Week 2’s Clouds and Suns from the Spartan victory in Maryland
Spartan Nation, I’m still a bit in shock. I will openly admit that I was wrong. After last week’s game I picked Maryland in this one to win 28-17. With about 10 minutes left in the fourth and MSU’s third turnover, it looked like I was going to be patting myself on the back for the expertise of my pick and score. Then, the future gave us all a glimpse of where things may be one day and this Spartan team proved it is more than what we were starting to get used to. Let’s dive in and take a closer look at this weeks clouds and suns for game two.
CLOUD 1: TURNOVERS/PASSING INACCURACY
Cloud one is the obvious in this game. The turnovers. Not only did they kill momentum but most ended up giving points to the other side and all of that is an obvious problem. Some of these passing errors can perhaps be just Chiles’ youth and inexperience of playing every down in the college level. Some of those picks were down right ugly where nobody but the other team were going to catch it. Chiles needs to calm down and get the footwork right. The off balance throws are a problem. I know he has a ton of confidence and thinks he can make those throws but if he settles the feet he will make those throws.
CLOUD 2: PENALTIES
Last week we talked about the defense’s discipline being a cloud. That actually improved this week but they flipped the switch over to the offense. Illegal formations, wrong number of people on the field for kickoff, false starts, etc. Spartans need to get better in all facets of the game with discipline. Fortunately, they were able to overcome 100 yards of penalties and 3 turnovers and muster out a win. Like I mentioned last week, we’re about to head into a stretch where if we think we’ve gotten the short end of the zebra stick in some of these calls, it’s only going to get worse.
CLOUD 3: RUN GAME
The rushing attack did manage to combine to get over 100 yards and average 4.3 yards per rush. Even with that said, it still didn’t seem as efficient as it should or needs to be. Coach Smith mentioned there is “still meat on the bones” in regards to the rushing attack. With the next man up mentality with Phillips’ injury the running game is going to be challenged with a still gelling offensive line and a pair of backs that have shown glimmers of hope and clearly have the potential. I still believe that a key to this season is going to be MSU’s ability to win the time of possession battle each week and keep the defense fresh against some of these very good offenses they are about to face.
CLOUD 4: THIRD DOWN EFFICIENCY
This week the third down efficiency cloud is actually going to the defense. Maryland was 65% in third down efficiency. What was more disturbing is that those were not all third and shorts. The defense has got to cut that percentage way down and put more stress on the opposing offense. Maryland is a good team, a good offensive team and State should feel proud of the victory but this is a part of the game that will cause you to lose eventually.
SUN 1: SMITH
I’ve been hearing a lot of chatter about Smith’s Dantonio-like qualities. I truly don’t think any of us Spartan faithful are looking for a clone but there were some very similar aspects in this game’s feel, and those similarities are ones that we all can get behind. This is a big win when looking at this schedule and the chances of making a bowl game come December. We needed this W bad. We needed it for confidence, for momentum, for optimism. Not just for the team but for the fandom as well. Coach is developing a team that has resiliency. A team that every player knows to be ready. A team to believe that no matter the time or the deficit there is still a chance. That was something we all came to love about Dantonio. I’m excited to see what happens when Coach Smith makes his Little Giants mark. I believe it’s there. Do you?
SUN 2: THE FROSH
Let’s take a moment to give it up for Nick Marsh. We’ve heard the hype. We were disappointed against FAU and barely seeing him a part of any game plan. Then, boom, 194 years receiving including the game tying 77 yard romp. A freshman on the road against a good BIG opponent. If this wasn’t the most exciting element of optimism on the field for you then I don’t know what game you were watching (other than relishing in um’s defeat). When Chiles gets that footwork down, the running game gets more dependable, we are going to see some very exciting moments from this guy. We’ve had some very talented receivers at MSU. It was fun seeing Reed go off in Brazil of Friday. Marsh is a player you should start watching cause he’ll be playing on Sundays eventually.
SUN 3: TWO MINUTE GAME
Both halves of this game the Spartans played efficient ball and came away with points. Being able to gain experience in that and while behind are good signs for a program. Finishing the halves and especially closing out the game are benchmarks for a good team. I’d like to see this continue to be built upon and it will be interesting to look back on this after the next five games and see where this team is at.
SUN 4: KICKING GAME
It is a big deal to have a kicker step onto the field and you believe as a fan the kick can be made. Kim has had ups and downs in the past but he seems to really be on it thus far. The 50 yarder on the road to end the half was just money. That was a kick that had me yelling an excited expletive with my fist in the air. I’m sure Maryland is looking back on their missed field goal and wondering what might have been. Thankfully, Kim is booting with confidence and having Coach show that and send him out there to attempt the 50 yarder is a big deal.
MOSTLY SUNNY: SPARTAN FANS SHOWING UP
This week I don’t have a partly cloudy, I’m going with a mostly sunny. I was very impressed with the number of Spartan faithful in that stadium. They were loud, they were supportive, and when Coach mentions he can hear them on the road in his presser, its a beautiful thing. I wasn’t there myself but I knew of at least 5 people in attendance. Showing up and supporting on the road is a good thing. Something the NCAA and BIG has always thought we don’t do as well as other BIG schools. Maybe we just have actual alumni in these cities and having them show up is something we should continue to do.
Game two in the books and with a W. It’s gonna be a bright sun shiny day! 2-0!