Sunday, October 30, 2011

Thump. MSU favored by 4 TD over Minnesota. MSU chances for Indy are still good.

Well, that sucked didn't it?  In its 24-3 loss on Saturday, Michigan State just didn't show up on offense vs Nebraska in a repeat of their poor performance against Notre Dame earlier this year. Captain Kirk looked lost in his worst performance of the year, and the offensive play calling was even more lost with a vanilla gameplan sprinkled with gimmicks at consistently the wrong time - just a pathetic, anemic performance by Spartan offense.  The offense never gave the resolute Spartan defense (holding Nebraska to just 270 total yards) a chance.  Hell, the MSU defense played pretty well for much of the day... but ain't no team gonna win many games with its offense scoring 3 points.   The defense showed up, and the offense had a hangover from last week's sensational win over Wisky.  Don't get me wrong -- give the Huskers defense some credit for wearing on and tearing up the Spartan offensive line -> but when the MSU offense needed to make plays, they couldn't make a good call, a sharp pass, a serviceable block, or a damn catch.  The Spartan offense went out of their way to make it easy for the Nebraska defense. 

Michigan State dropped to #15 in the AP, #16 in the USA Today, and #17 in the BCS standings. What I can't figure out is how scUM is ranked ahead of the Spartans... again, this is a Michigan team that, yes, beat Notre Dame, but has no other quality wins on its resume.  Sigh, it must be that mystique rearing its ugly head again.

Michigan State ain't out of it folks.  What is amazing is the Wisky loss to Ohio State, the JoePa win, and the Iowa loss to Minny.  If the Spartans can sweep their favorable schedule and Nebraska stumbles on the road at either JoePa or at scUM, MSU could head to the Big Ten title game against JoePa or Wisky. Right now, JoePa has a two game lead over the field in the Leaders division; the Spartans and Huskers are tied at 3-1 atop the Legends.

The Spartans are early 28-pt favorites over Minnesota this upcoming weekend.

Here is the recent BCS standings:

BCS Standings
RKTEAMRECORD
1LSU8-0
2Alabama8-0
3Oklahoma State8-0
4Stanford8-0
5Boise State7-0
6Oklahoma7-1
7Arkansas7-1
8Oregon7-1
9South Carolina7-1
10Nebraska7-1
11Clemson8-1
12Virginia Tech8-1
13Houston8-0
14Kansas State7-1
15Michigan7-1
16Penn State8-1
17Michigan State6-2
18Georgia6-2
19Arizona State6-2
20Wisconsin6-2
21Texas5-2
22Auburn6-3
23Georgia Tech7-2
24West Virginia6-2
25Southern Miss7-1

Friday, October 28, 2011

ES Game Day: Michigan State at Nebraska

Well, the ES guess correctly last week, picking Sparty 26-24 over Wisky... and predicting a blocked kick - pretty good year for the ES so far.  So what about tomorrow, with the Big Green Machine taking on Nebraska?

Michigan State Spartans (6-1/3-0) at Nebraska Cornhuskers (6-1/2-1)
Lincoln, NE.  12:00 pm.

Rankings:  MSU #9 (AP), #10 (USA Today), #11 (BCS), #12 (Sagarin).  Nebraska #13 (USA Today), #13 (AP), #14 (BCS), #23 (Sagarin)

TV:  ESPN
Weather: 49/55 degrees, clear skies
Line:  Corn favored by 4

Picks: CFN/Scout.com: MSU 27-17, Rivals.com: NEB 23-20, ESPN/Bennett: MSU 23-20, ESPN/Rittenberg: NEB 24-23, CBSSports.com/Feldman: NEB 20-13, NBCSports.com: NEB 27-24, DetNews.com: even picks (2-2)

ES pick:  MSU 20, Nebraska 14.
Stat of the week:  This will be a defensive battle, and Defense Wins Championships.  MSU will load up to stop the run, and with solid corner play will force Neb QB Taylor Martinez to throw.  Expect 3 INTs by Spartan DBs en route to a TD victory.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

How loud was it? The loudest EVER, that's all. Stadium videos of the replay call. Herbie & Musky deserve kudos

Two days after, and the ES has watched the last minute drive at least 50 times.  AT LEAST.  What an amazing story by Wojciechowski at ESPN.com.

I have ripped on Herbstreit & Co. for their blanket endorsement of Wisconsin, something that you don't expect out of someone as talented as he and the Game Day crew.  But, I have to give credit to Herbie and Brent Musburger for the post-game analysis, which I've just watched for the first time (since I was at the game, then at the Roadhouse to celebrate).  Musky called it "one of the great football games that I've been around.... It was unbelievable, I mean the whole game.... Oh, what a ball game, and what an unbelieveable ending."  Herbstreit: "and that's saying something... This is what makes college football so special."   Looking at the video, it is amazing how thousands of fans just wouldn't leave after the game, everyone just stunned celebration.  Several bloggers, including yours truly, are ranking it among the greatest college football games EVER PLAYED IN HISTORY (or try this) (dating back to Princeton & Rutgers in 1869).



I want to share with you below several clips that I've found from within the stadium of the timing of the announcement. Seriously, it must have hit 140 decibels in the stadium (ie a jet engine) -- the loudest single sound I have EVER HEARD in Spartan Stadium.  I have been attending Spartan football games for 25 years and never, NEVER, had it been as loud as on Saturday night. These all give you the sense of how AMAZING the experience was -- I'm not lying, it was truly one of the greatest single experiences of my entire life.

Thank you THANK YOU to everyone taking video in the Stadium.  It was historic, an amazing climax to one of the best games ever played.

Here is the announcement - just a BANG like an atomic bomb blast. Swear to the good Lord above.



Here is a video from the student section, right where the ES was standing, everyone in the stadium with their arms up signaling TD, when IT HAPPENED:







Here is a clip of the entire last drive, including the announcement:



Here is an amazing video of "Rocket," front row seat - ROW 3 to be exact:



Finally, a clip taken by the ES of the celebration of the players running to the corner of the endzone to celebrate with the student body:

Sunday, October 23, 2011

“After further review, it was determined that the receiver broke the plane…”


Sweeter words have never been said.  And, the ES now is officially a supporter of Instant Replay in college football.                            

OMG.  Where does one begin?  Let’s start with ESPN Game Day.  Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Chris Fowler – the ES hopes last night’s Spartan victory finally turns you into a believer about Michigan State football.  I’d love to stick last night’s game ball up Herbstreit’s "the-only-way-Spartans-can-win-is-with-a-miracle" butt, stick it right where the sun don’t shine.  As MSU safety Trenton Robinson said "it is just the ultimate in disrespect."  Screw your 326-lb Wisconsin offensive line… we got Smash Mouth Spartan defense!!!!  DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.

The Spartans are for real.  This is a new era.  Spartan history says we don’t win these close games, Spartan history says we blow it… Nope, not any longer.  We are now seeing a Dantonio-led Spartan team that consistently comes up with big (shall I say HUGE) plays when they need it most, a team that plays all 60 minutes to the last second.  We, the Spartan Nation, have earned this victory and earned this new era after decades of heartbreak. Screw ESPN and everyone consistently writing off the Spartans.

Last night’s sweet 37-31 victory over frigging Bucky Badger was maybe the most important victory in Spartan recent history – at least dating back to the 1999 Saban-era win over Michigan.  But, this is big big.  Bigger than big.  MSU is now in the driver’s seat for the Legends Division title with a 6-1 overall mark and a 3-0 record in the Big Ten.  Noone – NO ONE -- gave MSU a shot with a Murderer’s Row of Ohio State-Michigan-Wisconsin-Nebraska.  Talk was “if MSU can go 2-2, they can have a good year.”  Well, let the ES share with the national pundits that Michigan State is 3-0. Murder’s row?  Who is murdering who anyway?  It’s turned out that, the Spartans are the murderers.  Why?    Because DEFENSE WINS CHAMPIONSHIPS.  The Spartan defense is absolutely smash-mouth vicious, relentless, as it was again last night.  BRING ON NEBRASKA.

Wow, what an amazing, thrilling, fun game – one of the greatest Spartan games ever, and certainly one of the best in the ES’ 43 years on this GREEN earth.  Michigan State, after spotting Wisky with an early 14-points, came back to hit Wisky right in the mouth, beginning with defense (a safety nonetheless), and outscoring the “vaunted” Badger offense 31-3 before holding on for a last-second Hail Mary victory.  Indeed, other than the first eight minutes and last eight minutes, MSU dominated the game.  That’s right.  Michigan State pushed Wisconsin all around the field, and that “great” Wisky quarterback, Russell Wilson, was terrorized throughout the evening by a bruising Spartan defense.   Wilson had just 30 yards rushing, and completed 14-of-21 for 223 yards, and 2 bad INTs (as a result of Spartan pressure).  Spartans sacked Wilson three times, but beyond that had heat on him all game long, forcing errant throws due to unrelenting pressure. DL Jerel Worthy?  Pure muscle, pound for pound a total stud.  He wrecked Wisconsin’s O-line play after play after play (he finished with 3 tackles, one for loss, and a QB hurry).  LBs Max Bullough, Chris Norman, and Denicos Allen?  Just in the right place at the right time all evening long, especially on third downs.

The Doctor, Mark Dantonio, yet again, showed Wisky coach Brett Bielema how to coach.  Brilliant use of time outs before the end of the first half, giving the Spartans an opportunity to block a punt… which worked, and which resulted in a TD.  MD’s call for a double reverse in the second quarter could not have been more timely, and helped to jump start the Spartan offense.  Yet, Kirk Cousins almost gave the game away, playing scared late in the fourth quarter, not risking errant throws and instead taking several sacks.  Cousins, who finished 22-of-31 for 290 yards, was sharp most of the game and threw 3 TDs and converted on a critical 2-pt conversion with a beautiful catch by BJ Cunningham.  This was Cunningham’s best game of the year, coming up with timely catches all game long to keep drives alive – he finished with 6 catches for 102 yards and a beautiful 35-yard TD catch from Cousins in the 2nd quarter.

The Spartans had arguably their best offense of the year, and it was timely.

How good was the Spartans’ offense?  They led in time of possession, with 31:31, and converted on 8-of-16 tries (50%).  Spartan FB LeVeon Bell got the bulk of the work after the Doctor realized early that Ed Baker wasn’t big enough to move the ball.  It was a good move going to Bell, who ended up with 87 yards on 16 carries (5.4 average), and several nice runs up the middle to keep the chains moving.

Special teams?  Not special all season, but my-oh-my did it come through last night.  MSU blocked a FG, blocked a punt for a TD, and allowed only a long of 25 yards for UW kick returns.  Even Spartans punter, Mike Sadler, had a good game – other than one shank, he had several critical punts that pinned Wisconsin deep or hung up long enough to allow only short UW returns.

A “dirty team?” After the 13-penalty performance week, the Spartans had ZERO penalties vs Wisconsin.  That’s right, none.  How about “chippy” or “tough” or “nasty”… but not dirty.  Michigan State put that argument to rest last night.

THE DRAMATIC CONCLUSION

Funny, the ES was in the upper deck but came down to the lower bowl on the final Wisconsin drive to watch the thrilling ending.  A beautifully called and executed shovel pass from Captain Kirk to LeVeon Bell was timely and set the stage for the final play.  The use of time outs by MD and by Bielema was truly a fascinating chess match – only to see Bielema botch it again by calling time out and giving the Spartans a final chance with :10 left.  Bielema is such a ding-dong. A beautiful throw by Cousins to Lithincum that could have put MSU into FG range went awry with great Wisconsin defense knocking the ball away.  And, the dramatic conclusion…

The ES had to look at the video monitor because Cousins was flushed right and too many fans were in the way.  I couldn’t believe Nichol caught it on the deflection… it just fell into his hands.  Even from the odd angle, it looked as if Nichol made it and crossed the goalline into paydirt.  The ES will never forget, as the official took just 1 minute and ran back on the field to announce the official call. The ES's brother was sitting underneath the press box/suite area, and he said that he turned around and everyone in the suites was going crazy with their arms pointed up, knowing the replay was going to give MSU the win. The referee headed out onto the field, he said, “After further review, it was determined the receiver broke the plane…”

I never heard anything else.  The atom bomb that is the Spartan Nation was detonated.  The place went completely ape-shit.  The Spartan bench cleared onto the field, trampling the referee.  OMG it was beautiful.  Watch the video below.



Replay officials did a great job, an easy call as video demonstrated without a doubt that Nichol crossed the plane.

One helluva game, what a great day to be a Spartan.  I HATE WISCONSIN.  Hate them with a passion.  I’m glad we kicked their arse.  Hope to see them again in Indianapolis, and we can kick their tail again.  ESPN Game Day:  I hope you never come back – give the Spartans some credit for once… when will you believe?  MSU deserved to win that game.  Michigan State played better defensively and offensively, MSU played better on special teams, and the Spartans outcoached the Badgers.  Sweet, sweet victory!

The Spartan Nation rejoices.  Top Ten: welcome the Michigan State Spartans. 

Team Statistics (Final)
                          2011 Michigan State Football
    #4 Wisconsin vs #15 Michigan State (Oct 22, 2011 at East Lansing, Mich.)
 
                                    WIS      MSU
 
FIRST DOWNS...................       23       18
  Rushing.....................       11        5
  Passing.....................       12       13
  Penalty.....................        0        0
NET YARDS RUSHING.............      220      109
  Rushing Attempts............       41       32
  Average Per Rush............      5.4      3.4
  Rushing Touchdowns..........        2        1
  Yards Gained Rushing........      242      150
  Yards Lost Rushing..........       22       41
NET YARDS PASSING.............      223      290
  Completions-Attempts-Int....  14-21-2  22-31-0
  Average Per Attempt.........     10.6      9.4
  Average Per Completion......     15.9     13.2
  Passing Touchdowns..........        2        3
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      443      399
  Total offense plays.........       62       63
  Average Gain Per Play.......      7.1      6.3
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      1-0      2-1
Penalties: Number-Yards.......     6-40      0-0
PUNTS-YARDS...................     3-83    7-266
  Average Yards Per Punt......     27.7     38.0
  Net Yards Per Punt..........      9.0     32.1
  Inside 20...................        0        2
  50+ Yards...................        0        0
  Touchbacks..................        1        0
  Fair catch..................        1        1
KICKOFFS-YARDS................    7-455    5-326
  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     65.0     65.2
  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     45.9     44.6
  Touchbacks..................        0        1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.   2-41-0   1-36-1
  Average Per Return..........     20.5     36.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD   4-83-0  7-134-0
  Average Per Return..........     20.8     19.1
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..    0-0-0    2-6-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0
Possession Time...............    28:29    31:31
  1st Quarter.................    10:16     4:44
  2nd Quarter.................     7:41     7:19
  3rd Quarter.................     5:48     9:12
  4th Quarter.................     4:44    10:16
Third-Down Conversions........   4 of 9  8 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   0 of 0   1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      4-5      1-1
  Touchdowns..................      3-5      1-1
  Field goals.................      1-5      0-1
Sacks By: Number-Yards........     4-27     3-13
PAT Kicks.....................      4-4      3-3
Field Goals...................      1-2      0-0



OMG! Greatest win in the most dramatic, exciting Spartan game ever!

More updates here shortly, but the ES is ecstatic!!!  What an amazing victory for Michigan State over the hated Bucky Badgers - MSU deserved to win the game with a pounding defensive effort, and the miracle Hail Mary (that never works).   Michigan State is a top 10 team easily...

Will update more - ES is traveling to Washington DC.  GO STATE! What an amazing day to be a Spartan!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Game Day: ES predicts Wisconsin at MSU

Wisconsin Badgers (6-0/2-0) at Michigan State Spartans (5-1/2-0)

ESPN GAME DAY
East Lansing, MI. 8:00 pm.

Rankings:  MSU #13 (USA Today), #15 (AP), #16 (BCS), #22 (Sagarin).  Wisky #4 (USA Today), #4 (AP), #6 (BCS), #4 (Sagarin)

TV:  ESPN
Weather: 47 degrees, clear skies, moony.
Line:  Wisky favored  by 9.

Picks: Phil Steele: MSU 24-20,  USA Today: Wisky 26-21, ESPN/Mark May: Wisky, ESPN/Holtz: Wisky, ESPN/Bennett: Wisky 31-21, ESPN/Rittenberg: Wisky 30-24, NBCSports.com: Wisky 45-17, CFN/Scout: Wisky 30-23, DetNews/Wojo: Wisky 31-20, MLive.com/Johnson: MSU 34-31, ReadingEagle.com: MSU 24-21, Rivals.com: Wisky 28-21.

ES pick:  MSU 26, Wisconsin 24.
Stat of the week:  Again, defense wins championships. Spartans get three take-aways and hold Wisconsin to under 150 rushing yards to key the victory.... and, Sparty blocks a kick!

Thursday, October 20, 2011

Gholston gets the hook for Wisky game

Spartan DE William Gholston, who has become a big-time playmaker in his second season with the Green and White, will be suspended for the Wisconsin game.

As noted by Rittenberg at ESPN, Gholston received the suspension for punching Michigan offensive lineman Taylor Lewan following the final play of the third quarter of the Spartans' 28-14 win. It was one of two personal fouls he had in the game.  The Big Ten rulebook prohibits "striking or attempting to strike or otherwise physically abusing an official, opposing coach, spectator or athlete."  Brady Hoke didn't mind that much, obviously.

The ES didn't see it at the game,  but after witnessing it on television, I figured he'd be suspended.  Nevermind the fact that big #77 of scUM pushed his head into the ground, but slugging someone in the Adam's apple ain't the best advice on how to handle it.

What does this mean? Drenzel Drone will take place of Gholston... and MSU is very deep and athletic along the defensive front (did I ever think I'd write that in my lifetime?), but are they athletic enough?  We shall find out.  This defense has a swagger about them that is reminiscent of the 1988 Rose Bowl team.  Just plain mean. Take it out on the hated Badgers on Saturday, is all I say.

Monday, October 17, 2011

Spartan Defense is vicious, ferocious, unrelenting; MSU moves to #13, TD underdog to Wisky

The ES keeps thinking about the ferocious Spartan defense on Saturday, which put to rest for good the argument any notion of scUM's Denard Robinson as Heisman-trophy caliber.  Indeed, he looked downright ordinary on Saturday, with a bludgeoning and bruising Spartan front line that completely dominated the "vaunted" Wolverine offense. When Michigan's 4th-and-1 effort was smashed with yet another Spartan sack of Robinson, the AArogant Nation has to wonder if Robinson's shoelaces aren't more effective tied to the bench, even if tied at all.  Sweet beauty, sweet beauty.  It was as vicious of an effort by the Spartan defense witnessed by the ES in his lifetime.

As loud as the cheers are roaring in Spartan Stadium is the whining out of Ann Arbor, which has never been louder: "the Spartans play dirty", etc etc.  Whatever, what the whining shows is several things:
  1. inability for the Wolvies to use multiple gifts from MSU; the Spartans penalized 13 times for 124 yards, giving the Wolverines 6 of their 20 first downs by penalty... five personal fouls by MSU resulted in a FRESH SET OF DOWNS each time... and in EVERY CASE, Michigan punted.  Yes, Michigan got NOTHING from the 15 yards and first downs each of the five times through the entire game. 
  2. difficulty for the AArrogant Nation to accept the fact it has taken a back-seat to Michigan State in football.  This is four years of pounding in a row.
  3. unwillingness for the AArogant Nation to acknowledge the fact of being physically and mentally defeated.  They weren't as tough, and couldn't compete. They were pounded into submission, and the AArrogant Nation just can't accept that, either.
  4. sore losers.
As my parents always said, stop yer bitchin' and keep your nose to the grindstone. Or, more bluntly: "Let me tell you a thing about stupidity: It is better to be quiet than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."

At least the players weren't complaining, and recognize the game of football involves physical brutality.  Even Robinson told the New York Times: “They were playing football. It’s a dirty game.” “They were definitely more physical,” said Michigan redshirt junior safety Jordan Kovacs. “They pounded us. They beat us up.”

NY TIMES, MEDIA PRAISE SPARTANS FEROCITY
The praise for Michigan State's ferocity is wide across the nation (NY Times called the win over scUM a "beating"; USA Today acknowledges MSU defense; even the Michigan Daily acknowledged MSU's pummeling.). In back-to-back games, against Ohio State and Michigan, the Spartans looked, well... MEAN and unrelenting.  Jeez, it looked like an Alabama-defense.  Right now, the Spartans rank No. 1 nationally in pass defense (119.1 yards per game) and pass-efficiency defense (84.3 rating), along with a No. 2 ranking in total defense (186.1 yards), No. 3 in run defense (67 yards) and No. 4 in scoring defense (10.8 points).

ESPN GAME DAY COMING TO TOWN 
Now, the #13 Spartans get the supreme test:  hosting #4 Wisconsin.  The Badgers are a 7 1/2-pt favorite at Spartan Stadium.  Notably, it is not only MSU's Homecoming... but ESPN Game Day crew are coming to town, likely to set up shop at Munn Field - it is Corso and Herbstreit's fourth visit to Spartan Stadium, and first since 2005.  In other Big Ten tilts, Iowa favored by 23 over Indiana, Illinois favored by 6 at Purdue, Nebraska favored by 25 at Minnesota, and Joe Pa favored by 4 at Northwestern.

TIDBITS
ES predicted MSU 27-18 (final 28-14)... not bad, eh?  And, the ES poll relating to how many yards would MSU limit Denard Robinson?  The answer was 167 total yards -- more than 50% below his average of 342 entering the game. 39% of the 181 who responded to the ES poll said Robinson would be held under 150 yards; 9% said between 151-200; 7% said between 201-250, 4% said between 251-300; and, 38% said he would gain more than 300.  The ES grins, "Ha ha ha."

RANKINGS: MSU #13, #15, #16
For Michigan State, they've climbed to #13 in the USA Today, #15 in the AP Poll, and #16 in the first BCS rankings released today.

USA Today Poll
RKTEAMRECORDPTS
1Oklahoma (31)6-01426
2LSU (15)7-01410
3Alabama (12)7-01403
4Wisconsin (1)6-01262
5Stanford6-01222
6Oklahoma State6-01173
7Boise State6-01172
8Clemson7-01028
8Oregon5-11028
10Arkansas5-1931
11Nebraska5-1775
12South Carolina6-1765
13Michigan State5-1690
14West Virginia5-1688
14Virginia Tech6-1688
16Kansas State6-0678
17Michigan6-1458
18Texas A&M4-2415
19Georgia Tech6-1396
20Houston6-0359
21Illinois6-1260
22Penn State6-1253
23Auburn5-2202
24Washington5-1174
25Arizona State5-286
  • Dropped from rankings: Texas 21, Baylor 24
  • Others receiving votes: Georgia 60, Notre Dame 36, Rutgers 31, Southern Methodist 27, Texas 26, Southern Miss 14, Cincinnati 14, Baylor 9, North Carolina 9, Virginia 3, Temple 3, TCU 1

Sunday, October 16, 2011

MSU 28, Michigan 14 (2011)

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IMG_1279IMG_1281IMG_1286IMG_1287IMG_1288IMG_1289
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MSU 28, Michigan 14 (2011), a set on Flickr.

Photologue from Michigan State's 28-14 domination over Michigan. Spartan Stadium, East Lansing. October 15, 2011.

Spartans POUND Wolverines into submission

What a game!  Notch up another top-flight effort out of the Spartan defense in its 28-14 annihilation of the overrated Michigan Wolverines. That is four straight years the Spartans have dominated the roadkill on the gridiron: the first time that has happened in 50 years. Once again, MSU ended scUM illusions of grandeur as Michigan State opened up and exploited all of the Wolverine weaknesses:  a weak scUM interior on both offense and defense, and a brittle quarterback in #16 who is nothing more than average when competing against a real defense.  (Photo courtesy MSU Media Relations).

MSU held "the nation's most exciting performer," scUM's Denard Robinson,  to just 42 yards rushing and a miserable 9-of-24 passing for 123 yards... that is just 167 total yards of offense, folks. That was less than half of his total of 342 yards per contest prior to the MSU tilt.   The defense also battered Robinson all day long, with 7 sacks and countless hits.  The pick-six by Spartan DB Isaiah Lewis in the fourth quarter was a result of a brutal blitz package by MSU, with Spartan LB Max Bullough right in his face.  Indeed, after Michigan scored to close the Spartan lead to 21-14, the defense picked up the pressure, with blitz after blitz harassing the scUM QBs.  Indeed, if Robinson was such a great player, why not have him in at the end of the game?  In addition, the Wolverines were held to a miserable 20% third down conversions, just 3-of-15.  It was misery all day long for scUM, thanks to the Spartan vice-grip defense.

Asf  for the Spartan offense, Kirk Cousins was as sharp as he was all year -- actually the biggest issue on offense were the several dropped passes by both Cunningham and Martin (although Martin's sideline tiptoed efforts on the 2 TD catches were fantastic).  The OL started opening up gashing holes for Edwin Baker and LeVeon Bell.  Baker's 167 yards was his best of the year, and the 213 yards rushing dominated the measly 82 yards of Michigan.

As for the Nike combat uniforms,  they looked better in photos than in action -- it was real tough to see the numbers throughout the game, at least from the upper deck.

A dominating performance on all sides of the game from the opening kickoff to the final seconds.  Congrats to the 5-1 Spartans who have a chance to make the claim as the Big Ten's best this weekend's homecoming vs. Wisconsin.  Go GREEN!


 Team Statistics (Final)
                          2011 Michigan State Football
    #11 Michigan vs #23 Michigan State (Oct 15, 2011 at East Lansing, Mich.)

                                   MICH      MSU

FIRST DOWNS...................       20       16
  Rushing.....................        8        9
  Passing.....................        6        7
  Penalty.....................        6        0
NET YARDS RUSHING.............       82      213
  Rushing Attempts............       36       39
  Average Per Rush............      2.3      5.5
  Rushing Touchdowns..........        1        1
  Yards Gained Rushing........      151      224
  Yards Lost Rushing..........       69       11
NET YARDS PASSING.............      168      120
  Completions-Attempts-Int....  12-31-1  13-24-0
  Average Per Attempt.........      5.4      5.0
  Average Per Completion......     14.0      9.2
  Passing Touchdowns..........        1        2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      250      333
  Total offense plays.........       67       63
  Average Gain Per Play.......      3.7      5.3
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      2-0      2-2
Penalties: Number-Yards.......     5-40   13-124
PUNTS-YARDS...................    7-223    5-205
  Average Yards Per Punt......     31.9     41.0
  Net Yards Per Punt..........     27.1     36.6
  Inside 20...................        4        1
  50+ Yards...................        0        0
  Touchbacks..................        1        0
  Fair catch..................        1        0
KICKOFFS-YARDS................    3-158    5-333
  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     52.7     66.6
  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     37.0     48.2
  Touchbacks..................        0        3
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.   2-22-0   1-13-0
  Average Per Return..........     11.0     13.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD   2-32-0   3-47-0
  Average Per Return..........     16.0     15.7
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..    0-0-0   1-39-1
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0
Possession Time...............    29:27    30:33
  1st Quarter.................     8:23     6:37
  2nd Quarter.................     6:31     8:29
  3rd Quarter.................     6:50     8:10
  4th Quarter.................     7:43     7:17
Third-Down Conversions........  3 of 15  7 of 14
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   2 of 4   0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      1-2      3-3
  Touchdowns..................      1-2      3-3
  Field goals.................      0-2      0-3
Sacks By: Number-Yards........      0-0     7-62
PAT Kicks.....................      2-2      4-4
Field Goals...................      0-0      0-0

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Pound GREEN Pound!

Time to dominate scUM with our old Spartan ways of pounding the ball with the run, running rough-shod all over the Wolverines... and playing nasty, no-holds-barred defense.

SPARTANS WHAT IS YOUR PROFESSION?!!!  Beat Michigan!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Game Day: ES predicts MSU vs scUM

Michigan Wolverines (6-0) at MSU Spartans (4-1)
East Lansing, MI. 12:00 pm.
Rankings:  MSU #19 (USA Today), #23 (AP), #34 (Sagarin).  scUM #11 (USA Today), #10 (AP), #11 (Sagarin)
TV:  ESPN
Weather: 52 degrees, windy.
Line:  MSU favored by 2 1/2 
Picks: ESPN/Bennett: MSU 24-20, ESPN/Rittenberg: MSU 23-21, NBCSports.com: MSU 23-14, CBSSports.com/Expert Picks: MSU, Rivals/Yahoo: scUM, Scout/CFN: MSU 27-23, DetNews: MSU 24-21, MSU 31-14, MSU 27-20, MSU 34-28... will add more as time moves on.

ES pick:  MSU 27, scUM 18.
Stat of the week:  Defense wins championships. Spartans  top-ranked D will hold scUM's Robinson to under 100 rushing yards.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

#19 Spartans favored by FG vs #10 Michigan

Sorry for the delay, Spartan fans... the ES is out and about on vacation on the other side of the country.  That said... IT IS ROADKILL WEEK.  Time to open up a can of whoop-arse on scUM and kick some Robinson butt.  How many total yards (rush, pass, receive) will the Spartans' top-ranked defense hold that little feller to this weekend? Make your guess is on the right. 

The Michigan State Spartans are favored by a FG for the home tilt against the overrated #10 Wolvies.  #15 Illinois is favored by 4 at home over the Buckeyes.  #25 JoePa is favored by 13 at home over Purdon't.  Iowa is favored by 6 at home over Northwestern. And.... poor ole Indiana, the Hoosiers are a 39-pt dog to #4 Wisconsin. 

Notably, while the ES was gone, Michigan State moved up to #19 in the coaches (USA Today) poll, and #23 in the media (AP) poll.  The USA Today poll is below.

USA Today Poll
RKTEAMRECORDPTS
1Oklahoma (32)5-01434
2LSU (15)6-01409
3Alabama (11)6-01399
4Wisconsin (1)5-01244
5Stanford5-01232
6Boise State5-01170
7Oklahoma State5-01168
8Clemson6-01046
9Oregon4-1995
10Michigan6-0891
11Arkansas5-1871
12Georgia Tech6-0805
13South Carolina5-1678
14Nebraska5-1671
15Illinois6-0634
16West Virginia5-1528
17Virginia Tech5-1523
18Kansas State5-0462
19Michigan State4-1431
20Arizona State5-1343
21Texas4-1243
22Houston6-0200
23Texas A&M3-2198
24Baylor4-1185
25Penn State5-177

Sunday, October 02, 2011

Michigan State advances to #20 in coaches poll

Spartans move up to #20 in USA Today coaches poll...
Oct. 2, 2011
Rank
Team (first-place votes)
Record
Points
Last week's poll
1.
Oklahoma (27)
4-0
1,421
1
2.
Alabama (21)
5-0
1,410
2t
3.
LSU (10)
5-0
1,408
2t
4.
4-0
1,237
4
5.
5-0
1,236
7
6.
4-0
1,186
5
7.
Oklahoma State
4-0
1,162
6
8.
5-0
1,028
15
9.
3-1
1,017
11
10.
Texas
4-0
879
17
11.
5-0
808
19
12.
Arkansas
4-1
788
18
13.
Georgia Tech
5-0
728
21
14.
South Carolina
4-1
559
9
15.
4-1
557
8
16.
Illinois
5-0
541
22
17.
Virginia Tech
4-1
470
10
18.
4-0
456
12
19.
4-1
436
23
20.
Michigan State
4-1
366
25
21.
Kansas State
4-0
264
NR
22.
2-2
229
24
23.
4-1
217
NR
24.
Arizona State
4-1
177
NR
25.
Texas A&M
2-2
160
13

Dropped out
No. 14 South Florida (4-1, lost to Pittsburgh 44-17), No. 16 Baylor (3-1, lost to then-unranked Kansas State 36-35), No. 20 TCU (3-2, lost to Southern Methodist 40-33 OT).

Others receiving votes
Houston (5-0) 97; Baylor (3-1) 90; Texas Tech (4-0) 68; South Florida (4-1) 49; Penn State (4-1) 37; Washington (4-1) 30; Notre Dame (3-2) 13; Pittsburgh (3-2) 11; North Carolina (4-1) 10; Southern Methodist (4-1) 10; Tennessee (3-1) 6; Iowa (3-1) 5; Air Force (3-1) 3; Southern Mississippi (4-1) 3; Cincinnati (4-1) 1; Duke (3-2) 1; Ohio State (3-2) 1.

Spartan defense CRUSHES Ohio State, 10-7, in Columbus

It was as big a win for Michigan State as any in recent years.  The monkey that is Ohio State is now finally off Mark Dantonio's back.  The Spartan defense had its most dominating game since the 1987 Rose Bowl years, with a smothering, continuous attack all game long, dominating a Buckeye offensive line. MSU lived up to its statistical billing as the nation's top-ranked defense, and its reputation as the best Spartan defense in the ES' lifetime.  (photo courtesy MSU Media Relations).

Let's talk first about this crushing Spartan defense.  William Gholston, Jerely Worthy, Max Bullough, and Marcus Rush (who?  Yeah, that #44 guy) were in the Ohio State backfield all game long -- making 9 sacks and holding the Buckeyes to just 35 rushing yards on 39 attempts (that is an 0.9 yard average).  But, what was really impressive was early in the third quarter, seeing OSU QB Braxton Miller, and his eyes looked SCARED, terrified of this never-ending Spartan blitzkrieg.   As the ES noted in his post on Buckeye Battle Cry going into the game: "So far, MSU’s 2011 defense is better than in any year since the ES has been alive the past 43 years.  Interestingly, it is also ranked #1 in the nation.  Why is it so good?  The defensive line (Worthy, Pickleman, White, Strayhorn, Drone, etc.) is the most ferocious and by far the deepest for the Spartans since before the ES was born – too much talent, too deep to keep at bay"
And, you know what, MSU more than lived up to it.  It was a crushing, physical ass-kicking of the Ohio State offensive line.

After giving up just 178 total yards to Ohio State, the Spartans are now allowing just 173.4 yards per game IN TOTAL DEFENSE.  That remains #1 in the land. It's rushing defense of 64 yards per game is #6 in the nation, and its passing defense of 109.4 yards per game is #2 in the nation. 

Look at this drive chart out of Ohio State... Read it and weep.  OSU had only one posession over 4 minutes long, and 9 of its 14 drives were 10 yards or less (four went backwards).  Amazing. Too bad about the TD at the end, but by then  the game was out of reach.


OSU      1st O23  15:00  Kickoff       O30  13:28  Punt           3-7    1:32
OSU      1st O21  12:26  Punt          O23  10:02  Punt           3-2    2:24
OSU      1st O28  07:36  Kickoff       O25  05:23  Punt           4--3   2:13
OSU      1st O13  02:17  Punt          O30  13:13  Punt           6-17   4:04
OSU      2nd O37  09:45  Downs         M34  07:39  Int   4-29   2:06
OSU      2nd O18  05:58  Punt          O22  02:33  Punt           6-4    3:25
OSU      2nd O37  00:50  Fumble        O47  00:00  Halftime    4-10   0:50
OSU      3rd O32  12:54  Punt          M47  09:41  Punt           5-21   3:13
OSU      3rd O34  05:46  Missed FG     O39  02:41  Punt           5-5    3:05
OSU      4th O20  14:09  Int            O03  11:50  Punt           3--17  2:19
OSU      4th O38  10:28  Kickoff       O26  08:52  Punt           3--12  1:36
OSU      4th O07  07:04  Punt          O04  05:31  Punt           3--3   1:33
OSU      4th O24  04:24  Int            M43  03:06  Downs          8-33   1:18
OSU      4th O38  01:51  Punt          M00  00:10 *TD      7-62   1:41

When have you Spartans ever cheered so loudly for a 50-yard field goal?  That long kick by Conroy -- the Peanut Barrel in EL exploded in cheers, knowing that would be the difference because our defensive line had just dominated all game long.

As for the Spartan offense -- again it squandered away so many opportunities.  MSU was by far more dominant moving the ball between the 20s, but a la the Notre Dame game, mistakes by Kirk Cousins at inopportune times led to empty possessions.  The ES felt bad for Cousins about the ball falling out of his hands -- it happens.  But the interception to the corner of the end zone at the end of the 3th quarter on third down deep in OSU territory -- that ball should have never been thrown; into double coverage, no less.  What a waste of a perfectly good drive.  Cousins' INT late in the fourth quarter also should have never been thrown, just a poor pass on a well covered out pattern.  Cousins also missed open receivers all game long, including a wide open Cunningham streaking down the sidelines, and a wide open Sims.  Those are TDs you need against good teams.  Cousins has to make those plays. Indeed, the ES figures you can put much of the blame on the Spartans' #103 ranking in Red Zone Offense on the shoulders of Captain Kirk.  (25 drives, 18 scores, 110 pts for a 0.72 scoring pct). Thank God for the nation's best defense.

The offensive line for MSU, actually was serviceable -- Bell and Baker combined for 86 yards on 26 carries, about a 3.3 average.... and Cousins had time to throw much of the day, he wasn't sacked though he was whacked a few times.  The biggest question mark from this point forward for MSU is one:  Kirk Cousins.  He is playing nowhere near the level of last year, and his accuracy is most telling again on third down - where MSU was just 3 of 14 (just 21%).  Cousins has to finish drives; he just has to get better in his decision-making on third downs.

A well coached game by Dantonio for the most part -- the ES doesn't question going for it on 4th down, nor the missed 51 FG attempt by Conroy... MSU needed points, and was having difficulty getting the ball deeper into OSU territory, and its defense was ferocious.  So, why not take those gambles?

Bottom line, this was a game MSU HAD to win to be considered the real deal, and to make a run for the B1G Ten title game.  The Spartans have work to do, but we have an extra week to prepare and kick Denard Robinson's tail all over the field - wait till scUM gets a load of the Spartan defense instead of the pansies they've been playing all year.  The ES is licking his chops.

But, congrats to MSU for an amazing defensive domination!  We did what is among the most difficult things to do in major college football: win in Columbus (and a near shut out at that). Congrats to the Big Green Machine!


     Team Statistics (Final)
                          2011 Michigan State Football
         Michigan State vs Ohio State (Oct  1, 2011 at Columbus, Ohio)

                                    MSU      OSU

FIRST DOWNS...................       15       12
  Rushing.....................        2        4
  Passing.....................       12        6
  Penalty.....................        1        2
NET YARDS RUSHING.............       71       35
  Rushing Attempts............       31       39
  Average Per Rush............      2.3      0.9
  Rushing Touchdowns..........        0        0
  Yards Gained Rushing........      104      110
  Yards Lost Rushing..........       33       75
NET YARDS PASSING.............      250      143
  Completions-Attempts-Int....  20-32-2  12-25-1
  Average Per Attempt.........      7.8      5.7
  Average Per Completion......     12.5     11.9
  Passing Touchdowns..........        1        1
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      321      178
  Total offense plays.........       63       64
  Average Gain Per Play.......      5.1      2.8
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      2-1      1-0
Penalties: Number-Yards.......     6-54     9-82
PUNTS-YARDS...................    6-245   10-406
  Average Yards Per Punt......     40.8     40.6
  Net Yards Per Punt..........     38.3     38.8
  Inside 20...................        3        2
  50+ Yards...................        1        0
  Touchbacks..................        0        0
  Fair catch..................        1        2
KICKOFFS-YARDS................    3-188     1-70
  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     62.7     70.0
  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     40.3     50.0
  Touchbacks..................        0        1
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.   5-18-0   1-15-0
  Average Per Return..........      3.6     15.0
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD    0-0-0   3-67-0
  Average Per Return..........      0.0     22.3
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..    1-0-0    2-4-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0
Possession Time...............    28:26    31:34
  1st Quarter.................     6:26     8:34
  2nd Quarter.................     6:52     8:08
  3rd Quarter.................     8:42     6:18
  4th Quarter.................     6:26     8:34
Third-Down Conversions........  3 of 14  4 of 16
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   0 of 1   1 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      0-1      0-0
  Touchdowns..................      0-1      0-0
  Field goals.................      0-1      0-0
Sacks By: Number-Yards........     9-64      0-0
PAT Kicks.....................      1-1      1-1
Field Goals...................      1-2      0-0