zone defense can create turnovers. I could easily see EMU pulling the upset...but I'm leaning towards MSU anyway. Eastern will play hard, but MSU should win by between 5-10 points. Call it: Michigan State 65, Eastern Michigan 57.

Catching up with Spartan (and Big Ten) football

I've been unintentionally silent for the last week. Since I last wrote in here, a lot has happened in the Big Ten.

 

Ohio State parlayed its 59-0 blowout of Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game into a spot in the four team national championship playoff. The Buckeyes will play Alabama and, in this case, I'd love for the Big Ten to knock the SEC down a few pegs, so I'll be rooting for the Bucks.

 

Gary Andersen is out as Wisconsin coach and it's hard to make any sense of it. Was the fallout from the Ohio State shellacking so embarrassing that perhaps the Godfather (aka Barry Alvarez) gave Andersen an "offer he couldn't refuse"? Or was it simply that Andersen was homesick for the west coast? I don't know if the truth will ever be known.

 

Last, but certainly not least, the Spartans take on the jilted Baylor Bears in the (corporate name) Cotton Bowl. I have no idea what to expect from Baylor, a team that can certainly light up the scoreboard. Will Baylor come out angry about being left out of the playoff and take out its anger on MSU? Or will Baylor be flat and disinterested?

 

These are the same questions I asked four years ago when MSU was about to tangle with Alabama in the Capitol One Bowl. In a game that I have tried hard to forget ever took place, the Tide rolled all over the Spartans, 49-7...and it could have been worse. All questions about whether Alabama would be motivated were emphatically answered.

 

The 2014 MSU team is more talented and has more big game experience than the 2010 team, so I'd be shocked if there was a repeat of the Alabama massacre, but the Spartans should go into this game expecting a focused and hungry Baylor team--one that is determined to prove it belonged in the playoff.