Back to the grind

I've meant to write on this blog earlier, but never got around to it; however, seeing as hardly anybody besides me reads it anyway, it hardly matters.

I enjoyed the MSU football team's off-week. It really couldn't have been timed better: not only was it a great time for the team to heal and get some important players back, but it gave yours truly time to focus on Halloween and catch my breath before the home stretch in November.

Even fans need a breather during the season.

We get back into the grind this Saturday, when the Spartans travel to Lincoln to take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers. The Huskers lost last week to lowly Purdue, but they remain a team that can't be taken lightly. Tommy Armstrong--who, at the Big Ten meetings before the season, declared his desire to beat MSU--is back at quarterback. He may still be ailing from turf toe, but I've no doubt he'll bring everything he has on Saturday. To make this game even more dangerous, it's at night and Nebraska is fighting for its postseason life. One more loss and they will not be eligible for a bowl game.

All this said, the Spartans should find a way to win this one. After four consecutive tough games with Nebraska, MSU will not take them lightly--I'm sure of this. I look for the Huskers to hang with the Spartans for about the first three quarters with the Green-and-White pulling away in the fourth quarter. I predict a final score of 38-24.

***

On Tuesday night, the first college football playoff rankings were released. Michigan State is seventh. I know that many MSU fans are upset about this, but I've neither surprised nor do I care. The bottom line is that the Spartans need to win out to make the playoff. That's all it comes down to. A road win over a wounded (but still dangerous) Nebraska should count some;  a romp over Maryland at home is expected and won't help MSU's resume; but clearly a victory over Ohio State on November 21 will catapult the Spartans into the top four. Then the Spartans will need to beat an improved Penn State on Senior Day in East Lansing and beat whoever the opponent is in the Big Ten title game (probably Iowa). MSU can't afford to stumble at all in its remaining games because there is no way the committee will vote more than one Big Ten team into the playoff, least of all a team like Michigan State with little name recognition.

***

The Drive with Jack Ebling had former MSU quarterback Bobby McAllister as a guest yesterday. They talked a little about the 1987 Ohio State game in Columbus (a 13-7 MSU victory). That got me to google "Michigan State Ohio State 1987" and, quite miraculously, I discovered that BTN2GO has the game in its archives. I haven't seen the game since it was played in 1987, when I and some college friends wrapped tin foil around TV antennas in order to improve our poor dorm room television reception. About all I remember is that the game was a defensive struggle and a true nail-biter. It was MSU's last major obstacle of the Big Ten season as they marched to the conference title and a Rose Bowl win. I plan on giving a report in this blog after viewing the game for the first time in 28 years.

R.I.P., Eric "The Flea" Allen (1949-2015)

I was saddened yesterday to hear of the passing of a great Spartan running back of the late 1960s and early 1970s, Eric "The Flea" Allen. I knew that he was in poor health, probably the result of brain injuries sustained while a player in the Canadian Football League (along with former CFL player Korey Banks, Allen had filed a $200 million lawsuit against the league).

Eric Allen is probably best known in MSU football lore for his huge game against Purdue on October 30, 1971--exactly 44 years ago today--in which he ran for a then-record 350 yards (on only 29 carries). Duffy Daugherty called it, "the greatest individual performance I've personally ever witnessed." Though the record has since been broken several times over, it's still the single-game MSU rushing record.

Rest in peace, Eric Allen.


Post script (November 2, 2015): In all of the remembrances and obituaries I've read about Eric Allen since his passing, I have yet to read any mention of what he did after his football career ended in 1975. It's almost as if his life ended there. I hope that he had decades of happiness and fulfillment before his health started to deteriorate, but I'm not sure if that happened or not.


Post post script: I found a good obituary for Eric Allen, and he served on the Georgetown (South Carolina) County School District Board from November 2008 to March 2011. I will post the link here, as well as the text from the obituary (since I have no idea how long the link will be valid):


http://www.southstrandnews.com/article/20151030/GTT11/151039998/1130/howard-high-legend-dead-at-66

Georgetown sports legend Eric Allen dead at 66

By Chris Sokoloski
csokoloski@southstrandnews.com

Eric “Bobby” Allen, considered by many to be one of the greatest athletes to ever play in Georgetown County, died Oct. 27 at Tidelands Hospice. He was 66.

In 1966, Allen was a member of a state championship football team with Howard High School, where he graduated in 1968. He went on to set several Big Ten and NCAA records at Michigan State University and was drafted into the NFL by the Baltimore Colts in 1972.

Instead of signing with the Colts, however, Allen chose to play for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.

As good an athlete as Allen was, he was an even better man, according to his friends.

“He had a kind heart,” said Steve Johnson, a teammate of Allen’s on the Howard football team. “He was a dedicated friend. He was someone you would want as a friend.”

“Besides being a friend and teammate, he was an excellent guy,” said Fred Williams, who was an offensive guard on Howard’s 1966 championship team. “I’m going to miss (him) dearly.”

“(Allen) was one of the finest athletes that ever came out of Georgetown,” said Joe Isaac, a friend of Howard’s legendary football coach, Tommy Smith Sr. “He was spectacular, well beyond the average football player.”

Isaac recalled hearing a story that Allen was removed from a scrimmage between Howard and Winyah high schools after scoring a touchdown every time he got his hands on the ball.

“He was an excellent football player, he just had raw talent,” said Billy White, another teammate of Allen’s at Howard. “You could tell he was destined to play (at the next level).”

White replaced Allen at running back for the 1966 state championship game after Allen broke his leg the week before. Allen was so determined to play in the title game that he cut the cast off his leg, White said. When Coach Smith found out, he made him go back to the doctor and have another cast put on.

Smith was friends with legendary Green Bay Coach Vince Lombardi, and the Tigers used a lot of the Packers’ offense. That made Howard players a force to be reckoned with, Williams said.

“Howard High School was about as serious as it gets when it comes to athletics,” Williams said. “We were the real deal.”

Williams called Allen a “character” and said when the Tigers were on the road, Allen would seek out his opponents and tell them not to schedule a “victory” dance after the game, because Howard was going to win.

White said everybody at Howard was proud of Allen when he got accepted to Michigan State.

In fact, Brendon Barber turned down a chance to attend Clemson University to follow Allen to East Lansing, Michigan.

Barber, now a city councilman, said his childhood hero earned the nickname of “Easy” at Michigan State.

“Everything he did on the field, he make it look so easy,” Barber said.

Allen was named an All-America as a senior in 1971, and he rushed for a Big Ten-leading 1,494 yards, a Michigan State record that stood until 1985.

His 1,283 rushing yards in league games set a Big Ten mark, as did his 110 points. He was the first Big Ten player to crack the century mark. Allen broke two NCAA records, four Big Ten marks and nine MSU records in 1971. Against Purdue, he rushed for an NCAA-record 350 yards on 29 carries, a record that stood until 1978. Named the Big Ten’s MVP in 1971, he rushed for 100 or more yards on seven occasions and his 18 touchdowns were school and Big Ten records.

Allen finsihed 10th in the voting for the Heisman Trophy in 1971.

Career-wise, Allen finished as Michigan State’s all-time leader in rushing attempts (521) and rushing yards (2,654).

But it wasn’t all about football for Allen, who earned undergraduate and graduate and degrees at Michigan State. Academics were just as important, Barber said.

When Allen was playing in Canada, he would return to East Lansing on his days off and tell the Spartans football players that followed him to concentrate on academics and be role models around campus.

During off-seasons, he would visit Michigan to work with young male and female athletes in the East Lansing area.

“As long as you’ve got your education, the athletics would work out,” Barber said Allen would always say.

Allen would also invite Barber over for Sunday dinners – and serve authentic Lowcountry food.

“This will keep you strong,” Allen would tell Barber as he served up home-cooked meals.

Allen’s commitment to education led him to run for school board when he returned home to Georgetown about 10 years ago.

“He was concerned about academics,” Barber said. “He wanted to improve academics and also athletics. He believed the discipline of athletics helped academics.”

Allen served on school board from November of 2008 to March of 2011.

Sherrie Allen, the daughter of Allen’s brother, Phillip, said she didn’t get to see her uncle a lot when he lived in Canada, but when he was around, he liked to talk about football.

“Every time he came it was special,” she said. “We always looked forward to that.”

Sherrie Allen said her uncle had been sick for awhile because of what she termed his football “injuries,” but his death was unexpected.

In June, Allen and Korey Banks, who also played in the CFL, filed a $200 million lawsuit against the league, former commissioner Mark Cohon, Dr. Charles Tator and the Toronto-based Krembil Neuroscience Centre, over concussions.

“The defendants and their agents knew or ought to have known that multiple sub-concussive and concussive blows to the head lead to long-term brain injury,” the lawsuit said. “The defendants knew that football players should stop playing football after receiving their third concussion.”

In addition to his niece and brother, Allen is survived by his mother, Rebecca Allen of Georgetown, a sister, Ruth Naomi Allen of Maryland; and another brother, Nathaniel Allen.

Funeral services will be held Monday, Nov. 2, at 1 p.m. at Bethel AME Church on Georgetown. Burial will follow in Morning Glory Cemetery. Visitation will be Sunday, Nov. 1, from 5-7 p.m. at Walter S. Fraser Memorial Chapel in Georgetown.

Knee-jerk post game reactions (Michigan State 52, Indiana 26)

I'm relaxing on the couch, drinking a glass of wine, sort of watching USC/Utah (having changed channels after it became clear--or at least highly likely--Rutgers will not put up much fight against Ohio State).

My wife and I went to the MSU/Indiana game today. It was my 50th all-time MSU football game (I'm dorky enough to keep track of such statistics). It's probably more games than many, but completely dwarfed by anyone who has had season tickets for several years.

We sat in Section 4, Row 43, Seats 24 and 25; directly behind the small but boisterous Indiana section. The Hoosier faithful made noise throughout the game, but made a mad dash to the exits when the Spartans went up 45-26 late in the 4th quarter.

We saw and experienced about every kind of weather the Great Lakes State has in its arsenal, with the exception of snow. It was warm and partly sunny when the game started, then dark rain clouds moved into East Lansing and it poured for about 20 minutes or so. The storm brought a cold front and we shivered for the remainder of the game (though MSU's 4th quarter scoring barrage got me up, moving around, and slightly warmer).

Overall, it was a fun, albeit long, late afternoon and early evening at Spartan Stadium. Nate Sudfeld and IU's offense were as tricky as I expected, but the Spartan defense played much better in the second half and held the Hoosiers to only six second-half points. MSU was finally able to apply some pressure to Sudfeld and make him less effective.

I don't know what else can be said about Connor Cook. He just might be the very best Spartan quarterback I've ever seen. It's amazing to think how far he's come since replacing an ineffective Andrew Maxwell in the 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl, and then taking over the starting job for good after the 2013 Notre Dame game.

Cook carried the team on his shoulders today, though he was ably assisted by Aaron Burbridge, R.J. Shelton, Macgarrett Kings, L.J. Scott, and Gerald Holmes. Cook came only two yards short of tying Bill Burke's single-game passing record of 400 yards (against Michigan in 1999).

What's most important is that the Spartans survive this game, get the win, and enter a much-needed bye week at 8-0.

Meanwhile, I remain convinced that my "Gruff Sparty" hoodie and my old school "block 'S'" MSU are somehow lucky, and thankful that I made a last-minute decision to buy rain ponchos at Meijer.

Nervous about Indiana

In the immediate aftermath of the Michigan game, while elatedly and euphorically discussing the game with my father, I actually uttered, "everything after this is gravy." In the past, this is the way MSU fans approached the football season AFTER the Michigan game, and this off-the-cuff remark does not really reflect my feelings.

Indiana has me nervous. The Hoosiers' strengths on offense are exactly the Spartans' weaknesses. MSU may have a hard time dealing with Nate Sudfeld's ability to throw the ball. That's why the gloomy weather forcast (45 mph winds and rain) could work in MSU's favor. Then again, if the forecast also has the "thunder and lightning" part right, who knows when the game will even start or end?

Oh yeah, there's a game tomorrow

It's safe to say that all MSU football fans are just coming down on an almost week-long high and are just now realising that the Spartans have a game tomorrow.

The Indiana Hoosiers have perhaps the best aerial attack in the Big Ten, and I'm concerned with what a healthy Nate Sudfeld might be able to do against the Spartans' patched-together secondary. Sudfeld presents a challenge that Jake Rudock definitely did not.

Somewhat lost in the elation of the Michigan win is that the Spartans are still a team with plenty of faults and lots of improvements that need to be made.

Despite (arguably) the greatest special teams play in MSU history, the Spartans other special teams plays were dreadful in the Michigan game. In fact, in a season in which MSU's special teams play has been generally sub-par, it was terrible against Michigan--it's ironic that the greatest special teams play in Spartan history won the it in the final 10 seconds of the game.

The Spartans should beat Indiana tomorrow, though it may not be easy. It'll be interesting to see Indiana's mindset after last week's heartbreaking loss to Rutgers, in which the Hoosiers blew a 52-27 lead at home and went down 55-52. Will that loss demoralize them? I suspect Indiana still has some fight left in them, and it's up to the Spartans to not be hungover from the Michigan game and take care of Indiana. Mark Dantonio always has the Spartans ready after the Michigan game, and this year should be no exception.

Let's call this one: MSU 38, Indiana 28.

Finally comprehending the seemingly incomprehensible: the greatest football play in MSU history

I've had some time to fully digest and contemplate the incredible play that won the Michigan game for the Spartans. At the time I wrote my previous post, I don't know if the magnitude of what I (and we) witnessed fully registered. It took a few days for my brain to absorb the reality--and rarity--of the play.

To think that I wasn't even sure if I could watch the game. As usual, before the Michigan game I went through my standard anxiety, not sure if I could gut it out. About a half-hour before game time, having completed a 5K run in the neighborhood to relax and calm my nerves, I decided to not be a wimp and root the Spartans on and watch the game on television.

It was a great game, a hard-hitting tilt between two evenly matched teams. Calmed by several Bell's Two-Hearted Ales, I made it through the game without feeling excessive stress. Even when Connor Cook's desperation 4th down pass late in the fourth quarter fell incomplete, I'd already rationalized, as much as possible, the Spartans' close "loss" to the Wolverines: This short-handed, beat up team had played its heart out and came up just a bit short on the road. I braced myself for the inevitable Harbaugh deification that would occur in the upcoming week and prepared to focus my energies on non-football related pursuits. 

But the game wasn't quite over yet. I watched as the MSU defense stuffed Michigan on the Wolverines' final possession, hoping that the Spartans could get at least one desperation shot for a miracle. As we all know, the Spartans did hold Michigan to a three-and-out and the Wolverines prepared to punt with 10 seconds left. I stood in front of the television, no doubt preparing to immediately turn the television off when the final second ticked off the clock. 

The ball was snapped, and I'm sure my pulse quickened when the punter, Blake O'Neill, struggled handling the punt. After that, it's all a bit of a blur. O'Neill was pounced upon by Spartan defenders Matt Morrissey and Grayson Miller, the football flew directly from O'Neill's hand into the hands of Jalen Watts-Jackson running in full stride. I'm not exactly sure, but I think I yelled, "Oh my God! Oh my God!" It was only 10 seconds, but it felt as if time stood still and for all I know, I was speaking in tongues. I prayed that Watts-Jackson would score. Once he hit about the 10-yard line, it was do or die. Either he got into the end zone, or else he was tackled and the game was over. At about the 7-yard line, Watts-Jackson cut to the inside and ran towards the goal line. A desperate Jake Butt, probably running faster than he ever had in his life, lunged for Watts-Jackson just as he was diving towards the goal line. Watts-Jackson made it by the slimmest of margins. My next impulse was to check for flags on the play. Surely there must be a flag on the play. When a few seconds passed and it was clear there were no penalties, it finally dawned on me...

"We won!! We won!! Oh my God, we won!!"

As long as I live, I may never see an ending like that ever again. I was breathless, I was elated, I stormed in a circle from my living room, down the hallway, into the kitchen, through the dining room, and back into the living room. I did what I almost always do after a big Michigan State win, I called my parents and celebrated. Then I listened to some of Spartan Sports Radio's post-game show, and remained in a happy glow for the rest of the weekend.

For several reasons, the most satisfying win over Michigan in my lifetime

Yesterday was to be the day of the Jim Harbaugh coronation. The day in which the Michigan Wolverines would once again claim their lofty position as one of college football's elite. The stage was set, with ESPN College GameDay broadcasting from U of M's Diag, followed by a national broadcast of the game on ESPN.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the coronation, Mark Dantonio and the Michigan State Spartans knocked Harbaugh's royal carriage off the road.

I did a count last night, and Michigan State has defeated Michigan in football 16 times in my lifetime (though I really shouldn't count the 1969 game since I don't remember it). So of the 15 I remember, yesterday's victory was far and away the most satisfying one.

Let's do a rundown of the various reasons this MSU win over Michigan was so sweet:

1. The Jim Harbaugh hype. All we've been hearing about since late December 2014 is "the wonder and glory of Jim Harbaugh." The media would have you believe he's Bo Schembechler, Vince Lombardi, and God Almighty in khakis. The hyperbole involving this guy had become truly nauseating, so knocking him off his pedestal, in the most gut-wrenching manner possible, is incredibly satisfying for Michigan State fans.

2. The Michigan shutout streak. Hey, I'll hand it to Michigan, three straight shutouts is a splendid accomplishment--but come on, let's get real. People talked about this Michigan defense like it was the 1985 Chicago Bears. Two of those shutouts were at home and all three against teams that are, at best, middling. Michigan was hanging its hat on last week's 38-0 win over Northwestern, but after the Iowa Hawkeyes trucked the Wildcats 40-10 in Evanston, it's now quite clear that this "signature win" was a mirage.

Though Michigan's run defense was stout against the Spartans (and so, too, was MSU's against the Wolverines), Connor Cook was able to exploit Michigan's secondary all day long with Spartan receivers making plenty of big catches (though credit must be given to Wolverines' splendid defensive back Jourdan Lewis, who battled Aaron Burbridge all day long). So Michigan's shutout streak came to a resounding end.

3. Turning the tables on the free publicity. As I wrote, this was all set up to be Michigan football's 2015 debutante ball and Harbaugh's coronation as the greatest football coach in the history of the world (or something like that). In the most incredible and improbable way--certainly one of the greatest-ever ends to a college football game--the Spartans pulled the rug out from under Michigan. The fumbled punt snap returned for a touchdown suddenly became THE play that everyone was talking about last night. Social media exploded. The replay was shown ad infinitum on the Big Ten Network, ESPN, and probably every other sports television network. It was posted on Twitter and Facebook by everyone. Michigan State couldn't possibly have scripted a better way to win that game and capture the most attention possible.

4. At least temporarily silencing the Michigan fan base. Oh my, had they become annoying. Where do I even begin? There was the whole Harbaugh mania, there was the incessant criticism of MSU's close wins in comparison to Michigan's blowouts, and just the fact that they'd crawled out of the woodwork like cockroaches.

Now, let me make this perfectly clear, there is no doubt that Michigan football is much improved over where it was under Rich Rodriguez and most of Brady Hoke's tenure, and Michigan will most likely remain a strong program as long as Harbaugh is there; but before we prepare to crown Harbaugh, keep in mind that Mark Dantonio and Michigan State are still here and aren't going away.