Finally At a Loss: Iowa 37, Michigan State 6

by KJ@theonlycolors on Oct 31, 2010 4:13 PM CDT in Michigan State Spartans Football

Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong:

The running game continued its recent collapse, particularly in short yardage situations (33 yards on 16 carries for the three running backs; only one first down converted on a rushing play).
Kirk Cousins gave into his make-a-play-at-all-costs instincts, throwing three picks in the process.
The third down struggles continued (4 for 14).
The pass rush was, well, non-existent: zero sacks and zero quarterback hurries credited to MSU.
The defensive backs looked like they did last year--unable to make plays on the ball even when they were in position to do so.
The return game lacked any threat with Keshawn Martin sidelined (just 16.1 yards/return on 7 kickoff returns).
Penalties (7 for 63 yards) [Edit: and some suspect officiating] killed any sort of a comeback.

The cherry on top of the ineptitude sundae was the perhaps-ill-advised-but-spectacularly-successful post-interception pitch by Tyler [Insert Superfun BHGP Nickname Here] Sash that preceded the touchdown return by Micah "Not the Hyde Who Plays For Us" Hyde pictured above. Iowa could do nothing wrong. MSU could do nothing right.

For the fourth straight week, the MSU offense came out and failed to score in the first quarter. (Only 3 points scored in the first quarter against BCS-conference-level opposition, even counting Notre Dame, this year, believe it or not.) The previous three weeks, the Spartans were able to recover in the final three quarters of the game and get the win. The Iowa defense, led by Sash, Shaun Prater, and Adrian Clayborn, was not going to allow that to happen this week. As dramatic as the team's progress has been since last season, this MSU team still isn't good enough to overcome a 17-point first quarter deficit against a top-15 opponent. And nothing resembling a comeback ever materialized, as the offense never really found its footing; 8 of the team's 12 drives in the game went for less than 10 yards.

For whatever reason, the MSU offense takes 15+ minutes to find its rhythm. As disappointing as the timing/handling of the Chris L. Rucker reinstatement was, I'm not inclined to chalk the slow start up to that distraction; the situation was probably much more a distraction for the fan base than it was for the team. (Sarcastic Rucker aside, in an attempt to get the incident out of my system: For those of us who thought Rucker should have sat out at least one game post-release--for a combination of punitive, precedent-setting, and public perception reasons--the positive spin is that he did, in effect, sit out a full game. By the time he entered the game in the second quarter, the team was already down three scores.) The slow offensive starts are a major concern going forward. MSU can probably recover from a slow start against Minnesota or Purdue, but Penn State and the team's future bowl opponent may not be so congenial to a Spartan comeback.

Statistically speaking, the three MSU turnovers were 90% of the story yesterday. Iowa actually outgained MSU by fewer than 100 yards. And to be fair to Cousins, I thought only one of the interceptions was truly awful in terms of decision making--the second one, which was thrown across the field off his back foot on a 3rd-and-7 when MSU still had a mathematical shot at getting back into the game. Throw it away and go for it on fourth down, darn it all, The first interception resulted from a combination of (1) a failure to see Sash, (2) a slightly underthrown pass, and (3) a great play by Sash. If Cousins make his standard perfect throw to the sideline on that play, it probably would have been a completion, or at least a simple incompletion. The third pick was somewhat forced, but it's the kind of pass to a tight end in a seam Cousins has converted at other times this season--and, at that point, taking a risk was the way to go anyway.

The silver lining, I suppose, is that nothing really changed about the team fundamentally. I thought the defense actually played reasonably well. They held the extremely elusive Adam Robinson to 3.5 yards/carry and his backup, Marcus Coker, to just 2.5 yards/carry. MSU recorded 7 tackles for losses on 42 Iowa rushing attempts (Antonio Jeremiah sighting! Three tackles, one for a loss). It was the early long runs by Ricky Stanzi and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos that were the killers. The pass defense was disappointing, but Iowa also benefited from some Stanzi throws into coverage that, through some combination of great plays by receivers and plain good fortune, turned into big Hawkeye gains.

The running game continues to be a concern. The passing game just needs to settle down. MSU receivers, including the taking-full-advantage-of-his-opportunity Bennie Fowler, continue to make tough catches in tight space.

From a fundamental ability standpoint, this MSU team was never a top-five team (which takes nothing away from the results the team posted through 8 games; the good luck counts just as much as the bad does). It would have been nice not to have that demonstrated in such a stark fashion, though. A less decisive loss would have been better for both bowl positioning and the team's psyche.

Still: 8-1. The "1" hurt a lot, killing whatever BCS Title Game hopes the team had. (And, for me, having any nonzero chance of getting to the BCS Title Game past the halfway mark of the season was an exciting experience). The "8," however, means there's still a lot of very meaningful Spartan football to be played this year. No "on to basketball season" this year--even for me. SpartanDan's updated projections have MSU with an 87% shot at taking home at least a share of the Big Ten title and a 42%+ chance of making the trip to Pasadena. MSU no longer controls its own destiny, but the words "Rose Bowl" are still in the mix of those potential destinies. That's quite a bit of something left to play/root for.

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Can we forget that ever happened?

Luckily we have Minnesota at home next week. You couldn’t ask for a better team to have a bounce back game against.

by Stones1981 on Oct 31, 2010 5:01 PM CDT reply actions

MSU Spartans to die after marathon to Athens?

MSU Spartan death after marathon to the Athens of the Midwest or the other way around? Athens is what Iowa grad and playwright Tennessee Williams called literary Iowa City.

The Spartans got beaten by a very good Hawkeye football team in a very difficult place to play, Kinnick Stadium.

As a season Register analyst of Big Ten football earlier suggested, about the only thing that can really beat Iowa is the Hawkeyes themselves. And as many have observed down through the years, there are other stadiums in the country in which the field is surrounded by over 100,000 fans, but only in Kinnick are all 70,000 of them right on top of the gridiron and the noise level is punishingly painful. The structure is architecturally lovely, but at game time the place turns out to be diabolically ugly.

The Spartans are a very good-to-great football team, it has a great coach, and only its fans can prove to be something less than outstanding.

As a long-past Iowa coach said when asked about loyal Hawkeye fans continuing to pack Kinnick Stadium during 17 years of losing seasons, "What else is there to do on a fall afternoon in Iowa?" He got fired—-and GO HAWKEYES, BEAT OSU!

by SamOsborne on Oct 31, 2010 5:09 PM CDT reply actions

BCS standings update

We’re 14th (16th Harris, 15th coaches, 10th computers), which is key. Top 14 is the cutoff for eligibility at-large. We are unlikely to drop if we win the next three (enough teams play each other ahead of us that even if somebody makes a run from behind and does it against a tougher schedule, somebody in front of us will fall), so we’ll stay eligible if we make it to 11-1 (and don’t deserve to if we fall to 10-2). So if we win out, we’ll almost certainly be eligible.

Wisconsin’s at #9, OSU #11, Iowa #16. If OSU wins out, I think they’ll jump Wisconsin. If Iowa beats OSU, they may jump us but OSU will fall past us.

Much hinges on the Iowa-OSU game. (This all assumes we win out, as we have no business in a BCS game otherwise.) If Iowa wins, we want Wisconsin to win out and guarantee us the Rose Bowl (or Iowa to drop another and give us an outright title if Wisconsin does slip up). But even if Wisconsin falters, we’ll likely be an at-large selection with both Wisconsin and OSU at 10-2 instead of our 11-1. If OSU wins, we probably need a Wisconsin or OSU loss to get in at all; OSU would likely be in the Rose Bowl and Wisconsin would be likely to get an at-large (leaving us as the unlucky “third team from a conference” shaftee along with Missouri 2007, an SEC team just about every year, Wisconsin 2006, Texas 2003, and probably others).

by SpartanDan on Oct 31, 2010 8:32 PM CDT reply actions

Hats off to Sparty fans

I’m an Iowa alum living in St. Louis who returned to Kinnick for the first time in years with my 12 year old son. We got our tickets through the MSU ticket office since the home seats were all sold out, and of course we were smack-dab in the middle of Spartan country.

Your fans were tremendous. Outstanding. Polite guests, the guy behind me, though well-sauced at that point, had the presence of mind to apologize (profusely, I might add) for dropping an F-bomb before he noticed my son. So if any of your readers are “Justin” in Row 7, Seat 28, you’re a great guy, Justin.

And, they were quite complimentary of our modest little village of Iowa City and of Iowa fans in general. I also strongly disapproved of the Iowa student section’s “Overrated” chant. I’d rather beat the snot out of a GREAT team, not an overrated team. Sort of diminishes our own victory. And while I agree that MSU was probably never a top five team, I thought all through the off-season that MSU was at least a top 25 and possible top 15 contender.

Looking at your schedule, you’re unlikely to do much worse than 10-2, and was enough to put the Hawkeyes in a BCS game last year, so hang in there. I just have a feeling that somehow Wisconsin is going to get screwed again out of a BCS bid and it’d probably be you guys that do it.

by hawkeyeinstl on Oct 31, 2010 8:38 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs

thanks for stopping by

I suspect this one still stings for most of us, but I doubt there was anyone watching who wasn’t impressed by the talent and execution of that Iowa squad. You can make it up to us by beating OSU.

by lesmanalim on Nov 1, 2010 12:41 AM CDT up reply actions

I was surprised

and a little humbled at the graciousness and friendliness of the visiting Spartans I met. Kudos to your traveling fans

Brunettes not fighter jets

by rockyh on Nov 1, 2010 10:19 AM CDT up reply actions

That's a good...

….point on “overrated.” I proposed “Not an upset” as an alternate chant, but it my idea hasn’t swept the nation. Yet.

by witless chum on Nov 1, 2010 6:48 AM CDT up reply actions

The Overrated Cheer is reserved for Bo Cryin.

He said he would leave the post game press conference, if anyone started that after his brief stop at #1. Thanks to Drew Neitzel, Raymar, Ginger, and the rest for that memory.

Also, I sat in the Michigan section for the Larry Caper game and after a few insults, it was fairly good natured – until OT.

by MSU1978 on Nov 1, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions

Thanks, hawkeyeinstl

It’s nice of you to say, and I’m glad that you and your son had a great experience. Funny how MSU fans tend to enjoy cordial relationships with the Badgers and Hawkeyes, yet are called churlish by our in-state brethren from Ann Arbor.

by Spartisan on Nov 1, 2010 8:46 AM CDT up reply actions

I'd say we're even, luckwise

I think all the additions that were made to the “good fortune” side of our ledger over the first 8 games just got balanced out in devastating “Everything Falls Apart” fashion yesterday. So, let’s call it even and start with a clean slate for the next 3 games.

Izzo smashed the videotape of MSU’s loss to Iowa in the 2005 Big Ten Tourney, and we made a run to the Final 4. I’d suggest Dantonio do the same thing with this tape.

by Ducking Delvon on Oct 31, 2010 9:01 PM CDT reply actions

Agreed

Bearing in mind that there needs to be plays sent to the office regarding officiating. It didn’t cost us this game in any way, but there were some horrible calls.

Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude

by Seer on Oct 31, 2010 9:32 PM CDT up reply actions

Bright Side

At least the TOC guys will have an easy time with Biggies and Slappies this week:

Biggies – No one
Slappies – Everyone

by Ducking Delvon on Nov 1, 2010 9:44 AM CDT reply actions

Fowler played well

He’s the only standout for me. OL could get a mixture, for poor run blocking, but actually decent pass blocking.

Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude

by Seer on Nov 1, 2010 10:16 AM CDT up reply actions

What I wanna see...

….is a full on dismantling of Minnesota next week. If this team has any heart and pride, they will come out fired the hell up and destroy the Gophers. If this game isn’t over by halftime, I’ll be disappointed.

by Spartan D on Nov 1, 2010 10:00 AM CDT reply actions

I would like to see this too, but...

it does not seem like our team will run it up on anyone. Seems like if we get up by 20, they will put on the brakes. I am all for being a good sport and don’t want to see really unsportsmanlike stuff, yet I am having a hard time recalling the last time we pummeled anyone by a score of 52-10 like OSU did to Minny on Sat. Is it me or is there an emphasis on ‘being classy’ that, at some times, prevents some of our wins from looking dominant. With the way the polls are and the way the BCS system is, it seems like we need more ‘impressive’ wins and yet I don’t see where our team is regularly and aggressively going for the jugular. Have we just been incapable of beating anyone that bad or is it by design that we are not putting up big points with some of the teams we play?

by mmwhitman on Nov 1, 2010 3:42 PM CDT up reply actions

I think part of it is that the team has had slow starts on offense, so we haven’t jumped out to a big lead and been able to cruise (at least not since No. Colorado)
With this Minny game, I just want to see us come out fast and dominate them on both sides of the ball (but especially on O). Minny is not a good football team, and we should be able to establish dominance on the line of scrimmage quickly, not mess around for a quarter before we find the holes in their defense.

by Spartan D on Nov 1, 2010 4:30 PM CDT up reply actions

I hope so...

by mmwhitman on Nov 1, 2010 7:59 PM CDT up reply actions

Sparty will hang half a hundred on the Lolphers...

When good teams lose in ways they shouldn’t, the next guy should watch out. And by “ways they shouldn’t”, I mean I never pictured Iowa up 30-0 at half. Outside of some special teams disaster, you guys had everything bad happen to you that could. If your coaches are worth a shit, they’ll have the team straightened out.

by Norm Parker's Amputated Toes on Nov 1, 2010 11:25 PM CDT up reply actions

Bring back Perles ball!

That is, if you really want to run up the score, e.g. MSU 76, Northwestern 14. That was the Blake Ezor 6 TD game that came up as an AFLAC trivia question a couple weeks ago. I don’t think Minny 2010 is even as bad as those late 1980s Northwestern teams, though.

Hey! I'm tryin' to eat lunch here!

by McGarnagle on Nov 2, 2010 12:00 AM CDT up reply actions

I was at that game

by my2fish on Nov 3, 2010 11:02 AM CDT up reply actions

The Gophers =

Big Ten Whipping Boy

What's your deal?

by PCarroll_u_sm(j)irk on Nov 1, 2010 12:16 PM CDT reply actions

Coaching

Have you noticed the Spartoons play their best when Treadwell is in charge? I wonder if the AD has noticed.

by Curt2000 on Nov 1, 2010 12:32 PM CDT reply actions

Two bad games.

One an obvious trap game, and the other a road game against a very good opponent who’d just gotten beat.

You’re jumping to an awfully flimsy conclusion from an abominably small sample size.

by SpartanDan on Nov 1, 2010 6:29 PM CDT up reply actions

Really?

Have you noticed that the only 2 games Dantonio missed were against an FCS opponent that is 1-5 in its own conference and a game where we turned it over 3 times and needed a second half comeback to win?

And congrats on being the first person in TOC history to use the term “Spartoons” – well done.

by Ducking Delvon on Nov 1, 2010 10:51 PM CDT up reply actions

I'm trying to find a way to blame this entirely on

Narduzzi. But, sadly, I’ve been unable … yet.

by ChiSpartan on Nov 1, 2010 2:14 PM CDT reply actions

Well..

It is his fault that approximately zero MSU defensive players even remotely know any fundamentals of tackling. I 100% blame him that our players go for the ‘knock out’ tackle instead of actually wrapping an opposing player up and bringing him down.

by MooTheKow on Nov 1, 2010 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions

Agreed

I think we also really are easy to scout on our defensive packages; 3rd and medium? I will tell you right now we are going to do that “double A gab blitz” package. Iowa scouted the crap out of us, and made us pay big time. A smart, experienced QB like Stanzi picked us apart because of these tenancies that we did nothing to change or disguise.

"It's a trap!"

by AdmiralAkbar on Nov 2, 2010 9:43 AM CDT up reply actions

I disagree strenuously.

We have actually seen lots of examples of proper tackling technique this year.

Rucker open field tackle on 3rd down in overtime against Notre Dame forced a field goal.

Rucker open field tackle on 4th down against Wisconsin ends the game.

Entire defensive line swarming and wrapping Denard Robinson, against Illinois, etc.

Yes, some of the DBs go for “knock out” tackles, but that’s a function of physics (remember Johnny Adams being carried across the goal line by Michigan’s tight end). And anyway, MSU’s DBs are not nearly as bad at it as Michigan’s DBs, for example.

So I don’t agree with your argument that a) there’s a fundamental tackling problem, and b) it’s somehow Narduzzi’s fault.

by CPT Hoolie on Nov 2, 2010 1:21 PM CDT up reply actions