MSU FOOTBALL FRONT-BURNER: Big Ten Champions 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 will be published in three parts between now and the Rose Bowl:
1. B1G Championship Game Discussion
2. MSU 2013 Season Discussion
3. Rose Bowl and Beyond Discussion

Panelists:

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s posts)

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Part 1 Discussion Questions (Please send additional questions in COMMENTS below the post.)

1. Wow, how about the REFS in that championship game? They seemed to control the game without distorting the process, making every correct call and non-call without controversy. Many fans were concerned about Buckeye bias in the interest of the Big Ten. Did the strong chorus of concerns preempt an orchestrated officiating bias? What do you think of the Big Ten officiating to Jim Delany tie-in theories?

2. And what was that smirky "thank-you" by Delany to the losing team on the championship podium? It seemed a little bit jammed-in, and it seemed to preempt Dantonio from mentioning them on his own. Does Jim Delany really eat Buckeye Nuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Does he even realize why he was being booed? How do you think it happened that the confetti used in the celebration was blue and yellow?

3. Okay, enough about Delany. How cool was it to be up by 17 in the first half? How many "chUMps" did you dUMp in your shorts while you watched Ohio STATE score 24 in a row? When Geiger kicked his second-half field-goal, were you thinking it might be the start of another 17-0 run to finish? Have you ever seen a game so clearly divided into three parts like that?

4. What about the play-calling by Michigan State? Many have had issues with play-calls throughout the season, but it seemed to work out right on Saturday night in Indy. What do you think?

5. OSU finished with relatively gaudy offensive numbers against MSU, drawing some surprising post-game criticism of the Defense, which remains rated #1 in Rush Defense, 3rd-down completion-% defense, and Total Defense, and also in the Top Five in Passing Efficiency defense, First-Down defense, and Scoring defense. What's up with that? How do you view the performance by the MSU-D in the championship game?

6. What other observations or comments do you have about the game, the meaning of MSU's win, fan/media reaction or other story lines?


Panelist Responses (Join in using the comments link at the bottom of the web version post.)

1. Wow, how about the REFS in that championship game? They seemed to control the game without distorting the process, making every correct call and non-call without controversy. Many fans were concerned about Buckeye bias in the interest of the Big Ten. Did the strong chorus of concerns preempt an orchestrated officiating bias? What do you think of the Big Ten officiating to Jim Delany tie-in theories?

SpartanMan82 (See SM82's Post: UM Names Awards For Banquet)
We finally got a game without serious trouble from the officials, and look at the results. There have been far too many MSU football games skewed by crazy calls and/or non-calls, leaving a sour taste over a bitter loss. Not this one. The refs were clean, and the game was clean.

Delany certainly helped both Ohio STATE and Michigan by choosing not to impose penalties on the dozen or more un-penalized players who started and/or participated in the on-field fracas in Ann Arbor. But this game offered no evidence for the conspiracy theories about special favors for those two schools.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

The officiating in the B1G Ten Championship game left a little to be desired. The number of no calls were just smidgeon higher than they should. I suspect this was due to the pendulum swinging backwards. That aside, it was balanced. MSU got away with a couple as did OSU, so they did not tilt the playing field.
I read in a fan post on MLive.com that ESPN had broached this topic and discussed the possibility of B1G Ten bias in officiating. I have not been able to verify that, but it was obliquely discussed lately on the Big Ten Network in reference to the Notre Dame game and how those questionable pass interference calls probably cost MSU a shot at the National Championship game. I believe that the discussion had its desired effect. I also believe that there was bias against MSU under instructions from Delany and it goes back at least as far as the Gholston suspension and Narduzzi "admonishment" after the UolM game in 2011.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

The officiating wasn't bad. Really it appeared that they took a "let the players decide the outcome" approach in my opinion. There were a lot of no calls. In particular, OSU was getting away with quite a bit of grabbing in the trenches which created a lot of the gap issues we had there in the middle of the game. All in all, I thought it was pretty clean and anything that would have swayed the outcome would have been pretty obvious. I know Jim Delany is in love with the idea of the Big 2 and Little 8 (and he has been called out a few times for that) but its tough on that kind of stage to influence the outcome. Its one thing to dish out suspensions with that bias in mind and its another to have your refs clearly leaning toward one team in what will be the highest rated game of your conferences season.

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2. And what was that smirky "thank-you" by Delany to the losing team on the championship podium? It seemed a little bit jammed-in, and it seemed to preempt Dantonio from mentioning them on his own. Does Jim Delany really eat Buckeye Nuts for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Does he even realize why he was being booed? How do you think it happened that the confetti used in the celebration was blue and yellow?



ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

The confetti color? Really? That might be stretching the conspiracy a little far. I doubt Delany would have intentionally insulted OSU like that given his desire and the general assumption that it would be them on that podium. In reallity, I think Delany's only bias is for the color green... as in the color of money. Everyone knows football is what brings in the most money (even though Men's basketball is respectable, football is crown jewel). With that in mind, Delany wants to emphasize what he sees to be the only brands in the conference. He doesn't care about ensuring safety, even playing field, good competition, etc. He thinks if OSU goes to the National Championship and U of M goes to the Rose Bowl means higher revenues for the conference. Could you imagine how much he desperately wanted U of M vs. OSU in back-to-back weeks. Instead of a conference like the SEC cramming the regular season schedule with top-10 matchups, Delany would prefer to have those two flag ships. In reality its an outdated business model (think of Ford with the Mustang).

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s Post: November's chUMps of the Month)

Well, it was a bit odd. Maybe he's not a good public speaker? The blue and yellow confetti was just plain dUMb, and it may well have been slipped into the plans by a wolverine operative outside of the domain of Delany. Having seen lots of kids over the past few years, I've continually noticed the prevalence of those colors on children's toys. Apparently, those two colors are "childish".

If Drew Sharp is right about his conspiracy theory with Delany, it's just another sad fact about our world. To see only limited evidence to support the theory in this game does not refute the theory; it just doesn't add support to it. If Sharp is right, then we all should be grateful for his media campaign to expose it.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Delany blew it. He forgot to set the context. He was embarrassed on national TV. Karma payback to my way of thinking. The benefit of the doubt gets inserted here. Mr. Delany probably intended to have the crowd cheer for OSU for having played a good game. One always should congratulate both teams and I suspect he just forgot one of his lines. OSU did deserve a round of applause. The played a great game.

I heard from someone who heard from someone in the B1G Ten offices that UolM and OSU are "protected" programs. I suspect there is some truth in that. In the least case, the UolM vs OSU end of season game is protected and for the foreseeable future will always be the last game of the season.

Blue and yellow confetti. Yes. I saw it. Who cares. What is also amusing is that last night a fanatics.com advertisement on BTN had a lady shopping and buying just UolM gear. They blew that big time. I used to get my gear from Fanatics, but now I have to reconsider. What do you think? Was that just another example of media bias?
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3. Okay, enough about Delany. How cool was it to be up by 17 in the first half? How many "chUMps" did you dUMp in your shorts while you watched Ohio STATE score 24 in a row? When Geiger kicked his second-half field-goal, were you thinking it might be the start of another 17-0 run to finish? Have you ever seen a game so clearly divided into three parts like that?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

I sat there mesmerized. I could not believe that OSU was stopped cold and MSU was slicing and dicing at will. I had actually begun to harbor the notion of a MSU blowout. Then the cold splash of reality as OSU manned up and muscled back into the game. At that point I began harboring the notion that the tide had turned and MSU was going to go home again 1 step shy of the goal. The Spartan Dawgs chomped and the lion roared and MSU took over the game again. I was riveted and my family left me alone, completely, until Langford iced the win. That game belongs near the top of the list of all time classics. Yes. Act I. Act II. Act III. Does that make Dantonio the next Shakespeare? "The wheel is come full circle."

As an aside...
We have had 2 major winter storms here since the game. I do believe Hell froze over -- MSU won.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

We got out to the exact start I thought we needed to in order to win. The thing I didn't anticipate in my model game was a 24-0 run against our defense. Give OSU credit. They have a very good football team and were resilient in pushing through a rough start. The funny thing to look at is my Tweets (shameless plug @TheATownAndDown) and twice I mentioned how early in the game OSU had opportunities early in the game but couldn't get things going. It seemed like a blocker out of place or a nice open field tackle caused them to stumble early. Then they got things together. In my opinion the offense won the game for us. Geiger kicked the FG and everything seemed to level off. Defense stopped OSU but not before they flipped the field. Then the offense went on a 8 play 90 yard drive that ended with a TD to take the lead. Right there was where we claimed the momentum that we road to the finish. Offense stepped up and made plays to stop the bleeding and to steal the momentum.

SpartanMan82 (See SM82's Posts: UM is Dirtiest Team in America)

Pretty cool, several, not so much, and never. This was a truly unique game, with three double-digit scoring runs and two lead-changes. Give credit to both teams for their comebacks.

It's worth noting that the second field-goal came off a third-down failure, yet adding the points rather than panicking was the right move, according to the invisible rules of "Tressel-Ball". I've been critical of early-game field-goal attempts by Dantonio, especially those that missed (like at Notre Dame this year). But this one was a solid decision, and without it, the game may have turned out differently.

We all need to recognize and realize that Dantonio follows the rules of "Tressel-Ball" at all times, and that system DOES NOT include "entertainment" as a goal. We will have ugly wins in this system (like Purdue this year) that are difficult to watch. While this game was extremely exciting, MSU will still be following that system for years to come under Dantonio.

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4. What about the play-calling by Michigan State? Many have had issues with play-calls throughout the season, but it seemed to work out right on Saturday night in Indy. What do you think?

SpartanMan82 (See SM82's Post: 10-Year Battle MSU vs UM)

The play-calling seemed just about perfect in retrospect. Blitzing was tricky with the running threat by Miller, but we were able to do some of that, and we thankfully did not use any play from a wildcat formation on third-down. It looks like the play-calling critiques from earlier in the season were due to the "getting to know you" effect of a new Offensive Coordinator along with a new offensive backfield and a new approach to game-planning and play-calling during the game. Our coaches did a great job.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

Three words: Why Nick Hill? Once again, play calling was good but not great. There were still head scratchers like putting Hill in when Langford had finally gotten things going and Williams had come in a run for a solid 3 yards. And they didn't do anything special with his being in the game. It just seems like they are too willing to move on from what is working to try to see if something else can work. I am all for calling a play that you intend to go for 3 yards in order to set up the one for 20+ but there is a certain point you just have to milk what is working until your opponent can stop it.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

To try to second guess or Monday morning quarterback the coaching staff without having been part of the planning and execution of the game plan is just making noise. The coaches have to adapt based on so many things that we do not see and, well the bottom line is... B1G TEN CHAMPIONS. All else can be forgiven.
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5. OSU finished with relatively gaudy offensive numbers against MSU, drawing some surprising post-game criticism of the Defense, which remains rated #1 in Rush Defense, 3rd-down completion-% defense, and Total Defense, and also in the Top Five in Passing Efficiency defense, First-Down defense, and Scoring defense. What's up with that? How do you view the performance by the MSU-D in the championship game?

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

Gaudy numbers? Rushing, perhaps. But OSU was held to 85% of their season average rushing. OSU had 101 yards passing (48% of the season average) and 374 yards total offense (70%). While the rushing was the most given up by Duzzi's Dawgs, the Buckeyes were stopped. In my post game report, I review the game in detail. We saw Braxton Miller have a 142 yard day, which shows just how good he is. However, that consisted of rushes of 48, 24, and 21 yards plus an additional 18 rushes that averaged 2.7 yds/carry. The Spartan Dawgs gave up a few big plays but otherwise shut down OSU. Those big plays could have been passes except B. Miller is not know for his prowess throwing the ball.

The bottom line is: 24 points, which is 50% of the OSU average scoring and the lowest point total for the Buckeyes in 2013 so far.  I'd say the Spartans can claim they have been tested and THEY PASSED with flying colors.

SpartanMan82 (See SM82s Posts: Glaring Media Bias and True Lies About MythAgain)

This comes from the "unfair criticism of MSU" department of the Michigan Mainstream Media Machine (M4). Most teams are judged solely by wins and losses, but the Spartans have to do everything right to avoid getting picked on. Ohio STATE was held to their season low in scoring, and Michigan State won by double-digits, but to the wolverine-loving sports reporters, the performance was imperfect, therefore, it should be noted for all to see.

Give me a break! This is as dUMb as when Mike Griffith of MLive claimed that the Defense could only be "legitimate" or "validated" if the team was invited to play in the Rose Bowl. The Spartan Defense won the game by keeping OSU under control, and allowing only one first-down conversion on a third-down or fourth-down play. Sure, they gained yards, and yes, they scored points. But except for a limited stretch at the end of the first half and beginning of the second half, the Buckeye Offense did not control the game.

I would give the MSU Defense an "A" for the game.

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

OSU averages over 46 points per game and they had a season low 24 against us. OSU averaged well over 500 yards per game and they were held to a season low 374 against us. OSU averages 7.24 yards per play this year and we were one of the two defenses to hold them under 6 yards per play. OSU converts about half their 3rd downs this year and they went 1 for 10 against us. OSU averages over 25 first downs per game and were held to a season low 20 on Saturday. The point is OSU might have put up gaudy numbers compared to what our defense has allowed this season but compared to what we have seen from OSU all year, our defense performed well. Think of it this way alone, tell me one team that wouldn't take cutting their opponents scoring average in half if offered that before the game. I would bet that Auburn would love to hold FSU to under 27 points in the national championship game. That is what we did to OSU's #3 scoring offense.
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6. What other observations or comments do you have about the game, the meaning of MSU's win, fan/media reaction or other story lines?

ATownAndDown (Follow A-Town on M-Live)

This was an epic win on a number of different levels. Everyone already knows my feelings on this being the first step in really changing the perception of MSU football on a national level. But its more than that inside the program. Its a point of pride that we earned our way into the Rose Bowl and didn't back in as a result of OSU going to the National Championship game. It was also a historical victory for the program too and I am sure I don't need to get into all those facts. Recruiting is another angle too. While I don't think there will be an immediate jump and the 5-star guys will be flocking in, Coach D has done a great job slowly improving recruiting and that win give him more than enough ammo to continue that upward trend.

One final thing that we should give credit too (and its off base from the B1G Championship Game victory) but Coach D has now won 11 or more games in 3 of the past 4 seasons which is impressive. But to put it in perspective for us, MSU had never won 11 games in a season before Coach D and had only ever won double-digit games twice before. That is pretty darn impressive to think about.

MSUSpartan76 (Follow '76 on M-Live)

This falls under the much ado about nothing. There is a ELPD are seeking the identity of the MSU supporter who showed the "Burn the Couches" sign at the game.  Agreed that burning couches in the streets is totally unacceptable and those students and non-students responsible should be held accountable and prosecuted. But the sign? Unless there is much more to this, such as it being a signal to domestic terrorists, it borders on the ridiculous.

I posed the question about those unacceptable celebrations to my wife and she came up with exactly the same solution as I posted on MLive.com, which was: MSU needs to plan and sanction a bonfire celebration. This would get evveryone into one place under controlled conditions and the students can have their dance. We had a bonfire in 72 on campus. There were over 10,000 of us there. It was great. The point is to channel the enthusiasm and the celebration.

What is intriguing about this is that it is being presented as if it only happens at MSU. It happens all over the country, including at that school down the road.

SpartanMan82 (See SM82's Post:  UM Students Arrested)

The M4 has done it again! MSU wins a major championship in a major sport, and the media wants us all to believe that we're supposed to be ashamed of ourselves because some future-former-students started a harmless bonfire in the student ghetto area. OMG. What does one thing have to do with another?

Don't take the bait on this, there is no connection whatsoever between the MSU Football team and the actions of drunken young people in a non-residential section of East Lansing. You don't have to feel "shame" for what they did, or even get baited into any discussions about it.

The Cedar Village un-registered "block parties" have been going on sporadically for decades, and they are not connected to MSU sports. Don't let the extraneous side-track about this incident take away from your enjoyment and respect for Mark Dantonio, his coaching staff, and his team.



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