Michigan State survives Purdue to keep Bowl hopes alive
So it all comes down to this. One game, the mighty Scarlet Knights, stand in the way of bowl eligibility. Purdue was an absolute must have to secure the opportunity. Bowl eligibility is the step forward we all wanted to see. With a season riddled with injuries, inconsistencies and turnovers, we all have to realistically look at this as a solid opportunity to take a step forward. All of that being said, let’s look a bit closer with this week’s weather report.
CLOUD 1: FALSE SENSE OF SECURITY
It was great to see MSU hit the win column and to do so fairly efficiently. The tough part here is gauging how much the Spartans actually improved versus how bad the opponent is. Spartans had pressure, covered the edge well, and survived the very depleted secondary with a bend don’t break mentality on defense. The offense scored touchdowns, had a functioning running game, offensive line protected better and MSU never really felt like they were forcing things. That is a lot of improvement from the previous games. However, Purdue is 1-10 now for a reason. Yes, they have played a record breaking number of top ranked teams, but Purdue is not a good team. What you can do, is take these strides against weaker opponents and build upon them for remaining games and hopefully next year. So, let’s make sure we are all looking at this game through a correct lens. A combination of the first and fourth quarters should do.
CLOUD 2: VELLING INJURY
Velling was leveled on a pass play by Dylan Thineman in the first quarter. He was taken to the hospital in the second quarter and the specificity of the injury is still unclear as this article is being written. Velling is very popular in the locker room and has been a grinder all year. Seeing him go down with a potential season ending injury was tough to stomach. Velling has yet to see the end zone as a Spartan but his presence across the middle of the field has been felt and this writer has even wanted to see Chiles find this safety blanket more this season. Losing Velling could prove to be a much bigger loss we may initially be thinking.
CLOUD 3: MISSING TARGETS
Chiles had a fairly decent game. He, for a first time in a long time, had moments of time to make throws. Once again he has those moments where the throw could not be more perfect. A couple of those throws to Foster we got to see the brilliance that could be. The frustration comes from so many more missed targets. I can think of a number of opportunities missed due to just a bad pass. The numbers could look even better if Chiles can get better footwork and connect
CLOUD 4: THE FOURTH QUARTER/BRIAN LINDGREN
The fourth quarter has not been a friend to the Spartans. Consistently outscored all season, the fourth has brought out a very different looking team than the first quarter typically does. The fourth has turned MSU’s offense into a bunch of sloths. I apologize to all sloths out there for the comparison, but the offensive players look like Sadness extras in a live action Inside Out movie. This needs to be a major focal point prior to next year. I think it starts with Brian Lindgren. There seems to be zero adjustments being made in game. No feel for the game or changes of tides. A change needs to happen here. The Spartans have to learn to finish a game. You can’t give a 1-9 team hope, you Mortal Kombat them and “finish them”. This was not supposed to stress me out, but it did. I started wondering if i was drinking and ended needing a drink.
SUN 1: THE FIRST QUARTER
The first quarter was one that had me questioning if I’d been drinking. It was a quarter of firsts in a long drought. I legitimately had forgotten what a Michigan State sack looked like. A seven game, two month dry spell finally came to an end with a Grose sack. They even managed to head into halftime with two sacks! What a strange and foreign feeling that was. Not only did they manage a sack in the first quarter but they actually managed to score a touchdown in the red zone. Again, I had to look in my drink and say, “what’s in here?”. It hasn’t been uncommon to have a good first quarter this year, but it has been a minute since some of these football basics have occurred.
SUN 2: DEFENSIVE SURVIVAL
The defense made us all sweat a bit as the 6 man down secondary started to show its kryptonite. Jahmal Edrine dropped an easy 6 catch as he was wide open and that sucked the life right out of Purdue. As I said earlier, it felt like a bend don’t break effort, but it became very bendy. Luckily, the line was able to get some pressure and shut down Purdue’s run game. While the offense once again became inept, the defense managed to survive, albeit with a bit of help from dropped passes.
MISTY RAIN: CROWD
I can’t say I blame anyone for not attending this cold, wet game between 5 wins combined teams. However, Spartan Stadium needs to turn out and turn up next week. Let’s get this win and get to that bowl game. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be one of the few BIG teams not bowl bound. Bring the turkey sandwiches and get loud next week!
5-6 as we head into the regular season finale with a chance to become bowl eligible. Let’s go State!