MSU vs OSU weekly weather report recap
Well Spartans, the punch in the face we all expected landed us straight in the eye and we are feeling a bit thunderstruck. There were moments early on that bred optimism but ultimately the better team walked away victorious. My prediction this week was 42-3 with four turnovers so 38-7 with three makes me feel my depressing Nostradamus streak stays alive. Trust me Spartans, I don’t like predicting defeats. Without further ado, let us check out this week’s weather report.
CLOUD 1: TURNOVERS
Turnovers, unfortunately, must stay in the number one cloud position. The first two turnovers really were energy suckers and game changers. Velling’s fumble silenced an amped up Spartan stadium. Then we have Chiles’ fumble. Yes, there was the face mask, and I promise we’ll get to that later. However, this marked the second play in which the team was moving the ball and having Buckeye defenders on their heels a bit and the Spartans have a real opportunity to put points on the board. Walking away with two turnovers and no points completely changed the outcome of the rest of the game.
CLOUD 2: MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
The first half of this game was nothing but a bunch of “what could’ve beens”. Dropped interception right in the hands in the end zone. A failed fourth and one when for some reason Chiles goes high instead of low. I don’t necessarily hate this call to go for it. You make that first and that stadium erupts and this team is even more driven to punch it in. As previously mentioned, the two fumbles on solid drives that could have both resulted in points of some kind. Let’s also throw in the personal foul call here. I did not agree with the call but nonetheless it was an opportunity missed to stop the Bucks. I’m not the first to say this nor will I be the last but when playing a superior opponent you have to capitalize on nearly every gift that comes your way. If the Spartans manage to do this, the halftime score is likely 24-21. Find me one Spartan fan that leaves the stadium at halftime seeing that score on the board.
CLOUD 3: RUNNING GAME
The running game was painful. Less than 50 yards of rushing in the box score is likely to always be a loss. The offensive line actually played better but it still wasn’t enough. At times the problem was the backs just taking the wrong cut. Hopefully the coaches figure out why that was happening and prepare some adjustments. This area of the game has been struggling most of the season to make an impact. The defense was left on the field too long and the Spartans lost the possession battle by almost twelve minutes. You must be able to keep an offense of that caliber off the field.
CLOUD 4: LACK OF PRESSURE
Howard had all day to throw. When you have that much time you’ll have your pick of whatever you want. Giving that much time, the backs needed to press the line more. They were giving seven to eight yards on cross patterns every play. Howard is prone to the pick and if the Spartans were to get pressure and play closer to the receivers, who knows what would have happened. Granted we had d-linemen being tackled consistently in the backfield, and this too I will get to later, but the Spartans seemed to lack any adjustment in this part of the game plan.
SUN 1: THERE WAS A CHANCE
I did not have a lot of hope for this one. I am very happy to say this team had a chance in the first half. This just means this program is moving in the right direction. The Spartans were entering this season in a complete rebuild. It takes time to change the trajectory and do something with that change. This game showed they are capable. They found the right coach. It also showed that the remaining games on the schedule all have better odds at being winnable.
SUN 2: DEFENSE
These guys held their own out there. The defense in general actually played pretty well. Considering the lack of QB pressure and playing off the line, the secondary did manage to make plays, close ground, and make tackles. They didn’t have to face a multitude of deep balls because they are capable of the coverage. I think the largest red flag was the third, fourth and fifth down conversion rates. They have to make more stops there. They played clean too. Fifteen of the nineteen yards in penalties were on a bogus personal foul. This unit played well and got some very useful experience.
SUN 3: NEVER GAVE UP
This team did not quit on the field. Last year we all saw that happening quite a bit. The hustle did not stop and the effort was there every play. Even down to the last play of the game fighting for more yards in a game that is over. I love seeing this from the team. I believe there’s a team southeast of Lansing that calls it GRIT. I’m proud of the players for showing it and the coaches for instilling it. It is a quality that will eventually pay dividends.
SUN 4: ENERGY
Give it up for Spartan Stadium. This crowd was in it. They were rowdy. They were hopeful. They came to make a difference. I was in the stadium and it felt like it could be a special night until the one handed grab that basically ended the first half. The players had it too and they were feeding off the crowd. I’m all for an identity of being a place others don’t want to play. Scare them, make it hard to hear, play with the psyche. I’ll take any edge we can get over an opponent, except stealing signs of course.
SUNNY SUN SUN:
I have two mentions for you here this week. First, the good. Shout out to Coach D and the video team that put together the tape of his best moments. That was a fun ride remembering all those games and where I was and who I was with and the utter joy and pride Coach D brought to being a Spartan football fan. I’m glad I’ll see your name in the ring of honor every time I’m there.
CLOUDY CLOUD CLOUD:
The refereeing of this game was absolute garbage. The personal foul late hit call, garbage. The no face mask call as Chiles’ face is ripped off and fumbles, garbage. Our defensive pass rushers literally being pulled to the ground and no holding calls, garbage. The players and coaches who put all this work in deserve better than that. Now I don’t think the refs altered the outcome, but they absolutely altered momentum. When you are the underdog in a game like this, momentum at home is huge. I also have it on very good authority that the replay booth was actually asked by the refs to stop showing replays in the stadium, specifically the face mask. Shame on you refs, be better.
3-2 now off to Oregon on a short week in search of duck soup.