This Spartan football renaissance

In August 2001--I remember the date because it was just a few days before my first son was born--I met up with a group of friends at the Peanut Barrel, one of the best watering holes in East Lansing. At some point during the evening, the subject of Michigan State football was brought up and discussed. The previous season, the Spartans finished 5-6 overall and tied for last place in the Big Ten at 2-6. The 2001 season would see them perform slightly better (7-5 overall, though only 3-5 in conference play, with a win over Fresno State in the fleabag Silicon Valley Classic bowl game). Anyway, the topic of discussion centered on whether MSU should give up the notion of being a viable player in football. The previous spring, Tom Izzo had led the basketball team to its fourth consecutive Big Ten title and third consecutive Final Four while the football program looked stuck in the mud and completely unable to capitalize on its stellar 1999 season (10-2, 6-2 in Big Ten play, win over Florida in the Citrus Bowl). Most of us sitting at that table in the bar agreed that football at MSU may as well be dead, and the school may as well concentrate on what it was good at: basketball.

Looking back now, with MSU in the midst of an amazing football renaissance, it's hard to believe that we ever felt this way. In truth, I don't know if my feelings towards Spartan football were quite that bleak. Even in my darkest hours, I felt that if Michigan State ever got its shit together, it could at least have a program on par with Iowa or Wisconsin: consistently finishing in the neighborhood of 8-4 while challenging for a conference title once every five years. It seemed like a reasonable and realistic expectation.

Never in my wildest imagination could I envision where Mark Dantonio has taken the MSU football program. Five double-digit win seasons in the last six years, three conference titles in six years (with an additional division title thrown in for good measure), four straight bowl wins, and now a spot in the four team College Football Playoff with a shot at a national championship. There are times when I truly feel I need to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming the whole thing up. In fact, this morning I half expected to wake up only to find that I'd imagined MSU's insanely dramatic win over Iowa in the Big Ten championship game.

What a game it was last night. A hard-hitting, defensive, all-out slobber-knocker. In retrospect, I feel a little sheepish about predicting a high scoring 37-30 game. I completely overestimated the impact that artificial turf and a climate controlled indoor environment would have on the game. I thought this would enable both offenses to stretch the field and have big plays. Instead, both defenses brought it with intense fury.

To answer my question of a few days ago, "How good is Iowa?": The answer is, "Very, very good." The Hawkeyes were just as good as I expected and maybe even better. C.J. Beathard is a calm, unflappable quarterback with a great arm and a bright future. Cornerback Desmond King is deserving of his Defensive Back of the Year award, as he and Aaron Burbridge engaged in hand-to-hand combat all night long. I'm happy to hear the Hawkeyes remained in front of Ohio State in the college football playoff rankings and will be headed to the Rose Bowl. They earned it.

Mark Dantonio and Kirk Ferentz's teams have had some classic battles on the gridiron since Dantonio arrived in 2007. Ferentz won their first meeting in 2007, an overtime thriller. Dantonio countered with a 16-13 win in '08 when the Spartans stuffed Shon Greene on a fourth down run. Iowa bounced back in 2009 in what was one of the most painful losses I've ever endured, scoring the winning touchdown on the final play of the game. The teams have played four games since then, with MSU winning in 2011, 2013, and this year--and Iowa winning another gut-wrenching overtime thriller in 2012. The bottom line is that this has been one hell of a compelling series.

The 2015 Big Ten championship game will be a contest that people will talk about for years to come. It was filled with drama. There was what I refer to as the "Immaculate interception" by MSU's Demetrius Cox (ball jarred loose by Riley Bullough's hit on the receiver) in the MSU end zone. It was a huge play that prevented Iowa from scoring a touchdown (or at the very least, a field goal) and potentially taking a 13-3 lead. With the way the defenses were playing last night, a 10-point lead may have been almost insurmountable. When it looked like MSU had seized momentum with a 9-6 lead, C.J. Beathard threw a play-action touchdown bomb that put Iowa up 13-9. And then there was the Spartans' epic 9-plus minute touchdown drive in which MSU slowly squeezed the life out of the Hawkeyes like a boa constrictor killing its prey. When watching MSU sports, I often feel like my heart will leap out of my chest and land pulsing on the carpet in front of my Vizio flat-screen television, and that feeling was especially profound last night when witnessing the game-winning drive.

I am a happy, content Spartan fan today. I am basking in the glow of last night's wonderful win and am not concerned about the tilt with Alabama on December 31. After this whirlwind, roller coaster ride of a regular season, I feel like a three week breather is just what I need.

How good is Iowa? and other thoughts leading to the Big Ten championship game

So how good is Iowa?

That is the question I've been wrestling with as we head towards tomorrow's Big Ten championship game.

The Hawkeyes are undefeated, and that in itself is deserving of respect. They may not do anything particularly spectacular, but they do everything well. They also have about the most balanced offense in college football, averaging about 200 yards passing per game and 203 yards rushing.

Much has been made about Iowa's "weak" schedule, but any team that wins all of its games is deserving of respect, no matter who its opponents have been. Iowa had no choice in its divisional designation, but all the talk is completely overrated concerning how "weak" the Big Ten West is anyway. If one is to take the East/West crossover games as a barometer of the two divisions' strength, they are both completely even. Both divisions finished tied at 7-7 in crossover games--and Iowa won both of its games against the East while Michigan State finished 1-1. Now, it is true that Iowa benefited from not having to play Michigan State, Ohio State, or Michigan. However, the same could be said for MSU, who didn't have to play Iowa, Northwestern, or Wisconsin.

The non-conference schedule is where Michigan State has Iowa beat. All of MSU's non-conference opponents finished the season above .500 and are all headed to bowl games. Two of Iowa's opponents, North Texas and Iowa State, combined for a 4-20 record. Iowa also played an FCS school in Illinois State (who finished 9-2 overall and 7-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Redbirds are headed to the FCS playoffs). The best non-conference foe for Iowa was Pittsburgh. The Panthers, bowl-bound, finished 8-4.

But what does any of this stuff really mean anyway? It'll be completely meaningless when the teams kick off tomorrow at approximately 8:17 PM at Lucas Oil Stadium.

I think you can all guess that I'm rooting like crazy for the Spartans to win the Big Ten Conference title tomorrow night. With any big game, I feel the need to prepare for any kind of outcome. I have a feeling that it won't matter what I do to prepare, though. I'll most likely be getting little sleep tomorrow night regardless of the outcome--however it must be said that sleeplessness in victory is much more enjoyable than sleeplessness in defeat.

A victory in tomorrow night's game would vault Michigan State into the college football stratosphere, a rarefied air that Mark Dantonio has been trying to reach since he arrived on campus in late 2006. It's a level of greatness that I never dreamed of seeing in my lifetime.

I need to learn from 2011, though. Even if Michigan State loses tomorrow, it's not the end of the program. It's not the end of the world. At this point, I need to keep in mind that it never makes sense to stew too much over a loss, because often times a big win is just around the corner,

The game tomorrow should be close, but unless Iowa is much better than I or most anyone else thinks (and they may be), I have a feeling MSU will find a way to win this. The college football playoff is a goal this team has been reaching for since last season. The team is healthier than it has been since the Oregon game, and has played its best football in the the three games since the Nebraska debacle. Go ahead and call me a homer, but I'm predicting the Spartans to beat the Hawkeyes in a close game. Michigan State 37, Iowa 30.

Spartans beat Louisville, and I was there!

I had the good fortune and immense pleasure of attending last night's tremendously exciting MSU basketball victory over Louisville. It was the most electric atmosphere I've seen at Breslin since the Spartans' 75-52 in over Michigan on February 13, 2013. The crowd was fully engaged. Part of that has to do with the terrific start this team has had, but another part I'm sure has to do with what a tremendous mood the football team has created. In fact, some of the loudest applause of the night occurred when Connor Cook was shown on camera (he was in attendance) and when highlights clips were played on the scoreboard of Jalen Watts-Jackson's game-winning fumble return against Michigan and Michael Geiger's field goal that beat Ohio State.


The Lousville Cardinals are much better than their #24 ranking. They have tremendous quickness and length. (By the way, is "length" the most overused and annoying basketball term? Let's just say Louisville's players are "frickin' tall"). Like the best Rick Pitino teams, they play a suffocating zone defense and an equally lethal press. If this team doesn't at least make the Sweet Sixteen this season, I'd be surprised. Look for them to cause some havoc in the ACC.

I've given up trying to think of more superlatives to describe the play of Denzel Valentine. The young man has been incredible this season, and made six crucial free throws in the final minutes of the game to seal the win. He makes everyone around him better, and he and Byrn Forbes make the best tandem we may have seen around here since Earvin Johnson and Gregory Kelser. Is that a stretch to say that? I have been know for hyperbole, but I have to say that Valentine and Forbes have an almost telepathic communication that I've not seen since those guys. (Well, come to think of it, Mateen Cleaves and Morris Peterson seemed to be able to communicate telepathically, as well).


Who, prior to this game, would have ever guessed that Kenny Goins would play 18 minutes and have 13 rebounds? On a night when Matt Costello and Javon Bess struggled, Goins stepped up big to battle Louisville's big men.

Thoroughly excited after the game, I stayed up to watch some of the late Big Ten/ACC Challenge games. Duke was on its way to blowing out Indiana, so I changed the channel to Illinois and Notre Dame, but it was quite clear that Notre Dame was about to win. Finally, I settled on the exciting finish of the Iowa/Florida State game. I surprised myself at how much I wanted the Big Ten to win this challenge, and was quite loudly and vocally rooting for the Hawkeyes and succeeded in keeping certain members of my family awake.

Michigan State 55, Penn State 16

First of all, sorry for yesterday's somewhat disjointed pre-game post. I was in the midst of experiencing my usual jitters and was sort of babbling.

Takeaways from the game: How could I have really doubted that Connor Cook would play on Senior Day? Not only did he play, but he was brilliant, and the offensive line may have had its best game of the season, or close to it. Cook was untouched and may have finished the contest with a completely clean uniform.

My jitters continued through the first half, and only because I knew what was at stake in this game, but looking at the game now, what was there to fear? Yes, Penn State was able to move the ball in the first half--using a particularly effective screen pass that seemingly went for at least nine yards every time Hackenberg threw it--but the Nittany Lions still only came away with 10 points by intermission.

Calmed by a Stella Artois, I did better in the second half. I had also muted the television as the ESPN broadcast crew were irritating. I try not to complain too much about play-by-play announcers, but I swear these guys were waving blue-and-white and scarlet-and-grey pom-poms in the booth.

By the time Jack Allen took time off from the offensive line to run for a 9-yard touchdown, the game officially became a laugher. With MSU up 55-16, the guys in the booth were reduced to talking about Christian Hackenberg's draft status. (I'm still trying to understand where the love affair for Hackenberg comes from. Strong arm? Maybe. "NFL body"? I suppose I can see that. But he has little mobility and I've quite simply never seen him do anything spectacular. Then again, if he had any sort of offensive line to protect him with regularity, perhaps his ability would be more obvious).

Well, real life calls and I need to cut this post short. More later...

Penn State pre-game post

It's been awhile since I last wrote in this blog. I spent the beginning of the week still basking in the afterglow of the Ohio State win. Listened to some local sports talk radio and watched the Big Ten Network's replay of the game. On Monday evening, my wife and I went to Breslin Center to watch the MSU basketball team clobber Eastern Michigan. By the middle of the week, it was Thanksgiving and an afternoon stuffing my face with food, beer, wine, and champagne while watching the Detroit Lions annihilate the Philadelphia Eagles and the MSU hoopsters run away from Boston College in the second half of their Wooden Legacy tournament game.

This undefeated Michigan State sports week continued last night, as MSU basketball finally put away a pesky Boise State team. I hope that this wonderful week will be topped off with the Spartan football team defeating Penn State today and clinching the Big Ten East division title.

As I write this, I am half-watching the Ohio State/Michigan game and rooting for the Wolverines to lose. The worst case scenario for me is a Michigan win over the Buckeyes and MSU losing to Penn State. That is a complete nightmare scenario and best to not even ponder as it will cause me heart palpitations and sweaty palms.

Honestly though, as long as Michigan State takes care of Penn State, I really don't give a damn who wins the OSU/Michigan game.

As far as today's Penn State game goes, I believe that the Spartans will be fully dialed in. They know what's at stake, and they've been through too much this season to let this game slip through their hands. Put pressure on Christian Hackenberg, who has been sacked 36 times this season with his porous o-line, and make his afternoon hellish. 

Nobody outside of the Duffy Daugherty Football Building knows if Connor Cook will play today. I have a sneaking suspicion that he will not and it'll be up to Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry to run the offense again. If this is so, I just hope they an continue to do what they did last week against Ohio State, and that L.J. Scott, Gerald Holmes, and Delton Williams can build upon what they did in what may be a resurgent MSU running game. I'm putting my green sunglasses on and predicting a 23-10 MSU victory.

Michigan State 17, Ohio State 14

First of all: this isn't the first time, nor will it be the last, that I was dead wrong about a game. I predicted that OSU would win 34-24, completely underestimating the sheer brilliance of MSU's defense, and just the flat-out resilience of the entire Spartan team. Ezekiel Elliott's pouty, sour grapes post-game comments be damned, the best team won today.

I'm writing this with no clear idea of where to start. Maybe the best place to begin is by saying this has to be the best and biggest regular season win of the Dantonio era. It tops this year's Michigan game in importance even if it comes just short in drama. (Though Michael Geiger connecting on a 41-yard field goal on the final play of the game is pretty damned exciting).

Urban Meyer, in almost four years at Ohio State, has exactly two Big Ten losses. Both losses came at the hands of Michigan State. While Meyer has been routinely beating all other Big Ten teams, he's only 2-2 against the Spartans.

If Michigan beats Ohio State next week, and becomes the only conference team not from East Lansing to top the Buckeyes, the Wolverines can thank the Spartans for completely shattering OSU's spirit.

Michigan State won this game without Connor Cook. Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry filled in admirably for Cook, while Gerald Holmes, L.J. Scott, and Delton Williams contributed to a surprisingly effective running game. The Spartans had an astonishing 203 yards on 51 carries. George Perles probably has a gleam in his eye about that stat.

So now, I bask in this win and hope that we all have a big Sparty Party next week after a win over Penn State for the East Division title.

No Connor Cook

No Connor Cook.

This is a tough position to place Tyler O'Connor and Damion Terry, playing against Ohio State at the Horseshoe. It may be on the defense to win this one.