So It Goes - Iowa 15, Michigan State 13
by Pete Rossman on Oct 25, 2009 1:42 PM CDT
in Michigan State Spartans Football
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PrintIt's 1:00 PM on October 25, 2009. I'm driving down Collingwood to head to the Engineering Building to write an article. The following questions are in my head: When has a prevent defense ever worked? Why couldn't MSU score a touchdown with a first and goal from the one? And most of all, why do these losses always seem to happen to Michigan State?
It's 10:00 PM on October 24, 2009. Michigan State is down by three and Kirk Cousins has just been sacked on two consecutive downs. For some reason, I'm feeling confident. MSU has had a knack for picking up third and longs all season, and why should tonight be any different? I see Brian Linthicum catch the pass several yards short of HOLY CRAP A LATERAL. Blair White takes the ball to the Iowa 30. It's a first down for MSU.
It's 11:30 AM on October 25, 2009. I'm still replaying the game through my head. Why are we only rushing three men when the blitz has worked all night? Do Ricky Stanzi and Marvin McNutt have some sort of telepathic connection? From the way that slant was timed, that's the only explanation I have.
It's 10:05 PM on October 24, 2009. It's second and 10 for MSU on the Iowa 30. Kirk Cousins drops back and decides to throw into what seems like octuple coverage. I immediately have flashbacks to the Notre Dame game where Cousins forced a play that cost State the game. I cringe, but people are cheering. Why would they cheer an inter... no way.
TOUCHDOWN! Blair White plucks the ball out of the air, and after the extra point, the Spartans lead 13-9. I feel worried.
It's 2:00 PM on October 25, 2009. Writing this preview, I don't know how much I can blame the coaching staff for this loss. Both teams played hard, but when it came down to MSU's goal line situations, Iowa clearly had the stronger lines. When well-coached and strong meets well-coached and stronger, well-coached and stronger will win every time.
It's 10:15 PM on October 24, 2009. Iowa is inside Michigan State's 20. Stanzi drops back to pass. He throws and it's INTERCEPTED BY CHRIS L. RUCKER! THE SPARTANS WIN! THE SPARTANS - are flagged for defensive holding. Not satisfied with winning the normal way, Michigan State seems hellbent on adding a degree of difficulty to its games. It's now first and goal with 15 seconds left, and I am about to lose it.
It's 10:45 PM on October 24, 2009. I'm numb. Speechless. Confused. Dazed. This is not a new feeling.
It's 2:20 PM on October 25, 2009. Somebody just asked someone else how the game was last night. ARE YOU KIDDING ME, AND THIS IS NOT HOW YOU DO SMALL TALK.
It's 10:30 PM on October 24, 2009. In a minute, my emotional well-being will pull a 180. I will wonder why we couldn't have scored more touchdowns. I will question the usefulness of the prevent defense. I will wonder if I dreamed what I just saw. But for now it's 4th and goal with two seconds left, and I will wait for Marvin McNutt to run a perfect slant.
It's 2:30 PM on October 25, 2009. I am finishing this article, and the best metaphor I can come up for the Mark Dantonio is this - in the three years that he's been here, the team's performance relative to its record has been like a sine wave. The 2007 team was a 7-6 squad that was better than its record. The 2008 season boasted a 9-4 team that, in all honesty, was not as good as its record. It's now 2009, and we're looking at a 4-4 team that is definitely better than its record. There's no comfort in this fact, no respite. Life and football are made up of the moments that define what you are, and those moments are surrounded by stuff.
Michigan State's now 4-4, and plays at Minnesota on Saturday, October 31st at 8:00 PM.
So it goes.
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This recap feels like an episdoe of Lost
Entirely appropriate given the alternate-universe feel of those last few minutes last night
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Oct 25, 2009 1:56 PM CDT reply actions
Somebody just asked someone else how the game was last night.
I assume the answer was silence accompanied by the most evil-eyed glare ever seen?
As to blaming the coaching staff: There is only one respect in which I would agree with that. That would, of course, be the @#$% prevent defense. (That should really be its full name. I don’t think I’ve ever heard the term used without some sort of curse muttered under the speaker’s breath, or shouted at the top of the lungs depending on company.)
Well done, Pete.
As long as the sine wave is trending upwards — does that make it a sine wave? I can’t remember — I’m happy. And it seems that it is. So many SOSisms are being laid to rest — late game meltdowns, inexplicable blowout losses, seasons falling apart after a tough loss. MSU’s recruiting class of 2010 is the best in years and among the tops in the Big Ten and it looks like it is no fluke.
The ultimate test, killing the SOS meme for good, will be the next 3 weeks. If MSU enters the final game against Penn State 7-4 (and I think they will, FWIW) then I like MSU’s chances to win vs. Penn State.
Looking ahead to next year, I really like MSU’s chances, based both on the upward swing of the sine wave and based on the number of returning starters and key players.
by CPT Hoolie on Oct 25, 2009 3:11 PM CDT via mobile reply actions
Tough Loss Again
This must be karma for us pulling out every game that was close last year. 3 plays go differently and we are 7-1. Even though our record doesn’t indicate it, I feel like we are a better team then last year.
I hope we can finish out the season strong to get some momentum going into next year b/c we should have an improved roster as CPT Hoolie has pointed out. I needed something to be optimistic about so I looked into who we’ll be losing to graduation and who’ll we’ll be bringing back. The big losses are White, 3 O-linemen, T. Anderson, Swenson and depth in the secondary. We’ll still have some talented WR’s (Dell/Cunningham), a lot of talented offensive linemen who have been redshirted and returning talent in the secondary and DL. We’ll be bringing in another top 25 recruiting class as well as all the guys we’ve redshirted this year.
You never want to assume anything, but we should have improved play from our QB’s, RB’s, DL, and LB’s. Our WR’s, O-line, and secondary should be similar to this years positional groups. The one position that’s an unkown will be our K since Swenson has been so good.
It;s like you were in my brain last night
Only other significant moment I might add is the absolute rage at the very late flag on Ware’s hit.
Light a man a fire, he'll stay warm for a day.
Light a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
Of all pictures, this one?!?!?
"Do not cheat your team or your teammates. Know your plays. Block. Protect. Add to what we are trying to do."
The Only Colors
Revel in the pain
because one day . . . well, I don’t know, we’ll become inoculated against the pain? Like those guys who spray mace in their own eyes to become resistant to it?
Fight for The Only Colors: Green and White!
by KJ@theonlycolors on Oct 25, 2009 8:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Perhaps
the team will do this in a sense and start winning some of these close games again to finish out the season/ win next year.
Was talking with someone about this year’s team and we may do just what Iowa has done: lose some close ones and then come back next year and win those close games.
Light a man a fire, he'll stay warm for a day.
Light a man afire, he'll be warm for the rest of his life.
I'm a Bears fan, a Cubs fan, and a Spartan fan ...
If inoculation was possible, I think I’d be immune to sports-induced emotional agony by now. Instead, all I’ve found to numb the pane is scotch.
Man looks in the abyss, there's nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss. -- Lou Mannheim, Wall Street
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