The Good, The Bad, The Random in Wisconsin’s walloping over MSU

Good afternoon, gang.

Thanks for joining me for another blog post where I just write myself out of this hangover. I think this will be therapeutic for everybody.

THE GOOD

If you’re reading this, you’re alive! So that’s good!

We probably can’t lose against the bye week!

We kept it within 40!

THE BAD

Alright I’m going to lay out a ton of thoughts on the program itself mostly. Don’t really feel like rehashing a 38-point bloodbath when there’s a much bigger problem at hand.

You’re probably all aware of it by now, but this is the end of an era. You don’t like reading that, and I sure as hell don’t like writing it. But why lie to ourselves and act like this is fine and things will get better?

The era of playing with the big boys is over. MSU didn’t just lose its last two games – they got steamrolled in games that were over by halftime. I get losing tough road games, whatever. But not even being competitive in those games? Making inane mistakes and just looking woefully unprepared? What team is this? It’s sure not the well-coached Mark Dantonio teams we are used to seeing.

Two years ago MSU won 10 games with just six seniors on that team that got serious reps. Since then? Eleven wins, nine losses and just one notable win (last year’s game against Penn State). Tack on five double-digit losses and seven games with just 10 points or less.

That’s probably the most frustrating part of all of this – there was so much promise two years ago. It should have been two years of competing for the Big Ten title. Instead, they’ve been laughably far away from reaching those goals.

And it’s OK to ask for change. A lot of people realize MSU needs to turn the page to another chapter. Some people are, to be real about it, just losers who are content with 7-5, 6-6 seasons. If you’re cool with RedBox Bowl-type seasons, I can’t help you.

Save me the “the grass isn’t always greener!!” arguments. Great, so we’ll go from being non-factors in the Big Ten to…being non-factors in the Big Ten?

Don’t give me your “things were so much worse before he got here!!!” arguments. Just because Bobby Williams was a space ranger and John L was a clown 15 years ago doesn’t mean we should be cool with watching a team that won 10 games two years ago fumble its way to another mediocre year with precisely zero signs of progress in the future.

Asking for a coaching change would be a little out of line if Dantonio was willing to shake things up, but it’s very clear that won’t be the case. So now we are stuck with settling with wading in mediocrity or wanting to chase the excellence we know the program can achieve again.

Will Dantonio be fired? Not even after 4,000 years of 7-5 seasons. Will he step away at the end of the season? I truly think he will, and that’s OK. He’ll still always be a legend in East Lansing.

Let’s pump the brakes on pointing our foam fingers at Brian Lewerke for being the problem with this offense. It’s not his fault the offensive line is, to put it bluntly, a liability that falls squarely on the coaching staff. It’s not his fault that he has one legitimate playmaker to work with in Darrell Stewart.

Could he have played better Saturday? Uhh, yeah, anyone wearing green and white could have. I know it’s not a majority of fans, but the ones saying Lewerke is the guy to blame for the offense are either just lazy or simply lying to themselves to not think of a bigger problem.

Oh, and the defense isn’t as good as we all think it is. Obviously.

THE RANDOM

Here’s some random thoughts on other Big Ten games you didn’t ask for...

-Shoutout to Penn State for surviving Kinnick at Night. I feel like each player should get a ring for that win knowing what can happen when a top 10 teams rolls into that stadium.

-Illinois making that game close for a hot second in the fourth quarter was the biggest win in the Lovie Smith era.

-Checking the Maryland-Purdue halftime score had me laughing out loud like a deranged lunatic. Maryland was next-level frauds.

-Speaking of laughing and frauds, Nebraska being in the preseason top 25 coming off a 4-8 season is college football comedy in its highest form.

At least we’re not UConn?

Alright, that’s all I got. Sorry we’re light on The Random stuff today. I can’t bring myself to be all happy and jolly in this post. Enjoy your bye week everyone!