Postgame Thread: MSU 28, Michigan 14
by SpartanDan on Oct 15, 2011 3:29 PM CDT
in Michigan State Spartans Football
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Now we are so happy ... well, you know the rest:
Paul Bunyan will be staying in East Lansing for another year, and our senior class is the first one since 1963 to graduate without a single loss to Michigan. The win also puts us in strong control of the Big Ten West race: we're the only unbeaten (in conference) left in the division, and we have the tiebreaker over Michigan should it come to that. Even with a loss next week to Wisconsin we would still control our own destiny for reaching Indy (with the tiebreaker over Michigan and chances to beat Nebraska and Iowa ahead).
The good:
- There were a lot of skeptics regarding our defense before today, noting that we'd only played one opponent with a competent offense all year. I think that skepticism is gone now. Excluding Gardner's runs (but not Robinson's, so I'm probably including a sack or two in the count here), 30 rushes for 97 yards is a decent enough day against anyone. Against Michigan, that's a great day. The two quarterbacks combined to go 12 for 31; some of this was undoubtedly the high wind messing with their accuracy, but when the ball was thrown to a receiver the coverage was nearly always right on top of it and broke up a few passes. Isaiah Lewis even had the clinching pick-six late.
- Edwin Baker. 26 carries, 167 yards and a TD. He set the tone on the opening drive (with five carries for 49 yards and the touchdown to tie the game), and Michigan had trouble containing him all day long. Only negative was a fumble after a 21-yard gain.
- Keshawn Martin had only three catches to go with three rushes, but two reached the end zone. Like Baker, he also fumbled once.
- Kirk Cousins had a reasonably good game. Only 13 of 24 for 120 yards, but that includes at least three catchable balls dropped by receivers. More importantly, none of the horrible decisions that have led to crippling turnovers in the past. On a windy day with the running game going, that's all we really need from him.
The bad:
- Field position, although this is largely a function of Michigan consistently going chicken and punting from in our territory. Our offense rarely could get anything going when in the shadow of the goalposts, however, and this led to a lot of Michigan plays in our territory. The defense consistently came up strong and got the ball back, but the field position battle could have been much better if not for ...
- 13 penalties for 124 yards. Many Michigan drives might have died out much earlier if not extended by a late hit. William Gholston in particular stood out for a twisting-the-facemask-after-the-play penalty and a punch thrown at Taylor Lewan. The latter was provoked to an extent (Lewan had wrestled him to the ground by the helmet), but you simply can't retaliate like that; the refs might miss the first one but they always see the second. Being aggressive is one thing (if the occasional offside call is the price we pay for seeing Jerel Worthy tackling the running back before he can even get the handoff, I can live with that), but we do not need to be delivering multiple late hits. Hopefully this is an aberration from being a bit too amped-up for the rivalry game.
2-0 in the Big Ten, sole leaders of the West division. Next up: Wisconsin, Nebraska, (EDIT: Forgot Minnesota is between these two; that's what I get for writing this without checking the schedule.) and Iowa. Get through that stretch at 2-1 (EDIT: 3-1) and a division title is in sight.
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Wild Eyed Edwin F. Baker
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by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 15, 2011 3:36 PM CDT reply actions 4 recs
I've already gotten the,
“If you guys hadn’t cheap-shotted Denard & knocked him out of the game, we had this one,” text from my M associates.
Right, BC a pick-6 to go down 2 scores with 5 minutes to go, when your offense is nearly non-existent, means you had this one in the bag.
Screw that noise.
The personal foul penalties were the only reason UM was even still in the game. They should be thanking State for giving them free yards and extending drives.
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
by Spartan D on Oct 15, 2011 3:46 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I'm getting
“I’d rather lose with class than win with thugs”. Yeah right.
Uh-huh....and yet they all probably cheer for Suh to take somebody's head off every week.
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
So not shaking hands is classy?
Good to know.
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by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 15, 2011 4:32 PM CDT up reply actions
Me, I'd sit Gholston next week
Sorry, but that guy needs to get some discipline.
by Spartisan on Oct 15, 2011 3:52 PM CDT reply actions 3 recs
From mgoblog:
Can’t believe we lost to those classless thugs. Reflection of their coach. That crap is tolerated, if not encouraged, by Dantonio. But they are willing to pay any price and take multiple flags for personal fouls and offsides to beat Michigan. And that they did. Blitzed like madmen, made DR uncomfortable on throws and blew away the O line. Very disappointed right now. If you can’t get a foot with the best running QB in college football, pack it in. I’m disgusted.
Yep, because UM would never do anything that wasn’t totally classy while playing a rival. Nope. Never.
Obviously, we’d prefer to win a game while not committing so many penalties and having cheap shots. But coming from a Michigan fan, to say “you’d rather lose than lose to classless thugs,” or whatever the UM fans are saying, that’s just hypocritical. It would be SO much different if UM was in our shoes and they did the same thing to beat OSU. Assclowns.
"I believe in a good kick in the ass. This— I believe. " -- Walker Percy
I tweet about stuff sometimes @jackhitts.
The only PF I'd consider "cheap" was Gholston's 1st one...
…when he jumped on Denard in a pile and twisted his helmet. That was very cheap.
The other ones were just ridiculously stupid.
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
I didn't actually get to watch the game
So I’m not sure. But I was checking updates on my phone and then got online when I got home and facebook was going crazy with “Man, MSU are such dicks!” So I wasn’t actually sure how many of them were really cheap and how many were UM fans thinking they were cheap.
"I believe in a good kick in the ass. This— I believe. " -- Walker Percy
I tweet about stuff sometimes @jackhitts.
wait
so offsides is a show of thuggishness now?
Apparently it's not very classy to draw your opponent offsides
“Come ON guys, STOP IT! Stop jumping before the ball is snapped! IT’S THROWING ME OFF!”
"I believe in a good kick in the ass. This— I believe. " -- Walker Percy
I tweet about stuff sometimes @jackhitts.
One Problem
The only problem I have with the breakdown is that you said Kirk Cousins was “reasonably good.” Kirk played his best game of the year. He was 13-22 which means that he had 9 incompletions. Of those 9, Keyshawn dropped 4 wide open passes. BJ dropped 1. That leaves 4 other incompletions. The first throw, Kirk air mailed. but the other 3 passes were throw aways in situations that he needed to throw the ball away in. Not to mention that the drops KILLED his numbers. He would have had a 50 yard TD toss to Keyshawn if he had caught that pass early in the first quarter. Also, Kirk’s numbers could have been even bigger if the fumbles didn’t end drives. All that to say, I thought that Kirk was incredible, especially given the weather conditions.
by tubbabubba22 on Oct 15, 2011 4:03 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
I totally agree.
Despite the pedestrian numbers, Cousins played really well today. No truly “bad” throws, and only 1 one where he missed an open guy.
What the hell is up with Keyshawn? Can’t hold onto the damn ball!
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
ESPN had 13/24, which is just over 50%
And I saw two of Keshawn’s drops. Possible I missed a couple others.
I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left-hand side.
Bradley-Terry rankings for college football and basketball: because there aren't enough computer rankings already.
But yeah, that may be less praise than warranted.
Certainly rather have a game like this out of him than the OSU game.
I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left-hand side.
Bradley-Terry rankings for college football and basketball: because there aren't enough computer rankings already.
Yup
The only throw I really arggghhhed at was the late one where he threw behind Sims on third down. But that may have been more of a miscommunication, just like the one where he missed Caper on what Spielman claimed would have been a TD.
by witless chum on Oct 16, 2011 10:14 AM CDT up reply actions
Icing on this cake
Tonight's going to be a good night.
by Spartalytical on Oct 15, 2011 6:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Agree
It’s crazy. I love Keyshawn as much as anyone…. but I would have put him in the bad category for this game. I mean, I loved the effort on the two tds…. But he had 4 HORRIBLE drops and a fumble. More drops than catches… Also dropped a pass that may have ended up being a backward pass/fumble. But, we won!!! So I don’t even care.
Woops,
Woops, I meant that to be a reply to Spartan D.
by tubbabubba22 on Oct 15, 2011 4:13 PM CDT up reply actions
braxton Miller
Has actually looked really good for OSU this week and last week. Yet another indicator that our D is the real deal.
We lost
but we are the only team to hold Notre Dame under 400 yards.
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
I said it in the game thread,
and will say it again here: This is our best D since Saban’s final season, ’99.
If they keep playing like this, they can hang with anyone on their schedule.
crazy to see that OSU just completed
their 1st pass of the game late in the 2nd half. and he’s only thrown 4 times!
Miller doesn't look that great.
OSU’s running game is overpowering Illinois right now. Miller is 1 for 4 with 17 yards and has 11 rushes for 39 yards. Herron is having a huge game on his first day back.
by G&W - The Only Way on Oct 15, 2011 5:16 PM CDT up reply actions
I should have clarified
OSU’s offense looks not-incompetent with him at the helm today and against Nebraska
The rest of the way
Wisconsin – Full credit to them for destroying the dirge they’ve played thus far, but next week is a giant test for them. I appear to be in the minority on this.
at Nebraska – As the season has gone on, I feel much better about this.
Minnesota – If that’s a problem…
at Iowa – Bogey matchup. I think this is a bigger hurdle than Wisconsin.
Indiana – If that’s a problem…
at Northwestern – Tricky, but winnable.
3-losses is a Hindenberg scenario. Running the table is very possible.
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by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 15, 2011 4:51 PM CDT reply actions
Wisconsin looked really good
against Nebraska. I agree though, next week will tell a lot. I think we’ve got a shot.
But is Nebraska all that good?
They struggled home and away with some poor teams this year.
Take away Nebraska, and the record of Wisconsin’s FBS opposition thus far is (as of 5:20 CDT) 6-18. Again, they’ve crushed everyone so far, but this defense is several levels above what they’ve played.
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by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 15, 2011 5:21 PM CDT up reply actions
I'm unsure how good Nebraska is
it’s really difficult to tell
Most of us Husker fans aren't even sure
The 2011 Huskers are the most inconsistent group I’ve ever seen in NU red. They have flashes of really very good (second half runs of 28-0 against OSU and 27-0 against Washington, outscoring Wisky at their place 14-13 over the first 25 minutes) and then spells of almost unthinkable ineptitude (getting pushed around for 2 and a half quarters by a one dimensional OSU squad, 3 turnovers in 15 snaps against Wisky, second half deficit to Fresno State, etc).
While I think we’re capable of playing well enough to beat anybody left on our schedule, I think we’re also capable of playing bad enough to lose to anybody (that includes Minny on Saturday). It needs to get sorted out and fast. That said, congratulations on the win over Michigan (I’ll never, ever root for them, no matter who they’re playing) and I’m looking forward to you guys coming down to Lincoln in two weeks. Should be a lot of fun.
"My hardest job is to convince the people of Nebraska that 10-1 is not a losing season." - Tom Osborne
Always fun to troll mgoblog.
“That Brady Hoke is a gentleman and coaches his players to act the same way. Unfortunately one can only state the obvious about the opponent today: their coach is a classless dufus who cannot control his players or coaches them to play dirty.” UM fan.
Michigan players are always classy
and would never say/do classless things.
Signed, Mike Hart
UM coaches over the years
Bo, Mo, Lo, Ro and….
Ho?
by spartynation on Oct 15, 2011 5:37 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
RE: The Bad
From the official team stats page, U-M got 6 (six!) 1st downs via penalty. Absolutely ridiculous.
And from the play-by-play, they broke down to two commited on 1st down, two on 2nd, and one each on 3rd & 4th downs. Not good at all, guys.
Against a more competent team, that kind of crap will cost you a ballgame!
if we get 100 yds penalty next saturday.
we are toast…Wisconsin will hit us like a freight train and on top of that penalties will be too much to overcome. They need to remove the dumb 15 yds hits.
by spartynation on Oct 15, 2011 6:14 PM CDT up reply actions
Also
KC today tied Jeff Smoker as winningest starting QB in school history with 21.
Which is pretty darn good for barely two seasons as a starter.
Media Whiners
Go read the presser on MGoBlog, it is comical. “Did you prepare your players for the dirty play?” Come on, seriously? Was your team “beat up because of today?” Wow. I recall there being a game of football that used to be about playing hard and hitting hard, and usually the players would come away sore. I saw that kind of game from one team on the field today.
by Chitown Spartan on Oct 15, 2011 5:54 PM CDT reply actions
Perhaps the gentlemen from Ann Arbor would care to challenge us to a game of croquet?
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
by Spartan D on Oct 15, 2011 5:57 PM CDT up reply actions 3 recs
Just read that
Great work by the media there, basically begging them to call us dirty.
To their credit, the players are not rising to the bait. I have a lot of respect for most of the current Wolverines.
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
by Seer on Oct 15, 2011 5:59 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
I read a really interesting article
about Denard yesterday. He seems to be a nice guy who’d be cool to sit down to talk to
Agreed
I hate the fact that I can’t hate that kid.
Tonight's going to be a good night.
by Spartalytical on Oct 15, 2011 6:51 PM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Gotta say
Didn’t see anything from the press conferences that implied there was a snubbed handshake.
Also since moving to Texas, I don’t consult the usual mouthpieces for the Michigan program.
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by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 15, 2011 6:51 PM CDT up reply actions
It wasn't...
….clear on the TV broadcast. The announcers said there wasn’t, but then they showed what appeared to be the aftermath of Dantonio and Hoke shaking hands.
by witless chum on Oct 16, 2011 10:17 AM CDT up reply actions
The coachesmay have shook hands
But Michigan’s team ran straight for the locker room when the game was over
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
Congrats on the win.
Have fun in Indianapolis.
by Alex Cook on Oct 15, 2011 6:05 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Still some work to do to get there.
Assuming Wisconsin beats us (which, the way they’re playing, is likely), we’re going to have to win out after that (or hope whichever of Iowa or Nebraska beats us takes another loss and so do you).
I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left-hand side.
Bradley-Terry rankings for college football and basketball: because there aren't enough computer rankings already.
It's 50/50 in Lincoln
and Iowa has played you tough as of late, so anything can happen. I could see any of MSU, UNL, Iowa, or even UM finishing with the Legends crown. Still assuming that you’re the favorite.
new math post
should be pretty interesting for this game, I think
Northwest endzone seats
Saw that pick-six come right down the line right into our corner. I still can’t talk without coughing.
Tonight's going to be a good night.
by Spartalytical on Oct 15, 2011 6:53 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Michigan fans are delusional
I was in Section 120 (with the trolls). Cousins wouldn’t be 3rd string on Meechigan, we can’t Denard with 50 players and my favorite with 2 minutes left, we can still win this. Oh, and they know more about football than everyone on the planet, well stated above Assclowns.
Cousins Says
“I don’t need to say a word the rest of my life,” senior quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “I’ve just got to hold up four fingers.”
And as the Four Horsement told us, that’s the symbol of excellence.
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by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 15, 2011 7:13 PM CDT reply actions
Repost from OffTackleEmpire, but....
I don’t like this kind of attitude in football. When State plays UM, I want to crush them of course, especially with emotion. But I want to do it in a way that no matter how it’s looked at, UM has no grounds for rebuttal. These cheap shots are not what I like to see from my team. However, UM was no angel either. Lots of cheap shots by UM (one example: UM player smashing Gholston’s face in the ground after a play, after which he retaliated — smack in the face — and was flagged for it). I was happy to see Dantonio get into players’ faces after personal fouls. He even sat Gholston for a series after his second personal foul. Hopefully this game was just an instance of emotions getting out of hand (big rival, new jerseys, etc) and will be shored up for the rest of the season.
As far as actual gameplay, I loved how MSU did. On defense, they were opportunistic and aggressive. Pushed UM’s offensive line all day. Good coverage on receivers. Made Denard try to use his feet to get yards, and contained him well. Oh, and if a ball is literally floating in the air waiting to be picked off, please pick it off. I just about dropped my jaw when MSU biffed on that easy pick. On offense, we came out strong but started to peter out. Cousins played very well (only one bad decision to throw to Cunningham in double coverage, tripped over his own feet on a scramble play). The O-line seems to be coming together. The running game was alive and thriving!! Also, no sacks allowed!! Too many dropped passes though. Also, the two biggest running plays of the game both resulted in fumbles (grumble grumble). Hopefully that’s just an aberration (how the heck is UM’s defense so lucky on fumble bounces?).
And a special shout-out to offensive coordinator Dan Roushar. Here is a man you can literally see growing as he gets more experience. Against ND, when something started working he would switch it up to keep the defense on their toes. We see how that turned out. Today, when he found something that worked, he basically told UM "try and stop it. When you figure it out, I’ll find something else that works".
For some UM love, they did very well. Their defense is significantly better, and prevented MSU from making the big plays. The offense had spurts of effectiveness, but MSU showed UM what happens when Robinson can’t make plays. The scheme is simple: Stop Denard, and their offense stalls. But after Robinson was out, Gardner did play pretty well (aside from his random 30-yard loss scramble). Speaking of that loss, MSU got terribly lucky. When the scramble-rooskie began, MSU broke coverage completely. Jeremy Gallon was wide open on the 10 yard line with no defenders within 20 yards. MSU got very lucky Gardner didn’t look further downfield and just heave it. I also don’t understand this Robinson-Gardner swap, since neither QB can get in a rhythm. Hats off the UM’s receivers, they played very well. A few better placed passes and I might be writing a hate piece.
Good game regardless. Obviously, I’m happy how the score turned out. UM earned my respect today, more-so than when they played ND, NW, and especially Minnesota. They will do well in the conference, and are darn lucky they’re not playing Wisconsin this season (especially since Illinois was trounced by OSU today).
by SpartyFever on Oct 15, 2011 7:16 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
My thoughts on UM
I don’t think they’re much better than last year (they are strictly speaking better) but there schedule us soft as I’ve ever seen and I won’t be shocked if they emerge 9-3 or even 10-2 on the season.
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
Great post
But on Gardner’s scramble for a big loss, he had crossed the LOS for about 6 yards of gain before realizing he wasn’t going to gain 22 and then (why not?! gotta try and convert there somehow) ran backwards trying to extend the play. Because he had crossed the LOS the long pass was never a threat… or was there another big loss play? (watched the game with my young daughter so attn was divided at times).
Oh I didn't realize he crossed the LOS
I thought he was just skirting it for a while, but never crossed it.
Really Don't Care What They Say
Has UM ever lost and admitted that the other team was better?
We beat them by 2 touchdowns and left points on the field, this was not a close game and if they had more time, we would have scored more.
I won’t start worrying about winning at their place next year until at least January.
I think the hilarious thing is
that without the ‘dirty play’ UM would have lost that game by 40 points. Don’t all those whiny UM fans realize how important those penalties were to keeping UM even remotely in the game? You think if anything they’d be glad MSU was stupid enough to commit so many penalties.
by MooTheKow on Oct 15, 2011 8:02 PM CDT up reply actions 6 recs
They sure are playing up the "dirty play" angle though
The internet is now filled with calls for various players to be suspended for the remainder of the season, expelled and arrested, among other things. I had to laugh at the notion of Gholston punching Lewan “after being driven down with a clean block” in the words of some nameless wolverine mouth breather.
Watching some of the video again, I’m struck by how universally terrible the officiating was. The sideline route that Robinson just overthrew after the UofM WR have a full dual arm shove to the ground of the MSU DB comes readily to mind, as do several generous spots given to UofM on both punts out of bounds and key third down conversion attempts. Sure we were over aggressive with some late hits, and Gholston’s little facemask stunt was way over the top, but reading stuff from UofM fans you would think we murdered people today
"It's a trap!"
by AdmiralAkbar on Oct 15, 2011 9:18 PM CDT up reply actions 2 recs
Also, there is quite the "I'm telling!" element to this as well
- I’m going call the NCAA!
- I’m going to call the police!
- Here is Delaney’s phone number!
- I’m writing a letter of complaint!
- We need to be safety focused, won’t someone think of the children!
All in all, I am fine with everything except the helmet twist… right level of nastyness except for that
"It's a trap!"
by AdmiralAkbar on Oct 15, 2011 9:29 PM CDT up reply actions
I wouldn't be angry if Gholston sat
for the helmet twist. I really don’t mind the punch, the other guy had a helmet on and it was provoked.
Schadenfreude ist die schoenste Freude
It was really atrocious
I said it in the game thread and someone told me we deserved everything we got.
We really didn’t. The referees were blind.
I don't...
…think those two statements are in conflict. We deserved all the penalties we got, but the refs messed up a lot. Spielman kept pointing out offensive linemen down field, for instance. And the pushoff the Admiral mentioned above.
by witless chum on Oct 16, 2011 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions
Drop passes because of those new gloves?
I wonder how many of those dropped passes were due to those cool looking combat gloves.
Defence
After reading through most of these comments….didn’t see much about the defence gotta give props to the play calling for the most part.
Breaking radio silence
Hey guys, greetings from Kuwait. The stars have aligned momentarily : I got a chance to watch the second half last night (my time) and actually had an opportunity this morning (my time) to post some thoughts.
Regarding the “dirty” play: Surprisingly, I’m not upset about it at all. This is football, not cricket. It’s a violent, aggressive sport. More than anything else, this was a “take your now-weaker Big Brother behind the woodshed and beat his ass because you can”.
All the Michigan whining and accusations of classlessness and claiming that “this is MSU’s Rose Bowl” — all that noise is merely a smokescreen for Michigan fan to avoid having to admit that we beat them FOUR TIMES IN A ROW, and in an ass-whooping fashion. “Little Brother” is now bigger, better, stronger, faster — and meaner. Payback is a bitch, Mike Hart. But you’re not on the field anymore, so others pay the price for your mouth.
I look at the number of MSU penalties, and I honestly think: so what? MSU won. The penalties didn’t cost MSU the game, so they are quite frankly irrelevant. It’s not like there’s an asterisk in the standings showing that we are 2-0 on Big Ten play but one of those games was “won in an unsavory manner”.
Do you really think MSU would commit six personal foul penalties against anyone else? MSU had committed a total of two personal foul penalties in the previous five games this season, both against Ohio State (in a game that Ohio State also committed two).
I’m sure that had Michigan won because of the penalties, Michigan fan would have no complaints; they’d probably call us “classless losers SPARTY NO!” Which quite honestly is what they are doing anyway, so who cares what Michigan fan says?
Face it, Michigan fan. You knew it was going to be a street fight, and your team got their ass kicked in said street fight, and now all of a sudden you want to abide by gentlemanly play? Get real. You lost, yet again. Quit crying about it, it makes you sound like a bunch of whining, crying babies.
Go Green, I’ve got to go back into lurk mode. See y’all come March Madness!
by CPT Hoolie on Oct 15, 2011 11:18 PM CDT reply actions 1 recs
The Captain FTW!
A UM friend called it “cheap bullying”, which is a funny concept when there are 6 foot+ and 200 pound+ megahumans lining up on both sides. Gholston should be suspended for the neck twist+punch combo, IMO, but the multiple Denard body slams do have explanation. Denard makes a living extending plays. In the first touchdown, 90% of the time with other QBs the play ends with a sack. At least in on other play (I think there was also another), he managed a pass while being dragged down. Against ND he had a long bomb with a guy dragging his leg back. On the 4th and 1 he had his arm out and cocked for a throw all the way until he got to the ground (just think if Johnny Adams had stayed low and not reached up high with his left arm late in the tackle to get the leverage to bring Denard down). Clearly the coaches had been hammering the MSU D this past couple weeks to finish the play — you can’t assume you have him just because your hands are on him. You also can’t assume the ball is gone just because he looked like he was going to pass. Since the MSU players are also kids, they can also make mistakes and get over aggressive and end up with PFs. I am sure the coaches realized they get 1 or 2 PFs but traded in that risk for the ability to keep Denard from doing Denard things. It ended up being more PFs, but there it is. Denard is a dynamic and explosive player and has been hard to bring down (even with hands on him) for 2 years. That being the case, how exactly is a defense supposed supposed to respond?
Great point
Just recently on Mike & Mike (the only acceptable 4 letter network watching besides a game broadcast), the pundits were discussing Michael Vick’s allegation that refs permit dirty & extra-aggressive play against him, personally.
Several talking heads debated that point, and there was a general consensus – that a mobile qb, like a Vick, or one who has a reputation as a play extender, such as Rothlisberger, are actually given more opportunity to keep a play alive, vs. an immobile QB like a Peyton, Brady or even a Hasselbeck bro, who will get a play whistled dead more quickly when they are apparently wrapped up.
Point is, I agree with you completely – Denard is a player who is a threat to make a play happen until is is completely dead & over. A defensive player cannot stop playing oon Denard until he hears the whistle, otherwise, things like the TD scramble may occur. And as we all know from watching enough football, plenty of times we can hear the whistle on TV, but the guys on the field cannot – just look at how many times guys keep playing after the refs blow dead a false start or delay of game!
I hadn't really thought of that explanation for the Denard late hits.
Still not sure I like the roughing-the-passer ones (the last one, for instance, he got the ball off, we hit him, that would have been no flag but our guy held on and pulled him down), but I like that explanation a lot better than the ones I had thought of. How much of it was being too amped up for a rivalry game, and how much because Denard is so much of a danger that you have to make sure he doesn’t get away and turn in some crazy circus run like he did on the first drive?
I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left-hand side.
Bradley-Terry rankings for college football and basketball: because there aren't enough computer rankings already.
Reasonable take
The fine line between the violence inherent in football and the restraint required once the whistle has blown is as fine as it can be when Robinson is on the opposing side.
But I would really emphasize that Gholston absolutely should be suspended for multiple games—and Dantonio should do it, to send a message about what he expects from the MSU program.
The punch is one thing—dumb but not dirty/dangerous. The helmet twisting is another. That was in no way a continuation of play on the field. It was plainly and simply malicious. Twisting a guy’s neck around like that while his body is pinned down could easily result in extremely serious injury.
If someone did that to Cousins, we could, quite rightly, be screaming bloody murder about it.
by KJ@theonlycolors on Oct 16, 2011 4:36 PM CDT up reply actions
Oh, and great to hear from you CPT
Stay safe.
by KJ@theonlycolors on Oct 16, 2011 4:38 PM CDT up reply actions
"would" not "could"
in the final sentence.
by KJ@theonlycolors on Oct 16, 2011 4:54 PM CDT up reply actions
I've missed a lot of college football this year,
what with travel, working on my golf game, and the Tigers, so I have some questions. 1. Did Denard Robinson with his second consecutive September Heisman? 2. Do the children who manage and comment at MGoBlog still suffer from their massive inferiority complexes? 3. Will those same children ever get out of their junior high school lockers where the big kids put them and grow up, maybe to become the passive-aggressive David Brookses of their generation? 4. After this game, how many UM fans are polishing and loading their AK-47s to take to work at their respective jobs at MacDonald’s in order to kill all of their co-workers and any customers who might come in wearing green?
1. He sure did!
2. Who even pays attention to them?
3. If they’re ever given reason to, they just might.
4. Most UM fans think an AK-47 is the mother of all Wal-Mart coupon deals. They would not know how to identify, much less load, an actual AK-47.
Nice win
we f***ing hate it. We don’t deny it. My b**** sister who joined a cult @ MSU loves it. It’s the one vice her 14 kids allow her. Then she cooks dinner a whelps another pup. But I digress.
I will say, I reflexively hold up four fingers to Kirk Cousins, but it’s more a churlish slur against the person who supplies his sexual gratification than a denial of MSU vs. RichRod + 1.
joke -HELLO?
I don’t know K.C., never have a reason to cross paths with whatever man/woman/goat captures his interest and never go to EL since sis joined maranatha. It’s more about life in a frat house and a cheap joke. If you’re not a virgin, and have ever been to college, it’s not that tough to comprehend. Take a breath, brah. You guys (minus Gholston) kicked ass. Again. sigh
My uncle texted me & asked, “How can you enjoy winning in that manner?”
So I replied, “I love when MSU doubles up U-M, this makes two in a row in that manner!”
by MSUDersh on Oct 16, 2011 1:36 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
And twice in a row where we tossed them all over the field. I can easily enjoy winning in such a manner.
http://pittsfieldindex.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Ratings-Index/142673082487903
by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 16, 2011 1:48 AM CDT up reply actions
Oh ESPNU
Your College Football Recap show just had Denard Robinson as “good” in a good, bad and ugly segment. Not mentioned, 9-24.
http://pittsfieldindex.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Ratings-Index/142673082487903
by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 16, 2011 1:50 AM CDT reply actions
Or Edwin Baker for that matter.
http://pittsfieldindex.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pittsfield-Ratings-Index/142673082487903
by PittsfieldIndex on Oct 16, 2011 1:53 AM CDT up reply actions
At the end of the game, when Urban Meyer was talking about the match-up between UW's offense and MSU's defense next week:
The other guy in the booth says, ‘You know who really impressed me today? The Michigan defense.’
I wonder if he knows how to count. Or how to analyze a football game.
I love it.
I hope all those shitheads continue to underestimate the Spartans and fellate the Wolverines. Makes it all that much sweeter when we win.
"Everyone who drinks is not a poet. Maybe some of us drink because we're not poets." - Arthur Bach
I've never seen
In all my years, an MSU defense this thoroughly DOMINATING. Cut down on the turnovers and penalties next week and we have a real shot at upsetting a great Wisconsin team. Good work today whooping wolverine ass! GO GREEN!
by inIZwetrust on Oct 16, 2011 2:24 AM CDT via mobile reply actions
October, 1965
46 years ago, George Webster, Charles “Bubba” Smith, Charles “Mad Dog” Thornhill, Harold Lucas, etc., etc., manhandled The OSU football team at Spartan Stadium holding it to minus yards rushing—the first and only time in the Woody Hayes era.
How quickly the assclowns forget ...
When Stanton’s shoulder was separated, the scUM fans celebrated – hypocrites.
17-3 up until the point Stanton left the game
My first visit to that stadium….
RE: M whining
So I’ve been hearing by text & phone from my M friends & family about how “dirty” MSU was.
And we have that classic snippet from MGBlog courtesy of SpartanDan about Hoke being a “gentlemen’s” & coaching his players to be so as well.
But you know what was surely said by Hoke to his team yesterday afternoon in the locker room, and will be for the rest of the season? Toughen up.
This is a huge game. Even if psuedo-elitist WMW’s don’t think so, Hoke & the team do (countdown clock? If we don’t beat MSU & win the division, I’ve failed as a coach??). And on the line for this game was clear control of our division in the B1G!!!! All this means that the staff will point to this game & say, “M, we were pushed around the field, we were owned at the point of attack, we broke down in our protections, and when we got pushed, we didn’t push back.” In private, no player or coach is going to cry that MSU was too tough. Point out that fact? Yes. Use is as motivation? Yes. Cry that it was unsportsmanlike? Never.
M, you got your asses whupped. Up, down & sideways. The sooner that the delusional portion of your fan base comes to peace with this fact, the sooner the healing can begin.
On a related note, MGoBlogger’s hockey fans have just elevated in importance the Lady Bing trophy to beyond that of the Stanley Cup.
Awesome line MSUDersh
“On a related note, MGoBlogger’s hockey fans have just elevated in importance the Lady Bing trophy to beyond that of the Stanley Cup.”
Btw, what will UM fans do when they go down and play Alabama without Big 10 refs actually calling the personal fouls and nothing on them. They thought we were big and mean, just wait until they play them. We know all too well that’s a whole different level.
by clubhockey15 on Oct 16, 2011 9:27 AM CDT up reply actions
For whom the bell tolls ...
Sports Illustrated article – 2004 Woodley Classy Play
Stanton’s running and passing may not seem all that amusing to his cross-state rivals this Saturday. The quarterback remembers lying on the turf in Ann Arbor while Michigan fans cheered his injury. They may come to regret their bad manners.
I do think this is a little funny.
The Walmarters will have their Suh jerseys on today. Bit hypocritical.
Will is going to have at least one game off for the twist of the helmet. No argument.
Everything else is football, guys. This isn’t checkers. It’s pretty damn funny to see Mighty Michigan reduced to complaining about the big, mean Spartans. Is that really what it’s come to?
Nice video...
….that doesn’t show what Lewan was doing to Gholston just before, ie, grabbing his helmet and rubbing his face in the ground. Dude was looking him square in the face and he gave him a shot. Dumb, but not dirty.
The head twist on Dennard is what deserves some punishment, in my opinion.
by witless chum on Oct 17, 2011 7:58 AM CDT up reply actions
Interesting - U-M offense had a tell?
From AnnArbor.com, when they weren’t whining about dirty play:
Against the Spartans, Michigan was disadvantaged because it was tipping its hand in the snap count. Michigan State safety Trenton Robinson acknowledged to The Wolverine they knew from film that Molk would snap the ball after lowering his head, then picking it back up.
If so, good job by the coaching staff. Nice to know State didn’t rely solely on the crowbars and blackjacks they were apparently carrying in quantity.
Also, bad job revealing you hand...
… probably better to stay quiet about the super-sweet-secret thing you know about the competition that works all the time. You want it to keep working…
Look for Wisconsin to be all over snap count (competent senior QB and line) and drawing MSU’s line and blitzes offsides.
I’d say that its safe now to come out about the tell from Molk, but honestly, that type of before the snap action is something I feel like I see plently of times when QBs are taking snaps out of shotgun; I just really don’t believe it’s unique to that center. Often you see it after the QB picks up & puts his foot down, which could be another tell.
I also think that its a given that Wisc will do it’s best to keep our D line & pass rushers off balance with things like hard counts, but I would say that is just good football strategy, as opposed to something that would be unique to Wisc. Knowing our D is stout, and led by the front 7, it makes sense to keep them off guard as much as possible.
Yeah, but most teams will vary it at least a little bit (half second here or there)
for the exact reason that this is the sort of thing that’s stone obvious on film. Michigan apparently never did.
I've got this terrible pain in all the diodes down my left-hand side.
Bradley-Terry rankings for college football and basketball: because there aren't enough computer rankings already.
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