Epilogue: Your Spartans 2011.
So we all have repressed how the Spartans ended the 2010 season. Let's leave this project on a slightly better note, with a follow-up entry dedicated to this last year of Spartan football (with This Week in Schadenfreude links).
September 6: Brian Kelly Explodes
Week 1: MSU played Youngstown State University, a I-AA school, and won, 28-6. The game was the first Friday game ever in Spartan Stadium and played in lots of heat and humidity despite the 7 p.m. kick off. (Poor YSU band -- they were dressed in black trousers with dark red coats, and black t-shirts when they took their jackets off.) Fans were Not Happy. Everyone was expecting a nice, relaxing ass-kicking, and instead had to watch the Spartans commit mistake after mistake. Keshawn Martin muffed a punt. Kevin Conroy missed a field goal so badly that the ball refused to leave the gravitational pull of the grass. Most worryingly, the defense (which was on the field most of the first half thanks to YSU's option offense doing just enough to keep the drive alive and the clock running) looked confused, out of sync, and just plain unready to deal with everything that the Penguins showed them.
September 13: Notre Dame Is Dead (Again)
Week 2: MSU defeated Florida Atlantic University 44-0 and, to quote a fellow Spartan, "did things to them that I didn’t know was possible outside of video games". FAU will doubtlessly never agree to ever play MSU ever, ever again now that their 3-year contract is up. First year: monsoon. Second year: they lost money on a home game. Third year: 1 first down and 48 total yards, seven players injured, and apparently our field is too hard (I gleaned this from eavesdropping shamelessly after the game). Also, the score could have been much, MUCH higher (like, what YSU taking their frustrations out on Valparaiso this weekend looked like), but we opted to get backup quarterback Aaron Maxwell some quality reps starting on the third drive. FAU did not convert a third down, did not have a QB with more than 15 yards, did not get even remotely close to scoring, and did not force any fumbles like the 3 they had last week against Florida. Their best player was Mickey Groody, the punter, who had THREE HUNDRED SIXTY THREE yards on 9 punts. It was a complete and utter domination, and I was happy to get sunburned in return for witnessing it.
September 20: Buckeyes Locate Bauserman
Week 3: MSU lost to Notre Dame, 31-13. It was the worst loss, points-wise, since 1993. There was very little that was positive to take away from this game. After two weeks of playing decidedly less talented opposition, the inexperienced O-Line finely matched up against a good D-Line and...well, the score says how not-pretty it was. The play-calling was absolutely baffling--ND is a good team against the run, so why not use the pass to get them to put less people in the box? WTF was up with using an unbalanced line, and then running at the less guarded side all the time? AND WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU FAKE A FIELD GOAL AT THE END OF THE HALF WHEN YOU KNOW THAT NOTRE DAME HAS BEEN WATCHING TAPE OF LITTLE GIANTS ALL YEAR TPIOUDFKJGLEKLAJHIOWEJDFKLASKEGJL;TWAJIOJKLASG;DNW. And despite my capslock, the most enraging call of all was punting when MSU was down two scores with four minutes left. I don't care that ND fumbled it and MSU recovered: that was giving up on the game. Dan Roushar, the honeymoon is over. If you don't find a way to somehow minimize our major weakness (an inexperienced and injury-prone O-Line), this is going to be the kind of year where MSU doesn't go to a bowl game. And nobody wants that to happen.
September 27: Terps On Tilt
Week 4: MSU defeated Central Michigan University, 45-7. Despite the final score, there was much to be worried about. Kirk Cousins never got into rhythm during the game, stalling a couple drives. The running game didn't seem to be fully clicking, as CMU sniffed out outside runs for losses a few times. A punt got blocked (one more special teams failure in a year full of them), leading to CMU getting their only points. MSU's defense was excellent, although most of this was due to CMU's quarterback(s) being completely unable to throw an accurate pass. MSU intercepted Ryan Radcliff twice and backup A.J. Westendorp once for a pick-six. The offense was pure vanilla (which was exactly what was needed): no unbalanced line and no unnecessary trickeration. The underclassmen receivers got a great deal of playing time, hopefully in order to prepare them for our next game. Andrew Maxwell played well, no one from the O-Line got hurt, and the game was over by halftime. I was a bit surprised to see it wasn't a sellout, but I suppose Chips fans know how bad their team is this year. It was a "meh" kind of game. Next week should be interesting. (Addendum: The Chips Marching Band is really good.)
October 5: Buckeye Walrus Apocalypse (et cetera)
Week 5: MSU defeated Ohio State University, 10-7. There were good, slightly less bad, and bad parts to this game. Starting with the bad: Kirk Cousins. The O-Line protected much, much better (especially for the run) this game, although Cousins did get hit (no sacks, though). But Cousins clearly did not trust his front five, which meant that his internal clock was set to "one, two, PANIC" mode. He fumbled and lost a wet ball in bizarre fashion, and then threw two picks. Like the Notre Dame game, Cousins looked like he couldn't get his mind off his previous mistakes, and his lack of concentration led to more. MSU's score should have been at least ten or seventeen points higher. Offensive play calling remains a concern, as there should have been options for Cousins to dump off on in order to get some yards and relieve some of the pressure he was under (real or imagined). The slightly less bad: special teams. The punting game had a high snap that Mike Sadler had to scramble to retrieve. Sadler then turned around and kicked the hell out of the pigskin, turning a miscue into a good play. Kevin Conroy missed a 52-yard field goal, but made a 50-yarder. The good: ZOMG THE DEFENSE. After awhile, I just started laughing whenever OSU was on offense, because it meant that the D-Line was gonna do something to make them look incredibly foolish. MSU had nine sacks and thirteen tackles for loss, harassing both quarterbacks OSU played; Will Gholston finally had a great game, living up to his recruiting hype; and OSU's only score came off some desperation football with 0:10 remaining. Overall, it's a win, and it's great to get a win out of a road game in the B1G.
October 11: Deep In The Id Of Texas
Week 6: MSU defeated Bye Week, ∞-0. Maybe ∞-2, as there was confirmation that the starting center and a defensive end were out for the season (they haven't played for a few games, though, so it's not unexpected). On to Hate Week.
October 18: Wolverine Lizard Apocalypse
Week 7: MSU defeated University of Michigan, 28-14. Short version: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long version: Nerve-wracking game in which MSU's defense managed to contain the damage from both U-M's offense and their own aggressive penalties. Special teams didn't pick up a fake field goal, so there's one more problem to add to the list. Offensive line was tremendous and looked much improved, as they were very effective at run blocking (mostly stretch runs, or off-tackle, but a few up the middle) and allowed no sacks. The game featured very windy weather (swirly, unpredictable wind), so I believe Kirk Cousins' low numbers can't be counted against him. Indeed, I thought Cousins had a great game: he looked more comfortable in the pocket, was accurate with almost all of his attempts, and threw the ball away when needed. The main thing is that all three units were able to overcome their mistakes (penalties, fumbles, field position) in order to win. The refs were terrible and though the home crowd was (obviously) on them for all the numerous, numerous calls that went against MSU, I think MSU caught a few breaks as well. At least the ineptness didn't completely go one way. Two things I took from this game: (1) LOL U-M SUPPOSED TO BE #9 BCS and (2) holy shit, the D is legit. Like, possibly "better than the '99 team" legit. (Monday edit: now MSU is overranked. I don't think our offense is good enough to be #16. *sigh* Dammit, BCS.)
October 25: Wisconsin Rejects Your So-Called 'Objective Reality'
Week 8: MSU defeated University of Wisconsin, 37-31. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watched this one on ESPN 3, fearing the worst. Wisconsin seemed like the real deal to me, and I was afraid that the offense wouldn't be able to score enough. My apprehension seemed warranted after a horrible start in which the Badgers scored a TD after a run-heavy 80-yard drive, Edwin Baker fumbled on MSU's first play, and then Wisconsin scored again. With an early 14-0 hole, MSU responded by rattling off 23 points before halftime. A great punt led to a safety. Two touchdowns put the Spartans up by two. Then the special teams (after blocking a FG earlier) blocked a punt that squirted into the endzone and was covered by Bennie Fowler. After half, Wisconsin pulled within six after making a FG, then MSU answered with a TD on a long drive and got the two-point conversion. Up by 14, the offense stalled on multiple drives, allowing the Badgers to tie it up with about 1:30 left. The last drive for MSU seemed doomed, especially when Kirk Cousins was stripped and the ball traveled backwards a dozen yards. And then, 3rd and 1 on the Wisconsin 44, 4 seconds left, needing about ten yards in order to give Kevin Conroy a chance to boot the winning field goal...it happened. Dion Sims and B.J. Cunningham got fronted by a Badger defender in the endzone, who just missed the ball. It hit B.J. in the facemask and the the Hail Mary bounced high, right into the waiting hands of Keith Nichol, who barreled his way forward into the endz--no! Called short! B.J. was incomprehensibly calling for a first down, Keshawn Martin had his arms up to show a touchdown. Half the team had run onto the field; everyone was confused as to what happened. The play was under review. And the reviews looked good (apparently, under the press boxes, everyone was looking up to them to see if it was a TD, and most people were signaling that it was), even if one camera angle is shaking hard because of the people in the upper deck jumping up and down. And suddenly...a roar from the south, ahead of the referee's replay judgment on the computer. TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN! SPARTANS WIN! SPARTANS WIN IN INCREDIBLE FASHION!
November 1: Midwest Collective Depression
Week 9: MSU lost to University of Nebraska, 24-3. It's amazing, because I looked at the October stretch at the beginning of the year and thought, "Hopefully we'll be 2-2 coming out of this" and here MSU is 3-1 and I'm disappointed. Offense could not get anything going; Nebraska very effectively shut down B.J. Cunningham and playing from behind all game meant that the run game never got a good start. Not playing hurry-up in the 4th quarter was inexcusable, and definitely cost MSU any chance at winning the game. Dan Roushar again didn't know how to play call for the offense on the road from behind. (Not one goddamn touchdown!?!?!?) Other than that, MSU has completed another circular winning...thing. MSU>U-M>ND>MSU is the first one. The second is MSU>UW>UN>MSU. This is your season, Spartans. You are better than the teams you lost to, except that you lost to them. Think about that, Dan Roushar, and adjust accordingly (because I hate sounding like a whining U-M fan).
November 8: Bama Scott Tenorman, In The Flesh
Week 10: MSU defeated University of Minnesota, 31-24. Excuse me while I get this out of the way: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU--ahem. MSU trailed (!) for most of the first half (!) because they couldn't get their defense off the field (!!). I take back every nice thing I've said about that unit this year. It was as if Narduzzi had prepared the defense for a totally different team, a team that didn't run the most obvious option/Wildcat in the world. (If the RB was two yards back, it was a run. One yard, a pass. Wildcat, Gray was keeping it.) Special teams was fine; in fact, Sadler was great. Offense was also a problem, mostly because of play calling yet again. Things were much too slow to develop (the O-Line couldn't handle Minnesota's blitzes, meaning that every play-action attempt was flirting with sackage) and the running game was unbelievably anemic against a defense that gives up nearly 300 yards a game. (Also: didn't go for it on a 4th-and-1 on Minnesota's side of the field, but went for it on 4th-and-9 and throw for 5 yards?!) This was a game where fans were happily anticipating some reps for Maxwell. A win is a win, but seeing our football team so discombobulated against a team that lost at home to New Mexico State and North Dakota State was infuriating.
November 17: Houston Nutt's Open Source Playbook
Week 11: MSU defeated University of Iowa, 37-21. The game was essentially put away in the first half, where MSU put up 31 points to Iowa's 7. The half ended with a brilliant last two minutes after Keshawn Martin had a good return on an Iowa punt and then Le'Veon Bell had a very strong run into the endzone. On the ensuing Iowa drive, the ball was fumbled, leading to Cousins throwing a TD to Cunningham. Iowa showed some desperation in the second half, scoring points, but really didn't have enough time to win. I was a bit upset with MSU players for staying down on what were probably negligible injuries, considering (1) it was stopping the clock for Iowa and (2) some of MSU's best players were then required to sit out a play. But ultimately, it didn't help Iowa, as they fumbled again going in for a touchdown near the end of the game. The unreal explosion of offense in the first half was very encouraging.
November 22: Oklahoma State Jumps Off A Bridge
Week 12: MSU defeated Indiana University, 55-3. It was the strangest Senior Day I have ever seen. As Indiana was not very interested in playing football, MSU racked up a lot of points and started subbing out the seniors with five minutes left in the third quarter. Everyone got a personal announcement, and many seniors received their very own play as well, most notably offensive lineman Joel Foreman getting to run with the football. It was nice to bask in how good this team has been during the time the seniors have been here (two year home winning streak, four straight bowl games, last year's Big Ten Championship).
November 29: Ole Miss's Miraculous Upset (No, Not At Football)
Week 13: MSU defeated Northwestern University, 31-17.
B1G Championship: MSU lost to University of Wisconsin, 42-39. Arguably, the Spartans played even better than they did the first time against the Badgers. However, two turnovers and (the nail in the coffin) a running in to the kicker call doomed MSU. The defense was not as effective as the other game, but that was made up for by some truly masterful offensive scheming. And some player inventiveness! As Keith Nichol was falling out of bounds after a catch, he lateraled the ball to B.J. Cunningham, who ran it in for a touchdown. And then MSU went for two! Ah, good times. The two games that MSU and UW played this year were some of the most entertaining football I've ever seen. I'm just sad that one team has to lose and drop out of the BCS.
Outback Bowl: MSU defeated University of Georgia in triple overtime, 33-30. I'm not sure if I can coherently sum up the awesomeness that was this game, so I will just say this: I wanted a bowl win this season. I didn't care if it was in the Little Cesar's Bowl or the Mythical National Championship, I just wanted to face a team that didn't have a quarterback that was going to be drafted #1 or had three more wins or some other shit. Georgia was essentially MSU's doppelganger, and you can see that by how much our offenses mirrored each other in stats. To win the game, however, MSU's defense and special teams came through. 17 tackles for loss (24% of UGA's snaps), 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 1 fourth down stop, incredible punting from Sadler, clutch holding from Sonnetag, calm kicking from Conroy, and Anthony Rashad White's huge hand reaching up into the air to block UGA's last field goal attempt.
___________________
MSU's fanbase is in agony.
MSU has caused another fanbase agony.
September 6: Brian Kelly Explodes
Week 1: MSU played Youngstown State University, a I-AA school, and won, 28-6. The game was the first Friday game ever in Spartan Stadium and played in lots of heat and humidity despite the 7 p.m. kick off. (Poor YSU band -- they were dressed in black trousers with dark red coats, and black t-shirts when they took their jackets off.) Fans were Not Happy. Everyone was expecting a nice, relaxing ass-kicking, and instead had to watch the Spartans commit mistake after mistake. Keshawn Martin muffed a punt. Kevin Conroy missed a field goal so badly that the ball refused to leave the gravitational pull of the grass. Most worryingly, the defense (which was on the field most of the first half thanks to YSU's option offense doing just enough to keep the drive alive and the clock running) looked confused, out of sync, and just plain unready to deal with everything that the Penguins showed them.
September 13: Notre Dame Is Dead (Again)
Week 2: MSU defeated Florida Atlantic University 44-0 and, to quote a fellow Spartan, "did things to them that I didn’t know was possible outside of video games". FAU will doubtlessly never agree to ever play MSU ever, ever again now that their 3-year contract is up. First year: monsoon. Second year: they lost money on a home game. Third year: 1 first down and 48 total yards, seven players injured, and apparently our field is too hard (I gleaned this from eavesdropping shamelessly after the game). Also, the score could have been much, MUCH higher (like, what YSU taking their frustrations out on Valparaiso this weekend looked like), but we opted to get backup quarterback Aaron Maxwell some quality reps starting on the third drive. FAU did not convert a third down, did not have a QB with more than 15 yards, did not get even remotely close to scoring, and did not force any fumbles like the 3 they had last week against Florida. Their best player was Mickey Groody, the punter, who had THREE HUNDRED SIXTY THREE yards on 9 punts. It was a complete and utter domination, and I was happy to get sunburned in return for witnessing it.
September 20: Buckeyes Locate Bauserman
Week 3: MSU lost to Notre Dame, 31-13. It was the worst loss, points-wise, since 1993. There was very little that was positive to take away from this game. After two weeks of playing decidedly less talented opposition, the inexperienced O-Line finely matched up against a good D-Line and...well, the score says how not-pretty it was. The play-calling was absolutely baffling--ND is a good team against the run, so why not use the pass to get them to put less people in the box? WTF was up with using an unbalanced line, and then running at the less guarded side all the time? AND WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU FAKE A FIELD GOAL AT THE END OF THE HALF WHEN YOU KNOW THAT NOTRE DAME HAS BEEN WATCHING TAPE OF LITTLE GIANTS ALL YEAR TPIOUDFKJGLEKLAJHIOWEJDFKLASKEGJL;TWAJIOJKLASG;DNW. And despite my capslock, the most enraging call of all was punting when MSU was down two scores with four minutes left. I don't care that ND fumbled it and MSU recovered: that was giving up on the game. Dan Roushar, the honeymoon is over. If you don't find a way to somehow minimize our major weakness (an inexperienced and injury-prone O-Line), this is going to be the kind of year where MSU doesn't go to a bowl game. And nobody wants that to happen.
September 27: Terps On Tilt
Week 4: MSU defeated Central Michigan University, 45-7. Despite the final score, there was much to be worried about. Kirk Cousins never got into rhythm during the game, stalling a couple drives. The running game didn't seem to be fully clicking, as CMU sniffed out outside runs for losses a few times. A punt got blocked (one more special teams failure in a year full of them), leading to CMU getting their only points. MSU's defense was excellent, although most of this was due to CMU's quarterback(s) being completely unable to throw an accurate pass. MSU intercepted Ryan Radcliff twice and backup A.J. Westendorp once for a pick-six. The offense was pure vanilla (which was exactly what was needed): no unbalanced line and no unnecessary trickeration. The underclassmen receivers got a great deal of playing time, hopefully in order to prepare them for our next game. Andrew Maxwell played well, no one from the O-Line got hurt, and the game was over by halftime. I was a bit surprised to see it wasn't a sellout, but I suppose Chips fans know how bad their team is this year. It was a "meh" kind of game. Next week should be interesting. (Addendum: The Chips Marching Band is really good.)
October 5: Buckeye Walrus Apocalypse (et cetera)
Week 5: MSU defeated Ohio State University, 10-7. There were good, slightly less bad, and bad parts to this game. Starting with the bad: Kirk Cousins. The O-Line protected much, much better (especially for the run) this game, although Cousins did get hit (no sacks, though). But Cousins clearly did not trust his front five, which meant that his internal clock was set to "one, two, PANIC" mode. He fumbled and lost a wet ball in bizarre fashion, and then threw two picks. Like the Notre Dame game, Cousins looked like he couldn't get his mind off his previous mistakes, and his lack of concentration led to more. MSU's score should have been at least ten or seventeen points higher. Offensive play calling remains a concern, as there should have been options for Cousins to dump off on in order to get some yards and relieve some of the pressure he was under (real or imagined). The slightly less bad: special teams. The punting game had a high snap that Mike Sadler had to scramble to retrieve. Sadler then turned around and kicked the hell out of the pigskin, turning a miscue into a good play. Kevin Conroy missed a 52-yard field goal, but made a 50-yarder. The good: ZOMG THE DEFENSE. After awhile, I just started laughing whenever OSU was on offense, because it meant that the D-Line was gonna do something to make them look incredibly foolish. MSU had nine sacks and thirteen tackles for loss, harassing both quarterbacks OSU played; Will Gholston finally had a great game, living up to his recruiting hype; and OSU's only score came off some desperation football with 0:10 remaining. Overall, it's a win, and it's great to get a win out of a road game in the B1G.
October 11: Deep In The Id Of Texas
Week 6: MSU defeated Bye Week, ∞-0. Maybe ∞-2, as there was confirmation that the starting center and a defensive end were out for the season (they haven't played for a few games, though, so it's not unexpected). On to Hate Week.
October 18: Wolverine Lizard Apocalypse
Week 7: MSU defeated University of Michigan, 28-14. Short version: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Long version: Nerve-wracking game in which MSU's defense managed to contain the damage from both U-M's offense and their own aggressive penalties. Special teams didn't pick up a fake field goal, so there's one more problem to add to the list. Offensive line was tremendous and looked much improved, as they were very effective at run blocking (mostly stretch runs, or off-tackle, but a few up the middle) and allowed no sacks. The game featured very windy weather (swirly, unpredictable wind), so I believe Kirk Cousins' low numbers can't be counted against him. Indeed, I thought Cousins had a great game: he looked more comfortable in the pocket, was accurate with almost all of his attempts, and threw the ball away when needed. The main thing is that all three units were able to overcome their mistakes (penalties, fumbles, field position) in order to win. The refs were terrible and though the home crowd was (obviously) on them for all the numerous, numerous calls that went against MSU, I think MSU caught a few breaks as well. At least the ineptness didn't completely go one way. Two things I took from this game: (1) LOL U-M SUPPOSED TO BE #9 BCS and (2) holy shit, the D is legit. Like, possibly "better than the '99 team" legit. (Monday edit: now MSU is overranked. I don't think our offense is good enough to be #16. *sigh* Dammit, BCS.)
October 25: Wisconsin Rejects Your So-Called 'Objective Reality'
Week 8: MSU defeated University of Wisconsin, 37-31. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!! Watched this one on ESPN 3, fearing the worst. Wisconsin seemed like the real deal to me, and I was afraid that the offense wouldn't be able to score enough. My apprehension seemed warranted after a horrible start in which the Badgers scored a TD after a run-heavy 80-yard drive, Edwin Baker fumbled on MSU's first play, and then Wisconsin scored again. With an early 14-0 hole, MSU responded by rattling off 23 points before halftime. A great punt led to a safety. Two touchdowns put the Spartans up by two. Then the special teams (after blocking a FG earlier) blocked a punt that squirted into the endzone and was covered by Bennie Fowler. After half, Wisconsin pulled within six after making a FG, then MSU answered with a TD on a long drive and got the two-point conversion. Up by 14, the offense stalled on multiple drives, allowing the Badgers to tie it up with about 1:30 left. The last drive for MSU seemed doomed, especially when Kirk Cousins was stripped and the ball traveled backwards a dozen yards. And then, 3rd and 1 on the Wisconsin 44, 4 seconds left, needing about ten yards in order to give Kevin Conroy a chance to boot the winning field goal...it happened. Dion Sims and B.J. Cunningham got fronted by a Badger defender in the endzone, who just missed the ball. It hit B.J. in the facemask and the the Hail Mary bounced high, right into the waiting hands of Keith Nichol, who barreled his way forward into the endz--no! Called short! B.J. was incomprehensibly calling for a first down, Keshawn Martin had his arms up to show a touchdown. Half the team had run onto the field; everyone was confused as to what happened. The play was under review. And the reviews looked good (apparently, under the press boxes, everyone was looking up to them to see if it was a TD, and most people were signaling that it was), even if one camera angle is shaking hard because of the people in the upper deck jumping up and down. And suddenly...a roar from the south, ahead of the referee's replay judgment on the computer. TOUCHDOWN! TOUCHDOWN! SPARTANS WIN! SPARTANS WIN IN INCREDIBLE FASHION!
November 1: Midwest Collective Depression
Week 9: MSU lost to University of Nebraska, 24-3. It's amazing, because I looked at the October stretch at the beginning of the year and thought, "Hopefully we'll be 2-2 coming out of this" and here MSU is 3-1 and I'm disappointed. Offense could not get anything going; Nebraska very effectively shut down B.J. Cunningham and playing from behind all game meant that the run game never got a good start. Not playing hurry-up in the 4th quarter was inexcusable, and definitely cost MSU any chance at winning the game. Dan Roushar again didn't know how to play call for the offense on the road from behind. (Not one goddamn touchdown!?!?!?) Other than that, MSU has completed another circular winning...thing. MSU>U-M>ND>MSU is the first one. The second is MSU>UW>UN>MSU. This is your season, Spartans. You are better than the teams you lost to, except that you lost to them. Think about that, Dan Roushar, and adjust accordingly (because I hate sounding like a whining U-M fan).
November 8: Bama Scott Tenorman, In The Flesh
Week 10: MSU defeated University of Minnesota, 31-24. Excuse me while I get this out of the way: FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU--ahem. MSU trailed (!) for most of the first half (!) because they couldn't get their defense off the field (!!). I take back every nice thing I've said about that unit this year. It was as if Narduzzi had prepared the defense for a totally different team, a team that didn't run the most obvious option/Wildcat in the world. (If the RB was two yards back, it was a run. One yard, a pass. Wildcat, Gray was keeping it.) Special teams was fine; in fact, Sadler was great. Offense was also a problem, mostly because of play calling yet again. Things were much too slow to develop (the O-Line couldn't handle Minnesota's blitzes, meaning that every play-action attempt was flirting with sackage) and the running game was unbelievably anemic against a defense that gives up nearly 300 yards a game. (Also: didn't go for it on a 4th-and-1 on Minnesota's side of the field, but went for it on 4th-and-9 and throw for 5 yards?!) This was a game where fans were happily anticipating some reps for Maxwell. A win is a win, but seeing our football team so discombobulated against a team that lost at home to New Mexico State and North Dakota State was infuriating.
November 17: Houston Nutt's Open Source Playbook
Week 11: MSU defeated University of Iowa, 37-21. The game was essentially put away in the first half, where MSU put up 31 points to Iowa's 7. The half ended with a brilliant last two minutes after Keshawn Martin had a good return on an Iowa punt and then Le'Veon Bell had a very strong run into the endzone. On the ensuing Iowa drive, the ball was fumbled, leading to Cousins throwing a TD to Cunningham. Iowa showed some desperation in the second half, scoring points, but really didn't have enough time to win. I was a bit upset with MSU players for staying down on what were probably negligible injuries, considering (1) it was stopping the clock for Iowa and (2) some of MSU's best players were then required to sit out a play. But ultimately, it didn't help Iowa, as they fumbled again going in for a touchdown near the end of the game. The unreal explosion of offense in the first half was very encouraging.
November 22: Oklahoma State Jumps Off A Bridge
Week 12: MSU defeated Indiana University, 55-3. It was the strangest Senior Day I have ever seen. As Indiana was not very interested in playing football, MSU racked up a lot of points and started subbing out the seniors with five minutes left in the third quarter. Everyone got a personal announcement, and many seniors received their very own play as well, most notably offensive lineman Joel Foreman getting to run with the football. It was nice to bask in how good this team has been during the time the seniors have been here (two year home winning streak, four straight bowl games, last year's Big Ten Championship).
November 29: Ole Miss's Miraculous Upset (No, Not At Football)
Week 13: MSU defeated Northwestern University, 31-17.
B1G Championship: MSU lost to University of Wisconsin, 42-39. Arguably, the Spartans played even better than they did the first time against the Badgers. However, two turnovers and (the nail in the coffin) a running in to the kicker call doomed MSU. The defense was not as effective as the other game, but that was made up for by some truly masterful offensive scheming. And some player inventiveness! As Keith Nichol was falling out of bounds after a catch, he lateraled the ball to B.J. Cunningham, who ran it in for a touchdown. And then MSU went for two! Ah, good times. The two games that MSU and UW played this year were some of the most entertaining football I've ever seen. I'm just sad that one team has to lose and drop out of the BCS.
Outback Bowl: MSU defeated University of Georgia in triple overtime, 33-30. I'm not sure if I can coherently sum up the awesomeness that was this game, so I will just say this: I wanted a bowl win this season. I didn't care if it was in the Little Cesar's Bowl or the Mythical National Championship, I just wanted to face a team that didn't have a quarterback that was going to be drafted #1 or had three more wins or some other shit. Georgia was essentially MSU's doppelganger, and you can see that by how much our offenses mirrored each other in stats. To win the game, however, MSU's defense and special teams came through. 17 tackles for loss (24% of UGA's snaps), 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery, 1 fourth down stop, incredible punting from Sadler, clutch holding from Sonnetag, calm kicking from Conroy, and Anthony Rashad White's huge hand reaching up into the air to block UGA's last field goal attempt.
___________________
MSU's fanbase is in agony.
MSU has caused another fanbase agony.