Reduce Reuse Recycle Recap

Finally a win.  A win that MSU closed out.  That was nice to see.  I thought the MSU offense played well enough.  Obviously, it was not a great offensive show, but they were able to move the ball at times before ultimately doing something boneheaded.  Joe Rexode touches on that with his Monday Mail Bag.

 -I watched a good portion of the PSU/OSU game.  PSU played a solid game, but seemed to abandon the run game.  I think that ultimately did them in.  Not sure if Belton was injured or what.  Braxton was impressive in tearing apart a very good PSU defense.  That just might show how good the MSU defense actually is more than any other stat.

-From there, it was time to watch the um/Nebraska game.  I got to tell Pat about Denard's injury over the phone, that was about the most gratifying thing I have got to do this football season. Without Robinson, um was punchless.  The game wasn't really interesting outside of a few drives and seeing what um could do without Denard.  um fans will be pleased to know that Robinson will be the starter this weekend.

-To close out the game, Maxwell made one great pass after another and Bell was able to bounce around for 4-6 yard gains.  I think that our receivers may have finally turned a corner.  There was no Burbridge in this game, but that's OK.  Fowler is the man, and he showed it at times in this game.  Also, Lippet showed why I have been so high on him, from his sky high grab to his juke to the one yard line.  Personally, I really enjoyed seeing Thomas get some open field to run in.  A fumble certainly wasn't pleasant, but man, I would not want to tackle him.  The defense was really stout in this game as well.  MSU was able to hold Wisconsin to 19 yards rushing (net) and 190 yards total.  Gholston finally had a game that MSU has needed all year with 4.5 tackles for loss and a sack.  Along with that, one hit knocked Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave out of for the season with a broken clavicle.

This play below, I remember seeing and screaming at the T.V.  It did not get called.

(mary langenfeld, uspresswire. via twitter of chris vannini)

I still don't think that the Wisconsin defense is that great.  One play in particular stuck out in my head on a pass deflection to a mostly wide open Bell.  Other than that, I think MSU mostly killed their own drives.  Don't get me wrong, they are a good defense, but the B1G features a handful of better defense's.

Next week MSU has Nebraska at home.  A game I will be at.  Maybe I can get some pictures from the game and any sort of EL related activities I do on here.  Sound good?

Singing Tough - A Prediction

As Pat noted in the comments, I forgot to get my preview up.  Blame it on the rain.  Or staying out way later than anticipated. Today MSU is playing in a game labeled as a rivalry.  However, MSU and Wisconsin will not meet again for 4 years, unless they are in the B1G championship game.

OFFENSE:  Same story different day.  Just like every game I say, MSU needs to get the ball early and score on that first drive.  The crowd in Wisconsin is gonna be as loud as they have been all year.  Halloween weekend.  I do not see Bell having a good game in this one.  But MSU will look to get him going early and too often. MSU will need to go airborne to win this game and score points.  I like the matchups our receivers have against the Wisconsin secondary.  Wisconsin has not been too impressive defensively and Maxwell should look to get Sims going early.  Can our re-re-re-re-re-revamped line hang tough?

(the new starting offensive line)

DEFENSE:  L-I-V-I-N that's what our defense needs to do.  Just keep on keeping on.  Whatever else you can say.  There have been some writings about the defense, that there is potential for a divided locker room.  With the defense playing so well and the offense playing so poorly.  I don't see that happening, and I don't see the defense letting up.   Gholston will play his best game of the year and our defense will do a good job of limiting Montee Ball. 

PREDICTION:  The story here isn't how well our defense can play it's how many points can our offense score?  Right now, there is no reason to believe they will score any points.  Call it 20-13 Wisconsin.

Links for Zelda

Sorry, I couldnt think of a better way to name this post.  Still not in the mood for a full post, but expect my Wiscon prediction tomorrow.  Here are some MSU related links:

Recruiting: Ex-Michigan commit David Dawson likely to visit Michigan State
-Seems like a solid recruit, would be nice if he came to MSU.  Pat, do you have any insight as to why he decommitted?

Michigan State 'better be ready to play every game' to reach a bowl
-My sentiments exactly. 

Michigan State, Wisconsin rivalry still strong
-Would we call this a rivalry at this point?  Will it still be one if they thump us by 2 scores?

Michigan State hope Dion Sims can lift struggling offense From The Detroit News
-We could have used Dion last week.  We did look a lot better throwing the ball without him though.

MSU's Max Bullough nominated for Butkus Award as nation's top linebacker From The Detroit News:
-I still cannot believe he played for Traverse City St. Francis.  I know Pat wants him to leave early.

Game Week Q&A: Bucky's 5th Quarter
-Chris Vannini and TOC have a little Q&A with their partner Wisconsin blog. 

Enjoy your Thursday everyone, hopefully the Tigers even it up tonight.

Recalibrate

Often times following a football game a few sayings get thrown around.  The game may have been "closer than the final score" or "not as close as the score indicated".  Michigan's 12-10 victory was exactly as ugly and hard fought as the score indicated.  Both teams had chances to win and Michigan made the plays in the last five minutes to win the game.  Heading into the season we reviewed these teams as being very evenly matched and coming out of their showdown it appears they were evenly matched indeed.  Michigan State's defense has what it takes to hold down Denard Robinson but this season Denard hard what it took to do just enough to win the ballgame.

This is Michigan.

Some game wrapping thoughts:

• Is Max Bullough getting NFL buzz yet?  Meaning, can he please leave for the NFL after this season?  Despite the hype surrounding William Gholston and Johnny Adams coming into the season, Bullough is clearly the best player on the Michigan State defense.  
• Burbridge, as a true freshman, is one of the most dangerous wideouts in the B1G.  I'm terrified of what he's going to do the next two seasons before he's off to the NFL after his junior year. 
• Great call on the fake punt by Dantonio.  Michigan never does much on punt returns anyway so there's really no excuse for giving up 40 yards there. 
• 900 wins.  641 wins.  You can guess the programs those belong to.
• Jake Ryan is better than William Gholston.  In fact, this needs its own section...

In the preseason this became a bit of a debate.  Let's review some of the writing we did in the preseason about the defenses.
Our esteemed commenter Trivialstuff made this little comment:

"Gholston needs to be more consistent, but UM doesn't have a guy with his ability to be disruptive when he is playing up to his potential". - Trivalstuff in August

Being a little more bullish on one particular Michigan defender I responded:

"I think Jake Ryan has the ability to as disruptive as Gholston. In fact I think they have had very similar careers to this point. Inconsistent seasons in 2011 culminating in a big performance in a bowl victory". - Pat in August

And Tbone concluded:

"He may have the ability to be as disruptive at some point in his college life. but to this point they are very different. And even last year they were very different. Gholston has 70 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 5 sacks last year versus Ryan's 37 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. The big difference there is the total tackles. Gholston can get to the sideline and extend the Dline better than any defense end in the B1G.

I would not trade the two straight up." - Tbone in August

Would you trade the two straight up now?  In this game Ryan had 10 tackles (8 solo), a forced fumble (MSU recovered) and a sack.  I certainly would not trade Ryan for Gholston.  
 
This rivalry should only continue to heat up from here for the next few seasons.  There aren't any blowouts on the horizon in the near future.

Other than ending the Spartans season in October, this victory means a lot for Michigan for the rest of the 2012. Heading into the season most pundits had Michigan State pegged as the favorites to win the Big Ten championship.  Following Michigan's 12-10 victory on Saturday those expectations are recalibrated and the Wolverines are now the clear favorites to win the Legends division.  (Wisconsin is probably the Vegas favorite to win the B1G as they are virtually already locked into the title game)  Michigan moves on to a game in Lincoln this week that will be extremely tough while the Spartans have to travel to Madison to face a rapidly improving Badger squad.  The Spartans will be trying to right the ship and move a game closer to becoming bowl eligible while the Wolverines will be looking to take a commanding position in the Legends race.  It's another big weekend in college football.

After 8 weeks here's how things stand in the B1G:

1. Ohio State - I'm tempted to move them down after they keep squeaking by marginal teams.  It's going to catch up with them soon with a loss.  Their defense appears to be extremely down from Ohio State defenses of old.

2. Michigan - The leader of the Legends.  Undefeated in B1G play.  This week may be the last obstacle to get by to ensure a trip to Indy.

3. Penn State - I won't ignore you any longer Nittany Lions.  Impressive beatdown of the Hawkeyes at Kinnick.  Hosting OSU this week in what promises to be their best chance for a statement victory in 2012.

4. Nebraska - Can vault up to #2 on this list with a victory at home on Saturday.  Taylor Martinez is playing well (especially at home) but the Blackshirt defenses is a sieve.  If they could stop anyone they could be the class of the B1G.

5. Wisconsin - All of a sudden the loss to Oregon State doesn't look so bad.  Maybe Wisconsin played the Big Ten's 2nd toughest non conference schedule.  Badgers are back in familiar territory leading the Leaders division.  They'll be trying to improve each week before their inevitable Rose Bowl play-in game in Indianapolis.

6. Northwestern - Led by double digits in the 4th quarter in losses to Penn State and Nebraska.  This team will be in a battle in every game they play.

7. Michigan State - Sitting at 4-4 it's difficult to find a place for the Spartans but their only truly disappointing loss was at home to Iowa.  Otherwise they have suffered heartbreaking close losses to good teams.  ND is #5.  OSU in the top 15 and Michigan moving up the BCS standings.  A pretty good team with a much worse record than the last two seasons.

8. Iowa - I don't think these guys are very good, especially without Mark Weisman.

9. Minneosta - Will be clawing to win a couple games for a bowl berth in year 2 of the Jerry Kill era.

10. Purdue - Wasn't this team a supposed B1G title contender 3 weeks ago?

11. Indiana - Much improved from last year but not improved enough to beat any B1G teams yet.

12. Illinois - You fire Ron Zook and appear to be a more poorly coached team the following season.  Not a good time to be an Illini fan. 

The State of State

Right now, I cannot even pretend to have anything to be happy about for the Spartans.  OK...OK, I can be happy about the defense.  We have the best defense in the B1G.  We hold the Michigan offense without a touchdown, and lose though.  This makes me very sad.  So where are our Spartans right now?

Well, to cover the obvious stuff, MSU is 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the conference.  Winning out would put MSU at 8-4 and 5-3 in the conference.  After the first half of the season ended, I projected this is where we would end up. 

Right now, the offense is playing like a team that's uneven.  At times our running game looks good, at time our passing game looks good, at times our blocking looks good.  Rarely do they all synch up together.  I will contribute a lot of this to the injured offensive line.  The lack of continuity has made it hard to develop a pattern and trust in the trenches.  I has been great at developing younger players though.  So look out 2013!  The line play dictates a lot of what you can do in the run game, Bell has managed a solid season with some highlight reel plays.  He seems to get three yards every time he touches the ball.  The problem is, he has not been gashing defenses for HUGE chunks of yards.  This could be a product of being used too much.  After injuring his knee against UM, Bell called to come out, he did not, got the ball for the next carry, and promptly stumbled after the handoff.  We need Caper to get the ball sometimes.  Lastly for offense, once the receivers starting dropping the ball nothing good could  happen.  Now that they are catching the ball and making athletic plays doing it, we might finally see some points scored.

A lot has been said about the defense and their inability to close out games.  But when you hold teams to 12, 19, 16, you need to win those games.  I don't care if you gave up one last drive at the end, you stopped plenty more before that.  The worst thing I can see from this is that defense gives up its edge.  MSU can rely on it's defense for only so long.  I cannot find a lot of words for our defense, they have done a great job all year.  A few more turnovers would be nice, but I will take so few touchdowns allowed. 

Right now, MSU has a huge game looming against Wisconsin.  This is the game where blocking, running and passing need to link up and show some muscle.  After that we have Nebraska at home (which I will be at).  Go 2-0 over these games and get to the bye (off?) week.  To me, MSU is still a bowl team, it would be a real shame to not make one.  So that is where MSU is right now, a lot of unbalanced performances from the offense, solid play from the defense, and a deflated blogger. 

It Was Time

Boop.

There's always basketball season 'lil bro...

Might have some real thoughts when it's not 2:30 in the morning but for now let's enjoy the Brendan Gibbons background and the sweet taste of victory washed down with Spartan tears.

MSU/um Prediction

So here we are.  The Apex of hate week, or is this the down fall?  Or is the game the Apex?  I'm not sure, regardless tomorrow, tomorrow is the day.  House vs. House.  Brother vs. Sister. Blogger vs. Blogger. After Saturday, there will be a new background here on the blog as Pat and I have an going wager that the blogger winner gets to pick the new background. I don't want to lose this. 

OFFENSE:  Well, where to begin.  First of all, we need to score. That is probably the biggest thing for MSU, but how do we get there?  Bell needs to get going and he needs to get going early.  MSU has no room for error early in the game.  This um fan base is rabid for a win over MSU, that way they can wave it in our face and say things in an East Coast accent.  The whole of the MSU offense needs to have a stellar game.  The offensive line needs to block, the receivers to need to be crisp and fast, and our running backs need to be bruising.  Up front is where this game will be decided.  The MSU line is depleted and has been performing that way.  um will look to get in and attack Maxwell, so the line needs to perform.  With that, I do expect MSU to put together some drives to start, with Burbridge coming ready and Caper providing a nice option for Maxwell in the pass game out of the backfield.

DEFENSE:  So far, the MSU defense has played well.  If our offense kicks a field goal in the games against OSU and Iowa, we likely win. The last two games against michigan, the MSU defense has been able to limit Denard.  Pat calls them the worst games Denard has ever played.  I guess he forgets about Notre Dame and Alabama this year.  However, that is the  key to beat um.  Limit the plays the Denard is making.  In the past, Norman has been very successful in beating Denard to the edge and, when needed, getting into coverage across the middle.  This year, Norman appears to have bulked up and lost a step, losing a lot of playing time to Taiwan Jones.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but is still the key.  We need our outside linebackers to be able to bottle up the rushers and defend against those short passes that make a drive. Opportunities for Denard to throw the ball down field will be there, it would be foolish for this offense to not take its chances.  The front 7 needs to make Denard uncomfortable in the pocket, keep him guessing as to where to run, where to throw.  Like the offense, the Defense needs to be flawless. If there is an opportunity for the interception, there cannot be a drop.  When tackling, an arm tackle will not work. 

PREDICTION:  So far, I have predicted MSU to win every game this year.  Do you see a pattern?  I like our chances, in this game, but I like our chances in every game. With this defense how could you not like our chances?  However, with this offense how can you ever pick for us?  Currently michigan is a 10 point favorite.  Is that too high?  I fully expect the um offense and defense to come hyped for this game.  michigan will likely have its first lively crowd since 90's.  As I mentioned, MSU needs to get into this early. Now is the time to shake off the slow starts and silence this um crowd.  Let our friends over in ann arbor know that we own this State now.  Look for these teams to throw a few punches early before settling into a groove.  However, this MSU offense is not nearly good enough to score enough points to win.  I am gonna call this one: 24-20 um.