Michigan State 26, Illinois 6 - A Splendid Sort of Homecoming
by Pete Rossman on Oct 17, 2010 1:10 PM CDT
in Michigan State Spartans Football
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PrintI think very few of us expected this Michigan State team to be 7-0 at this point. While the schedule was set up for a perfect start through seven games, those of us that have been Michigan State fans for a while (since 2009) have seen this team's tendency to drop the inexplicable game, or games in last season's case. Couple this traditional apprehension with a game against the Illini who have looked much better than most fans thought they would be, and the dread was ever present. The first half did nothing to assuage my fears as Michigan State trailed 6-3 after the most frustrating half the Spartans played all year. However, as MSU has done consistently this season, a strong second half with several big plays paved the path to a 26-6 victory over the Illini.
More, after the jump.
If Michigan State's first half could be summarized in a video game stage, it would be the Turbo Tunnel in BattleToads. For those of you not familiar with the game that caused 9-year old Pete Rossman to fling his NES controllers across his bedroom, this stage consisted of controlling one of your characters (Zitz was my favorite) on a "turbobike" across the screen, avoiding barriers and jumping over gaps when need be. Michigan State hit quite a few barriers on offense yesterday. Barrier the first - the Illini frequently stuffing Le'Veon Bell (22 yards on ten carries) and Edwin Baker (23 yards on eight carries). Barrier the second - Kirk Cousins having iffy accuracy and decisions, throwing over his receivers' heads on at least two occasions, making more than one throw into coverage, and muffing a snap on 4th and 1. Barrier the third - Keshawn Martin muffing his second punt of the year, giving the Ilini a field goal to go into halftime up 6-3.
Like I said, the first half was frustrating, but not without its bright spots. The MSU defense kept Mikel Leshoure mostly in check (86 yards on 23 rushes), and in a brilliant bit of foreshadowing for the second half, got an interception from Marcus Hyde to stop an Illini drive. Aaron Bates's second punt was one of the best/luckiest punts I've seen this year - a 60 yard kick that bounced and rolled to a stop on the Illini 1-yard line. Dan Conroy completed a 37-yard field goal. This concludes the Spartan bright spots from the first half.
Michigan State greatly improved its performance after halftime. A Johnny Adams interception gave MSU the ball on the Illini 16, and four plays later the game was tied at 6. After an Illinois three-and-out, State finally seemed to take control of the game. A couple Keshawn Martin runs set up a 48-yard touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham, one where Cousins took advantage of an overly aggressive Illini defense (to be fair though, the defensive pressure worked for Illinois most of the game) to find Cunningham wide open.
From there, Michigan State cruised. The one big play the Illini hit was negated by a great strip and fumble recovery by first-time starter Darqueze Dennard. The Spartans scored on all five of their second-half drives and gained 248 yards in doing so. Greg Jones posted stats befitting of the reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, with 14 tackles, one quarterback hurry, and a pass breakup when Illinois was in the red zone. Tyler Hoover played his best game as a Spartan with nine tackles, a sack, two quarterback hurries and a pass breakup. Lastly, I don't know if there's anyway to prove this, but this might be the first time in Michigan State history that each of the defensive backs accounted for a turnover.
The Michigan State Spartans are currently 7-0, ranked 8th in both the Coaches' poll and the AP poll. When the BCS rankings are premiered tonight, SB Nation site BCS Evolution predicts Michigan State will enter at #7. The mood currently being felt is giddiness - giddiness over the present (7-0 WOOOOO) and the future. With Ohio State's loss yesterday, the Spartans now control their destiny for the Big Ten title. The next six weeks are going to be hell - in the sense that it's going to be a hell of a time and a hell of a ride. Get psyched everyone.
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Dennard
That strip play was so clutch. Love that the young guys like he and Le’Veon Bell are such gamers. Athleticism counts for a lot, but when you’ve got guys who make heads-up plays, too, you know you’re moving in the right direction.
He even knocked one of the safeties (Hyde?) out of the way getting back to make the play.
He got burned but was able to make up for it with his speed.
He was picked by Greg Jones on that play
That’s how the receiver got so wide open.
I’m definitely interested to see how he holds up against NW’s passing attack. He did a very good job tackling in run support and that was obviously a very nice strip of the ball after the catch. Good first start for the true frosh.
Defense played great all game
and the offense stepped it up in the second half. That may be the best defense we play all season.
The running game should get back on track next week against NW. They are giving up 4.4 YPC against a very soft schedule. The only two solid run teams they’ve played are Purdue (30th in rushing offense) and Vandy (ranked 46th). Purdue gained 232 yards rushing and averaged 5.5 YPC while Vanderbilt gained 192 yards rushing at 5.1 YPC.
"That may be the best defense we play all season."
Iowa would have something to say about that.
Still, all credit to a very scrappy and tough Illinois team. That was probably the most brutal game MSU has played thus far this season (sorry, Wisconsin, you were more like pushing large rocks up a hill than the street brawl we just saw). Illinois has a tough, aggressive young defense and Scheelhaase showed a lot of potential to be a good dual-threat spread quarterback the next couple of years. I don’t think the Zooker is going anywhere just yet.
Now, if we can just avoid overlooking death by paper cuts this weekend. Get back to work. Beat Northwestern.
I can only muster so much interest
in the Hawkeyes in the off season.
Es gibt keine Freude wie Schadenfreude
So you missed the entire...
You’re missing out, my friend. You really should be a Friend of the Pants.
Ok, Herbie, what are you smoking?
We have a better win and no losses compared to Iowa, and you have Iowa at #6 and MSU #9?
I was just about to post the same thing
I think he had us ranked 18th last week in his AP vote.
Are you kidding?
DIE POLLS DIE
Bad enough that you have the preseason and the resulting poll inertia. Then you have guys who base their votes on what “will” happen instead of what has happened, guys who don’t pay much attention to what’s really happened on the field, and then you’ve got the coaches who have a massive conflict of interest and don’t get to watch any games other than their own and who they will be playing.
Honestly, I put more faith in the Blogpoll than I do in any of the major polls.
by SpartanDan on Oct 17, 2010 7:43 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
I don't understand the Boise love
Sure, they are a good football team, but they play no one, and VT has been exposed…
Then put them in D1-and-a-half-A and be done with it.
If they can’t be given a shot at the 1A title no matter what they do on the field, may as well have the non-BCS schools form their own division and have their own championship.
(Or we could, you know, let them decide it on the field like every other sport in the universe instead of turning it into a blasted beauty pageant.)
No I agree with you...
But at some point you HAVE to weight the schedule…
Boise running through Utah State and Louisiana Tech, is not the same as playing Wisconsin, and Iowa, and Ohio State…
and I LIKE the Broncos…
It's too early for this argument
My opinion is that if there are 2 undefeated teams ahead of you with better schedules, then they’re more deserving. Any mid-major outrage can be saved until there aren’t any undefeated BCS teams jumping into the title.
Es gibt keine Freude wie Schadenfreude
Boise will be in the MWC soon enough
That should settle any schedule arguments for the most part. Doesn’t help any this year though.
by Pete Rossman on Oct 17, 2010 7:51 PM CDT up reply actions
The computers will take them out
They need to be almost consensus number one in the Harris and Coaches Poll to overcome the computer differential by the end of the year. Meanwhile, the computers seem to love us.
Es gibt keine Freude wie Schadenfreude
Umm...
…don’t look now, but Va. Tech is as likely as anyone to win the ACC. Oregon State also equals someone.
It’s not fair if half the teams can’t be considered despite anything they do. And it’s a joke of a system anyway. Might as well put Boise-TCU in there.
by witless chum on Oct 18, 2010 6:06 AM CDT up reply actions
BCS
Here is my take…this is insane. I mean it is too early to debate on BCS. This is good..for us. We still have to beat NW who have 2 weeks rest before they face us. Can we go on the road (outside the state for the 1st time) and beat NW.Can we handle the business and not overlook towards the big saturday in Iowa city on the eve of halloween?Are we going to get spooked and lay an egg at NW.
We need to be focused and take 1 game at a time. If we keep winning, BCS will take care of itself. I am sure the game in Iowa city will be a close one and it will be upon Kirk to lead us to a GW drive. We have the revenge from last yr too…but I am not getting carried away. BEat the wildcats..Go GREEN!
Here's the official BCS standings
with our rankings for each human and computer poll. 5 of the 6 computer polls really like us. Avg. computer ranking is 4th.
Let me guess ... Billingsley is the hater.
Of course he is. His “algorithm” is designed to mimic the human polls (to the point of starting with last year’s rankings as a “preseason poll”, valuing wins more based on the opponent’s rating at game time than at season’s end, and a host of other inanities). It ought to be dragged out into the street, set ablaze, and then shot. (If you want to read a more eloquent takedown, Brian – who’s remarkably sane when not dealing with MSU – wrote a spectacular one four years ago.)
Just as further proof of his algorithm's unsuitability
Four computers have Missouri in the top 6.
Another has them 9th.
Billingsley has them … out of the top 25 entirely.
Sorry for the delayed posting
but let’s take the BCS discussion to the new post.
PP-TPW.
The Only Colors
Might need to be an open thread in the future
depending on how the season continues.
Es gibt keine Freude wie Schadenfreude
Was planning to and then a bunch of other stuff came up
Probably will in the future, if applicable.
PP-TPW.
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