MEDIA BIAS GLARING AS MICHIGAN FOOTBALL FLOUNDERS

The Mainstream Michigan Media Machine (M-4) is working overtime in top gear to convince everybody that there are no problems with Michigan Football. This, despite two belly-flops in a row against low-end opposition.

Meanwhile, that same M-4 has Michigan State in the middle of the griddle, turning the heat up as high as possible in order to grill the Spartans for doing exactly what they were predicted to do.

Most people had MSU 3-1 after four games, and they are literally 3-1 after four games. How does this story draw so much attention? The Irish opened as seven-point favorites, and by game time, they were picked to win by four points. They won by four points. Where is the news angle? In Journalism, this is known as a "Dog Bites Man" story, and as such, is not particularly newsworthy.

But the Michigan Football team was a huge surprise to everyone the past two weeks, picked to win by three to five touchdowns in each game, yet struggling to mount fourth-quarter comebacks each time to win by a field-goal. One of those games featured a last-second goal-line-stand to preserve a hollow victory. In Journalism, this is known as a "Man Bites Dog" story, and generally would be the front-page story.

But the M-4 has issued numerous excuses for the Wolverines, complete with encouraging predictions for the rest of the season. They didn't play their game, they're young, the quarterback is inexperienced, the opponent was fired-up, everybody has an off-day, the ball bounces funny, and maybe sometimes chickens really do have lips. Whatever. Free pass for the yellow-pants.

Despite the details of how the Spartans got to 3-1, they remain on track for all but the most optimistic of pre-season predictions. Indeed, it may be more newsworthy that they took over with a chance to win at the end of the game than the fact that they lost.

But the Michigan Football fiasco goes largely unexamined. How could a Top 20 team with Top 10 recruiting classes make such a mess of themselves for two consecutive weeks? Why doesn't the M-4 invade Shempbuckler Hall demanding answers? Where is the ongoing series of critical reviews of the Wolverines? Why isn't Donut Boy on the "hot seat"? How come the assistants wearing blue aren't up for public evaluation and critique?

This is the same-old, same-old, same-old story. The M-4 works full-time to make Michigan look good while at the same time making Michigan State look bad. We urge you not to believe it, as there is no "Michigan Difference" beyond this consistently favorable treatment in the mainstream media.




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A-TOWN AND R2G DEBATE: Is it Better for Spartans when chUMps are Good?

Form M-Live reader comments on: Mark Dantonio empathizes with Brady Hoke, prefers to keep focus on Michigan State

ATownAndDown - @TheATownAndDown 
I know I don't follow U of M that closely but weren't the coaches really high on what that freshman QB they had come was doing. Maybe Hoke needs to go all in and see if that guy is the answer. I mean the defense has been doing a pretty darn good job and the points seems to be coming from turnovers. If I am a coach, I am doing everything I can to show signs that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. If you get the freshman QB to look decent in a pro-style system and the defense continues to look decent, maybe there is something to show that you are building something.

Unfortunately Hoke is 4 years in and you would think he would have guys in place to be competing at a high level by now. Its not great for the conference. I mean don't get me wrong: I want MSU to beat U of M every year but the B1G is better when U of M is ranked. I would prefer to beat a 7-0 U of M team then 5-2. Hope that if Hoke goes they put someone in there that doesn't take 2-3 years to get the program back. B1G is behind the 8-ball enough.


return2glory | SpartanResource.com

I'm of the opinion of 'let them drown". Other Big Ten schools ranked highly and beating major out of conference opponents is preferable to giving Ann Arbor any hope at all. I'd love to see less than 50K in attendance in the Pig House. I'd love to be able view them as "a minor irritation". Remember being called that? They (coaches and administrators included) can't even call another conference institution by their correct name! Success for anyone but them. It's a rivalry. There is supposed to disdain. It is part of what makes it fun. Why would any team want success for a rival? Do Auburn fans want Alabama to remain great? Once you've got your foot on their throat, you don't let up. They never did when we were gasping for air. I'd love to see Purdue, Indiana and Rutgers out-recruit them for some big time players. Hey, you can say it will never happen, but we never thought this 7-year dismal run in Ann Arbor would happen and here we are - it's reality. Let's enjoy seeing how bad it can get!


ATownAndDown - @TheATownAndDown
While I agree with you to the extent that the B1G does not revolve around U of M, I do have to disagree with you that the B1G can be just as good with a ranked IU team.

As much as some MSU fans want to ignore it, U of M is a brand. You can debate history, last 50 years, last 10 years, or whatever. There is a reason why when a U of M team goes 5-0 the national media ranks them and heads start to turn. There is a reason why winged helmets and the block M are recognized in California, Texas, Florida as it is in Michigan. There is a reason why ESPN has a CFB Nation page for U of M. They are a team like Nebraska, like PSU, and like OSU that extend in the minds of college football fans across the country.

A relevant U of M team is going to carry more weight. Why did beating OSU in the B1G Championship Game turn so many heads? Would it have been the same if it was even Wisconsin? I doubt it. Look at how we view other conferences. How does the Big 12 look without Texas? Does Baylor fill that hole of perception in the minds of the masses like Longhorns Nation would if it was doing the same thing? That is the same way that the rest of the college football world looks at the B1G. U of M, PSU and Nebraska being relevant teams matters. Nebraska is at least ranked. PSU has an excuse and appears on the mend. U of M though...?

Look I am with you in hating the Michigan Man rhetoric about what his team did a million years ago. But the fact is Wisconsin has been a solid program for years and they still don't get the respect that U of M does on a national level. Think if MSU played this years schedule and beat a top-10 ranked Nebraska, beat a 7-0 ranked U of M, beat a ranked OSU even without Miller, beat a ranked PSU, and then went to the B1G Championship and beat a one or two loss Wisconsin. Anyone think that run doesn't turn the selection committees heads. You know all those games are national games that are getting talked about on the national sports talk for a week in advance. That is what the conference needs because that is what the SEC has had for years now.

return2glory | SpartanResource.com
I'm not saying you are wrong about any of it. I get the logic. For me, the minor benefit it gives the conference (and indirectly MSU), I'm not into the idea of Michigan being a power. Aside from my general dislike for them, they are our primary recruiting and media competitor. Their fans are also in our face exaggerating both past and current success (when they have it). If they were located in another state, I might be able to swallow the, "it's better for MSU when Ann Arbor has a good football team". But in reality, it just aint so - emotionally or logistically - at least not for MSU. MSU, Ohio State, and Notre Dame are the primary benefactors of Ann Arbor sucking. I care most about my team. Let them suck.


ATownAndDown - @TheATownAndDown
Go look at MSU's recruiting class. Only 4 of 13 are from in the state. If you ask me, MSU appears to be moving into a new class of recruiting that extends beyond the "backyard"

As far as media, all of that revenue is split among the conference. Gone are the days of local media contracts. All the significant money comes from the major networks to the conference as a whole and is split. That is why once the B1G Network boosted the B1G's revenue you started to see all the other conferences get their own networks. Its the whole union vs. individual worker concept.

Look I like to have a good laugh at all the folks that pointed out MSU's warts and said "That doesn't happen at Michigan because we are Michigan" and now getting to see them grow the same warts. But remember when the perception thing bit U of M in the butt in 2006. We laughed then too. Do you think we are immune from that? Where is the perception of the B1G since 2006?

I have pointed it out before. 4 spaces isn't a lot. There are 5 power conferences so someone isn't dancing. There are any number of situations were you can see 2 conferences getting left out. IMO I think there is going to come a day where MSU is going to need to rely on the strength of the conference. Do I want MSU to have beaten a U of M team that is 10-2 or a U of M team that is 6-6 when that day comes? I know my answer doesn't involve the term "humble pie" in it


return2glory | SpartanResource.com
A-Town - In response to your four points...

Recruits - You don't look at players we got, you look at players we wanted and didn't get. Many are UM's roster and verbal commitment list. UM sucking for several more years can change that.

Media - I'm just talking publicity. When the teams are equal, Ann Arbor gets disproportionate attention. If they suck, we don't have to deal with it.

2006 - Big Ten perception began decline. MSU gained respect and chUMps began their era of sucking. I'll take that deal.

4 spaces for power 5 plus one undefeated non-power: See the original three keys to a one loss Spartan team (from a "weak" Big Ten) getting into the football playoffs.

-R2G


ATownAndDown - @TheATownAndDown
Reply to: @return2glory | SpartanResource.com and @Boognish Rising 

I think [you] are looking at this from an emotional point of view and not one of logic and reasoning.

R2G you are talking about MSU not being able to get recruits or not getting balanced media coverage unless U of M sucks. From a personal standpoint, I would rather earn those things than have them given to me because the other guy is an also ran. But I think this shows exactly what I have been saying too: U of M has been average for how long now and yet they still carry the weight that they do. You don't just find a program like that laying around. Do you think that recruits and media are going to starting paying more attention to an MSU team that goes 4 for 5 in this era or if that run came against U of M teams that were on par with those they fielded in the 70's. If you want people to think you are the best, you need to beat the best.

I think if you look at ND, you can get a good idea that U of M isn't going to just fade away. ND was mediocre from the mid-90's until 2012. It was nearly 2 decades of new coaches and reliving the good ol' days. Heck even before 2012 they were an 8-5 team. Even that 2012 team did look like it belonged on the field with Bama. Last year they were a 9 win team and opened ranked 17th this year. After "big" wins against Rice, U of M and Purdue they are now a top-10 team and some folks are rumbling about a national championship birth. Why is that?

The media and the state of college football doesn't allow programs to fade. Its been nearly a decade since U of M was relevant and you still have national radio shows and television commentators discussing what is going on in Ann Arbor and what it means for the future of that program. It isn't going to take a lot for the bus to magically get back on the road. Let's say that U of M endures another coach that averaged 7-8 wins and gets canned. Its been nearly 2 decades and new coach rolls into Ann Arbor and U of M opens 8-0. How mad are you going to be that all these media outlets and fans start to boast about a championship run? Its going to happen. The same way it happens for Florida. The same way it happens for ND. The same way it will happen for Texas. Heck look how hard they are trying to push USC like its a top-10 program again.

In my opinion its a waste to sit here and hope that U of M turns into Indiana. I would rather focus on my squad getting better and hope that U of M comes back and we can dash championship dreams as opposed to beating a dead horse. Its better for the perception of MSU and that is all I care about. Our program can't control the perception of any other program. Give me 15 undefeated teams that MSU beats every time. Then tell me that MSU isn't the best team in the land.

return2glory | SpartanResource.com
Reply to; @ATownAndDown - @TheATownAndDown @return2glory | SpartanResource.com @Boognish Rising

A-Town, Corrections to your twisting of my points to help make your argument:

I said that I didn't disagree with your points. I also said I don't care that UM sticks. If MSU keeps winning, we don't need UM to be any better than they are now. Basically, I don't see any need to want UM to be elite if MSU is elite without them.

I didn't say (paraphrased) "no success for MSU unless UM sucks". I said we can win more recruiting battles against them when they suck.

I want to beat the best. I just don't care that UM is not among the best. I actually enjoy it when they suck.

I didn't agree or disagree with your premise that it would be even better if MSU were a top five program while UM was also good. I basically said that I don't want them to be good and I just prefer them to be lousy and MSU stay great. If MSU is great, it is not important for UM to return to the days of six total program Rose Bowl victories. I don't even want them to get a sniff.

I know Ann Arbor will not fade away. I didn't say they would. I know they will be elite again someday. That day will come sooner than I want. I prefer to not root for it to happen as earlier than it has to. I prefer to root for whoever is playing Ann Arbor this week and next week and forever.

I'm not mad about about UM's moles in the media. I just enjoy that they are powerless to help them win games. I enjoy that Minnesota is the biggest game their schedule right now. I just prefer they suck for so long that some of the illusion and mystique wears off and fades away. I'm not saying it will happen, but I see no need to root for them to regain prominence.

To me it's a waste of time to hope UM gets better. I find it enjoyable that their "championship hopes" are dashed before the conference schedule even begins. I am way more concerned about my favorite team. I don't see any need to root for our arrogant rivals who project a false image about what Michigan really is. I'm not suggesting we can control perceptions about other programs. I'll take the 15 undefeated seasons for MSU as you suggested. If UM were to miss a bowl game for those 15 years it would be even better.

It's simple. You want them to be better because you think it somehow benefits MSU. I want them to suck because if MSU keeps winning, we won't need them for anything.

[I love seeing articles about the fall-out in Ann Arbor like THIS.]


Insert From "SpartanMan82"
I am very entertained by the psychodrama that is now Michigan Football. I have been enjoying all of the bridge-jumping by chUMps of all shapes and sizes the past few weeks, especially since the Utah game. It has been a very pleasant experience to watch them flounder about aimlessly this season, thrashing each other more than they have done to their opponents.

The only complaint I have is all this stuff that the Mainstream Michigan Media Machine (M-4) is trying to pump out about the B1G Conference "needing UM to do well". Why not Illinois, the home of Red Grange? Why not Purdue, the former cradle-of-quarterbacks? Why not Minnesota, the thundering herd of the 1930's and 1940's? What about Nebraska, one of the historically greatest programs in college football history? Why is it that the B1G Conference does not seem to need those schools to do well?

Only Michigan counts to the M-4. The claims that the conference "needs them" are pure bunk written by chUMps and the folks who are paid by them to push their propaganda.

A-Town is certainly right that on a national perspective, the conference would benefit from UM avoiding their own self-immolation. But that's only because people have been trained to expect to see them succeed. People can be re-trained. Any other conference program that rises to the top - - - including MSU - - - will eventually be noticed by fans and recognized by the sports media as relevant.

I always remember that George Perles said "they all count one". That means losses as well as wins. Those chUMps only have two losses right now, and I'm the guy pointing out they could still go 10-2. But they are peeing all over themselves right now, and it's a great sight to see!

_____________________________________

Other Comments in the thread:

GruffSpartyisBestSparty
I would rather see a ranked IU than UM. Heck any team for that matter. The [Big Ten] does not revolve around um no matter what their history is, or what their fans desire. The [Big Ten] needs stronger teams, but they DON'T have to be UM. Now is it as fun beating up a team like UM when they appear to be whimpering on the ground? Not really...but the narrative the [Big Ten] is hinging on UM is a joke. Far more teams need to step up than just them.

RosesAreGreen
Crush their nuts.


RosesAreGreen
Spartan fans urged to contribute. Http://www.savebradyhoke.com


Boognish Rising
Count me in on the "let 'em drown" side of this argument.

Army. Pittsburgh. Minnesota. Cal. What do these teams have in common? If you go back far enough, each were once college football powers -winning multiple national titles. Eventually, they faded, and programs such as UM, ND, OSU, and Bama stepped up. To date they still play second fiddle to other programs.

The point is that times change - football programs change - and some never regain the success they once enjoyed, allowing a new guard to take over. I don't see any reason why that can't happen at Michigan. People just assume that the day will come when they will again be relevant, because, hey, they ARE Michigan after all……. right?

The mediocrity has already spanned close to a decade. Another 5 years of mediocrity may very well spell the death of the UM "Brand", as the future players of tomorrow will have grown up knowing UM as nothing other than a middle of the pack B1G team.


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MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: Spartans Nearing Spotlight on National Stage

Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions related to the Spartans program. 

Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s True Lies About MythAgain Football post)

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)

This week's Questions:

1. The football team has nine wins now, the consensus-predicted win total for the season before it began. If MSU loses the next two games, will you consider the season to be a success?

2. Jeremy Langford came to the Spartans as a three-star "Athlete" with a 5.6 Rivals rating. Now he's on the verge of becoming a 1000-yard rusher as the starting tailback on a 9-1 team. How do you explain it?

3. The Michigan State Defense leads the nation in Rushing Defense and Total Defense, and is ranked in the top five in Scoring Defense, Pass Efficiency Defense, Passing Yards Allowed, Third-Down Conversion Percentage Defense, and First Downs Defense. Yet the mainstream sports media continue to put the Spartan Dawgs under the microscope each week only to announce that it's not a "legitimate" defensive unit. Why is this happening?

4. Did you observe any interesting developments, plays or story-lines from Saturday's game that may have gone largely unnoticed or lacked meaningful media focus?

(We encourage reader comments. Click the link at the bottom of the post.)

Our Panel Responds:


1. The football team has nine wins now, the consensus-predicted win total for the season before it began. If MSU loses the next two games, will you consider the season to be a success?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
At this point... no it would not be a success. A 9-3 prediction was under the premise that U of M, Nebraska and NW were top-25 teams. Include Notre Dame as a top-25 team that MSU was supposed to face, most prognosticators would assume MSU would win at least one of those games and thus go 9-3. Well here we sit half-way through November and have gone 2-1 against those 4. NW is on the precipice of missing bowl eligibility. So losing the fourth contest would be a disappointment. While Minnesota has had a nice season, their only quality win was against Nebraska at home. You would like to think that this team could close it out strong too. These are winnable games, and at this point, losing them would be a poor showing.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
I am unclear where the "consensus" came from. The general opinion I saw in the pre-season was that MSU would be "lucky" to have 7 wins, including disparaging remarks about the Spartans not even getting to a bowl. Regardless, the season is a success already. 6-0 B1G Ten start is something that has not happened in a long time. The current crop of seniors hold the school record for most wins by a senior class through their journey. The squashing of the Ann Arbor Charm School ball club was a record setting event, too. All that aside, MSU is not going to lose the next 2 and might win them both.

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s True Lies About MythAgain Football post)
Yes I will, especially with a bowl victory, but I realize I'm the only person in the Milky Way Galaxy that would do so.

People have to be realistic about sports competition. If MSU finished 10-3, it would make three double-digit win seasons in four years. How can that not be "successful"?

The great thing about our situation is that we probably won't lose the next two games, but if we win the next two, then lose in the B1G Championship, ask me again, and I'll still say it was successful.

Success in this league means putting together a win-streak, beating your main rival, avoiding player misconduct, and finishing with a high win total. At this point, we've got check-marks next to all of those points. Everything from here on out is "gravy".
__________________________________________________________

2. Jeremy Langford came to the Spartans as a three-star "Athlete" with a 5.6 Rivals rating. Now he's on the verge of becoming a 1000-yard rusher as the starting tailback on a 9-1 team. How do you explain it?

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s True Lies About MythAgain Football post)
It continues to amaze me to see the Mark Dantonio administration find players that nobody else thought was very good and/or take guys with unrealized potential and make them great. So many cases like this already, now we have Langford.

The four other schools to offer Langford were Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Illinois State, and Colorado.

It looks like Langford "bought into the system", "worked hard and kept his mouth shut", and "didn't take no for an answer". He had one thing going for him to start, and that was his 4.4 speed. The rest of the credit goes to him and his coaches.

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
The kid can run. Look Langford has always been talented. The question was always could he perform on a consistent enough basis to be a starter. If you remember the fumble return he had a couple years ago against Florida Atlantic you will remember the raw talent he showed as a runner. It was a matter of controlling that talent and getting at least 3-4 yards on a consistent basis. It would appear that something has clicked because even to begin the season, it didn't appear that it was coming together for him. The way he as been getting his yards has been as a workhorse. He plugs away and gets better as the game progresses. Against both Nebraska and U of M, their defense just couldn't hold the flood gates closed and Langford was able to break big TD runs late. Very nice development by the staff. And hey, lets give some credit to that OLine in front of him too. They are definitely providing him with some opportunities.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
The offensive ecosystem is thriving. Passing has become something defenses have to respect. The offensive line is healthy and deep. Tight ends and receivers are making plays. Special teams are giving the team good field position and making the FGs.The defense is, and yes this includes Nebraska, smothering opponents, and the result is that a kid that can run with the rock in his hand is piling up yards.

Stars or Rivals ratings do not give any idea of how the kid fits into the team's system, how quickly he can learn the playbook, how quickly he can learn how to play as a team with the other players on the field with him, including on-field communications, or even how his off the field situation affects his performance.

What we have with Jeremy is a kid with good athletic ability, good potential, and a great desire to be the best he can be. Put a kid like that in with great coaches and he will always exceed his recruiting rating. Always.

About those stupid recruiting sites. Maybe 1/3 of the 15,000 potential recruits are ever assessed and those that are get their rankings posted within the first 3 months after the prior signing day and the evaluations are made by 20 "recruiting experts." Right. Ever try to read one of the in-depth stories on a HS player? Pay site. Those recruiting sites are not about assessments, they are about making money.
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3. The Michigan State Defense leads the nation in Rushing Defense and Total Defense, and is ranked in the top five in Scoring Defense, Pass Efficiency Defense, Passing Yards Allowed, Third-Down Conversion Percentage Defense, and First Downs Defense. Yet the mainstream sports media continue to put the Spartan Dawgs under the microscope each week only to announce that it's not a "legitimate" defensive unit. Why is this happening?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
Well, the Spartans have played nobody. Right? And never does Michigan State win a game, it is always a gift or they got lucky or their opponent just up and lost. So how can the team get credit for anything? Take a hard look at the Nebraska game.

• Nebraska rush offense (No. 16) 240.3 yd/gm. They gained 182 yds vs MSU, or 76% of their average.
• Nebraska pass offense (No. 89) 200.3. They blew the Spartan Dawgs off the field gaining 210 yards. 67 of those yards came in the final drive when the game was already over.
• Nebraska scoring offense (No. 33) 35.1 pts/gm. The Cornhuskers got 28 points versus MSU, which includes that end of game TD.
• The Nebraska offense was held to their 7th worst performance in 10 games and that does not discount the 75 yards in the final drive.

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s True Lies About MythAgain Football post)
The Michigan Mainstream Media Machine (M-4) was working up a lather all summer, getting ready for more bedroom romps with U-of-M Football this year...then reality hit with Akron and UConn. As they've been "jilted" by Brady Hoke, they're mad and they want to take it out on someone. And that would be MSU.

There is no such thing as the "Nation's Top Defense". The NCAA stats can help identify the group of teams at the top, but there is no way with open scheduling to determine a true #1 team, much less a true #1 defensive unit.

It is blatantly obvious that MSU has as good a defense as any other team in the country, but somehow the professional sports reporters can't let it go at that. Since there are no more glaring weaknesses on the Spartan team, they choose to attack its strengths.

In other words, the answer is: Media Bias (against MSU).

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
I think it has to do with the whole premonition that "Its too good to be true." Bama puts up the numbers like MSU and they would have one of the greatest defenses of all time but that is because Bama is supposed to have the guys to put up video game numbers. That upstart school from Michigan that doesn't wear maize and blue isn't supposed to do that. So it has to be a mirage, right? I say let them call it flawed. Let them poke holes. Let them question who we have played. Narduzzi will use it and have the Spartan Dawgs ready for the next opponent, who won't find comfort in some mainstream media member's claims of MSU's defense not being legit. All you have to look at is the comments from Brian Kelly after the ND game. Kelly was scared of what the Spartan defense could do. And some of the mainstream media guys proclaimed that Kelly was supposed to have found the holes in the defense. I am sure if MSU makes it to the B1G Championship Game, the first thing (and possibly the only thing) on the OSU game plan will be how to get around the defense because the Spartan Dawgs are good... real good.

__________________________________________________________

4. Did you observe any interesting developments, plays or story-lines from Saturday's game that may have gone largely unnoticed or lacked meaningful media focus?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
Besides the actual smile that Coach D gave when Langford ran in for that last TD? I have been on it all season. I am still not a fan of the play calling at times. 1st and 10: Williams rushes for 2; 2nd and 8: Williams carries two guys for 6; 3rd and 2: Williams in the Wildcat. Even if Williams makes that play its a bad call.

How about 3rd and goal from the 8... lets have a play where Cook wonders around like he is confused, direct snap to the RB to hand it to Lippett to pass to Gleichert. So that close to the goal line, you are going to take the ball out of your QB's hands, not allow him to make any presnap adjustments, take your best WR out of the play as a receiver, make your RB irrelevant for pass protection or as a receiver, in order to pass to a blocking TE or your QB? Why not run the statue of liberty play or is Treadwell's 40 time not fast enough?

We were picking up yards in chunks on the ground when we ran power football. You look at the big plays we have had, mostly come from running our base offense. Its not spreading things out. Its not trickeration. Its not goofy looks. So why are we so quick to get away from that? Nebraska's DC is the latest opponent to make a comment that was telling of the play-calling: "We need to stay patient because they will try and press." Basically, they went with the let them pick up chunks doing that because Warner will get impatient and call something cute and that's when we stop them. Are 13 play 75 yard TD drives sexy? Nope but they are TD drives just the same.

When I look at that missed play on our first drive with Lippett wide open in the endzone, I see a great play call. Play-action boot. Defense is crashing to stop the run and Cook is outside of the pocket away from the pressure (where he has been very good). When the DB realizes that Cook can run he had to decide to come up on the run or leave Lippett. We didn't capitalize but it was there for the taking. How many wildcat plays this year has there been anything there? How many WR passes have been super impressive? That play call wasn't fancy or deceiving. It just created an opportunity. Our players need to execute but the play callers have to create more situations like that through those kinds of calls. Not running the Oopty Opp offense.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
Start with Mike Sadler did not get B1G Ten Special Teams Player of the Week. 4 of 7 punts inside the 20. Nebraska managed 2 punt returns for a total of -4 yards and some of that is because of Sadler.

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s True Lies About MythAgain Football post)
I just think the coaches did a good job of showing "new looks" on offense, with formations we hadn't seen before, and some new plays. They didn't always work, but those guys are earning their money during the week.

One bone to pick, though. When we scored to take a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, we needed to try a two-point conversion to make it a 14-point lead. The only value of a 13-point lead at that stage of the game (34-21) was to protect against Nebraska scoring a touchdown and two field-goals. But at that time, it was very unlikely they would get three more chances to score. Nice to see that we got away clean with that coaching judgment error.




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MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: IT'S DUMP THE chUMps WEEK! Panelists Respond to Rivalry Questions.

Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to a variety of questions 

surrounding the Spartans program. As the Spartan prepare to DUMP the chUMps, 

our panelists present unique opinions about many facets of Spartan football.

The MSU-UM Rivalry is rated as the 6th best in nation by TicketCity.com - To us it's #1

Reader comments are encouraged. Click the link at the bottom of the post.

QUESTIONS

1. MSU won their last two conference games by a combined score of 56-3 (Purdue and Illinois), while UM split their last two conference games by a combined score of 103-90 (Penn State and Indiana). What can read into these totals and spreads as they apply Saturday's rivalry game?

2. UM has struggled in the trenches. Many believe MSU will be able to run the ball on their front seven. At the same time, some say MSU's play calling has been impatient - even though they run the ball effectively they go to the air too soon or get out of rhythm with "cute" plays. Do you have concerns about how MSU's play calling could affect the game?

3. Did you observe any interesting developments, plays or story-lines from last Saturday's MSU and/or UM games that may have gone largely unnoticed or lacked meaningful media focus? How do they relate to this Saturday's game?

4. Michigan has had two weeks to heal and prepare for MSU. What impact do you think the UM bye week will have on this this game?

5. What questions about Spartans and/or Wolverines are you looking for this game to answer? What will the results tell us?

6. Open comments about the "meaning" of this game for this season, the program, the rivalry, etc.:

7. What is your favorite memory or personal story related to this series (optional)?

PANELIST RESPONSES

MICHIGAN WOMEN HIT THE ROAD AND THE ROAD HITS BACK

The basketball season ended for the Kim Barnes-Arico as soon as she loaded her Michigan women's team on the bus. Once the Wolverines left Ann Arbor, their time in the National Invitational Tournament (N.I.T.) quickly ended.

You might remember the UM Women for their glorious appearance in the Breslin Center in February, when they trailed Michigan State by 27 points after three quarters of play. They went on to finish in eighth-place in the B1G, missing out on the Big Dance for the third consecutive year. All this after their "record start" of 7-0, compiled largely with home games against teams most people would not recognize.

But hey, they got their 20 wins, right? Thanks to their extra N.I.T. contests, Barnes-Arico hit the 20-win mark for the third year in a row. Without those easy games, the Lady Wolverines would have landed above 15 wins but below 20 in all but the first season under "Bare-Armed" Barnes-Arico.

Nothing against Michigan for racking up the victory totals, but get ready for the pre-season hype this fall when basketball season rolls around again. Those N.I.T. runs did nothing for program prestige and little for recruiting, but they gave the Michigan Mainstream Media Machine (M-4) everything they will need to get cranked-up for next year. The media will overlook HOW the UM Women got their 20 wins only to report that they have a series of 20-win seasons playing in the green shadows of MSU. Count on the M-4 to claim that it's a better recent streak than Suzy Merchant has put together, and to ignore the fact that Merchant actually turned-down an N.I.T. bid after the injury-plagued 2015 campaign.

Barnes-Arico has Miss Basketball coming in next season, along with a high-scoring junior, plus the 20-win seasons, bla-bla-bla, etc. The M-4 will do everything it can to pump up the excitement while Barnes-Arico takes a page from the John Beilein playbook and schedules a series of Bottom-100 teams to parade through Crisler Arena in November and December. It's possible they might help drive as many as three-thousand people to actually attend a Michigan Women's Basketball game on one of those nights. Especially if they give away free tickets.

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TRUE LIES ABOUT "MYTH-AGAIN" FOOTBALL: THE SPARTANS ALWAYS FLOP AFTER PLAYING UM

Ever since Lloyd Carr was put out to pasture by the same Good Ole' Boys who plugged him into the job that Gary Moeller drank away, it seems like we've been finding out more and more TRUE things about the University of Myth-Again. Prior to that time, it was nothing but Michigan Mythology, with the Michigan Mainstream Media Machine (M-4) churning out one fantasy dreamscape after another to prop up the old university.

Today, another long-standing LIE comes crashing to the floor.

The M-4 would have us believe that Michigan State "can't handle success", and after winning a big game, the green-and-white revert to the "Same Old Spartans" and take a beating the next game. They never say that about UM.

NOT SO FAST, MY FRIENDS! New information from an old data-base has just been released by none other than our own "Return2Glory" (R2G). Responding in a comment thread to a column today by Bob Wojnoski of the Detroit News, RTG successfully refuted that worn-out old myth.

Turns out this is another example of how the tables have already turned. Instead of the SOS fairy tale, it's actually the S.O.W. ("Same Old Wolverines") who can't handle playing against MSU, regardless of whether they win or lose.

Enough words, let's get to the numbers. Here are the game results of the MSU Football team in the game following their match-up against UM:

• 2013 game after playing UM: Beat Nebraska, 41-28
• 2012 game after playing UM: Beat Wisconsin, 16-13
• 2011 game after playing UM: Beat Wisconsin, 37-31
• 2010 game after playing UM: Beat Illinois, 26-6
• 2009 game after playing UM: Beat Illinois, 24-14
• 2008 game after playing UM: Beat Wisconsin, 25-24
• 2007 game after playing UM: Beat Purdue, 48-31

Easy to see the trend-line, eh? The FACT is that MSU has won their next game after playing UM for the last seven years in a row. Seems like our Spartans have handled success under Coach Mark Dantonio, as they are undefeated in the games following the game against Michigan.

What about those wonderful weasels? Again, here are the numbers:

• 2013 game after playing MSU: Lost to Nebraska, 17-13
• 2012 game after playing MSU: Lost at Nebraska, 23-9
• 2011 game after playing MSU: Beat Purdue, 36-14
• 2010 game after playing MSU: Lost to Iowa, 38-28
• 2009 game after playing MSU: Lost at Iowa, 30-28
• 2008 game after playing MSU: Lost at Purdue, 48-42
• 2007 game after playing MSU: Lost at Wisconsin, 37-21

Upon review, it's the SOWs who can't handle playing Michigan State, as they are now 1-6 after playing the Dantonio-led Spartans.

It's the "old guard" of the M-4 who want to perpetuate the same-old/same-old when they write about Michigan State sports. Today it was Wojnoski, tomorrow it may be somebody else. They may not even be conscious of what they're writing or saying at times.Those folks are living in the past, which is their right, but it's not necessary that you join them there.




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MSU FOOTBALL FRONT BURNER: Rose Bowl Pre-Game Edition

BIG TEN CHAMPIONS EDITION
Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions related to the Spartans program. 

Front-Burner was be published in three parts between the B1G Championship and the Rose Bowl

Part 1. B1G Championship Game Discussion
Part 2. MSU 2013 Season Discussion
           2A. ATownAndDown Feature
           2B. MSUSpartan76 Feature
Part 3. Rose Bowl Discussion (This Edition)

Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)
SpartanMan82 (Tale of Two Programs, By SM82)
______________________________

Part 3 Discussion Questions (Readers COMMENT below the post.)

1. Does seeing the chUMps get spanked by a 7-5 Kansas State team in the BWW Bowl take anything away from the dominating win the Spartans notched against them this year?

2. To beat Ohio State, Connor Cook had to play the game of his life. What are the Spartans chances if he just has an average game against Stanford? How does the loss of Max Bullough factor in your answer?

3. I felt that Spartans "been there before" would help them in the B1G Championship Game. The shoe is now on the other foot as Stanford knows this Rose Bowl Week spectacle very well. Added in with other intangibles like time zone, travel, warm weather would you consider a win at the Rose Bowl a bigger upset than beating Ohio State? Why?

4. What are the chances that Stanford wins and it's not even close? How about the idea that MSU wins and it's not even close; more or less likely than Stanford winning by a wide margin?

______________________________

Panelist Responses

1. Does seeing the chUMps get spanked by a 7-5 Kansas State team in the BWW Bowl take anything away from the dominating win the Spartans notched against them this year?

SpartanMan82 (Tale of Two Programs, By SM82)
No, not at all, just check the record. Michigan was 6-1 when they met Michigan State in Spartan Stadium, and since that game, UM could only win one more time, in triple-overtime. MSU also gave them their worst loss of the season.

The Spartans crushed the Wolverines, in one game destroying their entire season. Kansas State was just the team that happened to draw them in the bowl game, and dispatched them accordingly.

Every team that played Michigan after November 2 had a clear "green-print" for how to pound on the Bluebloods. The KSU win was a validation of the November 2 doomsday game for UM, along with all of their other losses along the way.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

Not at all. Bowl games are fickle creatures. There is so much that can impact the outcome that to read too far into the tea leaves is silly. When MSU faced U of M earlier this year they were a different team than the one that showed up to the bowl game. They had a starting QB and still had hopes of winning the division. You saw them stumble hard down the stretch and even saw the desperation of Hoke and Co. to spark something by going for 2 instead of tying the OSU game late. Not getting those 2 points and losing their starting QB really took the wind out of a defeated U of M team's sails by the time they faced KSU.

Since we are on the subject here is a fun factoid for you: RichRod's records at U of M were 3-9; 5-7; and 7-6 and he was fired. Hoke has gone 11-2; 8-5; and 7-6 but the Michigan Men are only at a dull roar about firing him. It would appear that RichRod was trending up and lost his job and Hoke is trending down off of what RichRod built but not a lot of folks speaking up. U of M has talent but Hoke is going to have to fall into something to have success with how fast he lost control of this team.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Michigan who? The bar for Michigan State is set way much higher than just merely beating UolM. Also, that game was expected. It was predicted in this post: The Fall of UolM. The Spartans exposed UolM for what it was, something the media is just no catching on to. So, no. The KSU loss in the wings bowl was just another progression in the downward spiral.

A chUMp posted on MLive.com the following (refers to UolM wins versus MSU):
1970s 9-1
1980s 8-2
1990s 6-4
2000s 7-3
2010s 1-3

I think the trend line is obvious in that data. It does deliberately mask the 5-2 record Coach Dantonio owns and the 1-2 record owned by the chUMp coach.

---

Insert by Retrun to Glory, M-Live poster, RosesAreGreen responded to the chUMp's post and others like it with the following:
RosesAreGreen
TO ALL MICHIGAN FANS WHO HAVE POSTED BELOW:

UM has one 12 win season and 2 11 win seasons since 1986.
MSU has one 12 win season and 2 11 win seasons since 2009.
Michigan HAS NEVER had back to back 11 win seasons.
Michigan HAS NEVER won 13 games in a season as MSU has a chance to do vs. Stanford.
UM's cycle of continuous improvement vs. MSU since the Wolvies last Big 10 championship season in football (10 years and counting....)

2004 - 45 points
2005 - 34 points
2006 - 31 points
2007 - 28 points
2008 - 21 points
2009 - 20 points
2010 - 17 points
2011 - 14 points
2012 - 12 points
2013 - 6 points

Hoke's 3 teams have been outscored by MSU 67-32 (minus 35)
Rich Rod's 3 teams were outscored by MSU 95-58 (minus 37)

That's progress!!! Keep up the good work!

______________________________

2. To beat Ohio State, Connor Cook had to play the game of his life. What are the Spartans chances if he just has an average game against Stanford? How does the loss of Max Bullough factor in your answer?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

To beat Ohio State? Certainly Connor Cook had a career game and certainly that was a significant contribution, but I do not believe it was the passing yards and much as it was the resilience of the team that ultimately got the win.

Connor Cook will have the best game he can, come 5:00 pm (EST) on 1/1/14. We are fortunate that the Cardinal pass defense is not the best the Spartans have faced this season. Statistically, it is only marginally better than tO$U, which makes it the 11th best faced this season. tO$U, IU, Northwestern are ranked lower. The Stanford pass defense, statistically, is comparable to Youngstown State. Just as a point of reference.

Max? Max will be on the field in spirit. You can count on that.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

I think calling it the "game of his life" is a bit a of a stretch. From a QB rating stand point it was his 5th best game of the season against a defense that ranked 11th in the B1G in passing yards allowed and 9th in the B1G in QB rating allowed. It was a solid performance on a big stage which is always good to see a guy not buckle under pressure. With that said, I am firmly in the mindset that with Bullough suspended everyone else (coaches, offense and defense) need to step their game up that much. Cook needs have another solid performance and maybe even better than B1G Championship Game. The offense needs to sustain drives to give the defense a rest from Stanford's physical offense. The offense might have to put a few extra points on the board. The offense also needs to not turn the ball over and give Stanford extra shots at the defense. Cook is integral to those things and I think giving extra opportunities to Stanford is going to be a bad thing.

______________________________

3. I felt that Spartans "been there before" would help them in the B1G Championship Game. The shoe is now on the other foot as Stanford knows this Rose Bowl Week spectacle very well. Added in with other intangibles like time zone, travel, warm weather would you consider a win at the Rose Bowl a bigger upset than beating Ohio State? Why?

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

I don't know if it will be a bigger upset. I mean it was more than OSU folks that were banking on that win. There were businesses marketing travel stuff to OSU fans to the National Championship Game even before they played us. But as far as statements go, it will be big. MSU is stepping into the heart of Pac 12 country to play a team that is highly rated and used to the atmosphere. ESPN has been pushing the 100th Rose Bowl too so there will be a lot of eyes on this one. Also, its one thing to beat the team that is perceived to be the cream of the weak B1G and its another to beat a team that is perceived to be the cream of the Pac 12. So while you are not stopping a 2 year undefeated streak and ending a teams National Championship dreams, you are still making a statement that we are legit.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Well, yea, there is that big parade and Disneyland and warm weather, but the boys in green have been faced with distractions many times now. It's not like this is their first trip out of State and it certainly is not like this is their first bowl game. Would I consider it a bigger upset? To start with, I predicted the MSU win over OSU and I have predicted a MSU win over Stanford so I really can not answer this question in the context of an upset.

But it certainly will be the sweeter victory.

______________________________

4. What are the chances that Stanford wins and it's not even close? How about the idea that MSU wins and it's not even close; more or less likely than Stanford winning by a wide margin?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Stanford 24 versus Michigan State 35

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)
Neither team is known for running away from opponents. Both teams have only 4 wins this season of 20 points or more. Both teams also like to play a physical running offense and when they can get a lead in the second half that running game gets stronger. Defenses start to wear down and the clock starts to run down. Opponents become one dimensional and your pass rushers start pinning their ears back. So neither team runs away in the scoring column because they limit their own opportunities with this style. But because of the way they play a 10 point lead can seem like a 20 point lead.

I don't think either team opens up a large margin. I think MSU getting out to a lead early is going to help. The loss of Bullough is big because of the number of facets it impacts. Replacing a 6-4, 250 lbs guy in the middle with a 6-1, 225 is going to mean that guy is going to wear down faster than Bullough against a relentless rushing attack. If we can get Stanford in a position where they can't run as often as they would like that is going to save that guy. And if that guy in the middle can't hold up alone and needs support, Stanford has smart enough coaches to attack where those guys are supposed to be.

In my opinion, that is the linchpin for the entire game: what does MSU have to do to take pressure off that position? If the offense can get out and put some pressure on Stanford to try and move the ball down the field quicker that is one way. If Narduzzi can out chess match Stanford's attack so they are chasing holes and weaknesses that are not there any more that is another. Heck if the combo of Elsworth and Harris can somehow hold up over 60 minutes of pounding that works too. But if Stanford can attack where it wants to attack and pick up chuck yards, they will take advantage of that all day. Look at what they did against Oregon: 66 rushes and 13 passes. That is their goal and we need to figure out how to not allow it.

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MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: Part 2 - Neighborhood Bully/Feasting on Huskers (ATownAndDown)

Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to
a variety of questions surrounding the Spartans program. 

Because of the significance of the MSU-UM Rivalry Game and the bye week results,

this edition of FRONT-BURNER is presented in multiple installments.

 Part 1: The Rivalry Game Aftermath and
MSU Football All-Access Video on UM Game)

Part 3 (Featuring MSUSpartan76)
Part 4 (Featuring SpartanMan82)
Part 5 (Featuring ATownAndDown)

(We encourage reader comments. Click the link at the bottom of the post.)

PART 2 (Featuring ATownAndDown)

1. How do you view UM's back-to-back collapse? What does it mean for the MSU Football program?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
MSU beat U of M twice (and UM has to be cautious of it turning into 3 times). Gardner looked beat down from the get-go against Nebraska. Nebraska also followed MSU's defensive game plan to stuff that U of M offense. U of M needs to sew up some holes and get healthy in a hurry or they are going to go out with a whimper this year. I think it goes to show the level that MSU defense can play at. They are not just going to impose their will they are going to make you earn every inch you get. By the way, YSU is the only team to win their next game following playing MSU. MSU's defense is no joke.


2. Nebraska entered their game with UM as the #9 rushing defense in the B1G. They held Michigan to -20 yards rushing and tallied 7 sacks. Did MSU expose just how bad Michigan is and Nebraska simply followed up with a repeat OR did MSU break Michigan's spirit making it easy for Nebraska to put up MSU-like numbers against them? Is MSU "that good" OR did Nebraska's success leave doubt about the quality MSU's defense? Will any MSU victory other than beating Ohio State "prove" that MSU is really what their stats say they are?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
I think Nebraska mimicked a lot of what MSU did and U of M was so beat up from the week before that it worked. There might be some that question the defense we have but I think a lot have come off that "well they haven't played anyone yet" way of thinking. All MSU can do is play who is in front of them and win those games. Similar to OSU, the defense needs to continue to perform at a high level. That is going to be the way we earn "style" points nationally. Going up against Nebraska and NW, who are known for their offense, and stuffing them will help the national perception in my opinion. Even Minnesota is a nice win because they have 8 wins already.


3. You engage in or read a lot of MSU-UM social media. How would you characterize the Michigan fan-base reaction? How has the media handled the Michigan football situation in your opinion? Any surprises?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
I am not a huge reader of the Michigan Media but I have seen a lot of excuses coming from fans and a lot of Michigan Men jumping off the bandwagon. It is quite humorous because of all the Michigan Men that had U of M playing OSU back-to-back for the right to play Alabama before the season started. Hoke was a golden god; Gardner was a "Michigan-Man QB"; the defense under Mattison was finally what U of M has been historically known for. Now its RichRod's fault; Hoke can't coach up talent; Gardner is no better than Denard. It makes me laugh.


4. In the wake of the Spartans success against UM and Michigan's exposed ineptitude, comment on the way you see MSU players and coaches responding in the media to being in the state's power position. Do you see any MSU players or coaches being unprofessional or exhibiting a certain "pride before the fall" type attitude?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
I think MSU has been pretty classy for the most part. The response pretty much across the board has been "It was a nice win but we have to get ready for Nebraska." Even with the whole Lewan-Lewis situation, it would have been easy to take some potshots but everyone really took the position that its done and over and that is something for the B1G to deal with. MSU wants to beat U of M for the rivalry thing but there have always been larger goals in mind under Coach D. The guys are focused on winning the conference. If that is prideful then I guess it is what it is.

Do you have any messages or suggestions for Spartan fans eager to chime in? How should Spartan fans "handle success"? How should Spartan fans interact with UM fans in social media or personally?
More


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Ranking The chUMps?

From:
MLive AP voter: Alabama gets a pass, Michigan State up one, Michigan narrowly misses spot
Quote:

"The Michigan Wolverines could be back to Top 25 football again, gaining some momentum with that overtime win at Northwestern.

"Yes, Big Blue beat Notre Dame head to head, but there's a transitive properties deal involving Michigan State, and it's hard to ignore the Irish's wins over the Spartans, Arizona State and USC.

"If Michigan wins again next week, there's a good chance they'll be in my Top 25."

UoLM? 7-3, 3-3 UoLM?

The team that barely eked wins against Akron and UConn and got totally dominated by the Spartans and then, after watching reruns, the Cornhuskers showed the MSU game was not a fluke and UoLM really is that bad.

This is the same team that lost to Penn St.? 4OT loss, yes, but Penn St.?
Ok, Penn St. is not all that bad, but UoLM barely eked out a win, 3OT, versus the Mildcats of Northwestern. NU is 4-6, 0-6 in conference play. It's sort of like getting excited about beating Purdue.

Now M-4 claims a win at Iowa will propel the chUMps back into the national relevance? A win over the 6-4, 3-3 Hawkeyes is that significant?

Just another example of M-4 at work.





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Little Missygan Honestly

Posted on MLive.com: Michigan's Brady Hoke: 'Honestly, we're a pretty good football team'

"The way our kids stuck together, it was like a high school football game. They were (on the sidelines) chanting ‘defense’ when the defense was on the field."

High school is such an apt description for at least 4 games played this season, probably more could be added to the list if one actually looked at the games. The game that steps forward to the top of the list is the 3OT win over Northwestern, which "proves" the University of Little Missygan (UolM) is a top tier program and the M-4 is ready to propel them back into the top 25 with win at Iowa.

A 3OT win over a hapless 4-6/0-6 Mildcats team is proof of what again? A 27-19 decision means what exactly for a team that averages over 34 points/game?
Beating a middle-of-the-pack 6-3/3-3 Hawkeyes team in Iowa City is probably the apex of the season for 7-3/3-3 UolM, should they manage to get lucky enough to escape with a win. On the other hand, Northwestern took Iowa to OT before losing 17-10.

All this means is, after all the years we Spartans have had to put up with elitist crap posted by dUMb chUMps, Skunkbears, and M-4 (the Michigan Mainstream Media Machine), we are now witnessing this self-proclaimed superior program settling for mediocrity.

As well it should.

Thank you Coach Hoax for your honesty.


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MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: Are We Trying Too Hard to Criticize?

Our weekly feature on MSU Football brings diverse responses to a variety of questions surrounding the Spartans program. Even as the team appears to be coming together, our panelists present unique opinions about many facets of Spartan football.

[By the way - You can now share this site via any of the following URLs]

SpartanResource.com

DUMPthechUMps.com

BEATchUMps.com

Spartanresource.blogspot.com

Below are this week's questions. Reader comments are welcome by clicking the link at the bottom of the post.

1. Is the MSU offense a problem or a concern any longer? Why or why not?
2. Should a second Spartans quarterback have seen playing time against Indiana?
3. Did you observe any interesting developments, plays or story-lines from Saturday's game that may have gone largely unnoticed or lacked meaningful media focus?
4. Should MSU be ranked in the Top 25?
5. What do you think will happen when Indiana gets a shot at Michigan next weekend?

-------------------------------

1. Is the MSU offense a problem or a concern any longer? Why or why not?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
We can't ignore what happened 3 weeks ago. I am right there with everyone that the offense has made some nice improvements over the past few weeks and there were signs of hope against ND even. But Cook isn't magically Kirk Cousins accurate, the WR's still have some hold your breath moments and the RB's are not exactly Ringer and Caulcrick either. I know we don't need a ton of offense to win football games but there are going to be games we need the offense to perform in tight competition in order to win. Can they do that? In 2011 we had an offense that could pick up the slack when needed. I don't just want to win a some games, I want a championship and that is going to mean more than just average output when we need something extra.

SpartanMan82 (See all of his posts here)
The Offense is no longer a major problem, it's just not a team strength. Cook has established himself at Quarterback, we now have a true running-back, and several receivers have made great catches the past few weeks. Even the Tight End came into play. The O-Line is a net positive, especially with pass protection.

This team will be defined by it's Defense, but the Offense is now part of the playing group.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
A problem? No. A concern? Always. We have seen improvements but we have also seen mistakes. As the season progresses, it will be tougher to win and the offense can not have any kind of regression if MSU wants to have a successful season. Across the board we have seen improvements and we are delighted with the progress but there still is a lot to do and there is a high ceiling for this team. There was a dropped pass. There were a couple of badly inaccurate throws. There needs to be more yards gained on the ground. There were mistakes on offense that could cost the team badly in future games especially since we can anticipate a defensive letdown here and there. There is a lot of youth. The biggest concern is that they get cocky.

Return2Glory (Follow him on M-Live)

YES - The question about the offense has changed. It was, "Will this offense ever be be functional?" The team has given us a resounding "Yes". The question now is, "Can this offense be functional against a top notch defense?" - We likely won't be able to get a "yes" to that question unless MSU gets to it's second B1G Championship in three years. We could could get "no" answers prior to then. 

2. Should a second Spartans quarterback have seen playing time against Indiana?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
Actually, no. Cook needed to solidify his position and gain additional confidence and experience. Now, in the Purdue game, Coach Dantonio needs to start giving another QB snaps. Hopefully as many as 1/3 of the snaps (ala Brian Hoyer).

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
No, no, no. I know what Coach D said about playing a second QB when Cousins was a senior but that was different than this year. Regardless of how you see the QB race going in 2014 and 2015, Cook is going to be around for those seasons too. We are not playing for 2014 and 2015 right now. We are playing for this season and we need Cook to get as much work in and see as much as he can before we get in a tight contest. I can understand if it was 42-14 in the 4th, then its classy to get the starter out. But Cook needs those reps because the defenses of U of M, Nebraska, and NW (while have each had their own issues in their own right) are better than what we saw last week or will see over the next two weeks. Its one thing to have a QB rating of 150 against Indiana and its another to do so in Lincoln, Nebraska. Cook needs to be ready.

SpartanMan82 (See all of his posts here)
Yes, and it should have been Tyler O'Connor. At some point in that game, TOC needed some reps. Cook should be running the ball on designed keepers about ten times per game. Teams with running QBs need to have viable backups. TOC should have gotten at least three series in that game.

Not trying to revive a "quarterback controversy", just trying to avoid running into another one later. Remember what caused the problem the last two years was the under-playing of the backup QBs, Maxwell two years ago and Cook last year. TOC needs to finish this season with at least 50 pass attempts and at least 25 carries.

3. Did you observe any interesting developments, plays or story-lines from Saturday's game that may have gone largely unnoticed or lacked meaningful media focus?

SpartanMan82 (See all of his posts here)
The RJ Shelton touchdown run came off a "Jet Sweep", the first time we had run one of those in the game. We had "shown" Jet Sweep two or three previous plays, but didn't hand off to the Jet before that scoring play.

The Jet Sweep is a good change-of-pace (non-trick) play, and we should be running it three or four times each game. Good idea to set it up first, but several players can run it, as shown by the true freshman on Saturday. It has never resulted in a serious loss or turnover, and it almost always nets positive yards even when contained. It's a simple way to put pressure on a defense.

That said, we still need to run a simple play-action Counter Bootleg Pass Option play out of an I-formation in short-yardage situations outside of the red zone. That play would be MONEY.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
Actually yes. It starts last season. The 2012 offense was dysfunctional. That has been discussed ad nauseam. What was missed was the exact moment it began. I replayed the Boise St. game and saw something that is very interesting. The first drive, Maxwell and the offense did very well. They moved the ball steadily down the field and scored a TD. The second drive ended when Lippett bobbled the ball into the hands of a Bronco defender. That was the moment the offense started to "choke." Add to it the Lippett fumble in the 3rd quarter and the receivers started pressing to not make further mistakes. They started over thinking. That carried through the rest of the season and spilt into 2013. They kept choking by trying too hard and thinking too much.

Now I read that the receivers are having fun and watching them, they are relaxed and just playing football. Gone is the need to "prove" themselves. They are no longer self-inflicting needless stress and pressure on themselves to make big plays, to not make mistakes, etc.

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
Local media does a pretty good job on picking up on story lines but I have noticed the play calling has some issues still. The last two games didn't exactly start off all that impressive for the offense and it was not until we ran the ball that things started to click. We had some red zone issues against Iowa because we got a little too cute once we got close to the goal line. There were some very similar issues in the play calling a few times against Indiana but we were bailed out by someone making a play. When I say getting cute, I am talking about end arounds and the wild cat formation type play calls. Against ND, Iowa and Indiana our bread and butter physical play was moving the ball. Then when we got close we decided to change things up for some reason. Force the other team to stop us when we are doing what we do best. Don't throw your second tier stuff out there and hope they are fooled both to open the game and in scoring situations.

Return2Glory (Follow him on M-Live)

I loved the successfully executed screen plays. I've been looking for that forever! Keep them coming - both inside and outside, RBs, WRs, TEs, FBs. Go crazy with it vs. Purdue.

NEXT "TRICK PLAY": The fake 1st half ending kneel down - pass into the flat (or a streak) to Langford and see if he can outrun everyone. No risk as long as it is a forward pass. Call it "Tiny Tim" after his hit song "Tip Toe Through the Tulips". It was "there" at the end of the first half vs Indiana.

4. Should MSU be ranked in the Top 25?

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
I don't think MSU is top-25 material yet. And really what have we done to prove that we deserve that. I get the record thing but your record is just as much about who you beat as it is about who you lose to. Our only loss is to ND but our best win was against Iowa and that is not exactly a resume building win especially considering Iowa is going to have to beat OSU, Wisconsin, U of M, NW or Nebraska to make a bowl game this year. Indiana is a borderline bowl team too. WMU hasn't won a game yet. USF is 2-4 right now. And Youngstown State isn't even in the same division. So its tough for me to say that MSU deserves to be in the top-25 because they have beaten some pretty bad teams. Some solid wins against two more bad teams will go a ways but beating teams that are perceived as on MSU's level will solidify it in my mind.

SpartanMan82 (See all of his posts here)
Probably, but who cares? The rankings are a sham, and will be phased out during our lifetimes. Our current ranking is purely a function of our pre-season rank, and that was a blind and/or biased guess by some folks who aren't very bright.

Had MSU been a preseason Top Ten team, they would be in the Top Ten right now. Since they weren't, they aren't. Who cares?

These are the final years of college football before the real playoffs begin, probably about five to ten years from now. Anybody can vote for anybody in the meantime, but those votes will be rendered uninteresting and ultimately meaningless once the real playoffs are established.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
No and it really does not matter. Rankings never win games. Even after the Spartans manhandle the Boilermakers this Saturday, there will still be doubters. Even so, a 6-1 MSU might slip into the bottom of the top 25. But there will still be many who doubt MSU because they have played "nobody."

Return2Glory (Follow him on M-Live)

YES. MSU has established itself as the 3rd or 4th best team in the league. It says a lot about the conference if the 3rd/4th best team in the league with a nationally ranked defense is not in the top 25. If chUMps can be ranked 18 after the way they got to 5-0, I see no issue with being ranked 25 with the way MSU got to 5-1.

5. What do you think will happen when Indiana gets a shot at Michigan next weekend?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow him on M-Live)
Not meaning to be trite, there will be a football game. In that game, the Michigan defense will have its hands full. In that game, the Hoosier defense will have a chance to slow UM down enough to make the outcome of the game a coin toss. Both team will go into the game with things to prove. Whichever team goes in focussed, but not tense, will win. I expect the IU air attack will score its 4 TDs or maybe more. I expect the lack of a robust UM rushing attack will allow IU to stay in the game. It will come down to Gardner. If he remains the TO machine, IU wins. If not, we might see another exciting OT finish.

Going out on a limb, IU wins. Barely.

ATownAndDown (Follow him on M-Live)
Indiana gets cracked over the head by U of M. Its at home and U of M is markedly better under Hoke at home. U of M is a young team and young teams have a tendency to play down to competition and struggle a bit more on the road. Indiana has a nice offense that will move the ball on U of M but they have no defense. In the end, I see it as a similar score to that of our game with Indiana.

SpartanMan82 (See all of his posts here)
The Hoosiers will score repeatedly. So will the Wolverines. Bring your adding machines and calculators to keep up with the score. Could be another 67-65 donnybrook, like the Weasels had a few years ago against Illinois. Either team could win.

The over-under on Hoke's pre-game meal is FOUR DONUTS.

Return2Glory (Follow him on M-Live)

Ditto to SM82. Pass the Paczkies please.

BONUS: chUMps make ESPN's Bottom Ten list.

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