Rivalry week break down of Jonathan Smith vs Sherrone Moore
For the first time since Saban vs Carr, the Paul Bunyan Trophy is up for grabs with two new coaches facing off in the rivalry. Well, one of us consider this a rivalry while the other always searches through their AI database of excuses. Yep, the Sunday all of us Spartans long to wake with a smile that we went to bed with is finally close. As a die-hard sports fan there are two things my hatred runs deeper for more than anything else in athletics. I grew up in Michigan but just over an hour outside Chicago. So, I grew up as a big Chicago sports fan. I know most reading this are unhappy with this news but it is the truth. Now, back to my hatred. The two things I hate most are the Green Bay Packers and the weasels* in AA. There is no particular order there, just a guttural, to the very core, sincerely strong disdain for both. This is the kind of feeling Coach Dantonio was loved for recognizing and Coach Smith has his first shot at this week. How do these coaches match up? Let’s take a peek at the signs, shall we…
MOORE
This is Moore’s first year as head coach and perhaps he should have retained the title of interim as he seems to produce better with it. Moore has had success as a tight ends and offensive lineman coach throughout his ten plus year career. However, what makes Moore the exceptional coach he is is his ability to never definitively answer a question. Facts, statements based in reality, and the ability to own mistakes seems to elude him as it does most in the entitled realm of what they believe to be objective influence. Have you read a Moore interview or watched a press conference, besides the ode to Terrell Owens one? They pretty much start with “Yeah I think” or Yeah I mean”.
Moore is obviously no stranger to this game and has seen his tenure in those colors go 4-3. He intends to keep Paul in AA but we all know Paul is ready to break free. Moore will inevitably try to fluster Chiles and get him to turn the ball over and the Spartans will have to do their best to keep the ball on the right side. The weasels are not sure who the starting QB will be but most likely we’ll see Tuttle. If things aren’t going well for them, we could see a barrage of quarterbacks as they want to win this game to justify a disappointing season thus far.
I’ve heard whispers of Moore getting canned if he loses this game. Let’s get real for a second though. He was always hired as the Harbaugh “fall guy”. He will eventually be taking a bullet for Harbaugh and the weasels when the NCAA decides what it wants to do with the Stallions situation. Specifically in regards to Moore’s ties to CMU. The question will be do they have the patience to wait out the NCAA and its sanctions or will they choose to pull that trigger and fire Moore before season’s end or directly after they get pummeled by OSU.
We can also assume that there is going to be some dirty play in this game and most of it is not getting flagged unless it’s to an individual wearing green and white. Without the signs, without a QB, and with rabid Walmart weasels in the crowd, Moore will have all he can handle on his plate Saturday night.
SMITH
Smith has been asked multiple times if he is aware and understands the importance of this game to the Spartan community. I am confident, and he has said, that he is well aware. Having been at Oregon State as a player and a coach he has a lot of experience with the State school against a “big dog”. Formally dubbed “The Civil War”, the Oregon State versus Oregon rivalry has an even longer history than ours. Smith was competitive and victorious against his rival, going 2-2 as a player and 2-4 as a coach. He understands the weight of this game and loves the intrastate rivalries.
It sounds like Smith did his homework and researched, read, and watched a great deal about this rivalry and has been educating new players and transfers about its significance to MSU. Even way over on the West Coast, Smith had heard about “trouble with the snap ”. Being educated on the rivalry and making sure the team gets that chip on their shoulder is a page right out of Dantonio’s and Saban’s book, the latter of who still dislikes them to this day.
The key for Smith is going to be having his team play disciplined ball. They cannot get entangled in extracurricular activity as we will never get that call. He has to drill home the importance of ball control and not turning it over. He also needs this team to finish drives, play with a zombie hunger and never let up. There is nothing I would love more than an all-out titanic massacre. I’m curious if MSU can get up, will they keep the pedal down and destroy.
After the bye week adjustments and improvements seen in the Iowa game, I have a lot of faith in Smith being the better coach on Saturday and taking the first step to reclaiming this rivalry and bringing Paul Bunyan home. #FreePaulBunyan
*Footnote Disclaimer: I will never utter that schools real name and if they are okay with doing weasel activity, then that is how they will be referred to.