ES Preview: We don't need no stinkin' Badgers

Michigan State Spartans (4-2/2-1) at #8 Wisconsin Badgers (5-0/2-0)
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
October 12, 2019.  3:30 pm ET.
TV:  BTN
Weather: 48/cloudy.  It's windy - 19 mph SW

We don't need no stinkin' Badgers!

Line outta Vegas:  Wisky by 10
Sagarin Ratings:  MSU #15, Wisky #6

Prognostications:

Well, it's going to be cold and windy.  So, expect the Big Green to give up the running game and start throwing the ball into the wind, to be picked off time and again by the nation's #1 defense in Wisky (179 ypg).  Which means the nation's #2 ground gainer, Wisky's Jonathan Taylor (149 ypg), may just dice up this Spartan defense which  struggled against the run against Ohio State.

Sigh.  Saw this game last year in the agonizing RedBox bowl game, a 7-6 loss.  At least the ES is going to the Big D (Ole Shellelagh) to witness the slaughter... and go check out a winner - the 3-1 Detroit Red Wings vs the Toronto Maple Leafs!

• Wisconsin State Journal: Wisky 21-13
• Australian Paul:  MSU 14-10.
• RGM3: Wisky 21-13.
• Big Joe and Phantom 309: Wisky 35-6
• GVSU Gregger: Wisky 28-10. 
• Chris Zech:  Wisky 37-24.  Whiskey in a Jar.
• Chef Tom (Glen Arbor): Straight Whiskey.
• Eric J-A (Madison): Wisconsin 24-10. I will be at the game cheering for Bucky and empathizing with State fans. MSU wins only via injury or turnovers.
• Doc: MSU 16-13. ES is so drunk by halftime, he misses Sparty pull it out.
• Oakland Ronnie: MSU 23-10.
• Keith: Wisky 24-10.
• Carter (Bay Area, Cali): Wisky 35-14.
• CHock (San Francisco): Wisky 12-6.
• Sloth (Pittsburgh): Wisky 31-0.
• Big Bob (Kzoo): Wisky 31-17.
• The Future Queen of Scotland, Brexit Deal Be Damned (Detroit): Wisky 31-27.

ES sez...  Sparty 7, Wisky 21.  The march to greatness ends. 

Danger Will Robinson! S.O.S.???

If you saw the Spartans on Saturday, God Bless You. They sucked.  Made so many mistakes everywhere, extremely disappointing.  The ES' bud, Brock, threw out a 50-0 Wisky prediction about the game - and he was actually CLOSE.


It is only one game.  Is it an aberration?  Only time will tell.  But, there are lots of questions raised - particularly, in order...

1.  Tyler O'Conner.  He played AWFUL.  Andrew Maxwell-awful.  What took the cake was when he rolled right from pressure and did not see Donnie Corley FREE to the end zone on a post route (the other 75,000 people saw it), and instead checked down and threw a terrible INT in the short flat.  The ES threw up watching that.

2.  Tyler O'Conner.  OK, he deserves multiple mentions.  ES thought improvement - but his play vs. a redshirt freshman was embarrassing.  Can't find your tight ends? Jesus

3.  Dave Warner.  Worst game he called since... the Cotton Bowl.  Poor opportunities to throw the ball downfield.  Poor running plays - not enough trap blocking to open holes; Wisky made it tough, don't get me wrong... but lack of inspiration on the offensive line.  They looked lethargic.

4.  Defensive line.  Where were they?  Hardly any pass rush on their frosh QB?  Give me a break.

5.  MISTAKES!!!!  Spotting Wisky 20 points off turnovers (60-yard fumble return, fumbled punt at the 5 y/l, O'Conner INT at MSU 30 y/l... ugh).  You just can't do that.

6. Wisky 7-16 on 3rd downs, a diaper-dandy  (Horney-brook)16-for-26 passing????

Stripe out was tres cool.  The Spartans were ice cold.  Sucked. 

I stopped here because I couldn't take it any more.  We have lots of work to do to right this ship.

                                    WIS      MSU
FIRST DOWNS...................       15       21
RUSHES-YARDS (NET)............   41-122    27-75
PASSING YDS (NET).............      195      250
Passes Att-Comp-Int...........  26-16-1  43-20-3
TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS.....   67-317   70-325
Fumble Returns-Yards..........     1-66      0-0
Punt Returns-Yards............      0-0     1-13
Kickoff Returns-Yards.........     2-37     4-70
Interception Returns-Yards....      3-8      1-4
Punts (Number-Avg)............   5-40.8   3-51.0
Fumbles-Lost..................      1-1      1-1
Penalties-Yards...............     7-67     5-35
Possession Time...............    32:48    27:12
Third-Down Conversions........  7 of 16  4 of 13
Fourth-Down Conversions.......   2 of 2   0 of 2
Red-Zone Scores-Chances.......      3-3      0-2
Sacks By: Number-Yards........     4-20     2-11

#8 Michigan State hosts #11 Wisconsin: Cooking Up Badger Meat

Sagarin Ratings: MSU #28, Wisky #29

#8 MSU 2-0/0-0. #11 Wisky: 3-0
Saturday, September 24, 2016.
12:00 pm ET.
Mecca: Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI

Line: MSU by 5 (vegasinsider.com)
TV: BTN
Weather: 64 degrees, partly cloudy, wind 8 mph ENE

Depth Chart - MSU - Wisky

Injuries - Wisky.  Out - PK  Rafael Gaglianone; LG Jon Dietzen; RB Bradrick Shaw; LB Chris Orr; CB Natrell Jamerson. Questionable - LG Micah Kapoi; RB Corey Clement; RB Taiwan Deal.

Injuries - MSU.  None.  

STRIPE THE STADIUM!!!  EVEN SECTIONS WEAR GREEN.  ODD SECTIONS WEAR WHITE.

Wow, check out that injury list for Wisconsin, particularly on offense.  This is rough for a unit that had to come back from a 17-13 deficit to squeak by that upstart team, 0-3 Georgia State, last week at home.  Bucky Badger is hurting at the right time to meet the Spartoonies... but, Wisky seems to always bring their lunchpail when playing the Big Green.

Why in the good lord did ABC or ESPN not pick up a #8 vs #11 matchup?  Very odd, because it screwed up SpartanNation's plans for 'gating.  Instead, with a Noon kick, the ES is just gonna skate over to the PB for some common sense and meet up with the gang prior to the game.  So long as it pairs up with a scUM loss to Penn State, it actually might work out just fine...

Let's cut to the chase.  The ES wuz with Ronnie and Rick at the Peanut Barrel on Thursday when CNN's Ultimate Tailgate showed up.  It was pretty cool hanging with former NFLer Coy Wire (Stanford Cardinal, Buffalo Bills) We were put on the tube rebel-rousing about the food, the beer, and left the producers with a rowdy "Go Green Go White!"  You can tune into CNN Headline News' Weekend Express between 7 am - Noon, prior to kickoff on Saturday to see the ES and the PB in action.  Thanks, Joe Bell!

There's Joe Bell (far left), proprietor of Peanut Barrel yucking it up
with Mr. Clean, a.k.a. Coy Wire and the Ultimate Tailgate Crew...
A great visit, thank you CNNHL! 

ES Thoughts?  MSU is healthy, and was incredibly impressive at times taking ND to the woodshed on the ground.  However, if there is a strength of the beer-drinkers and hell raisers, it is their interior defense which is giving up 82.3 ypg on the ground, and just 3.3 yards per carry.  Meanwhile, LJ Scott and Madre London ripped through the Irish last week for 198 yards on 35 carries. Through the air, Tyler O'Connor played the best game of his career, going 19-26 for 241 yards and a pair of TDs.  He looked sharp, and added another 46 yards on the ground.  RJ Shelton came alive as his go-to receiver with eight grabs, but Donnie Corley (4-88) looked insane as the youngster with great hands.  Looks like a stellar receiving corps that will test the Badger defense. Overall, the Badgers are allowing just 261 yards per game.

Da Badgers benched their shitty experienced QB to start a redshirt freshman, Alex Horney-brook, who led the Big Ten West stalwart back from the jaws of defeat to UGA State.  That spells trouble for UW, in addition to all their injuries against a strong Spartan defense.  If we can keep the foot on the jugular, MSU should be able to press Bucky into some turnovers and keep them at bay much of the game.

Don't expect a lot of points in this game. Nearly everyone in human history is picking the Spartans to win this one... except for Brock (see below), who is busy drinking IPAs across the Upper Peninsula.

ES sez:  MSU 20, Wisky 17

Skooz (from PB), MSU 33-17; RGMIII, MSU 24-21;  Brock, WIS 50-0; Tom (PB regular), MSU 38-21

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: MSU 21-16
Madtown Badgers:  Nick, MSU 24-17; Rayan, MSU 24-14;
FoxSports.com: Feldman, MSU 17-9; Mandel, MSU 27-20
Freep: MSU 27-13
LSJ:  MSU 27-19
DetNews: Charboneau, MSU 27-13; Chengelis, MSU 35-13; Wojo, MSU 24-10; Niyo, MSU 23-17
BTN: Dienhart, MSU 17-13; Merriman, MSU 27-15; Yarina, MSU 23-19
ESPN: Bennett, MSU 21-17; Moyer, MSU 28-20; Murphy, MSU 24-21; Temple, MSU 17-14; Ward, MSU 20-16
CampusInsiders:  MSU 20-14
Athlon:  MSU 26-20
MLive.com: MSU 24-10
CBSSports.com: MSU 20-16
Sports XChange:  MSU 31-13
College Football News:  MSU 23-20
The Oklahoman: MSU 30-19
Chicago Tribune:  MSU 23-20

Go Green! Go Rgmiii

Rgmiii is the best and he predicts the Michigan State Spartans win 24-21 this Saturday at Spartan Stadium

The ES with RGM-III... right after the CNN live spot from the Peanut Barrel!  

Spartans crush Badgers: Jud's chooses MSU in Indiana v Michigan matchup

OK, so Wisconsin had its WORST shooting night in forever, and Appling woke up as Michigan State's men's hoop team smoked Wisconsin by 15 points last night, And Michigan State has an outside shot to a four-way tie for the Big Ten regular season title with Indiana, Ohio State and Michigan?... but only if Michigan beats Indiana.

The ES is 100% in line with coach Izzo's comments to ESPN in the pending Indy v Rodents matchup: "Izzo said his mentor, former Michigan State coach Jud Heathcote, wouldn't want him to root for rival Michigan to win in any circumstance.  'I'm going to pull for Michigan State,' Izzo said."

"Our defense was unbelievable," Izzo said.

Right.  These Spartans, who outplayed  Indiana and Michigan but folded very late in their losses, have the defense and the grit to make a deep run in the tourney.  If Appling comes to play from this point forward, the ES's $20 bet on the Spartans in Vegas to win it all may make the ES a rich  man for a day.

Joe Lunardi's Bracketology has the Spartans as a #3 seed in the tourney... but methinks this team has as much grit and determination as any Spartan Final Four team in recent years, and a win in the Big Ten championship tourney could make MSU an outside #1 seed.... 

LIVE CHAT: #13 MSU at Wisconsin

Watching MSU v Wisky again on BTN now

Great watching this game again, on BTN now (9:45 pm on Mon nite).  They're just starting the 4th quarter, with that TERRIBLE screen pass, no selling of the screen at all by the offensive line giving Maxwell no chance on that play.  Brutal.  But, then Taiwan Jones makes a huge play on the bull rush up the middle to nail O'Brien. 

WE WON!!!!

Spartans win at Wisconsin... on a passing play, no less!  16-13  In OT!   Waaaaaaaaaahoooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

Congrats to the Spartan defense which played SPECTACULAR all game long.!  of note... ES predicted a 19-15 Big Green victory! :) Snapping that Wisky 21-game home winning streak.

MSU held Wisconsin to just 190 TOTAL YARDS. WHAT AN AMAZING SPARTAN DEFENSE. That stud Montee Ball for Wisky only had 46 yards rushing...Max Bullough played an amazing game for Michigan State on defense, as did Denicos Allen... the Spartan secondary played GREAT keeping all the plays in front of them, and Johnny Allen played his best game of the season for MSU.

LeVeon Bell ran for 77, and Andrew Maxwell overcame some serious early jitters to engineer the game-tying 80-yard TD drive with a shovel pass to Bell with just 1 minute left in regulation.  What was really smart, and the ES was yelling at the TV in overtime, was "just give the horse the ball" - and MSU did just that, with Bell having the first three carries in OT for 13 major yards setting up the winning TD pass.  Just smart playcalling.

Hopefully, this win gives the offense some mojo that they CAN SCORE in the remaining games. Arrrghhh!!! GO BIG GREEN!!!!

Look at the comparative grades - of Wisky by the Wisconsin State Journal, and of MSU by the Lansing State Journal:

Offense:  Wisky D-, MSU 5 of 10
Defense: Wisky B, MSU 10 of 10
Spec Teams: Wisky C+, MSU 7 of 10
Coaching: Wisky D, MSU 7 of 10
Overall: Wisky C-

ES Game Day Preview: MSU at Wisconsin

Michigan State Spartans (4-4/1-3) at #25 Wisconsin Badgers (6-2/3-1)
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI
3:30 ET. ABC.
Weather: 44 degrees, sunny.
Sagarin Rankings: MSU #40, Wisconsin #28
Line:  Wisconsin favored by 6

Nice article on the WIS-MSU rivalry by the AP.

Predictions:Vegas Insider WIS 24-20; ESPN Blog Rittenburg WIS 20-13, WIS 17-14; Freep Rexrode WIS 20-12, Sharp WIS 16-7, Seidel WIS 21-14; CFN/Scout WIS 24-16; JSOnlne has their own link to predictions....  shit, why do we even bother playing the game???

ES sez:  When was the last time Wisconsin was 6-2 and ranked just #25 in one poll, and not ranked in another?  Forever.  This Wisconsin team ain't the best ever, and the Spartans aren't even close to that level.  Wisky has won 21 at home in a row... so, it would be fitting for a disappointing Spartan team to take that victory.  A subpar Wisky team at home is rare, and that should be enuff for a MSU team with a really studly, top-10 ranked defense.  Of course, the whole game rests in the hands of Spartan QB Andrew Maxwell, who leads the #109-ranked scoring offense... he has GOT to get the goddam pigskin into the endzone...  Brett Bielema will do something stupid, and Dantonio will pull out a bag of tricks to win this one.

What the hell... MSU 19, WIS 15.

Wisconsin favored by TD over Spartans; Wasting a good defense

The early line out of Vegas is that Wisconsin is a  6 point favorite at home over the Spartans.  Illinois is favored by 2 at home over Indiana; Purdue is favored by 3 1/2 at Minnesota; Northwestern is favored by 6 at home over Iowa; Penn State is favored by 2 at home over Ohio State; Nebraska is favored by 2 at home over Michigan.  What sucks is that with a MSU win over Michigan and with Penn State crushing Iowa, MSU really had a shot at still being in the hunt for the Big Ten title.  Now, it is just a goner... Woulda coulda shoulda....

WHAT A WASTE
OK, so the ES is tremendously disappointed by the outcome of the game vs Michigan.  Heck, if the third down toss by Maxwell makes another two yards, Michigan State runs out the clock.  If Marcus Rush gets to Robinson a 1/2 second earlier, Denard's pass doesn't make it.  Or, if MSU DBs covered Dileo a foot closer on the next to last play... game over.  Or, if Conroy had made his FG try earlier in the game, game over.  Or, if MSU would have gone for a TD instead of a FG deep in Michigan territory, game over... OR...

You get the point.  In all honesty, if these two teams met up 10 times, each would win five.  The teams were dead even. The Spartans are six points away from being 7-1.  Instead, this eerily is a S.O.S. drama playing out, and all of the luck from the past two years has been spent. 

The defense is as good, or better than advertised.  The Spartan defense is crushing opposing offenses... but the Spartan offense is the least productive in a generation.  It's too bad, what a waste of a good defense.

MSU played arguably its best game of the year on Saturday in the loss vs Michigan, but the offense again just can't seem to make the extra play to get into the end zone, or to continue drives.  Frustrating to watch, especially when there's a defense doing more than its fair share.

The season ain't over - MSU can still make a good run of it... the ES argues the remaining four games are against talent not as good as the Spartans.  But, the Spartans just don't have that killer instinct this year to close out games.  The last two years, it was Michigan State making plays at the end of the game to go out a winner. This year, it just isn't happening.  A win over Wisconsin would really help to cauterize the open-gash of a wound. 

Some of the fault is on Maxwell, who now is playing very similar to Kirk Cousins' play in his first year -- serviceable, getting things done at a minimum, but unable to be the playmaker to win games in the end. Maxwell had only one INT vs Michigan, but he missed many wide open receivers, and far too often settled for a safety valve (like the third down play which was short and led to giving the ball back to Michigan).  The wideouts actually played better catching the ball... but still the inability to separate consistently isn't helping out Maxwell's decision-making, either. 

But, also, give some blame to the Mark Dantonio. It is time to realize that when it is 4th-and-1 in enemy territory, the Spartans MUST go for it; they can't settle for a FG try because hit-or-miss, they need more points in the end.  In each of the three losses, MSU has settled for a FG try in short distance, and it has wound up costing them in the final minutes. The fake punt vs Michigan was a thing of beauty -- too bad we lost, 'cause that play is used for the year.  

What a bummer of a year.  And, what a waste of a perfectly fantastic defense. The ES would be happy with an 8-4 year, but that means Michigan State has to play a whole lot better on offense... and that starts with Maxwell.

Let's see if the Spartan offense can actually score 2 TDs in a game against a competitive defense -- starting at Wisconsin. MSU is gonna be dangerous in Madison... desperate for a win, like a starving wild cat boxed into a corner.  It's unfathomable to think MSU going 1-4 in the Big Ten and being 4-5 at this point.  Three losses by six points?  Ugh.  It's time to win a game, dammit.

Hate da Badgers

Feel free to Hate Wisky... the ES is on board!

SPARTANS kick Badger tail

MSU wins 63-60! Nice to be able to STICK IT to Bo Ryan at the end. He is the Devil incarnate. He tried to get it to Double-OT, but sorry,unless you are counting thousandths of a second, there is no question the SHOT WAS LATE.  GO GREEN - HATE BUCKY BADGER!!!

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:

“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

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!

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.

I HATE WISCONSIN - Wisky everything

OK, we got our asses kicked. Congrats to Wisconsin.

But after watching the lack of sportsmanship by Bo Ryan for the umpteenth time... and when you match it with that asshole Brett Bielema rolling up the score on Minnesota this year...

Well, I was going to root for the Packers. No longer, I will never root for anything from Wisconsin. They lack an ethical value set. Hey, I don't disagree of the other team needing to defend and take care of its own... but the last three as time expired (Ryan is responsible as coach), well it was the last call for me. Ryan and Bielema are embarrasement to college athletics. What, today, a 25-point lead weren't good enough? Izzo would never have done that, and Dantonio would never push for more points on the field.

It is all about values. And, obviously, Ryan's and Bielema's values lack any integrity. How embarrassing. If they did have a value set of respect, then they would not have made the decisions to pour it on. But that is not their value. Their value is to make your opponent feel pity and embarassment and worthless. Obviously, why otherwise would you pour on the points (don't give me that bullshit that you are giving bench-sitting players a chance to play. Let them play, but don't wind up plays to score!)

For now on I root against anything Wisconsin. Going into today, I was a Packers fan. Thank you, Bo Ryan, I am, now a Steelers fan. If I ever meet you, I will not shake your hand. You are a mean-spirited individual. It's a shame for such a great university.

GO STEELERS.

Michigan State's toughest test yet: Da Stinking Badgers

Is this our last shot?

The Big Green is lucky, in that it plays plenty of top-25 ranked teams the last seven games of the season with Wisky, Purdue, Ohio State, Minnesota on the docket... problem is, they need to win most of them. But, we've seen this Green team do it, and most of these players were around for the Final Four last year.

JUST PLAY DEFENSE, and stop settling for jump shots. Get some balls, man up, and be aggressive under the basket. Play Spartan basketball!!!!

That said, Wisky is a 9 to 10 point favorite over MSU tomorrow in Madison, tipoff at 1 pm, 5:30 prior to SuperBowl Sunday, with the best hoopster commentator in the game, Gus Johnson, on CBS TV. This is the main stage Michigan State NEEDS to get back in the race for the NCAA tourney. Izzo and the Green Team could not have gift wrapped it better. We need it badly.

Problem is, last time we won in Madison was back on Febuary 27, 2001 - a 51-47 victory, before Bo Ryan took over (Brad Soderberg was UW coach in 2001). That is an 0-7 record for Izzo in Madison in the Bo Ryan era.

If there was ever a time for a big game, on the road, and a needed win... on national TV, this is it. If we can't win this one, we don't deserve to make the tournament. This game will test Tom Izzo and the Spartans more than any other the ES can remember since the Heathcote era.

Spartans: Is it IN YOU?

Why Manhandling Wisconsin Matters

Domination, old fashioned butt kicking.

What is beautiful is that even the Wisky players recognize how loud and awesome Spartan Stadium was yesterday, just rocking with the Spartan dominance: "I think in the first half we just were unaccustomed to the crowd noise," UW tight end Lance Kendricks said. "We mimicked it in practice and all that, but I think some guys just weren't really focused and detailed on what they needed to do."

The ES is sitting here, still gushing over the domination of Wisconsin yesterday. Yes, without Coach Dantonio, it was still arguably the most significant win in the Dantonio era. Big ole #9 Wisconsin waddles its lard-assed team into town expecting to steamroll the Spartans... but MSU had other ideas and just mandhandled the Badgers. Physically, Michigan State pounded Wisconsin on the interior all game long, and handled the vaunted Wisky running game quite well.

What is telling is that Treadwell called probably his BEST game for the Spartan offense, using all the weapons at his disposal, mixing it up on long drives (drives of 10 plays, 9, 8, 10, 15) throughout the game. Kirk Cousins made a bone head interception early, but seemingly learned from his mistake -- he had a sparkling second half (he finished 20-of-29 for 269 yds) and orchestrated drives with pin-point accuracy on his throws, including beautiful TD tosses to Dell, Gantt, and Cunningham. MSU was in control from the get-go. The Spartans have gone away from Caper in the run game, so it was brilliant to bring him in on the last TD drive: brilliant timing calling for the Spartan's only screen pass of the day on a 3rd-and-11 to Caper for 35 yards; then, later in the drive, a draw play to Caper down to the one yard line. Earlier in the game, the quick pitch left to Bell on a 4th-and-1 was brilliant as the Badger defense was stacked inside.

Just brilliant coaching by Treadwell.

But, it was also the Spartans best DEFENSIVE effort since the stinging 15-13 loss to Iowa last year, and maybe even better than that. The Spartan secondary knocked down pass after pass, with numerous textbook pass deflections by Johnny Adams and Trenton Robinson -- these two needed to step up this year and certainly did Wisconsin, each played their best game of their careers. MSU gave up only 127 yards through the air - and it was BECAUSE the defensive backs were like glue, knocking down pass after pass. Is this the same Spartans? Yes it is! Greg Jones was everywhere, all over the field, and made numerous pressures on Wisky QB Tolzien in addition to his 3 tackles for loss. When it came to third downs, MSU held Wisconsin to just 3-of-11. The defense was bare-knuckles tough and came up with big stops time and again, all game long. Lynn Henning's article in the Detroit News today is brilliant: "MSU's defense instead swarmed and pursued. They clamped onto receivers as if the Spartans were jumper-cable jaws. They kept the Badgers off-balance and, just often enough, out of the end zone. State essentially put a quota on Wisconsin's big plays and stuck to it. MSU's linebackers, led by Greg Jones, looked like the cover-boy corps they were supposed to be in 2010"

But, it was also the Spartans best SPECIAL TEAMS effort of the year, with Keshawn Martin's punt return for a TD, but also a pair of FGs by Conroy, a nice 43 yard punt by Bates, and great kick coverage all game long.

A total, complete effort. Best game of the Dantonio era. Bring on scUM - we're rolling. If we play like this, we're good. REAL good.

We kicked Bucky Badger in the teeth

Bring on freaking shoelace and that scUM woosie defense. MICHIGAN STATE IS KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES. We whipped Wisky today: Mr. Robinson, you're next. Wait 'til you get a load of the Big Green.

Wow, what a DOMINATING performance by Michigan State today, just overpowering Wisconsin in a 34-24 victory. After Keshawn Martin's 75 yard punt return for TD to put MSU up 13-10 in the first quarter, MSU never looked back. Matter of fact, if not for two turnovers on their own side of the field giving UW good field position and 10 points, the Spartan defense completely shut down the stinking Badgers all game long.

By far the best performance by MSU all year, or maybe the most complete game of the Dantonio era. Michigan State played well running, passing, the OL played well, Greg Jones dominated, the defensive line held Wisconsin to just 165 yards rushing... and, the DB (Johnny Adams, Trenton Robinson) made play after play to knock down Wisky passes.

In all, MSU outgained Wisconsin 269-127 through the air, and 175-165 on the ground.

YES, WE KICKED BUCKY BADGER'S ASS!!! All... game... long. It was beautiful.

Excellent, excellent game by MSU. They are only improving. Now, finally this defense will be the best yet to face overrated scUM next week. And, with a balanced offense, we should do well to shock the one-man team in Ann Arbor. Go STATE!