MSU football: The Good, The Bad, The Random vs. Iowa

3-1 looks a lot better than 2-2, doesn’t it?

Folks, before I get into this blog again, I have to be transparent — I barely watched any of this game. Just the first quarter as a matter of fact, so I like to think I’m directly responsible for both touchdowns.

The reason? Fall weddings. All well, at least there was an open bar to celebrate at.

So, if I’m off-base with anything here, call me out in the comments. Don’t hold back either.

The Good

The defense: Simple as that. Allowing 19 rushing yards on 25 attempts? Were the Iowa running backs wearing flip flops? Was Kirk Ferentz himself running the ball? I mean, that’s an absurdly great stat line for our Spartans. Tie that in with the two fumble recoveries in crucial moments, and this defense shined as bright as they could.

Joe Bachie: The defense was great, but he deserves his own call-out. Nine tackles and a fumble recovery makes this just another solid performance for the sophomore that’s been killing it this year.

Kevin Jarvis: With David Beedle unexpectedly out, true freshman and true Spartan Dawg Kevin Jarvis got the start and played in every offensive snap.

Felton Davis: Felton has been balling out this year. We saw that with his speed on the first touchdown of the game and his borderline disrespectful hands on the second touchdown. Not everyone can Moss two people like that.

Jake Hartbarger: Punter University is still rolling strong with Hartbarger landing all five of his punts inside the 20 yard line.

The Bad

The run game: Our Spartans averaged just 2.2 yards per carry as all three running backs had a rough outing with that trio gathering just 43 combined yards. Mark Dantonio said that issue wasn’t just on the running backs, but “all-inclusive” throughout the offense. And really, that Iowa front seven is solid, especially with that linebacker corps.

Student section: The only empty pocket of seats for a big game, once again, came in the student section. So here’s the thing — on one hand we can’t tell people how to spend their time. Standing in the sun for four-plus hours while getting robbed by stadium food prices isn’t the most appealing draw for college students. Especially after hours of drinking and a night of partying ahead (except for your kid, they left the game to study).

On the other hand, why even bother buying tickets and going to the game if you’re A) never going to show up or B) leave at halftime? The crowd noise coming out of that corner of the stadium is a huge advantage, but time and time again student attendance continues to be an issue. And that’s a nationwide problem too. It’s still a bad look, and it’s baffling they keep the student section so large when it is rarely filled.

Second half offense: The offense’s flame went out after the first quarter. Hiding the playbook for next week?

The Random

Best tradition goes to East Lansing: It was awesome to see the wave to Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital make its way to Spartan Stadium.

And, as he always does, Tom Rinaldi did a fantastic job with his story on the wave.

Great recruiting weekend: 4-star James Ohonba. 3-star Elijah Collins. 3-star Jacob Isaiah. Not too shabby for a weekend.

Anyone know what week it is? No seriously I forgot.