Make White Trash Great Again! NOT!!!! GO BIG GREEN

Michigan State (2-0, 0-0) vs. Notre Dame (2-1, 0-0)

Sagarin Ratings: MSU #27, Potatoes #16

September 21, 2017.  8:00 ET

Spartan Stadium

East Lansing, MI

Weather:  80 sunny & warm

TV:  Fox

Line: ND favored by 3-1/2

Depth Charts:  MSU, ND

Thy shall loathe thine Irish.  As chimed by Shane MacGowan and his Pogues:

And Brian Kelly never had it so good

"We had one million bales of the best Sligo rags
We had two million barrels of stones
We had three million sides of old blind horses hides,
We had four million barrels of bones.
We had five million hogs, we had six million dogs,
Seven million barrels of porter.
We had eight million bails of old nanny goats' tails,
In the hold of the Irish Rover.

There was awl Mickey Coote who played hard on his flute
When the ladies lined up for his set
He was tootin' with skill for each sparkling quadrille
Though the dancers were fluther'd and bet
With his sparse witty talk he was cock of the walk
As he rolled the dames under and over
They all knew at a glance when he took up his stance
And he sailed in the Irish Rover"

So, the halftime show for the MSU-ND game is... the Pogues!  For the first time in recent memory, Michigan State University has decided to hand over its halftime festivities to the trovelling band, The Pogues - in honor of our Irish guests.   So, with a spoonful of sugar, and a pint of Guinness, let's break down the realities of Saturday:

• Lewerke's name (MSU QB) is not Irish.  Actually, after spending 25 minutes in The Riv trying to figure it out... I have no idea where the hell he is from - other than it ain't Asia.  But he will live a long time, pending any issues with a bus or train: 
• So, here's a nice pic of South Bend, home of Notre Dame University (below).  It explains everything.  Crappy town, it is near (or in) the home of the National RV Hall of Fame!!!  I wonder what their role is in Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, etc?  Using a Donald-ism "we will be the GREATEST WHITE TRASH ON EARTH!  MAKE WHITE TRASH GREAT AGAIN!" 

• And, on and on we go.  Here's some predictions:

Predictions:

• RGM3: 28-24 ND
• Greg (go back to GVSU homie): 35-24 ND 
• Joe (from the Italian Stallion who got laid today on snapchat):  28-17 MSU 
• Brock: 28-24 MSU
• Leslie (hottie from Riv): 21-17 MSU
• Deb Chang (hottie from MSU HALE): 24-20 MSU
• Matt (from Iowa): 23-20 ND
• Keith: 24-23 ND
• Paul (Australia): 23-17 MSU
• Kelly (Butt :): 27-24 MSU
• ES sez: MSU QB Lewerke underrated, ND overrated (each year).  No Fly Zone back in play... Home, 80 degrees with humidity. On natural turf.  Picking out 4-leaf clovers.  Dear Sweet Jesus...It's simple.  MSU 23, ND 21. 

Best points of pavement-grading win by Spartans over Frigging Irish

My, oh my, there are few things better in life than watching the Michigan State Spartans destroy the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.  Under the arms of Touchdown Jesus.  Yes.

That's an Irish road we paved-graded
last Saturday

There was the ES at the altar, the Peanut Barrell, as he watched Madre London run straight through a gaping hole in the Irish defense, 73 yards to paydirt.  Jumping in the air with the rest of the Spartan brethren, screaming "run it down their troats."  Up 36-7, up by 29 points. In South Bend.  Jesus?  Yes. Or, for that matter, LJ Scott running 5 yards here, 6 yards there, etc..  Tyler O'Conner, as predicted, will be just fine.  An impressive, 19-for-26 with 241 yards in the air, 2 TDs, including several downfield 25+ yarders to RJ Shelton (8-80), Madaris(2-40) and incredible play by Corley (4-88).  Third down conversions?  MSU 9-of-18 (50%).  Wow.  Get the pavement grader ready this year.  We're back. 

Guinness can get you to 100, but it
won't help you beat the Spartans

Now, let's talk smack.  The Irish came into the game with their typical swagger, 80,000 under the open arms of God, expecting to revamp their failed crappy play at Texas (who lost at Cal 50-44 by the way). Well, Brian Kelly has his Irish boys consuming the Guinness instead of paying attention to the O-Line gap blocks that left wide open holes for the Big Green all day.  

Defensively, the Spartans played GREAT ALL DAY until they took the foot off the gas.  When you got a pig cornered, put a leg on the throat and stick the knife in real good - let the blood squirt all over.  Prevent defense NEVER works, surprised to see it out of Coach D. He should know better.  Still MSU amassed a huge lead on the road that was difficult to Fk-up. 

MSU's defense and offense combination was dominant enough for a 37-23 time advantage.  A 260-57 rushing advantage.  Dominant.

Although giving up 401 yards, most of those were after the Spartans were kicking ass by 29+ points.  The defensive line controlled scrimmage, and the LBs were lights out.  The secondary is rounding into shape, and the ES digs Darian Hicks and Chris Frey.  

Damn, we're fine. We've moved up to #8, and rightfully so.  MSU kicked ass! Bring on Wisky. 

Team Statistics (Final) 
2016 Michigan State Football 
#12 Michigan State vs #18 Notre Dame (Sep 17, 2016 at Notre Dame, Ind.)

Team Totals	MSU	ND
FIRST DOWNS	22	19
Rushing	9	3
Passing	12	14
Penalty	1	2
NET YARDS RUSHING	260	57
Rushing Attempts	52	25
Average Per Rush	5.0	2.3
Rushing Touchdowns	3	2
Yards Gained Rushing	277	74
Yards Lost Rushing	17	17
NET YARDS PASSING	241	344
Completions-Attempts-Int	19-26-1	20-37-1
Average Per Attempt	9.3	9.3
Average Per Completion	12.7	17.2
Passing Touchdowns	2	2
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS	501	401
Total offense plays	78	62
Average Gain Per Play	6.4	6.5
Fumbles: Number-Lost	0-0	2-2
Penalties: Number-Yards	3-45	4-51
PUNTS-YARDS	7-266	6-302
Average Yards Per Punt	38.0	50.3
Net Yards Per Punt	37.0	50.3
Inside 20	2	3
50+ Yards	0	3
Touchbacks	0	0
Fair catch	1	3
KICKOFFS-YARDS	6-383	5-276
Average Yards Per Kickoff	63.8	55.2
Net Yards Per Kickoff	45.5	36.8
Touchbacks	2	2
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD	0-0-0	3-7-0
Average Per Return	0.0	2.3
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD	3-42-0	3-60-0
Average Per Return	14.0	20.0
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD	1-0-0	1-30-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD	0-0-0	0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards	0	0
Possession Time	37:57	22:03
1st Quarter	8:46	6:14
2nd Quarter	9:15	5:45
3rd Quarter	9:52	5:08
4th Quarter	10:04	4:56
Third-Down Conversions	9 of 18	4 of 11
Fourth-Down Conversions	1 of 1	1 of 1
Red-Zone Scores-Chances	3-3	4-4
Touchdowns	3-3	4-4
Field goals	0-3	0-4
Sacks By: Number-Yards	2-11	0-0
PAT Kicks	4-4	4-4
Field Goals	0-0	0-0
Points off turnovers	15	0

Enlightened Spartan Preview: #12 Michigan State vs #18 Notre Dame Farging Bastages

A thing of beauty in 2008

Sagarin Ratings: MSU #35, ND #15

MSU 1-0/0-0. ND: 1-1
Saturday, September 17, 2016.
7:30 pm ET.
Touchdown Jesus. South Bend, IN. 

Line: ND by 7-1/2 (vegasinsider.com)
TV: NBC
Weather: 74 degrees, showers/partly cloudy.

Depth Chart - MSU - Friggin Irish

I hate Notre Dame.  Just can't stand the arrogance of the program.  Brian Kelly smells like rotten fish, no matter how Irish he is you can't pour enough malt vinegar on him to smell better.  And, it's the 50th anniversary of the 10-10 tie of MSU vs ND in 1966, at the time, the first ever regular season matchup of #1 vs #2 in college football history.  This time, no ties, and we're under the lights.

The Irish were outplayed by Texas and showed their vulnerabilities in the defensive backfield giving up 50 points to a frosh QB.  However, TD Jesus also was able to score 47 at Texas, with 444 total yards - and over 200 on the ground. Their QB, DeShone Kizer, accounted for 292 of those yards, with 5 passing TDs and 1 on the ground (85 total rushing yards on 13 carries).  So, you can expect to see lots of Kizer tonight.

But, has the ND front line improved since week 1?  Likely.  Tyler O'Connor will get a great test today, as he has some years but not much experience.  Will the Spartan defensive line prove itself today and contain Kizer and the Irish?  The addition of Ed Davis and his pass rush skills should help.   Expect far fewer penalties out of the Spartans, who committed 10 (most of them stupid) against Furman.

As Don (from PB) noted - and the ES concurs - a good healthy does of LJ Scott will tame the ND defense: 25 carries should do it.

Enough with the write up - it doesn't matter anyway, because I just CAN'T STAND THE IRISH.  Another victory will never ever get old.

PREDICTION? ES sez... MSU 27, Drunk Leprechaun 24

Rick: MSU 21-17, Joe: MSU 35-31, Carly: MSU 24-21, Shea: MSU 32-18, Brock: MSU 30-19, Don: MSU 24-21, Brad (I met on the street walking to HopCat): MSU 21-14.

Ronnie sez "ND will not score in the second half.  MSU wins 35-17."

LSJ:  Couch (whom the ES met last night at Reno's) ND 30-20; Solari, ND 31-28
Chicago Tribune:  MSU 27-24
Mlive.com: ND, 21-17
Freep:ND, 31-28
Frankie V:ND, 31-21
Athlon:  ND, 27-21
ND Rivals:Somogyi, ND 27-23; Driskell, ND 33-20; Jones, ND 30-24; Boden, ND 34-23; McKinney, ND 27-20
Heavy.com:  ND 23-20

ESPN & college hoops is Orwellian

After watching the MSU-Notre Dame men's basketball game, and worse yet, listening to the blistering half-blind discussion from Dave O'Brien and Doris Burke.  So, the ES turns on the radio broadcast of Michigan State, with the even worse broadcast from Will Teeman (he is, by far, the WORST announcer in the nation).

I give up.  Thanks for ruining college basketball.  You all covering this game for those of us fans are terrible: missing plays, over analyzing the game, and moreover supporting the incompetence that is screwing the game up.  This goes for BOTH SIDE
S of the court.  This game is getting worse every year.  No wonder attendance is going down.

The ES thought with the retirement of Eddie Hightower, things could only get better.  Nope.

Don't worry: tis a rebuilding year for Michigan State.  This is not my issue. Rather, my issue is how the media is getting worse in distorting the play on the court.  It's like watching a full-on Broadway play of 1984:  The totalitarian state of referees, Big Brother, how art thou?  Argh.

 

Dantonio MUST own up to terrible decisions in loss to ND

MSU loses 17-13 at Notre Dame, but outplays the Irish for the final three quarters. SOS? - Same Old Spartans. A few random thoughts: IF YOU CAN BELIEVE IT, MSU OFFENSE OUTGAINED ND!!!! 254 yards to 220... and we still lost!!!!! How embarrassing.

1. The double reverse pass early in the 3rd quarter as MSU was POUNDING ND into the ground via rush after rush was stupid. Finally, the Spartan offense is working, and you approve some out-smart-yourself-John.L.Smith play call? My God, RUN THEM INTO THE GROUND if it's working!!!!

For a coach that praises "a game of inches" and his team is peeling off yards on the ground, especially when it is struggling to get down the field consistently, it defies logic to take the risk and do something different.   DON'T TAKE THE RISK - IT IS NOT WORTH IT!!!!  Worst part of this, is Dantonio knows better. 

2. The wildcat call deep in ND territory demonstrates that the play is old school. Everyone can see what it is, we know where you are going...it is just a waste of a down. And it cost a Spartan offense that needs to be efficient in every play call it has. We just can't afford to waste a down.

3. PUTTING IN MAXWELL LATE IN THE GAME??? ARE YOU HIGH? As expected, Maxwell crashed and burned, and had no wheels to get away from a pass rush. He was cold as ice coming into the game, and his ability to connect with receivers is average at best. At the end of the game you need a PLAYMAKER, which means someone who can get away from the expected rush.  That is the time to get a QB on the run (like MD did in the bowl game vs TCU).  Dantonio got cute changing QBs when instead the guy he needed was already playing!  This backfired, just a terrible and stupid decision by Dantonio.

These are but a few, but the most egregious. More later.... Very very disappointing performance by Mark Dantonio, his worst coaching performance of his career. The ES is extremely disappointed in MD. Extremely.

Live Chat: MSU at Notre Dame

ES Preview of MSU-ND is here.

 

ES Game Day: MSU Shall Whip the Irish Catholics

Time:  3:30 pm ET
Location:  Touchdown Jesus, South Bend, IN
Weather:  64 and sunny. PERFECT.
TV: NBC

Predictions:

• BTN: Yarina, ND 19-16; Sean, MSU 17-14; Deinhart, ND 17-14; Bardo, ND 31-24
• CBS: Only 1 of 7 pick MSU a victor
• ESPN: Fortuna, ND 24-13; Bennett, ND 17-10; Rittenberg, ND 19-16
• Scout/CFN: MSU 23-17
• Freep: Rexrode, ND 22-13;  Sharp, ND 24-13; Seidel, MSU 13-10
• Chicago Tribune, ND 24-13

Line: ND by 6

ES sez: Before the Spartan explosion vs YSU, the ES would have said ND would kick our butt, at least a 2-TD or more victor.  But, can the Spartans' offensive efficiency from the win over the Penguins carry over to ND?

This is NOT the best ND team we've seen for a while, and methinks the Irish have been drinking and not thinking about how lucky they were, and not talented, to get to the title game last year. This luck has already caught up with ND this year.

For the game against the Spartans, the ES is figuring on the Spartan offense actually out-scoring its defense, even with several dropped passes. Let us see if the tight end position can catch a few key throws, particularly third-down passes.  That means Spartan QB Connor Cook needs to connect.  And, the ES believes Cook as our best option from now to season's end.  Hand Maxwell a clipboard with his scholarship... he had his chance, but he throws the ball like Daniel-son: wax-on, and wax-off.

Of note, all those reverses and east-west runs that worked against Youngstown won't get a yard against the speedier Irish: take note, Dave Warner (MSU offensive coordinator), use your reverse calls sparingly and to set up some more productive misdirection late in the game.

Yes, the reality is that the ND offense will NOT score more than 17 points against the MSU defense... MSU's defense is that good, and while tested, they will NOT give up more than 300 total yards to the Irish.  But can the Spartan offense put up enough points to win?  THAT is the question...
 
Moreover:  The Big Green has lost to ND the last  two years, and now it is our time. ND is 6-5 over the Spartans since 2002.

Here's the deal:  the ND defense has been iffy (but will improve for this game), the MSU offense has been barf-like (but will be marginal) - and it will be up to mistakes to make the difference in the game. Seriously, it could be Spartan Mike Sadler that is the difference, with his punt placement and/or booming punting that pushes the Irish offense back onto a longer field to score against the vaunted MSU defense.

The more I think about it, the more I believe this puts the game nicely in the hands of the  Spartans, who are game changers on defense.

Prediction:  MSU 16, ND 14.

Michigan State with the statistical advantage over Notre Dame

OK, so the Big Green has popped into the coaches poll at #24, and is a 6-point dog at the hated #21 Irish on Saturday.  Before we get to the polls, let's look at where the Spartans and Irish stand statistically through the first three weeks.  A big thank you to scheduling a FCS school in Youngstown State to help pad the Spartan offensive stat category. 

OFFENSE:
Rushing:  MSU 44th (209.7 ypg), ND 92nd (125.0 ypg)
Passing: MSU 105th (160.0 ypg), ND 16th (326.0 ypg)
Total: MSU 84th (369.7 ypg), ND 50th (451.0 ypg)
Scoring: MSU 49th (34.0 ppg), ND 65th (29.7 ppg)
Third Downs: MSU 70th (39.6%), ND 19th (54.5%)

DEFENSE:
Rushing: MSU 4th (50.3 ypg), ND 26th (112.7 ypg)
Passing MSU 5th (126.7 ypg), ND 89th (259.3 ypg)
Total: MSU 1st (177.0 ypg), ND 56th (372.0 ypg)
Scoring: MSU 12th (12.0 ppg), ND 57th (23.7 ppg)
Third Downs: MSU 2nd (15.6%), ND 93rd (44.3%)

The ES certainly sees an advantage for the Spartan defense, but can the offense use the momentum - particularly from the passing game - to take advantage of an Irish defense ranked 89th in the country giving up yards through the air?  ND won't be able to run the ball against the Spartans, but will they pass the ball effectively enough?  The point being - the Spartan offense NEEDS to move the ball and give the defense a rest.  More on this throughout the week. 

I hate Notre Dame football.

USA TODAY COACHES POLL:

RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (61)	2-0	1549
2	Oregon (1)	3-0	1477
3	Ohio State	3-0	1398
4	Clemson	2-0	1331
5	Stanford	2-0	1314
6	Louisville	3-0	1128
7	LSU	3-0	1121
8	Florida State	2-0	1113
9	Texas A&M	2-1	1033
10	Georgia	1-1	1022
11	Oklahoma State	3-0	908
12	Oklahoma	3-0	839
13	South Carolina	2-1	811
14	Michigan	3-0	743
15	UCLA	2-0	699
16	Northwestern	3-0	582
17	Miami (FL)	2-0	559
18	Florida	1-1	398
19	Baylor	2-0	375
20	Washington	2-0	361
21	Notre Dame	2-1	331
22	Ole Miss	3-0	303
23	Arizona State	2-0	176
24	Michigan State	3-0	131
25	Fresno State	2-0	75

• Dropped from rankings: Nebraska 15, Wisconsin 18, TCU 24

• Others receiving votes: Nebraska 55, Wisconsin 53, Texas Tech 49, Georgia Tech 37, Arkansas 34, UCF 33, Arizona 29, Northern Illinois 26, Auburn 15, Virginia Tech 9, Brigham Young 8, USC 7, Kansas State 6, Boise State 5, Utah State 5, Rutgers 2

MSU pounds Youngstown State; heads to Notre Dame a TD underdog

Wow, where did that offense come from?   Amazing performance by a dominant Spartan team the certainly outmanned, and pushed around a overwhelmed FCS team in Youngstown State, 55-17. 

Michigan State held the Penguins to 172 total yards... well under the 700-plus performance by YSU last week.  The Spartan defense gave up just 51 yards rushing.

But, more impressively, MSU put up 547 total yards in a very good performance. And, it was a balanced attack: 277 yards rushing, 270 through the air.  The Spartan offense answered the ES and other critics with 10-of-15 (67%) on third downs, and Connor Cook actually looked like a Big Ten quarterback with some well thrown passes, 15-of-22 for 202 yards and 4 TDs.   By day's end, 10 Spartans caught passes, including three to TE Josiah Price.   It looks like MSU found its #1 receiver in Macgarrett Kings, who was sporting the old BJ Cunningham #3 jersey.  Hell, even Bennie Fowler caught two passes.  It was all good for MSU at the right time.  That Spartan offense needed to wake up.

Over at VegasInsider, MSU is an early 6 point underdog to Notre Dame next week.  The Spartan offense needs to build on the confidence from the win yesterday as the squad head into its first rough test of the sason on the road.

With several losses in the top 25, expect the Spartans to inch in this week, probably at #24.  Will Michigan drop?  They should, and they should have lost to Akron.  

Spartan offense blows chunks, favored by 32 over EMU

Wow, that sucked. Only 3 points out of the Spartan offense vs the Irish? 237 total yards???? Terrible.

Dantonio didn't have the team ready... That wasn't Alabama we played, but we did our best to make the Irish look like the Tide. But, in addition, the receivers just flat didn't execute. We lost count of the dropped passes after 10; it was too bad, because Maxwell actually played well. That's not preparation, it is just poor play. Wide receivers play the game to catch footballs -- that's what they do. It killed all of our drives, and it was consistent all game long. The receivers are a real problem. I don't see #14 Tony Lippett starting the rest of the year. He was the biggest problem, he dropped 7 -- SEVEN -- passes. It was brutal - He SUCKED. It was fitting, the final play by the MSU offense was about a 30 yard sideline pattern to him, and like all game long it went right through his hands.

There's only so much you can ask of a defense and a QB. Laying an egg on national television stinks. Oh well.

MSU is now down to #20/#21 in the polls. Despite the loss, the Spartans are favored by 32 1/2 over Eastern Michigan this week.

And, Rittenberg/Bennett at ESPN still pick MSU to the Rose Bowl, but notes the void of good teams in the Big Ten. The bloggers say: "All Saturday did was make the picture much cloudier, as the team we've been pegging for the Rose Bowl -- Michigan State -- had a dreadful performance against Notre Dame." Further, "Well, since no other team has taken the bull by the horns, we might as well stick with our preseason pick of the Spartans winning the Big Ten..."

Truer words never were said. Hopefully, that crap was an aberration.

Huffington Post carries ES Game Day of MSU v ND

The Huffington Post carried the ES Game Day preview of the Michigan State Spartans vs the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. ES says MSU 27, ND 13.

"Gotta love the life of being a Michigan State Spartan... There ain't nothing like taking on the Irish Catholics under the lights, on national television, in front of a prime-time audience, and especially after a recent history of kicking their butt (10 out of the last 15 appearances).

The ES looks forward to the second night game of the year to watch the BEST Spartan defense in a generation. But, is it good enough to make up for a Spartan offense whose passing-game has been, for the most part..." Full blog preview

The Game:

#10 MSU Spartans (2-0) vs #19/20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0).
Saturday, September 15. 8 pm.
Weather @ kickoff: CLEAR and CRISP, 64 degrees.
Line: MSU by 5-1/2.

ES PREVIEW via The Huffington Post.

Nice writeup today by the Freep, proclaiming Spartans as "Best Football in the Big Ten." Another eye-opener from LSJ about MSU's lock-down corners. Interesting take about the Spartans from the Sportsaholic.

Predictions

• ESPN/Fortuna - MSU 17-13; Subway Domer - ND 20-19; CBSDetroit/Fithian - MSU 20-10; ND Observer - MSU 27-20, MSU 28-17, ND 17-16, ND 19-14, MSU 20-13; Det News/Wojo - MSU 20-13; Examiner.com - ND 28-20
  
• ESPN/Rittenberg - MSU 17-10; ESPN/Bennett - MSU 21-17; CFN/Scout.com - MSU 27-17; CBSSports.com/Feldman - MSU 23-14; NBCSports.com - MSU 24-16;

ES Game Day: #10 Spartans vs #20 Irish

#10 MSU Spartans (2-0) vs #19/20 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0).
Saturday, September 15. 8 pm.
Weather @ kickoff: CLEAR and CRISP, 64 degrees.
Line: MSU by 5-1/2.

ES PREVIEW via The Huffington Post.

Nice writeup today by the Freep, proclaiming Spartans as "Best Football in the Big Ten." Another eye-opener from LSJ about MSU's lock-down corners. Interesting take about the Spartans from the Sportsaholic.

Predictions

• ESPN/Fortuna - MSU 17-13; Subway Domer - ND 20-19; CBSDetroit/Fithian - MSU 20-10; ND Observer - MSU 27-20, MSU 28-17, ND 17-16, ND 19-14, MSU 20-13; Det News/Wojo - MSU 20-13; Examiner.com - ND 28-20
  
• ESPN/Rittenberg - MSU 17-10; ESPN/Bennett - MSU 21-17; CFN/Scout.com - MSU 27-17; CBSSports.com/Feldman - MSU 23-14; NBCSports.com - MSU 24-16;

ES sez? MSU 27-ND 13. I have been asked and have submitted a writeup about the whipping to the Huffington Post - will link to it when they post; should be no later than breakfast on Saturday morning. Pour yerself a Bloody, and point your URL over here for a skinny on the game. GO GREEN!

LIttle Giants or Major Butt-kicking? Predictions are in...

Early discussion and prognostications are blowing the winds in favor of Michigan State in their annual tilt vs the ND Irish, under the lights, 8 pm in East Lansing on ABC.

• ESPN/Rittenberg - MSU 17-10. "Michigan State's defense has been as advertised, and coordinator Pat Narduzzi told me this week that the unit is nowhere near its potential."
• ESPN/Bennett - MSU 21-17. " The Spartans' D is just better, however, and creates one score off a turnover. Bell does the rest with two touchdowns."
• CFN/Scout.com - MSU 27-17. " This is when Michigan State starts to get the national respect it should’ve received after the Boise State game."
• CBSSports.com/Feldman - MSU 23-14. "Curious to see if Irish remain in the nation's Top 10 in turnover margin after this road trip. Doubt it."
• NBCSports.com - MSU 24-16. "We don’t have much confidence in the Irish offensive line that was able to carve out just 52 rushing yards against Purdue last week."

ES will have his Game Day prediction up tomorrow... it's not who is gonna win, but by how much? Is this a 34-31 heart stopper or is it 31-14 blood fest? Methinks the latter...

Spartans favored by 3 over Notre Dame

The early line out of Vegas has the Michigan State Spartans favored by a FG (3 1/2) over Notre Dame. The rats from Ann Arbor are favored by, gulp, 45 over UMass. Northwestern by 4 at home over Boston College. Purdon't by 23 at home over Eastern Michigan. The Buckeyes by 17 1/2 at home over the University of California Golden Bears. Minny by 3 at home over Western Michigan. Wisky by 14 at home over Utah State. Nebraska by 24 at home over Arkansas State.

What does MSU's 31-13 loss to ND mean?

Michigan State was outcoached and made far too many mistakes to defeat Notre Dame yesterday.  Their 31-13 loss included just three points made off of 3 Irish turnovers, with the Spartans coming up empty after two drives within the ND 10-yard line.  That was truly unfortunate.  One of those, a pick of Cousins at the end of the game at the ND 3 was brutal, just a bad throw and poor decision by Cousins.  I didn't understand Dantonio's decision to punt late in the game, but he must have known the Irish were going to fumble, and they promptly coughed it up.  Unfortunately, Cousins threw that INT three plays later, and the game was over.

The OL gave Cousins time to throw, but could open no holes for the MSU rushing game... this looks like one of those years of an "average" O-Line at best. With only 25 yards rushing and 53 pass attempts -- that is a recipe for a loss every time, particularly for the Spartans.   The offense struggled all day to get into some kind of rhythm, but just could not have any sustained drives into the end zone, other than the 11-play, 80 yard drive that ended with the TD pass from Cousins to Sims.  Some of the trickery (failed reverse to Cunningham; failed direct snap to Martin) was as if the Spartans were trying too hard, being cute a la Treadwell instead of getting to basics to be successful.  And, the timing of these plays was most unfortunate; on third downs don't get so tricky, particularly with an Irish D-line that is stuffing the run all day.

The fake-FG at the end of the first half was poor decision-making by Dantonio.  Everyone new the fake was on, and... with the Irish stuffing the interior all day, why bother with an inside shovel pass?   MSU should have put its offense on the field to go for it, instead of coming up with an unconvincing fake FG try.

In the second quarter, the pass interference penalty on Gardiner after stopping ND deep in its own territory was brutal - it led to a 92-yard scoring drive by ND.  And, the ND score off a kick return didn't help. 


Still, MSU had plenty of opportunities to win throughout the second half... but had too few points off the opportunities and ND turnovers.  Give ND credit, they made the plays when they needed to, and the Spartans didn't make the plays at critical times.

The key stats?  #1: ND outgaining MSU 114 to 29 on the ground; and, #2: MSU just 5 of 17 (29%) on third downs.  That means lots of stalled drives for MSU and a one-dimensional offense.

So, what does this loss mean?  This doesn't look like an 11-1 Spartan team... at this point it looks more like an 8-4 team.  Unless the running game gets going, it will be tough for this team to win the line of scrimmage against Wisconsin and at Nebraska. It also puts into further question the Spartans chances against Michigan, at Iowa, and at Northwestern.  I figure of those five games, there may by three losses: that equals an 8-4 mark.  Coach Dantonio can turn this ship around, but the Spartans need to be more advantageous of their turnovers, and need to do a better job converting third downs.   MSU should bounce back just fine vs the Chippewas next week, considering the CMU team was crushed by WMU, 44-14 yesterday.  But the long term prognosis is questionable without some remedy along the front line, and better decision making in critical junctures of the game.

              Team Statistics (Final)
                          2011 Michigan State Football
      #15 Michigan State vs Notre Dame (Sep 17, 2011 at Notre Dame, Ind.)

                                    MSU       ND

FIRST DOWNS...................       21       18
  Rushing.....................        1        6
  Passing.....................       18        8
  Penalty.....................        2        4
NET YARDS RUSHING.............       29      114
  Rushing Attempts............       23       32
  Average Per Rush............      1.3      3.6
  Rushing Touchdowns..........        0        2
  Yards Gained Rushing........       54      141
  Yards Lost Rushing..........       25       27
NET YARDS PASSING.............      329      161
  Completions-Attempts-Int....  34-54-1  18-26-1
  Average Per Attempt.........      6.1      6.2
  Average Per Completion......      9.7      8.9
  Passing Touchdowns..........        1        1
TOTAL OFFENSE YARDS...........      358      275
  Total offense plays.........       77       58
  Average Gain Per Play.......      4.6      4.7
Fumbles: Number-Lost..........      1-1      3-2
Penalties: Number-Yards.......    12-86     6-53
PUNTS-YARDS...................    6-238    4-166
  Average Yards Per Punt......     39.7     41.5
  Net Yards Per Punt..........     36.8     41.5
  Inside 20...................        1        2
  50+ Yards...................        1        1
  Touchbacks..................        1        0
  Fair catch..................        3        0
KICKOFFS-YARDS................    4-257    6-407
  Average Yards Per Kickoff...     64.2     67.8
  Net Yards Per Kickoff.......     28.8     39.7
  Touchbacks..................        0        2
Punt returns: Number-Yards-TD.    0-0-0   2--3-0
  Average Per Return..........      0.0     -1.5
Kickoff returns: Number-Yds-TD  4-129-0  4-142-1
  Average Per Return..........     32.2     35.5
Interceptions: Number-Yds-TD..   1-34-0   1-82-0
Fumble Returns: Number-Yds-TD.    0-0-0    0-0-0
Miscellaneous Yards...........        0        0
Possession Time...............    32:28    27:32
  1st Quarter.................     6:32     8:28
  2nd Quarter.................     7:52     7:08
  3rd Quarter.................     7:16     7:44
  4th Quarter.................    10:48     4:12
Third-Down Conversions........  5 of 17  5 of 12
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   1 of 3   0 of 0
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      2-5      2-2
  Touchdowns..................      1-5      1-2
  Field goals.................      1-5      1-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards........      1-7     2-18
PAT Kicks.....................      1-1      4-4
Field Goals...................      2-2      1-1

ES Game Day Predictions: Michigan State at the Friggin Irish

MSU Spartans at Notre Dame Irish

South Bend, IN.  3:30 pm.

Rankings:  MSU #15 (AP, USA Today), #28 (Sagarin).  Notre Dame #53 (Sagarin).

TV:  NBC

Line:  ND favored by 5

Weather: 68 degrees, sunny.

Picks:  NBC Sports: MSU 24-23.  CBS Sports: ND 31-21. ESPN/Schlabach: ND.  ESPN/Rittenberg: MSU 27-24.  ESPN/Bennett: MSU 31-28. Bleacher Report/Rymer: ND 27-24.  Scout/CFN:  ND 38-34.

ES pick:  MSU 27, ND 21.
Stat of the week:  Worthy, Pickelman, and a stingy MSU defense holds ND to less than 100 yards rushing, less than 400 total yards. MSU has won 10 of 14 and will continue its dominance at Spartan Stadium West with another resounding, defensive domination.

MSU NOT favored by 5 over the Irish; Spartans move up to #15

Michigan State, after its defensive-minded, dominating annihilation of Florida Atlantic, 44-0, now travels to take on 0-2 Notre Dame, which decided to fold about :23 seconds too soon in its 35-31 loss at Michigan last Saturday.

The 2-0 Spartans, which moved up to #15 in both the USA Today and AP Polls, open as 5-pt favorites UNDERDOGS (SEE POST BELOW) over the Irish in South Bend.   Iowa is favored by 3 at home over Pittsburgh; Michigan by 29 at home over EMU; JoePa by 9.5 at Temple; Wisky by 16 vs Northern Illinois (in Chicago); Minny by 3 home over Miami (Ohio); Nebraska by 17.5 home over Washington;  Arizona State by 1.5 at Illinois; Northwestern by 7 at Army;  Purdue v SE Missouri State and Indiana vs SC State have no line...

As for the Big Green, it moved up to #15.  Here's the USA Today poll for good measure:

USA Today Poll
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Oklahoma (44)	1-0	1453
2	Alabama (8)	2-0	1410
3	LSU (7)	2-0	1372
4	Boise State	1-0	1214
5	Florida State	2-0	1211
6	Stanford	2-0	1165
7	Oklahoma State	2-0	1072
8	Wisconsin	2-0	1033
9	Texas A&M	1-0	1001
10	Nebraska	2-0	911
11	South Carolina	2-0	863
12	Virginia Tech	2-0	842
13	Arkansas	2-0	825
14	Oregon	1-1	754
15	Michigan State	2-0	639
16	Ohio State	2-0	566
17	Florida	2-0	498
18	Arizona State	2-0	353
19	Auburn	2-0	331
20	West Virginia	2-0	304
21	Texas	2-0	260
22	South Florida	2-0	230
23	TCU	1-1	211
24	Baylor	1-0	171
25	Mississippi State	1-1	125

Dropped from rankings: Missouri 19, Penn State 20
Others receiving votes: Michigan 97, UCF 49, Houston 43, Northwestern 31, Penn State 29, North Carolina 23, Tennessee 21, Missouri 21, Georgia Tech 9, Maryland 9, Clemson 8, Washington 7, California 6, San Diego State 3, Georgia 2, Iowa State 2, Brigham Young 1