This week's football post

I've always wanted to make this blog more personal, and stray away from giving what I refer to my "two-bit analysis." What is the point of me trying to analyze these games when there are plenty of professional sportswriters out there who get PAID to do it. Who really needs to read what I have to say?

So, in the spirit of making this blog personal, I want to relate to you how this time of year makes me feel.

We moved into our current--and I hope "forever"--house on September 15, 2007. The only reason I remember that date is because I remember clear as a bell that Michigan State football played Pittsburgh. As the movers were doing there thing at our new house, I was out running some errand or other and listening to the Spartans put the finishing touches on a close 17-13 win. I'd be lying if I said that at I knew MSU's football fortunes were about to change for the better, but it seemed clear that Dantonio was definitely an upgrade from John L. Smith.

Anyway, I always associate this time of year with when we moved into this house and how it almost perfectly coincided with the start of Mark Dantonio's tenure as Michigan State football coach.

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About three weeks ago, while on vacation, I had a dream quite out of nowhere that Michigan State beat Oregon 45-41. I may as well stick with that prediction, though I'd love it if the Spartans blew the Ducks out.

I really have no idea how the game will go tonight, but I definitely like the Spartans' chances. It's at home, it's a night game, Oregon's new quarterback Vernon Adams is playing his first big road game, and the Spartans must have payback on their minds. Then again, J.T. Barrett played his first big road game of the year last year against MSU and we see how that went. Who knows how good this kid is, or the degree to which MSU's defensive backfield needs to improve. Well, here's hoping for the best.

The WMU game aftermath

What is the takeaway from last night's mainly lackluster, mistake-filled opening day 37-24 win over Western Michigan?

On the positive side, the Spartans escaped with a win and do not appear to have suffered any major injuries. It also looks like Madre London, L.J. Scott, and Gerald Holmes could and should be a formidable trio of running backs. The front seven looked very strong on the defensive end, as well.

But the negatives last night somewhat outnumbered the positives, and I hope, and I assume, that we can chalk this up to a combination of first game cobwebs and a case of looking ahead to Oregon. It was also quite clear that the play calling was purposely vanilla.

Credit must be given to Western Michigan, who in the biggest game that Waldo Stadium has ever seen, played their hearts out. Their skill players were just as good as advertised. Terrell is an outstanding quarterback who rarely let the pass rush get to him, has a quick release, and uncanny accuracy. The Broncos' receivers are athletic and fast. This team should make some noise in the MAC and challenge for the title.

I've been guilty of overreacting positively and (mostly) negatively to opening weekend football games. Exhibit A being the 2013 season, when I was darned near ready to throw in the towel on the season. This year, I'm determined not to make that mistake and trust that the coaching staff will make the necessary tweaks and adjustments for next week's much steeper challenge against Oregon.

If adjustments are not made and the team plays with the level of malaise I witnessed last night--particularly in the second half--the Oregon game could get ugly. I don't think that will happen, though. I fully expect the Spartans to come out next Saturday with a fire, passion, and focus that wasn't quite there against Western Michigan.

Until proven otherwise, I'm maintaining an attitude of positivity. Mark Dantonio has earned, and deserves, my trust and faith.

MSU/WMU pre-game post

Here's a quick post before the MSU/Western Michigan game starts, about a half hour from the point I've begun typing this.

The Spartans don't have any easy non-conference games this season. All four of the teams they play-- Western, Oregon, Air Force, and Central Michigan--played in bowl games last season. Oregon, of course, played in the national championship game, and strangely enough, Western Michigan and Air Force played each other in a bowl game, with Air Force prevailing.

Western comes into this game with a potent offense featuring some excellent skill players. The quarterback , Zach Terrell (3443 yds in 2014 with 26 TD and only 10 INTs, 67.9 completion percentage) is in his 3rd season and is already 22 years old. Jarvion Franklin, the starting running back, has been compared to Le'Veon Bell, and wide receivers Daniel Braverman, Kendrick Roberts, and Corey Davis are good players. The Broncos also have an experienced offensive line.

Western may be able to put some points on the board in this game and hang with the Spartans at least through the end of the first half and maybe into the third quarter, but the Spartans should have too much depth for them and wear down Western in the second half. The score should be somewhere in the neighborhood of MSU 38, WMU 20.

It'll be interesting to see just how good MSU's defense is. Will there be any noticeable differences in schemes with Harlon Barnett as co-defensive coordinator.

There are still question marks with the Spartans. Jeremy Langford is gone and Madre London, L.J. Scott, Gerald Holmes, and Delton Williams are most likely challenging each other for the starting position--though Delton Williams, with his difficulties over the off-season, is a wild card. The receiving corps is also a puzzle. Aaron Burbridge should have a good year, but what of Macgarrett Kings, A.J. Troup, R.J. Shelton, and DeAnthony Arnett? Presumably, they will all be ready to roll, but who knows.

Well, there's my two-bit, half-hour analysis. The game is about to start.

Ready or not, here comes football season

The days of hibernation are over. It's about to begin. Four days from today the Spartans take on Western Michigan...and I will most likely fall down the rabbit hole for the next...uh, eight months (including basketball season).

For the most part, I've tuned out Spartan sports this summer and have focused on "summer activities," i.e. following the Detroit Tigers' increasingly disappointing season (including a couple visits to Comerica Park), going to the beach, venturing "up north" for vacation, etc.

I've listened to enough commentary to realize that this seems to be the most lauded and wildly anticipated MSU football season of my lifetime. Being a Michigan State football fan through mostly mediocre to bad seasons, I'm having a hard time getting used to this new reality. It makes me, well, nervous.

If you've been reading this blog enough, you'll know that my nervousness towards MSU sports--particularly football--is an ongoing theme.

By this point, with four double-digit win seasons in five years, two Big Ten titles, Rose Bowl and Cotton Bowl victories (four consecutive bowl victories), it should be abundantly clear to me that Mark Dantonio knows what he's doing and the depressing seasons of John L. Smith, Bobby Williams, et al are in the rearview mirror.

The new reality is that MSU football is a national power and it's okay for me to acknowledge it. It's perfectly acceptable for me to not expect or prepare for "the worst," but to anticipate success on the field.

Easier said than done.

So, consider this my first post of the 2015 football season. I'm back, and preparing myself for what promises to be a wild ride.

Ready or not, it begins in four days.

A little spring cleaning

It's been over a month since I last posted in here after the spring game. Since then, MSU women's track & field won a Big Ten title and is on its way to the NCAA East Regional. MSU baseball sputtered a bit down the stretch and barely missed the NCAA tournament.

But overall, the college sports season is winding down and I'm okay with that. I need a break for a few months because, come mid-August and football, things are gonna get crazy again.

So I'm here to say I don't know how much I'll be posting from now until August. Check periodically if you want, but most likely this blog will be in mothballs for a few months.

The Spring Game, part II

Finally getting back to this blog.

Well, if you're dying to know--I WAS at the Spring Game. My wife and I were among the 48,000 (or so) who heeded Mark Dantonio's call and showed our support for Michigan State Spartans football.

I will spare you my observations of what transpired on the field, because honestly I wasn't paying too much attention to the minutiae of the game. And, really, what can anyone glean from a spring game?

I'm still trying to get used to the notion that spring football games matter that much, or that the attendance to these affairs is any barometer of a football program's strength or popularity. However, the more I think about it, the more it makes sense given the way that television and social media dominate  our culture these days. In the era (pre-Big Ten Network) when these games were not televised and simply scrimmages. Nobody gave them much thought at all. And when MSU football was mediocre to just plain bad, I don't remember ever hearing anything about them.

Now, Mark Dantonio has taken Spartan football to heights not scaled since 1966. That, coupled with the modern age of 24-hour sports, social media, and the ever increasing popularity of college football (despite the recent concerns with concussions, etc.), the spring game is much more important and is approaching the level accorded Midnight Madness in basketball. Based on the flurry of commitments MSU received from recruits during and after the game, I'm willing to accept and embrace the spring game's new-found relevance.

The folks at MSU did a good job in making this more of an event. The pre-game youth clinic was a rousing success--and what better way to cultivate and encourage a young fan base then give these kids an opportunity to meet and mingle with the football players? Another nice touch was giving people the opportunity to take photos of  the (enormous) Cotton Bowl trophy and the (much smaller) Rose Bowl trophy.

Overall, the day was a big celebration of MSU football, and after how much this program has accomplished over the last six years and counting, it was appropriate. I was happy to see so many people come to the game and demonstrate how much they enjoy and support the renaissance of Spartan football.

The Spring Game

When did the Spring Game become such a big deal?

Until recently (I don't know exactly when--the last three or four years? The point at which BTN, etc. began televising the darn things) the annual intra-squad scrimmage that concluded spring football practice was exactly that: a scrimmage. A fairly low-key scrimmage that was open to the public, but with little promotion or expectations attached.

But like everything in college sports, it has now been given an importance that it doesn't deserve. Now, we have some local sports writers declaring that the attendance to this game is some sort of referendum on the program. We have the head coach imploring fans to come to the game and setting a goal of 50,000. Somehow, the number of people who show up to this game will have some profound affect on everything from recruiting to MSU's national perception.

Really?

I realize that the football program has reached heights not seen since the mid-1960s, and fans should be interested in celebrating the program and checking out how the team looks. For what it's worth, I plan on attending this year's spring game--it'll be the second consecutive spring game I have attended. The only previous spring game I had been to was in 1988, after MSU's 1987 Rose Bowl season.

I don't think it's fair that the number of people who show up for a spring football scrimmage should used as a barometer of program interest and passion. Tell the legions of fans who traveled to the Rose Bowl and the Cotton Bowl that Spartan Nation is indifferent to the football program.

I'm just getting tired of our fandom being constantly questioned. I've had it with some media folks writing and saying that we just aren't doing enough to prove our loyalty.

But, I have heeded Mark Dantonio's call and will be at Spartan Stadium on Saturday regardless of the weather. Nobody should question my loyalty to the football program. I hope that 50,000 people DO attend the spring game so that certain members of the media will get off our backs--at least temporarily.

I think I know Spartan Nation well enough to not question its fandom based on the number of butts in the seats at Spartan Stadium on April 25.