Michigan State 23, Michigan 32; The Spartans are 2-6, 0-5 in the B1G.

Over the course of last week I accepted the fact that the Spartans are having a bad year and the Warbaughrines are having a great year. Once I accepted that reality, I understood that there is no reason getting upset with the inevitable outcome. This doesn’t mean that I gave up on my boys, hardly. Hell, I rooted my ass off and pulled as hard as a fan can pull for them to win. But I didn’t allow myself to get angry or riled-up when UM did something good or a call went there way. Looking back, it was a fun day of football and I didn’t come away in a terrible mood or a week-long funk or any of that over-the-top fan shit.

Well, let’s have a quick look…

• The offense was almost good enough. Three TDs and a FG was good for 23 points which is more than most against this defense. But three trips inside the 10-yard line with no TDs, plus a missed FG and a missed two-point conversion. Too many points left off the board. Solid almost.
• Three QBs went 13/28 for 184 yards, two TDs and a pick. O’Connor has his moments but it’s clear that he’s not special. Cousins was special, Maxwell was not. Cook was special. O’Connor is not. But was about Lewerke? More upside than O’Connor, much better scrambler and runner, inconsistent in terms of accuracy, but will benefit from more experience. Are all three of these guys banged up now?
• Receiver corps did their best  with RJ Shelton, LJ Scott, Josiah Price and Monty Madaris making things happen. Donny Corley changed numbers didn’t he? That was throwing me for a while. Overall, I didn’t really see any dropped passes so good job skill position players.
• Give it up for LJ Scott and his 139 yards and a TD. Hard, tough running when the blocking was not good, and explosive when the blocking was okay. Nice job Larry. Overall, 42 carries for 217 yards, those are solid rushing numbers against the #1 defense in the land.
• The defense has been a bigger problem than the offense this year, and although they played better than they have all year, it was still a problem. Michigan threw for 244 yards (no TDs) and ran for 192 yards and three TDs. Amara Darboh had a great day with eight catches for 165 yards, and half of those were amazing hauls in tight coverage. I’m happy to see him ship out to the NFL.
• Fucking Jabril Peppers, I kind of hate that dude. Yes, he’s a freak athlete of the rarest kind. I do feel like the Spartans did a good job minimizing his impact. He was a serious threat throughout the game but he wasn’t a game-changer like Darboh. Anyway, go pro Peppers, we don’t need to see you again next year.
• Apparently the Spartan fans were chanting “Fuck Jim Harbarugh”. I don’t agree with chanting that but I do agree with the thought. Not very classy but it clearly expresses the way I feel about Harbs. His new glasses look ridiculous on him, he can’t pull that look off. Harbaugh is not cool, has never been cool and will never be cool, so why try and pull off “cool” glasses? And good Lord, get them adjusted so you don’t have to keep pushing them up index finger to bridge of the frames every few minutes like a total spaz. From his Evil Dead jaw to his yellow teeth to his pleated then not-pleated khakis to his cleats to his Faux Bo hat and sweater, he’s just a

  characteture. He’s a good coach but he’s also a total clown. Mark my words, he either leaves for the NFL or he leaves Michigan in disgrace within five years.

• Last point, why the two point conversion. Totally puzzling. There is no time left so this doesn’t really matter, but if mathematically there is still a chance, you need to do everything possible to win, right? So, with one second left MSU is down by seven and has a PAT attempt before kicking off to UM. If they make a kick, the lead drops to six. If they make the two-pointer, it drops to five. Either way, you need a TD on the kickoff and a PAT for the win for the former. So why go for two? It does nothing except having a lower success percentage meaning there is a higher chance that the Spartans don’t make it and now we need a TD and PAT just to tie, all off of the kickoff. Of course, it all backfired when MSU fumbled the pitch and Peppers ran it back for a two-point score. Someone explain this one to me, please.

Okay, Michigan week is behind us, Paul Bunyan is living in Ann Arbaugh for the year (sorry Paul) and Michigan fans get bragging rights for a year. Done and done.

Oh yeah, thanks for wearing the green pants, the all green is my favorite uniform combo.

Looking ahead the Spartans travel to Illinois next week for a Noon game. Officially, they need to win out to become bowl eligible. It’s possible but not probable. I do want a win next week and the following week vs. Rutgers. Bases on how MSU played this week, there is no reason why they can’t put away these two squads, but if you look at the record you could say it’s anybodies ballgame. And who is going to be under center?

Go GREEN!!!

 

Michigan Week.

Hey, you. Yeah, you. It’s Michigan week.

Are you fired up?

It’s easy to stand proud when your team is nationally ranked and winning all of the time. And we’ve enjoyed that stature recently, but this year is not that. Far from it.

Now is the time to show your true colors, the only colors. Now is the time to be a Spartan.

Growing up in the 1970s and 1980s in Michigan, most kids were Michigan fans. Those kids made the choice to be Michigan fans because it was popular, and Michigan was popular because they won. Hell, they’ve won more football games than any other college football team. I get it. I get it, it was safe, it was popular, hell it was downright expected. It was simply not for me.

Maybe 1% actually attended the UofM, but that’s okay. Yes, there is something distinctly sad about a person who roots for the University of Michigan but attended Central Michigan or Albion or Northwood or Oakland Community College. Next time you see a Michigan fan all decked out, ask them where they attended college. You’ll be shocked. The answer is almost never Michigan. They get a little angry too. No one like being called out.

Michigan alum and students, you earned the right to be Michigan fans. Good on you. No ill will from me. You got in, did the work, paid the price and earned it. Sing that fight song loud. For those of you who have parents that graduated from Michigan, you get a pass too, I guess, but your still kind of sad. Come on, live your own life, make up your own mind, step up.

Because most Michigan fans are really just poseurs clinging to the maize and blue in a desperate attempt at unfulfilled pre-teen security or popularity, they end up lacking any real depth in terms of support for their team. They shrink and cease to exist when the going gets tough. Between the RichRod and Hoke debacles, they were very quiet. But now Harbaugh is here and everyone is hailing their victors and building cases to hold national championship trophies. The fans are louder and more arrogant as if to make up for lost time.

Spartans, let’s not be like that. Let’s keep it level. Let’s enjoy the winning years with enthusiasm and joy, but let’s stand behind our school in the lean years with pride and support. Let’s never shrink. Let’s never blow hard. Let’s never be like, well, Michigan.

Michigan State is 2-5, 0-4 in the B1G. This is as down of a down year as you can have without being winless. We did beat Notre Dame, but that isn’t worth all that much this year. And yet I still hold hope and optimism that we can beat Michigan.

We’ve won with inferior teams before. We’ve spoiled their perfect records before. We’ve got problems and we’ve got issues, but we’ve also got talent and we’ve got passion. We have 75,000 Spartan fans in Spartan Stadium and hundreds of thousand Spartan fans around the country. Real fans. Honest fans. Spartans.

I hope the guys fly out of the tunnel on Saturday. I hope they are barely able to stand still on the side lines. I hope they have a little blood in the eye as they take the field in the second half. It won’t be easy, but that’s why it’s worthwhile.

It wasn’t easy being a Michigan State fan all those years of my youth, but that is why it was worthwhile.

Go GREEN!!! Beat Michigan.

Ah, the Narrative.

This post to The Only Colors, an excellent MSU blog in case you are unaware, by MacWhat hits the nail on the head. It covers the MSU-UofM narrative leading up to last Saturday’s game, and where we go from here. No hyperbole here, just a point of view that is sensible and fair to all parties.  Read it HERE.

I’ve already heard it on social media and in face-to-face conversation, so I assume you have heard it too. “Michigan State didn’t really win that game, they just lucked out on a freak play at the end.” I get that angle. It’s totally wrong yet kind of right all at the same time. My breakdown is as follows…

In my opinion, Michigan and Michigan State played a pretty dame evenly matched ball games with MSU gaining more yards but Michigan scoring more points. But not enough points to put State away. That’s the first issue for Michigan.

Unfortunately, the focus has been on the Michigan punter for mishandling a low snap and then continuing to attempt to punt the ball instead of just falling on it. I feel like we need to back it up and look at the play calling. When MSU stacks 11 guys all set to hell-fury-blitz-kill mode, you need to adjust your punt routine accordingly. Coach Harbaugh did not. He did not go with a max-protect formation. He did not call timeout and have a chatty-chat with his guys to tell them the shit was coming and they need to stay home and block for dear life. Nope, he let them proceed as if everything was normal. 11 guys basically against five after you adjust for the punter who can’t block, the two wide-outs and three lineman who haul-ass downfield to tackle the punt returner who isn’t there. Coach Dantonio put his guys in a position to do something, even if it was only to block the punt and get better field position for one last Hail Mary attempt. Coach Harbaugh botched it and his guys were caught off-guard thus the turn-over and touchdown.

Every football game is won on one play, it’s just not typically the final play of regulation. Hell, it often happens in the first half. Don’t get hung up on it being the last play because that isn’t really the important part, it’s only the sensational part. If Michigan State get’s that punt and scores with five minutes left, it’s possibly still the game-winning play based on how these teams were facing off towards the end. But the emotional impact is less intense as Michigan then has a chance to fight back. In this scenario, some other play might be THE play. In this game on this day, MSU made THE play.

It was a great game. Maybe the best ever between these two teams. And it went my way. The Spartans got the win this time. But it was a fight to the end, and that is the way we want it, right? It’s the way I want it. I wan’t Michigan to respect this game. I want Michigan to have to prepare for this game and know it won’t be easy. I could care less if Michigan and Michigan fans believe that Ohio State is their only rival, that’s just part of the narrative. But when you lose seven of the last eight, your narrative starts to run a little thin.

Go GREEN!!!

Perhaps the Greatest 17 Minutes of Video Ever.

Want to relive the awesome Michigan State win over Michigan, but only have about 17 minutes to spare. We gotcha covered…

Thanks MSUAndyHRCMB for this awesome video, and you should subscribe to his YouTube channel as it’s chock-full of great Spartan content.

Go GREEN!!!

Michigan State 27, Michigan 23; The Spartans are 7-0, 3-0 in the B1G.

Jalen Watts-Jackson. You are my favorite person in the world. You grabbed that faltering punt fiasco out of the air and ran it downfield with the presence of mind to avoid going out of bounds as your turned it in and push it through for the winning TD as time expired. When the words “FINAL” flashed on the screen I was jumping up and down, pointing at the TV, scaring the shit out of my dogs, freaking my wife out and basically have the best time a Spartan could possibly be having. It was magic. It was pure football narcotic if there is such a thing. I hadn’t had that exact feeling since beating Notre Dame in OT on a fake FG play called “Little Giants”. With College Gameday on hand and Desmond all smiles about 30 seconds prior, the whole world got to see this masterpiece happen. In a word, that finish was Historic.

ESPN Stats says MSU had a .2% chance of winning on the final play. Apparently, that’s all MSU needed.

Michigan fans had heart attacks. Other Michigan fans lit things on fire. Most just stood there with their mouth agape and their world shattered. It was happening. They were 10 seconds away from beating and certifying Jim Harbaugh as the second coming of Bo Schembechler.  They were 10 seconds away from 12 months of Little Brothering social media to death. It was happening but it didn’t happen… this happened. It couldn’t happen to a better school, a better coach, a better team, and really, a better fan base. Hail to the… nope, not today boy.

The last time a first year Michigan coach has beaten Michigan State goes back to 1948. Jim Harbaugh almost broke that streak. Almost.

OFFENSE

Props to Michigan’s defense, those guys are legit, and therefore the Michigan State offense is also legit. The Spartans put up 386 yards and 20 first downs against the Wolverines. The yards and points never came easy though, and the running game really never got up and running. The Spartans were forced to go to the air and they had success in the air.

Our man Connor Cook went 18-39 for 328 yards and a TD. Cook never looked rattled as he dealt with pressure and tight coverage all day. It wasn’t Cook’s best performance as a Spartan, and he didn’t lead the winning drive like he did in the Cotton Bowl or the Rose Bowl, but he did lead. He was calm, cool and collected. He protected the ball and he threw for over 300 yards against one of the nations best defenses. Nicely done Connor.

Spartan receivers had a good day but they had to work hard for what they got. Our man Aaron Burbridge had a great game with nine catches for 132 yards, and almost every one of those catches was under heavy coverage. He wasn’t very “open” but he went and got the ball, hauled it in and took the hit. Nice work Burbs.

There was also R.J. Shelton four catches for 58 yards and Macgarrett Kings Jr. with three catches for 57 yards and a TD. Kings dropped a few passes that looked catchable and would have been huge. Let’s not overlook one of the biggest plays of the day for the Spartan offense: Fullback Trevon Pendleton had one reception for 74 yards and almost a TD. That play put MSU right back in it.

On the ground, it was uphill all the way. When you include Cook’s -23 yards, the Spartans’ net rushing total was only 58 yards. Tough tough tough. Three Spartan backs each had eight carries: Gerald Holmes for 33 yards, LJ Scott for 16 yards and two TDs, and Delton Williams for 15 yards. The Wolverines shut down the run as well as any defense I’ve ever seen, that and the Spartan O-line is battered and held together with ShoeGoo and Duct Tape. Hats off to Damien Terry coming in to pick up two yards and a critical first down.

The Spartans scored 21 points on offense and that wasn’t enough to win the game. A turn-over for a score was required. But 21 points is solid versus a defense coming off back-to-back-to-back shut-outs. If MSU can score 21 on this Michigan defense, they can score 21 on anyone.

DEFENSE

The Michigan State defense didn’t shut Michigan’s offense down, but it did slow it down to a crawl for much of the game. The Wolverines had only 230 yards of total offense, 168 through the air and only 62 on the ground. The Spartans held strong on third down only allowing four of 15 for a first down, and no conversions on fourth down. Michigan was held without a TD pass.

Guys were getting after the Wolverines, and I like that. It wasn’t as dominant as the past few years, and not as barbarian either, but it was solid and effective. Demetrious Cox had eight tackles. Riley Bullough and Lawrence Thomas each had seven tackles while Grayson Miller and Darien Harris each had six tackles. Shilique Calhoun wearing 43 for this game in honor of Ed Davis had five tackles and 2 sacks.

How about that Spartan goal-line stand. First down, the refs say Michigan scores. Nope, take it back. Second down, the refs say Michigan scores. Nope, take it back again. Instant replay is my friend. Third down, the refs wait 12 seconds after forward progress has halted to blow the whistle. The line judges have already ran in, players are getting off the pile, and yet the refs still haven’t blown the whistle. And somehow they determine that a Wolverine crawling on the ground counts as a TD. Fact is the Spartans held and that TD was utter bullshit. I’m not saying the refs were biased, but it did seem like they really wanted Michigan to score. It was so strange to me. Just didn’t seem quite right. In the end, Michigan had two TDs and three FGs and that was enough until it wasn’t.

SPECIAL TEAMS

This facet of the Spartan game continues to be a challenge. It didn’t cost MSU this time, in fact, Special Teams won the game, but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a problem.

Punting has gotten weird at MSU. Tyler O’Connor handled most of the punts kicking four and averaging 38.2. O’Connor handled a crafty fake punt on fourth and eight that very nearly worked falling just a yard short. He should have thrown the ball seeing as he’s a QB and he had an open man for an easy first down. He ran it for seven when he needed eight. I applaud the gutsy call and tough running even though it fell short. We did see Jake Hartbarger for one punt of 33 yards. I’m not sure what’s going on with Hartbarger but my guess is he’s injured to some degree.

Kick returns, both punts and kick-offs continue to be scary. Jabrill Peppers averaged 27 yards on kick-off returns including a 49-yarder, and he averaged 16 yards on punt returns including a 34-yarder. Michigan had good field position coming off MSU kicks, and that is a big disadvantage for the Spartans. Especially when Michigan has three punts downed inside the 20.

I can’t comment on Michael Geiger this week as he attempted no FGs. He did make his PATs.

Let’s focus on the best thing that happened in this entire game. After turning the ball over to Michigan on downs, the Spartan defense held the Wolverines for three plays. Coach Harbaugh drained every second off of the clock that he could before calling a timeout and sending the punting team out. A punt was the right call, the odds were way on his side. The ball was snapped and there was a ton of pressure. The spartans didn’t even have anyone back to return the punt, it was all or nothing time. The punter dropped the snap. Wha? Then he picked it up, got spun around, half-ass tried to kick it and it ended up in the hands of Jalen Watts-Jackson who ran it 37 yards for a TD just as time expired. The air left Michigan Stadium. Fans gasped in horror. Coach Harbaugh looked startled and confused. The State fans went nut-balls crazy-ass insane with joy. Michigan fans died a little inside. “FINAL”. Yes!

Thank you Special Teams.

SUMMING UP

I hate Michigan. I love it when Michigan State beats Michigan. It’s even sweeter when Michigan thinks they have it won and then nope, little brother just takes it away and score. Game over. Not the victors, it’s the Spartans. Hail no!

“A mistake was made,” Harbaugh said. “Mistakes were made. It’s very unfortunate circumstances.”

Seven of the last eight, that’s a nice streak right there. This was a very, very good day. Nice work Spartans. Never give up, never say die, never turn the damn TV off early or you might must miss one of the best endings ever. Spartans Will. And did.

Way to keep it classy on national TV Michigan fans. This Wolverine fan / Patriots fan just embarrassed the entire Wolverine Nation with his knotty, scrawny middle finger. You got a face made for punching kid, so I suggest you retract that finger before it gets you into even more trouble. What a dick. Pretty much sums up most Michigan fans.

MSU has beaten two ranked teams now, maybe we won’t drop in the AP poll this week? You never know.

Next up is Indiana at home in East Lansing. The Hoosiers aren’t winning many games but they sure do put up a lot of yards on offense; almost as many as they allow on defense. Should be a good game. Watch the hangover Spartans, don’t get caught relaxing on this one.

Another year of beating the Wolverines. Love it.

Go GREEN!!!

OTE bringing the Michigan Hate.

The B1G blog Off Tackle Empire can be pretty fun and if you are a fan of the B1G, it’s a must-read. Through the summer they focus on each team for one week and they have a day-by-day schedule of topics that are informative (kind of) and funny. This week is Michigan week.

I hate Michigan.

This OTE post is the hate post. I love the lead photo too. It’s not the best I’ve ever read, but it’s very good and there are some good quotes that I feel compelled to pull out for your enjoyment:

When a program–even one so deserving of a long walk in the wilderness as Michigan–is “finally back on track” for the third time in 7 years, it’s pretty hard to do anything but pat them on the head and tell them that we can’t all be National Champions.

Remember, RichRod was a “proven” college coach, too. Hell, he won more FBS games than Harbaugh. And he was less of an asshole. Which is ironic, since he got run out of town for being an asshole.

Desmond Howard’s continued speaking role on television. “I can’t wait to see this team’s offense take on that team’s defense. There will be lots of tackling and offensive plays. That reminds me of my Heisman…”

You get the picture. Oh, and there is a fun Top10 list too in homage to David Letterman.

You can read the post here.

Michigan fans (ughh), don’t worry, Michigan State week is coming up. Bring on the same old schtick about felons, anger, little brothers, cows, etc.  There there, there there.

Go GREEN!!!

One Thing Michigan State and Ohio State Can Agree on.

Taylor Lewan, Michigan Man, is a thug.

On the field and off, apparently.

Per articles online, Lewan pleaded guilty in a plea agreement instead of facing trial for one count of aggravated assault and two counts of assault and battery following Michigan’s loss to Ohio State in “The Game”. He’s such a sweet guy, even his girlfriend went on-record as saying he lied to the police and that she saw him punch a person.

This Freep article pretty much covers it (link HERE).

He may have gotten out of his felony charges for some lighter misdemeanors, but I’m sure Karma will catch up to this creep.

Hail.

One Last Go At Michigan… I promise.

The University of Michigan is a tire fire. Burn, baby, burn.

Their pizza czar AD is clearly on the ropes as he slashes student ticket prices for next season in a last-ditch effort to befriend the customer, the target audience, the students.

Their nice-but-oblivious coach is beyond salvation with his “I am somewhat aware but not fully aware” media comments and inability to win games with four- and five-star talent.

Their alumni are cautiously backing away and clinging to the fact that at least the quality of their education was excellent, goddamit.

And the horde of Walverines are firing off anger bullets randomly and blindly just hoping to hit something or someone to make themselves feel just a little less of that awful bitterness.

It’s gotten ugly. and it might get worse if they don’t win three of their four remaining games to become bowl eligible. And what if they lose “A Game” as they are most likely going to. This tire fire is belching black smoke from Ann Arbor and all of the firemen in the world can’t contain the inferno.

So nasty is the retribution. Decades of arrogance and entitlement coming home to roost. Why does everyone seem be piling on? Because you made no friends along the way. Your conference hates you and most of the country hates you. Take stock in what you have left?

Delaney likes you, or did.

But you will always have the Walverines, right? But they only like you because of the winning that you did so well for so long. Once upon a time. Your victory made them look like winners. You dressed them in your success. You know, they sell Alabama shirts and Oregon hats and North Carolina jerseys and USC boxers at Walmart too. Maybe the Michigan gear is over in the deep discount aisle, or it will be soon.

Your SB Nation blog Maize N Brew knows the score and they can’t summon up optimism any longer. Links to a sample of recent posts…

It’s not an excuse, it’s a fact: Gas was poured on the fire.

Michigan fails in just about every way against MSU: A recap of those events.

An open letter to UM President Mark Schlissel.

Garrett Taylor decommits from Michigan.

Hoke isn’t worried about job security talk, feels discussion will take place at seasons’ end.

You get the point. Ann Arbor is burning. People are queuing up with gallons of gasoline. Burn, baby, burn. To the ground.

I’m done picking on Michigan for the year I think. Fish in a barrel. You bore me.

Basketball season will be here soon so there is hope in Ann Arbor.

Go B1G!

So Much Fun.

I never get tired of watching the Spartans throttle the Wolverines. This is on permanent repeat in my soul.

Go GREEN!!!

Michigan State 35, Michigan 11; The Spartans are 7-1, 4-0 in the B1G.

I will say that I am never truly confident or comfortable when the Spartans play the Wolverines. Most of the time, it hasn’t even been an issue because they are favored or more highly ranked. But in years like this were Michigan State is clearly the better team coming in to the game (#8 ranking vs. unranked, vegas favored by 17, UofM hasn’t beat a ranked opponent on the road since 2006 which is two coaches ago), it seems like I could be a little cocky. I can’t. I’m always nervous against the Wolverines and I always will be. Why? In my lifetime (prior to Coach Dantonio coming on board), they have earned it. They have won so  many more of these match-up than the Spartans, it’s not even funny.

From when I was born, MSU won 1967, 1969, 1978, 1984, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1999 and 2001. That’s 10 wins over Michigan in the first 34 years of my life! Once int he 1970s when I was a elementary school kid, and only twice in the 1980s when I was in junior high, high school and college. Think about it, that’s three total wins over the Wolverines during my entire education.

So this game is never in the bag for me. This game is never to be taken for granted. I will never be comfortable until the final whistle blows and the Spartans have the game won, officially. Which is why winning this game is so damn special. I call it Superbowl Saturday. Beating Michigan is so sweet and that warm and fuzzy feeling lasts all year long. I don’t really give a shit if Michigan says it’s not important to them, it’s important to me. And they’re fucking lying and we all know it.

So let’s give it up for the Spartans who invited the enemy in and then taught them a lesson in humility that they won’t soon forget. Job done. Mission accomplished. I love it.

OFFENSE

It was no cake walk, but the Spartans put up the plays both on the ground and through the air to get the job done. 446 total yards of offense with 227 passing and 219 rushing. Again, nice balanced approach. Two fumbles hurt but in the end, didn’t really matter all that much.

Our man Connor Cook didn’t have his best day but he was absolutely good enough, and great when he needed to be. Cook went 12 of 22 for 227 yards and a TD, no picks. That’s 10.3 yards per catch, which is good. And how about that 13-yard run for a first down where he drops his shoulder and lays out Delano Hill and draws the Unsportsmanlike Conduct penalty from him to boot. Loved it. Spartan Will right there.

And the receiving end of the ball, The Incredible Mr. Tony Lippett had three receptions for 103 yards and a TD. His 70-yard catch with a little juke move and a TD run was beautiful. Aaron Burbridge had two for 34 and Keith Mumphery had one for 28; nice big plays. Michigan had pretty tough coverage so the fact that the Spartans pulled down some big catches says a lot.

What really warmed my heart and gave me a sense of pride was how MSU ran the ball. Jeremy Langford ran low, ran hard and never, ever stopped. Langford had 35 carries for a personal best 177 yards and three TDs. What an effort for jLang as he extends his B1G 100-yard per game streak to 12 games, the longest active streak in FBS. Keep this in mind, 150 of Langford’s 177 yards was inside the tackle running, and he had more yards inside the tackles than Michigan had rushing. Langford too the majority of snaps Saturday, but also running the ball, Delton Williams three carries for 20 yards, Nick Hill had three for 17.

Michigan State won the rushing battle (219-65) and won the time of possession battle (33:46, I would have thought more actually), and that’s how you beat Michigan.

DEFENSE

Michigan has some offensive weapon, but they haven’t really gotten it all together yet and the line is a real weakness. Funny that they get all the five- and four-star talent and yet they can’t make it work. Arrogant and entitled assholes rarely mesh in to a cohesive unit, so maybe that is part of the issue. Just a hunch. But anyway, the Spartan defense held the Wolverines to 186 total yards for the game. That stat is awesome. Michigan had 121 in the air and 65 on the ground (they had zero rush yards in the first half, btw). And only 13 first-downs for the entire game. Michigan was clearly out-matched and although they gave it everything they had, it wasn’t even close to enough to get the job done. Not even close.

First off, let’s give it up to RJ Williamson for a 29-yard pick-six and to Taiwan Jones for a pick off the strangest shovel-pass-to-no-one that I have ever seen. Jones had an excellent game against the Wolverines with eight tackles, two for a loss, a break-up and a sack. But Jones almost got ejected for a roughing the passer penalty that had targeting added to it. Upon further review, the targeting call was taken back and Jones remained in-play (and will for the first half against the Buckeyes too, thank God). Taiwan Jones took over for Max Bullough this year and there has been a bit of a learning curve, but he looked fantastic against Michigan.

Other standout Spartan defensemen include Ed Davis with six tackles, two for a loss, Trae Waynes with five tackles, Shilique Calhoun with three tackles, one for a loss and a sack, Daren Harris with seven tackles, one for a loss and finally, Kurtis Drummond with six tackles, one for a loss. These are just some standouts but the number of Spartans who made great plays and contributed to shutting Michigan down is too long to list. Great job on defense!

SPECIAL TEAMS

Geiger!?! What is going on with Michael Geiger? Another missed FG puts him at seven of twelve for the year. That’s awful. We are going to need those FG points against Ohio State, I just know it. I hope Geiger get’s his head screwed on straight before then. He has two weeks to take up yoga or meditation, get laid, kick booze, read the Tao of Pooh, watch the Tao of Steve, get laid, practice a whole bunch, start smoking, get laid, quit video games, get a tattoo, whatever it takes. Fix it! Please. It hasn’t cost you a game yet, but it will.

SUMMING UP

Michigan State took care of business. It was a pretty solid beat-down. I couldn’t be happier. It’s so quiet in the social sphere right now as the Michigan fans log off so they can spend all of their time moping and dreaming of who they might get to coach this game next year in the Big House. Why would you plant a stake in the turf at Spartan Stadium? I understand a symbolic gesture to get fired up, but that just pissed off the Spartans who are bigger, meaner, and just a whole lot better than you are. Maybe a turn in the visitor locker-room garbage can would have been more appropriate?

Great job Spartans. Go walk the streets, you have earned it. And you get a week off, so soak it in. But not for too long as Ohio State is looming and this one is for the East. They might be a little pissed-off after losing the B1G Championship and having their two year unbeaten streak snapped all in one fell swoop. Yes, they’ll be mad as hell, and yes, they are very good. Much better than Michigan. But the game is in East Lansing and based on the Penn State game I watched last night, they are very beatable. Rest up, heal up, and then get back to the business at hand: Winning the B1G.

Go GREEN!!!