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.

Ohio State pre-game post

How good is Ohio State? And what Ohio State team will play today?

Those are the questions I entertain as we near kickoff, which at this point is only about 90 minutes away.

I suspect that the defending national champions and winners of a ridiculous 30 consecutive regular season Big Ten games are a damned good team and will finally reveal themselves today...but this will be their first big test of the season.

The bottom line is that MSU needs to play its best game of the season to win. That means no special teams gaffes, no getting completely burned in the secondary (see: Nebraska game), the front seven needs to put pressure on J.T. Barrett, the running game needs to be better than it's been all year, and the offensive line needs to get a push and finally open up some wholes, and last but not least, Connor Cook needs to play through whatever pain he is feeling and have a big game.

MSU CAN win this game, but I have to lean towards OSU and hope like hell I'm wrong. My gut says Ohio State 34, Michigan State 24. My heart is, of course, with MSU all the way and hoping I'm wrong.

Denzel's November valentine

In my previous basketball post, I neglected to mention Denzel Valentine, and maybe that's because in the Florida Atlantic game, he played exactly as I thought he should: very good. In fact, his quiet efficiency in that game (13 points, 8 rebounds, 9 assists) made him easy to overlook.

After Valentine's brilliance in last night's 79-73 win over Kansas (which I am almost ashamed to say I couldn't stay up to watch--but I'm a workin' man), I feel bad that I didn't mention him in that FAU overview post.

Here's some trivia for you: Only two players have ever recorded triple-doubles against Kansas in the ENTIRE history of Jayhawks basketball, and both of those players are Michigan State Spartans. The first was Earvin "Magic" Johnson and the other is Denzel Valentine.

I don't want to overvalue last night's win, because it's still early in the season and a lot can happen between November and March, but it's fair to say that this team's ceiling could be a bit higher than even I thought before the season started.

Basketball in the midst of international tragedy

I don't really want to write about politics in here, but in this case it's really unavoidable.

Yesterday, as everyone knows all too well at this point, Paris, France was devastated by horrific terrorist attacks. The news hit shortly before I headed out to Breslin Center to watch the Spartans open up their basketball season against Florida Atlantic.

I don't know if "cognitive dissonance" is the proper term to describe my feeling at enjoying the trivial pleasure of watching a college basketball game while, across the ocean, one of the world's great metropolises was in the midst of horror. The game suddenly seemed pretty inconsequential, and I found myself periodically checking my phone to catch updates of what was happening in France.

But as far as the game goes, it was enjoyable and a good distraction from what was happening in the "real world." Michigan State will have an exciting team this year, and there is no telling how far they could go. It's not out of the realm of possibility to suggest this could be another Final Four squad.

Here's my Facebook post that I wrote after returning home from the game: "...opening night of the 2015-16 season. Checking my phone at timeouts to find out what was happening in France. I'm enjoying a trivial distraction in Breslin while Paris is suffering through unspeakable horrors. The Spartans should have an exciting team. Newcomers Dayonta Davis and Matt McQuaid will become fan favorites. (In his first official game, Davis had the second highest single game blocked shot total in MSU history. He could be a star player). Matt Costello and TumTum Nairn are poised for breakout seasons. Denzel Valentine looks like he is ready to be the leader in his senior year. Thanks to my bro-in-law Michael for inviting me. Had some great post game beers and burger at Harrison Roadhouse." Lourawls Nairn, Deyonta Davis, and Matt Costello are the players who impressed me the most. Nairn continues to bring non-stop energy to the team and his defense reminds me of Travis Walton. To top it off, he's added a reasonably decent jump shot to his repertoire (though with Denzel Valentine, Bryn Forbes, and Eron Harris around, Nairn will not likely be asked to shoot much). Deyonta Davis is a freshman, but he certainly does not look like a freshman. He has length, size, and a feel for the game that belies his youth. He's also a shot-blocking machine. Davis will be a fun player to watch this season. Matt Costello came into his own late last season, and the way he played against FAU, there is every indication that he is picking up where he left off.

At this point, my only concern is that old bugaboo, free throw shooting. It was not good last night. Maybe this is just an aberration, and it will be better in future games; but based on what I saw last night, it may still be a problem.

But compared to the problems faced by the people of Paris, my concerns about MSU's free throw shooting are pretty damned inconsequential.

Michigan State 24, Maryland 7: post game reaction

I was a little off on my 41-20 score prediction. I didn't anticipate Connor Cook missing the entire second half, and I underestimated both the ineptitude of Maryland's offense and how well the Spartan defense would play, and despite the obvious shortcomings of the Terrapins' offense, credit must be given to the MSU D for laying the lumber all afternoon.

In a game in which MSU's offense struggled all day, it was Riley Bullough's pick six late in the second quarter that set the tone for the rest of the game. MSU went up 14-7, and as it turned out that was all they needed.

Watching this game was, quite often, about as enjoyable as getting ones teeth cleaned at the dentist, but the Spartans got out with a victory. It remains to be seen if they have enough to beat Ohio State in Columbus, though. That'll be a tall order for the Spartans.

Pre-game post. (Topple the Terps)

Just completed my pre-game 5k run and have a few minutes to write about today's football game against Maryland. I hope the Spartans take out their frustration on the Turtles. I want to see kickoff coverage cleaned up and an adequate performance by the secondary. Maybe a healthier offensive line can establish a respectable running game.

I'll go way out on the furthest tree limb and say the Spartans win this one 41-20.