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. 

#35 Spartans favored by 1 pt vs #21 Corn

The bookies in Las Vegas are making the Michigan State Spartans an early 1 point favorite at home over the #21-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.  Penn State is favored by 3-1/2 at Purdue; Indiana (yes, that Indiana) is a 1-pt fave at home over Iowa; Ohio State is a 24-1/2 pt favorite at home over Illinois; there is no line yet on Michigan at Minny.

Note - the MSU-Nebraska game will kickoff at 3:30 pm ET and be televised regionally on ABC.   And, MSU is ranked #35 by Jeff Sagarin, while the Corn is at #23.  Meanwhile, over at USA Today, they've ranked all 124 teams, with MSU #42 and Corn #22.  Let's get the Spartan student body to fill the seats!

The ES hates Corn.   "Don't eat that Corn... it's GREEN!"

USA Today Poll - um, yes, Michigan State has ONE vote.
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (59)	8-0	1475
2	Oregon	8-0	1391
3	Kansas State	8-0	1366
4	Notre Dame	8-0	1307
5	LSU	7-1	1225
6	Georgia	7-1	1149
7	Florida State	8-1	1121
8	Florida	7-1	1024
9	Clemson	7-1	976
10	Louisville	8-0	888
11	South Carolina	7-2	838
12	Oklahoma	5-2	758
13	Oregon State	6-1	684
14	Boise State	7-1	634
15	Stanford	6-2	626
16	Texas A&M	6-2	592
17	USC	6-2	583
18	Mississippi State	7-1	569
19	West Virginia	5-2	326
20	Texas Tech	6-2	284
21	Nebraska	6-2	283
22	Texas	6-2	200
23	Louisiana Tech	7-1	191
24	Oklahoma State	5-2	166
25	Rutgers	7-1	151

• Dropped from rankings: Michigan 20, Ohio 23, Wisconsin 25

• Others receiving votes: Northwestern 77, UCLA 61, Toledo 59, Northern Illinois 39, Kent State 26, Tulsa 19, Wisconsin 15, Arizona 14, Michigan 11, Louisiana-Monroe 10, Ohio 9, Cincinnati 8, Iowa State 6, Utah State 4, Western Kentucky 4, Ole Miss 3, Arizona State 2, Michigan State 1

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.

Ouch.

That hurt. Great defensive battle. A game settled by inches in the end. Congrats to Michigan for outlasting the Spartans. This one will sting for a year.

Live Chat: MSU at Michigan

ES Game Day Preview: MSU at Michigan

Michigan State Spartans (4-3/1-2) at #23/NR Michigan Arrogant A-Holes (4-2/2-0)
The Hell Hole, Ann Arbor.
3:30 ET.  BTN.
Weather: 53 degress, cloudy.
Sagarin Rankings: MSU #35, Michigan #15
Line:  Michigan by 10

Predictions: ESPN Blog: Rittenberg UM 24-16, Bennett UM 16-9; BTN.com Tom UM 27-13, Brent UM 24-20;   Isportsweb UM 21-17;  Freep: Sharp UM 27-0, Seidel MSU 24-21, Snyder UM 30-14; CBSSports: UM 14-13; CFN/Scout: UM 24-20

After watching Saw 3 last night, the ES wonders if this is
the future of Roushar if he is brain-dead vs Michigan

ES sez:  Michigan State is actually better than everyone is predicting. Problem is, the coaching has really sucked on offense, and the execution on offense has been inconsistent at best.  And, when the defense has needed to make a final stand, it hasn't.  Is MSU getting worse while UM is getting better?

Luckily for the Spartans, they have a red-letter game to turn things around and shake up the nation.  If UM was REALLY good, I'd say the Spartans would get their butts kicked.  But the Wolverines are a sheep in wolves' clothing.  They aren't that great.  At this point, both teams are about even, with MSU underperforming and Michigan overperforming.  The one consistent recently is Michigan State defense dominating Michigan's offense the past four years. 

As the ES mentioned after the Iowa game, offensive coordinator Dan Roushar has been a major liability for MSU this year, using a 2009 playbook with 2012 raw talent. The cloudiness floating across the offense during games becomes cloudier as games go on because of Roushar's not putting players in positions to win. In sum, this year, it ain't working.  Is this the game to put it all together?

I dunno, the ES has been wrong all season.  Matt Millen called the Spartans' the biggest disappointment in the country, and while Millen was the biggest disappointment in the history of the Detroit Lions, he may be right here.  It will take a great defensive effort, minimizing mistakes, and for the offense to cash in early -- for once.

Denard Robinson will have his best game against MSU - maybe 70+ yards rushing, 200 yds passing... but he'll still make his mistakes.  The Spartan defense will show up and force a few turnovers.  Michigan's defense will do the same with Andrew Maxwell. But, can the Spartan offensive line be the difference maker for LeVeon Bell and MSU? Will Roushar handcuff the MSU offense with his over-thinking playcalling, or will he put the game in the hands of its best player (Bell)?  Lots of field goals and a crazy TD or two...

Thank God it's a rivalry game.  Make it: MSU 18, UM 16.

Below:  soaking wet at the end of MSU v Iowa.  This hurt bad to lose this one...

ES Game Day preview coming up

ES Game Day... working on it as I type.  Tough to get fired up for the Spartoonies this week, even with Michigan week. Why?  'Cause, as the ESPN bloggers note, Michigan State is the biggest disappointment in the Big Ten so far.

This year is so "Same Old Spartans" - makes the ES wonder if the last two years were a George Perles-ish flash in the pan, or if MD can actually get 'er going for the long haul.  This week's game is make-or-break for MSU.

Wolverines by 10? Maybe

OK, the Wolverines are favored by 10 over the Spartans in Ann Arbor on Saturday.  Two weeks ago, this might have been a pick 'em, but the recent Spartan woes on offense have exposed a team on the ropes.  ES doesn't seen Michigan scoring more than 30, but can the Spartans score more than 10?  That's the million-dollar question.

This could be a tough one to watch if the Same Old Spartans show up.  Offensive Coordinator Dan Roushar has GOT to wake up and give his team a chance on offense, and give some relief to the defense. 

S.O.S.: Dan "Three Stooges" Roushar has got to go

I'm putting this one on the coaches, and mainly Offensive Coordinator Dan Roushar.  The 19-16 double OT loss to Iowa that was dominated for 58 minutes by MSU really is the last straw.  Even the Iowa fan at the Harrison Roadhouse called it "a miracle, We couldn't move the ball all game."  OK, the Michigan State defense should have made a stop on the last drive of regulation, as they had all game long.  But, let's get to the real problem.

Let's try MSU offensive confusion. Say, the botched field goal try at the end of the first half (umm, we never even got that far, running on and off the field in utter Three Stooges confusion reminiscent of John L Smith vs Ohio State).... or, the unbelievably stupid incomplete passes which stopped the clock with 5 minutes left at the end of the game and give Iowa a chance to come back... or, the even dumber call in double-OT for a pass on second and short in the driving rain across the middle in OT is high-risk at best... or, the wasted opportunity with confusion running guys in and out for a wildcat on the 5 yard line, only to call a time out and then settle for a field goal... or, all of the other confusion with substitutions in-between... Roushar has got to go. 

The guy, Roushar, was clueless about what to call all game long, and actually he's been clueless all year. 

The ES has realized that it was Kirk Cousins, BJ Cunningham and the unbelievable skilled talent that bailed out Roushar since former OC Treadwell left.  With the rawness at the skill levels this year, Roushar's questionable play calling is being exposed. The most frustrating part is that the one guy who can help the Spartans, Le'Veon Bell, is a guy Roushar doesn't turn to when we - and he - can use him most... like in double-OT yesterday.

Note to Roushar:  Knock off the John-L-Smith-like outsmarting yourself, and use the talent that works, especially at the most challenging times. And, KISS - keep it simple, stupid.  Your wild guesses and inopportune pass calls sure are making it harder on yourself, and especially the team.

If I wasn't so drenched in cold rain, I would have laughed.  In what started out as a season of hope, Andrew Maxwell staring blinding into space at the end of the game says it all:  what a waste.  With a murderers row coming up next of Michigan, Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Northwestern... I'm not so sure if this Spartan team can win half its games by year's end and qualify for the Meineke Car Care Bowl.  

What a waste.  Congrats to Iowa - you've got what the Spartans don't: moxie.  This year's Spartans are searching for an identity. This year's Spartans look to be another chapter in the never-ending saga of Same Old Spartans

ES Game Day Preview: Iowa at MSU

Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2/1-0) at Michigan State Spartans (4-2/2-1)
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing
Noon ET.  ESPN.
Weather: 50 degress, rain. A great day for football!
Sagarin Rankings: MSU #35, Iowa #55
Line:  MSU favored by 7-1/2

Predictions:  ESPN Blog: Bennett MSU 17-14, Rittenburg MSU 21-17.  Black Heart Gold Pants Iowa 20-17. CFN/Scout:  MSU 17-13. Freep: Rexrode MSU 17-10, Sharp MSU 24-21, Seidel MSU 17-14

ES sez:  Looking to a great game in the cold rain.  Bring your poncho.  Should be a defensive battle.  MSU figures the defense will pick it up a notch and will force some turnovers.  Look for 100+ total yards (ground and receiving) out of Bell... Besides, I hate the Ugly Chickens. Note: Sims is out at TE, and Treadwell is tentative on the OL.   MSU 17, Iowa 13.

Winning ugly; Spartan homecoming a 10-pt fave over Iowa

Well, ain't nothin' pretty about the nasty 31-27 win at Indiana on Saturday.  Coach Dantonio has plenty to be concerned about as his team spotted the Hoosiers a 17-pt lead before waking up and then shutting out Indy 17-0 in the second half to go away victorious.  Note: MSU had the ball deep in Hoosier territory as they ran out the clock to end the game, maybe 38-27 is a bit more accurate.

ES said that Le'Veon Bell would have a tough time running, and sure enough had only 121 yards... and it took him 37 carries, good for a visibly-tough 3.3 yards per run.  And, the ES also predicted a big day out of Maxwell, who had 290 yards through the air.  Further, the ES figured on the Big Green stuffing the Hoosier running game -- for just 35 total yards on the ground.

What the ES didn't figure was the Michigan State passing defense, which fell asleep early, giving up three scoring drives totaling 215 yards in the first quarter.  And, four personal fouls including a roughing the punter call.  Just a very very dumb and out-of-sync MSU team.  BUT, Indiana can learn a thing here:  'tis better to be good in the 4th quarter than in the 1st quarter.

What does this spell?  Trouble, right here in River City, that's trouble with a capital T.   In every game, this Michigan State team sleep walks through the first 25-30 minutes.  They better wake up and get focused or otherwise will piss the season away.  The pass defense played like arse in the first half, but played well in the 4th quarter.    The potential loss via injury of Dion Sims at TE is huge - but it was nice to see Aaron Burbridge come of age with a huge game, 8 catches for 134 yards. He likely has stolen the starting spot from Tony Lippett.

Right now, the ES would say an 8-4 or 7-5 season is more likely... with difficult stints coming up vs Wisconsin, Michigan, Nebraska, and Northwestern.  The way MSU has been playing, we'd be lucky to win a pair of those.  But, first things first... a crappy Iowa team comes to town.  Time to wake up.

MSU is favored by 10 over the Ugly Chickens -- The ES hain't confident the Spartans can score 10 against anyone. Purdue is favored by 1 hosting Wisconsin. Northwestern is favored by 3-1/2 at Minnesota. Michigan is favored by a whopping 21 at home over Illinois.  Ohio State is favored by 17-1/2 at Indiana.

The Spartans did themselves no favors in the polls with their lackluster performance at Bloomington.  They remain on the outside looking in. The AP poll is below; what IS interesting is that in the USA Today coaches poll, not a single Big Ten team is ranked... first time EVER. 

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (60)	5-0	1500
2	Oregon	6-0	1435
3	South Carolina	6-0	1359
4	Florida	5-0	1265
5	West Virginia	5-0	1260
6	Kansas State	5-0	1217
7	Notre Dame	5-0	1176
8	Ohio State	6-0	1053
9	LSU	5-1	938
10	Oregon State	4-0	873
11	USC	4-1	812
12	Florida State	5-1	800
13	Oklahoma	3-1	756
14	Georgia	5-1	733
15	Texas	4-1	711
16	Clemson	5-1	657
17	Stanford	4-1	587
18	Louisville	5-0	494
19	Mississippi State	5-0	450
20	Rutgers	5-0	331
21	Cincinnati	4-0	205
22	Texas A&M	4-1	153
23	Louisiana Tech	5-0	129
24	Boise State	4-1	114
25	Michigan	3-2	82

• Dropped from rankings: TCU 15, Nebraska 21, Washington 23, Northwestern 24, UCLA 25

• Others receiving votes: Ohio 79, Baylor 62, Iowa State 54, TCU 50, Michigan State 49, Arizona State 39, Washington 39, North Carolina State 17, Nebraska 5, Arizona 4, Duke 3, Tennessee 3, Texas Tech 2, Tulsa 2, Penn State 1, Northwestern 1

ES Game Day Preview: MSU at Indiana

Michigan State Spartans (3-2/0-1) at Indiana Hoosiers (2-2/0-1)
Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN
Noon ET.  BTN.
Weather: 56 degress, partly cloudy
Sagarin Rankings: MSU #31, Indiana #89
Line:  MSU favored by14-1/2

Predictions: ESPN Blog Bennett MSU 28-13, Rittenberg MSU 34-20; CFN/Scout MSU 30-14; Freep Rexrode MSU 34-9, Sharp MSU 24-10, Seidel MSU 31-10; Indiana Daily Student MSU 35-10; BTN.com Tom MSU 44-20, Brent MSU 37-10

ES sez:  Should be a yawner; the Hoosiers will put 8 in the box to stop Bell, and it still won't be enough.  I figure Bell may get 150 on 30 carries, but won't get 200 yards because of the Hoosiers schemeing... but Maxwell may throw for 350 -- even with poor Spartan receivers.   MSU defense should tee-off and have a field day with Indiana. Of note: Spartans are the only team in the nation to play three ranked teams among first five games.  Final prediction: MSU 38, Indiana 10. 

Spartans drop out of Top 25, favored by 15 at Indiana

Well the Spartans certainly played far better on Saturday, despite being tripped up in a 17-16 tough loss to Ohio State.  Anytime you play the Buckeyes, you're in for a great game.  OSU's Braxton Miller is the real deal, he made it tough on a Spartan defense that held the Buckeye offense in check and out of the end zone for much of the game.

What cost MSU the game was Johnny Adams' blown coverage, giving up a 63-yard passing TD, and the defenses' inability to stop OSU and get the ball back in the final 4-minutes.  Give the Buckeyes credit, they earned the win in a game of two very different teams who were fairly evenly matched.  The biggest disappointment was the Spartan offensive line, which didn't find holes for LeVeon Bell and allowed Andrew Maxwell to be battered.   A VERY NICE SURPRISE to see the Spartan receivers finally catch the ball.  Yes, this team is improving, but it was a tough loss.

A note about the call by the refs that stopped MSU from scoring a wide open TD on the fumble recovery...  Well, we still could have scored the TD, if the offense had put it in the end zone; instead, we settled for a FG off that turnover.  Sure, the refs blew it, but MSU did have its chance to put score a TD anyways, and failed to do so.  You gotta take advantage of the turnovers and overcome adversity.  We didn't.

If MSU wants a nice bowl, or the Rose Bowl, it can't lose the rest of the year.  Improvements are still needed, particularly on the O-Line.

As for this upcoming week, the opening line out of Wynn Casino in Vegas has MSU as a 15-point favorite at Indiana. Indiana gave up - get this - 394 rushing yards to Northwestern.  The ES figures we can expect a real heavy dose of LeVeon Bell on Saturday. Penn State is favored by 4 at home over #24/#22 Northwestern. Wisconsin is favored by 14 at home over Illinois. Michigan is favored by 3 at Purdue. #12 Ohio State is favored at home by 4-1/2 over #21/#20 Nebraska.

And, predictably the Spartans fell out of the AP Top 25, but are on the door knocking to get back in.  The two losses -- to Notre Dame and to Ohio State -- were to quality opponents with the Spartans also beating Boise State.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (60)	5-0	1500
2	Oregon	5-0	1430
3	Florida State	5-0	1349
4	LSU	5-0	1310
5	Georgia	5-0	1252
6	South Carolina	5-0	1152
7	Kansas State	4-0	1123
8	West Virginia	4-0	1066
9	Notre Dame	4-0	1043
10	Florida	4-0	937
11	Texas	4-0	932
12	Ohio State	5-0	793
13	USC	3-1	703
14	Oregon State	3-0	647
15	Clemson	4-1	608
15	TCU	4-0	608
17	Oklahoma	2-1	581
18	Stanford	3-1	509
19	Louisville	5-0	404
20	Mississippi State	4-0	306
21	Nebraska	4-1	240
22	Rutgers	4-0	160
23	Washington	3-1	159
24	Northwestern	5-0	143
25	UCLA	4-1	122

• Dropped from rankings: Michigan State 20, Boise State 24, Baylor 25

• Others receiving votes: Cincinnati 72, Boise State 53, Texas A&M 51, Michigan State 43, Texas Tech 39, Michigan 38, Louisiana Tech 37, Baylor 31, Ohio 30, Arizona State 15, Arizona 4, Miami (FL) 4, Iowa State 3, Tennessee 3

Spartans' Bad Liver & Broken Heart

Check out the ES GameDay Preview, "Bad Liver and a Broken Heart" on the Huffington Post.

Beaumont Tower webcam

FYI - if you're interested in checking out campus during game day, link to the Beaumont Tower/North campus webcam

ES Game Day Preview: Buckeyes vs Spartans

#14 Ohio State Cheatin' Buckeyes (4-0) at #20 Michigan State Spartans (3-1)
Spartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI
3:30 pm ET.  ABC-TV
Weather: 65 degrees, sunny
Sagarin Rankings: OSU #21, MSU #24
Line:  MSU favored by 3

Predictions:  ESPN Blog Bennett: MSU 19-17, Rittenberg OSU 20-17;  CBSSports/Feldman: MSU 14-10;  NBCSports.com: OSU 24-23; CFN/Scout: MSU 17-13; CBSSports.com Staff Picks: MSU; Columbus Dispatch: OSU 21-17; Detroit Freep: Rexrode MSU 17-13, Sharp OSU 10-6, Seidel MSU 10-7; FanIQ: MSU 20-14. ESPN TV Holtz & May: OSU.

Full ES Preview is on the Huffington Post. 

The ES predicts the same rainbow over Spartan Stadium as last week vs Eastern Michigan (see below):  Receivers catch a few, enough to move the chains, for the first time this year.  Spartan Receivers 16, Buckeye’s Braxtons 10.

ES' dead grandma & Charles Rogers on crack catch better than MSU receivers

ES is working on a Game Day preview as we speak; the nuts and bolts will be at the Huffington Post.  In the meantime, the ES was asked to comments on the upcoming matchup between our Spartoonies and the Buckeyes.  Here's a hint, with comments about our struggles vs Eastern:

"EMU didn’t do anything. Rather, the main issue with Michigan State is its receiving corps.  In the past two games – Notre Dame and Eastern Michigan – there have been a DOZEN dropped passes… in each game.  I mean, right in the receiver’s hands.  My dead grandma could catch those passes. Former Spartan receiver Charles Rogers could still catch those passes, even if he was on crack and dragging his seven illegitimate kids behind him.  For the most part, Maxwell HAS hit these guys in stride, beautiful passes (his best game so far was against Notre Dame), only for these lanky wideouts to drop them, doing Maxwell no favors.  These drops have killed drives, not allowed Bell to break out, and asked the defense to step up after giving up poor field position..."

For the full rant, visit Buckeye Battle Cry HERE.

Blogging to the masses

Buckeye Battle Cry and the Huffington Post have asked for the ES to chime in on this weekend's Buckeye-Spartan tilt.... this moves the needle to a 9 out of 10 on the Herbstreit Meter. Hopefully we can nail Herbie in his Buckeye Can by Saturday nite....

Spartans-Buckeyes a TOSS UP in Vegas as Game Day comes to town

The early, early line out of Vegas has next Saturday's MSU-Ohio State tilt anywhere from a Pick 'Em to MSU as a 1-1/2 pt favorite.  Ugh.  Other Big Ten matchups are: Penn State by 2-1/2 at Illinois, Iowa by 6 at home vs Minnesota, Northwestern by 14-1/2 pt fave at home over Indiana, Purdue by 18 at home over Marshall, Nebraska is favored by - get this - 11-1/2 at home over Wisconsin.

MAKE SOME NOISE... Get out your whistles & horns, ESPN Game Day is coming to East Lansing.  Lee, Kirk and the boys will be in town for the Spartans vs Buckeyes showdown; I guess MSU has a 2-3 record when Game Day is in EL. 

As for the polls... well, the coaches obviously didn't see the EMU game, as they jumped the Spartans up two notches to #18; MSU is #20 in the AP Poll.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (59)	4-0	1499
2	Oregon	4-0	1414
3	LSU (1)	4-0	1346
4	Florida State	4-0	1340
5	Georgia	4-0	1245
6	South Carolina	4-0	1147
7	Kansas State	4-0	1067
8	Stanford	3-0	1055
9	West Virginia	3-0	1045
10	Notre Dame	4-0	1003
11	Florida	4-0	864
12	Texas	3-0	856
13	USC	3-1	801
14	Ohio State	4-0	633
15	TCU	3-0	616
16	Oklahoma	2-1	611
17	Clemson	3-1	588
18	Oregon State	2-0	451
19	Louisville	4-0	414
20	Michigan State	3-1	348
21	Mississippi State	4-0	246
22	Nebraska	3-1	179
23	Rutgers	4-0	128
24	Boise State	2-1	114
25	Baylor	3-0	92

• Dropped from rankings: Michigan 18, UCLA 19, Arizona 22

• Others receiving votes: Northwestern 89, UCLA 79, Michigan 44, Ohio 40, Virginia Tech 26, Arizona 17, Iowa State 16, Wisconsin 13, Oklahoma State 12, Texas A&M 11, Texas Tech 10, Cincinnati 10, Tennessee 10, Arizona State 8, Louisiana Tech 7, Purdue 5, Miami (FL) 1

Three recommendations to correct the Spartan passing game... before it's too late

Bennie Fowler just can't catch

So, the ES was saying in jest earlier this week, "shoot we only scored 3 against Notre Dame.  How can we be favored by 32 against Eastern?" 

Umm, truer words were never said.  Michigan State limped out of Spartan Stadium with yet another pathetic receiving display in a 23-7 victory over lowly Eastern Michigan.  If you want to call THAT CRAP we saw on Saturday "receiving."  This MSU team doesn't deserve to be considered top 25 at this point.

Spartans dropped another dozen passes, seven of which we counted in the first half.  Folks, this ain't the Fighting Irish we were playing.  It was the Fighting Eagles.  It got to the point where we fans were pleading not to even throw the ball anymore, because we knew it would be futile.  The boo-birds were deafening at half time.  The receivers have no confidence.  None.

Spartan receivers Tony Lippett and Bennie Fowler should be benched.  Period.  Even Nick Hill dropped a punt and was replaced by LeVeon Bell (now, that was a stupid idea, putting our best offensive weapon at risk in the return game).  So, here are three recommendations for Dantonio if the Spartans are to have a chance the rest of the year.

1. Run a goal line offense the entire game.  Get rid of the receivers, bring in a few extra lineman and tight ends for blocking, and just have Andrew Maxwell hand the ball off to LeVeon Bell.  It will be a messy, ugly rugby scrum of a game, but we'll move the ball.
2. Switch the offense to a wishbone.  Connor Cook has more mobility, and use him as an option quarterback with the Spartans pitching and running the ball on every down, with a very, very,  infrequent, occasional pass to Dion Sims (the only guy on offense who CAN catch, with 6-112 and a TD vs Eastern).   
3. OK, BACK TO REALITY.  Let's have our DBs play double-duty.  Pull Lippett and Fowler, and replace them with Isaiah Lewis, Johnny Adams, or Darquize Dennard.  Seriously, this is a viable option and at least we know our DBs can catch. 

Something has got to be done. The stark reality, and the enormity of the problem with the receivers has hit the coaches.  Dantonio said, ""You have to catch the ball. Throwing and catching. If there's nothing wrong with the route and the ball is there you have to catch it."  Offensive Coordinator Dan Roushar said, "I don't know if it was seven or eight drops in the first half, but that's not going to help us win any games around here...  There is a lack of execution and maybe a lack of confidence."  And, from the man himself, who dropped passes and fumbled, WR Bennie Fowler: "Maxwell is getting the ball out there we just have to continue finishing the play. If we finish those plays then we will get the results we want."

I don't care if you are playing pee-wee football, badminton, kayaking, or playing college football - teams are supposed to get better as the season progresses.  Said Roushar: "“I don’t think we made any progress at all."  

Yeah, umm, time to bench Fowler and Lippett.  Maybe they can watch and learn.  The Spartan offense just can't afford it otherwise.

On the positive side, the Spartan defense played fantastic once again, holding EMU to just 183 yards of total offense, and 46 on the ground.  Indeed, Eastern's best play, a beautiful 23 yard touchdown pass on an acrobatic catch, was something Spartan receivers should play on their DVR over and over again to watch how to catch a football.  Although EMU was leading 7-6 at half, that was their last gasp.

LeVeon Bell ran for 253 yards on 36 carries, and ran around, through, and over EMU all day.  At least we know what we need to do on offense the rest of the year if we are to even have a chance in the Big Ten. 

RANT coming forthwith

ES shall provide a very lengthy rant about the brutal Michigan  State receiving corps, and innovative ideas to fix things here on Sunday... At least we beat EMU, all hail LeVeon Bell!

ES Game Day: Spartans vs Eagles

#20/21 Michigan State Spartans (2-1) vs Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-3)
Sagarin Ratings:  MSU #27, EMU #159
Saturday, September 22. 3:30 pm ET.
Weather @ kickoff: Showers, 58 degrees.
TV:  BTN
Line: MSU by 32.

Predictions: CFN/Scout: MSU 45, EMU 7.  BTN: MSU 48, EMU 3.  Freep: MSU 34-3/MSU 52-10/MSU 38-7.  DetNews:  MSU 45-10.

ES sez:  MSU 45, EMU 0.  See ya next week for the Buckeyes!

ES pre-Game Day preview vs EMU

Well, sorry, but the ES is a bit bored by the match-up against Eastern Michigan, in the cold and rain tomorrow.  The ES will publish a more indepth write up... but MSU only scored 3 points against Notre Dame, and yet the Spartans are favored by 32 against EMU?  Ouch, guess the Eagles/Hurons are pretty bad.

ES sez: MSU 45, EMU 0.

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!

Big Ten Network at Peanut Barrell... NOW

UPDATE: So, as the ES wuz eating inside around 1 pm, the BTN was filming on the patio outside. Joe was wearing his best Sunday dress, and instead was covered by WILX, local TV-10. Maybe BTN will be back later, but it is a beautiful day, 70 degrees and sunny here in EL and filming outside makes very good sense....

ES is in the Peanut Barrell right now. Joe, owner, said the Big Ten Network should be here any minute to cover their Tailgate 48 show. They confirmed last night, but called him two weeks ago. Watch for updates and photos, Spartan fans. (The show will be aired next week before EMU game).

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.

Spartans whip Chips, move to #10 and lead a sucky BigTen

Michigan State totally dominated Central Michigan on Saturday, 41-7. The ES was in Seattle visiting his dad for his 70th birthday, so he missed the game in person, but saw the first half on the tele.

That was enough. What a butt-kicking. The Spartan defense again shined, allowing just 245 total yards, 72 on the ground. And, so far this year, the Spartan defense has not allowed a TD - the Chips scored as the game was ending on an INT of backup Connor Cook. Holding any opponent's offense scoreless in their own stadium is damn impressive. Defensive stud Will Gholston had the only sack, but he broke up a pass and hit CMU's Radcliff a few times. The Spartans held CMU to a ridiculous 17-of-38 passing (45%). On offense, the first half was fine - good return game, defense holding CMU allowed for great field position. Andrew Maxwell, however, threw a few bad throws, including one right into the hands of CMU safety Lorenzo White (yes, he is the son of OUR MSU Lorenzo White). Junior, unlike his daddy, dropped it so it was not an INT but should have been. Maxwell still has some work to do -- but he threw some great passes in the second half (as seen on MSU's game video).

At this point, Michigan State's national ranking in defensive categories is sparkling.

• Total Defense: 225.5 ypg (#8)
• Rushing Defense: 54.5 ypg (#11)
• Pass Defense: 171.0 ypg (#27)
  
• Pass Efficiency Defense: 78.17 (#5)
• Scoring Defense: 10.0 ppg (#12)
  

After a very embarrassing weekend for the Big Ten, Michigan State looks at this point to be really the only decent Big Ten team with bowl eligibility. Michigan State moved up to #10 in polls, and as we were saying last night over some vino and appetizers - that's about where we want to be... no need to get on the map any higher yet. Let's just take care of the G*ddam Catholics next week. Should be fun. At this point, only three Big Ten teams ranked - and the ES can't figure out the varmints at #17 after their annihilation to Alabama followed up by a squeaker against a poor, and undermanned, Air Force Academy.

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (48)	2-0	1486
2	USC (8)	2-0	1414
3	LSU (4)	2-0	1404
4	Oregon	2-0	1299
5	Oklahoma	2-0	1160
5	Florida State	2-0	1160
7	Georgia	2-0	1155
8	South Carolina	2-0	1025
9	West Virginia	1-0	1017
10	Michigan State	2-0	995
11	Clemson	2-0	868
12	Ohio State	2-0	772
13	Virginia Tech	2-0	734
14	Texas	2-0	716
15	Kansas State	2-0	714
16	TCU	1-0	542
17	Michigan	1-1	429
18	Florida	2-0	427
19	Louisville	2-0	316
20	Notre Dame	2-0	310
21	Stanford	2-0	260
22	UCLA	2-0	250
23	Tennessee	2-0	177
24	Arizona	2-0	149
25	Brigham Young	2-0	110

• Dropped from rankings: Arkansas 8, Wisconsin 13, Nebraska 16, Oklahoma State 18

• Others receiving votes: Boise State 106, Arkansas 79, Nebraska 79, OREGONST 77, Mississippi State 70, Baylor 54, Wisconsin 44, ULMONROE 23, Ohio 17, Georgia Tech 15, Oklahoma State 13, South Florida 12, ARIZONAST 10, IOWAST 5, NORTHWSTRN 5, UTAHST 1, North Carolina 1

ES Game Day: Michigan State at Central Michigan

#11 MSU Spartans (1-0) at Central Michigan Chippewas (1-0)
September 7, 2012. 3:30 pm
ESPNU
Weather @ kickoff: 65 degrees, sunny, windy (17 MPH)
Line: MSU by 21

Jeff Sagarin has the Spartans ranked #22 (and Boise ranked #6???) and the Chippewas ranked #121; according to Sagarin, MSU should win by 18 in Mt. Pleasant. The ES has an abbreviated Game Day, as he is tied up through the weekend -- and actually cannot go to this exciting matchup. But, the ES took a couple of pics of Kelly/Shorts Stadium, which added 3,500 seats for their "big game." Look at the shots below. That said, some previews:

• CFN/Scout: MSU 41-10
• BTN.com: MSU 41-7, MSU 37-3
• CBSSports.com: MSU 34-16
  
• Detroit Sports Site: MSU 43-13
• Spartan Nation: MSU 48-6
  
• Maddux Sports

ES Prediction: ES thinks that CMU will get into the end zone... once; and so will the Spartan defense. It's tough to think that a Spartan team holding a good, ranked Boise to 13 points will allow that many against CMU; and that a CMU team giving up 27 to SE Missouri St will allow less than 30 by the Spartans. CMU does have the better quarterback... but that's about it.

ES sez: Make it MSU 38, CMU 10.

OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST

Other interesting notes include: 1) the Spartans' plan to add an $18 million addition to the north end zone of Spartan Stadium, just a year after adding $10 million in scoreboards and reconstructing the area. It is amazing what winning will do, just plowing more money into football, even though Munn Ice Arena needs a minimum $15 million in mandatory renovations to the ice rink (federal law regarding large freon units). And, 2) former Spartan coach John L Smith has filed for bankruptcy.

Kelly/Shorts Stadium - click on photos to zoom in.

MSU at #11 in both polls

Just on the outside lookin' in - your Michigan State Spartans are now up to #11 in both polls, the AP and USA Today/coaches polls. MSU is a 24-pt fave at Central Michigan this week.

Here is the AP Poll:

AP Top 25
RK	TEAM	RECORD	PTS
1	Alabama (45)	1-0	1481
2	USC (11)	1-0	1435
3	LSU (4)	1-0	1382
4	Oregon	1-0	1295
5	Oklahoma	1-0	1170
6	Florida State	1-0	1135
7	Georgia	1-0	1083
8	Arkansas	1-0	992
9	South Carolina	1-0	980
9	West Virginia	1-0	980
11	Michigan State	1-0	915
12	Clemson	1-0	788
13	Wisconsin	1-0	664
14	Ohio State	1-0	634
15	Virginia Tech	1-0	604
16	Nebraska	1-0	603
17	Texas	1-0	584
18	Oklahoma State	1-0	558
19	Michigan	0-1	446
20	TCU	0-0	355
21	Kansas State	1-0	339
22	Notre Dame	1-0	198
23	Louisville	1-0	190
24	Florida	1-0	145
25	Stanford	1-0	131

• Dropped from rankings: Boise State 24

• Others receiving votes: Boise State 79, Tennessee 73, Brigham Young 63, North Carolina 48, Baylor 38, Utah 34, Washington 15, Georgia Tech 14, Ohio 10, TEXSTATE 10, Missouri 7, Texas A&M 5, South Florida 5, UCF 4, Mississippi State 3, Auburn 3, Cincinnati 2

MSU Spartans favored by 24 at CMU

According to the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas (via Vegas Insider), the Michigan State Spartans are a hefty 24-point favorite at Central Michigan this Saturday. Notre Dame is favored by 2 TDs (14-1/2) at home over Purdue; Wisconsin is favored by 8-1/2 traveling to lovely Corvallis, OR, to take on Oregon State; Iowa is favored at home by 4 over Iowa State; Nebraska is a 5-pt fave at UCLA; at home, Northwestern is a 3-pt underdog to upstart Vanderbilt; Arizona State is favored by 1 at home over Illinois; Ohio State is favored by 16-1/2 while hosting Central Florida; Virginia is favored by 9-1/2 at home over Penn State (oh, how the mighty have fallen); Indiana is a once-in-a-decade road favorite, this time at UMass; and, Michigan can lick their wounds at home, returning from their whipping to 'Bama as a 3-TD favorite at home over the U.S. Air Force Academy.

Spartan defense shuts down Boise, 17-13

What a wild night, and winning ugly is still winning. It was the Michigan State Spartan defense that kept the offense in the game, stopping the Boise State offense from capitalizing on four MSU turnovers - and three Andrew Maxwell INTs.

The good: The Spartan defense, though not getting to Boise State QBs, completely shut down the Broncos, holding them to 37 yards rushing and just 206 total yards. The Broncos scored more on defense (7 pts) than on offense (6 pts). Le'Veon Bell bolted into the national spotlight, with an amazing 210 yards rushing on 44 carries -- the Spartans just turned to him time and time again as the game wore on. The dude was a workhorse. Dion Sims at TE bailed out Maxwell on a beautiful catch late in the game to set up the go-ahead TD by Bell. MSU outgained the Broncos 461-206 in total yards, but it was the defense and Bell who stole the show.

The bad: Let's be honest, Maxwell (22-38-248-3) didn't play well. Period. He missed open receivers and the three INTs should have been six if the Bronco defense used enough stick-'em. Some weren't his fault, with the Spartan wideouts dropping plenty of balls... including one right into the hands of Boise LB Jeremy Ioane, who returned it for six points. But, another Maxwell interception was a poor pass that killed a drive deep in Boise territory, and worth at least three points. Maxwell and his WRs needs lots of work; that type of performance won't win championships.

The weird: The new scoreboards were so bright, they were almost blinding. In addition, there were plenty of errors on the stats throughout the game - incorrect downs, yards to go, and total yards (which showed for Boise 37 rushing, 269 passing, and 206 total yards... ummm, do the math). Scoreboards need some work, too. Not sure if the ES likes the new scoreboards at night, kind of ruined the homey atmosphere. They are cool looking, but the stats aren't correct and they are just so damn bright.

The ES predicted 24-13... and it almost was, as the Spartan's should have punched it in from the Boise three yard line instead of kneeling down on the game's final play. There's plenty to work on for the Spartan offense, but the Big Green is 1-0 and certain to move up in the polls, and will leapfrog over Michigan after the rodents get their butts kicked by Alabama today.

Below: here's Le'Veon Bell getting the handoff as he heads into the end zone for the winning Spartan TD.