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Friday, November 8, 2013

A REVIEW OF OUR PREVIEW: HOW WE SAW THIS COMING

Last Saturday afternoon brought one of the greatest Michigan State football wins over Michigan, and while many saw a Spartan victory coming, few if any predicted the actual level of domination. Neither did we.

But we did notice a thing or two over the last six months, and especially during the long run-up to the big game. Here, for your review, are some of the observations we made along the way.

Way back in April, Devin Gardner was having a ball in spring practice, a safe haven where he couldn't be hit on 34 out of every 54 plays. He was crazy back then, about himself, his role on the team, his passport photo, and any mirrors he could look into. We wrote about it in "Devin Gardner Having Delusions of Grandeur".

The famous ATown offered his opinion in July about the non-stop frenzy over Michigan recruiting rankings. He basically said UM should take a chill-pill. He wrote about it in "Recruiting Is Not An Excuse For Michigan To Be Back"

Then MSUSpartan76 added his thoughts about the so-called "recruiting gap" between MSU and UM in a two-piece offering on that same July day. He begins with an explanation of the Skunkbear. "The Myth of a Widening Recruiting Gap - Part I" sets the table, and "The Myth of a Widening Recruiting Gap - Part II" finishes the story.

Later that month we were thinking about football and thinking about the game against UM and thinking about how Mark Dantonio didn't really seem all that scared when he was asked about them the previous year. So we shared our thoughts in, "Still Wondering: Where's the Threat?"

Two weeks before the season started, we predicted a 7-1 record and a sweep of the home schedule, and called Michigan "another good team". And we said more than that, in "Michigan Football Not the Threat to Michigan State".

Once the season started, we quickly took note of the first player suspension by Michigan, as it occurred during the first game of the year. Perhaps it was an omen, as UM also suspended a player before coming to Spartan Stadium. "Michigan Football Win Marred by Player Suspension".

After all of the fun Akron brought to the Pig House, we cut loose with a non-love letter to Weasels-R-Us in which we said "we'll see you on November 2nd". Okay, we also mocked them. "Here's an Open Letter to chUMp Nation".

After UConn nearly beat UM, we noticed how the mainstream media seemed to be covering for the Wolverines, while still trying to turn a negative focus on MSU. We discussed the "Michigan Football Fiasco" in "Media Bias Glaring as Michigan Football Flounders".

We followed that observation with a summary of how the two teams were doing against the Vegas line just to keep things in perspective. Back then, UM was a Top-20 team. "Michigan Football Flopping Compared to MSU".

Just days before the big game, some of us got tired of hearing so many people accuse the Spartans of "playing dirty" when we know there is so much more to the story. We thought it was a good time to point out some of the things those weasels have actually done to prepare for the clash. "Here Come Those Dirty Wolverines".

In a pre-game Q-&-A, we laid it on the line with some very frank remarks, such as a prediction that Taylor Lewan would get away with multiple fouls that don't get penalized. "MSU vs. chUMps Game Interview Questions We Wish Everyone Asked: SpartanMan82 Responds".

As part of the Front Burner last week, MSU76 predicted the Spartans would score 28 points, SpartanMan82 predicted increasingly effective play-calling in the second-half, and ATown said the bye week would not help UM.

On the day before the game, MSU76 closed out our pre-game chatter by emphatically pointing out through data comparisons that the Spartans have been very effective on defense, but not so much for the Wolverines. Okay, not an uncommon thought at the time, but in this piece it is presented so completely that it's impossible to deny. "DUMP the chUMps Week - A Look At Defenses".

Seems like the only folks who didn't see this one coming were those who see the world through blue and yellow glasses!




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2 comments:

  1. SM82 - This is a post for the ages. You keep it coming in waves, just like the Spartan defense. Thank you for summarizing with a friggin sledge hammer.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Just one minor omission to your fabulous and otherwise comprehensive list.

    Requiem for the chUMps explores some of the aftermath of the game.

    http://spartanresource.blogspot.com/2013/11/requiem-for-chumps.html

    ReplyDelete

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