It wasn’t nearly as easy as the 26-10 score indicates, but the Michigan State Spartans overcome their typical mistakes and offensive ineptitude to become bowl eligible for the sixth straight year. By beating the Golden Gophers of Minnesota today, Coach Dantonio breathed a sigh of relieve that his “bowl eligibility” streak is still alive while the head coach at M.S.U. Thanks in large part to Big Ten rushing champion Le’Veon Bell who rushed for an astonishing 266 yards today, (his season ending total of 1,648 yards beat out Montee Ball of Wisconsin by 120 yards), the Spartans will likely be headed to Tempe, A.Z. to face a Big 12 opponent in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl on December 29^th. Today’s victory capped a satisfying end to an otherwise unsettling season.

Despite the win, many questions remain about the future of this program heading into 2013 with Andrew Maxwell as the starting QB and Dan Roushar as the offensive coordinator. Even against one of the worst secondary’s in the Big Ten and a Gopher defense geared to stop Bell, Maxwell threw two interceptions today, one which led to the Gophers lone T.D. of the day. He was only 13 for 29 for 143 yards with one touchdown and even the touchdown pass was lucky as it went off the hands of intended receiver Tony Lippett and into the hands of Bennie Fowler behind him in the end zone. The offense under these two has been completely void of consistency and rarely performs at its best when it is needed most.

Today was no exception, with a key drive in the third quarter as an excellent example of the kind of garbage the M.S.U. offense has produced all season. With the game and the bowl streak still in doubt in the 3^rd quarter and the Spartans only up 16-10 the defense and special teams did everything but gift wrap a touchdown to seal the game away. After the D again stood tall and forced the Gophers to go three and out and punt the ball from their own end zone, A.J. Sims retuned the punt 44 yards, giving the offense a first and goal at the Gophers seven yard line. What did the offense do with precious gift? No, thank God they didn’t turn the ball over! They did manage to go negative six yards and again settle for a field goal in the red zone.

We’ve seen this failure to close the deal all season long by the offense. Thankfully the Gophers simply weren’t good enough to take advantage of breaks when they got them; that, the Spartans great D and Bell are the main reasons Sparty came out with a victory today. If the Spartans want to get back to competing for the Legends Division title, both Maxwell and the offense must execute better. If they don’t, even with the talented Aaron Burbridge, Dion Sims, Le’Veon Bell, Keith Mumphrey and prize wide receiver Devon Harris out of Grand Rapids Christian, next year will be just as exasperating.

Michigan State Spartans  (5-6, 2-5 in Big Ten) vs. University of Minnesota Gophers (6-5, 2-5 in Big Ten), Saturday November 24^th, 2012 at TCF Bank Stadium, Minneapolis, MN

Game time 3:30p.m. on Big Ten Network

At stake: Six Years in a Row of Bowl Eligibility for M.S.U.

At the beginning of this year, not many thought Michigan State would still be fighting to become bowl eligible in late November. However, after playing 11 games and losing five by a combined total of 13 points, M.S.U. must win Saturday afternoons contest against the lowly Minnesota Gophers to qualify for a postseason outing.  Perhaps more important symbolically for this program, a win would keep alive Coach Dantonio’s streak of leading M.S.U. to a bowl appearance every year since his arrival in 2007. If the postseason tradition is to continue M.S.U.’s woeful red zone offense must improve.

As if having the 9^th ranked offense in the Big Ten wasn’t bad enough, the Spartans are 8^th worst when cashing in on opportunities inside the 20. Nowhere was their red zone ineptitude more biting then in last week’s loss to the Wildcats of Northwestern. M.S.U. twice failed to score any points at all, let alone a touchdown when they had the ball marked at the two and one yard lines. Incompetence like that, led to a three point lose that could have easily been a double digit victory. Whether it’s a lack of execution, play calling or simply not focusing, the Spartans need to put points on the board when they have the chance, otherwise a very commendable streak may come to an end.

While M.S.U. has its own issues on offense, they pale in comparison to the Gophers trials. Minnesota has the worst passing offense in the Big Ten and it won’t be getting any better tomorrow. The Gophers will start a true Freshman QB from Mankato, MN, Philip Nelson. Besides being young and unseasoned, Nelson will also be without the team’s leading receiver A.J. Barker who as of yesterday left the team due to what he describes as “mistreatment” by Gophers head Coach Jerry Kill over his rehab of a high ankle sprain he suffered against Purdue on October 27^th. All this makes for a perfect storm that Sparty should turn into their best defensive outing in the Big Ten this year.

If M.S.U. were to lose tomorrow, it could be a big blow to a program that has worked so hard to turn around its  image the last two years.  To go from a Big Ten Co-Championship in 2010 and the inaugural Legends Division Title in 2011, to not qualifying for a bowl game in 2012 could not only do damage to the teams psyche coming back next year but may also hurt efforts on the all-important recruiting trail. For those reasons alone I expect Coach Dantonio will have this team firing on all cylinders tomorrow.

Dre’s Prediction:

Bowl Bound Spartans: 28              Best Dam Hockey School in America: 10

Saturday afternoon in sunny E. Lansing, 13 Seniors had the perfect setting to walk off the field with a victory at their last home game at Spartan Stadium. Unfortunately for them this year’s M.S.U. team continued to be consistent at one thing; losing close games. Saturday’s 23-20 defeat to the Northwestern Wildcats (N.W.) makes 11 the grand total point difference in M.S.U.’s  four conference home loses this year; 1pt. for O.S.U., 3 vs. Iowa (in O.T. no less), 4 vs. Nebraska, and 3 against N.W. Four games, each one lost for different deficiencies, each one with opportunities to win, each one the result the same.

In the last 30 seasons at Spartan Stadium, only John L. Smith’s 2006 didn’t win at least one conference home game, until yesterday. As M.S.U. fans remember, Smith’s teams were known for explosive offenses but defenses that couldn’t stop a team of retired Vatican nuns. This team is the exact opposite, a team with the 7^th ranked defense in the entire country paired with an offense that wishes it could score as easily as a team of retired Vatican nuns, and that’s no insult to the nuns. Like my other loveable losers, the Detroit Lions, this team invents ways to lose and yesterday was no exception.

The defense did its job again, giving up only 16 points to a team that averages 30. The defense even scored the first two points of the game for M.S.U. with a safety. (N.W. total of 23 came from a 43 INT return off an Andrew Maxwell errant throw in the second quarter). The offense finally started to move the ball with regularity but then proceeded to turn the ball over four times and literally gave points away while in the crucial red zone. Twice in the first half with the ball at the N.W. two yard line the offense came up with zero points. The first time, Maxwell fumbled the ball on the one yard line. The second time Le’Veon Bell was stopped on both 3^rd and 4^th down from the one yard line.  Those squandered chances combined with a missed 37 yard field goal by Sr. Dan Conroy left M.S.U. down 6-5 rather than leading 20-6 at halftime.

In the second half the team’s played even, with each team scoring two touchdowns. In the end the Wildcats scored a field goal with seven minutes left. The Spartans offense had two opportunities to answer back but fell short again; thus leaving the home crowd with an all too familiar scenario, a close game that resulted in a Green and White lose.

Since the start of Mark Dantonio’s tenure in 2007, M.S.U. has always qualified to play in a bowl game. Let’s hope next Saturday the Spartans can continue that streak with a win over the last place Minnesota Gophers. If not, a season full of inconsistencies will bring down the one constant Dantonio and his staff has built into this program.

Saturday afternoon in sunny Madison, WI the Spartans pulled out a thrilling 16-13 victory in overtime and defeated last year’s Big Ten Champion Wisconsin Badgers. The victory kept MSU’s bowl hopes alive moving them to 5-4 on the year and was certainly the high mark in a season of disappointments. After losing three close Big Ten contests to OSU, Iowa and Michigan the Spartans finally won a nail biter of their own. It’s no surprise that the only close contest they finally won was the one that the offense finally delivered.

Just when Spartan nation was ready to throw in the towel on Andrew Maxwell and offensive coordinator Dan Roushar, the Spartans came up with two touchdown drives in a row! Mark that on your calendar, because that hasn’t happened all season and it may not happen again. If that sounds a little pessimistic to you, well it is. While we finally saw execution from the offense today, it’s another thing entirely to believe this offense has finally arrived.

Before those two touchdown drives, and it’s a stretch to call the final one a “drive” as it started on the Badger 25 yard line, the Spartan offense amassed a total of three points. It was so bad in fact that it completely botched a golden opportunity in the first half. A bad snap to UW punter Drew Meyer resulted in a blocked punt with MSU’s Marcus Rush recovering at the UW 11 yard line. What did the offense do with this gift?; went back 23 yards on three plays and two penalties and wound up punting the ball!

The offense finally started moving when three things happened, one UW played the old prevent you from winning defense and thus gave Maxwell time to throw the ball. Two and this is to Maxwell and his tall receiver’s credit; he started making completions between the linebackers and the secondary in the middle of the field, the tweener pass as it’s called. And three, offensive coordinator Dan Roushar finally trusted Maxwell enough to throw the ball around a little bit. Please Roushar for the love of God take off the training wheels already! Whether Maxwell can consistently make the tough “tweener” passes, especially when under pressure, remains to be seen. For today however, the offense started to exhibit signs that it is finally ready to join the defense and play to win games not just lose them close.

Speaking of the defense, it played it’s best game all year today. It held the UW ground game to it’s lowest total since 2007. The front four finally lived up to it’s hype and sacked UW QB’s O’Brien and Stave numerous times. Will Gholston put such a hard hit on starting QB Stave that he knocked him out of the game. In sum, the Spartan D limited UW to only 190 yards of total offense, which is its lowest total since a 30-7 road lose to Iowa on November 20, 2004.

This was a huge win for Sparty and a big sigh of relief for the entire coaching staff and team. The monkey may finally be off their backs for now, but home games the next two weeks against Nebraska and Northwestern don’t make life much easier for the Green and White.

Michigan State Spartans (MSU) (4-4, 1-3 in Big Ten) vs. #25 University of Wisconsin Badgers (UW) (6-2, 3-1 in Big Ten),

Saturday October 27^th, 2012 at Camp Randall Stadium, Madison, WI

Game time 3:30p.m. on ABC Network

At stake: Bowl Eligibility for M.S.U.

Madison’s a special place to me. I fell in love with my wife Joy in the summer of 2003 in the heart of Badger country. Every year since then, the one Spartan football game Joy will watch with me is against, as she calls them “her” Badgers. We’ll have the same friendly wager on tomorrow’s game like we always do, unfortunately for me I think I’ll be cooking dinner for the fifth time since 2003. Anyone have the number to Pizza Hut handy?

The rematch from last December’s heart pounding inaugural Big Ten Championship game may be anything but entertaining this time around. For Spartan fans it’s hard to believe it was only ten months ago that their high flying offense put up 39 points against Wisconsin at Lucas Oil Stadium. Tomorrow, Sparty will be lucky to score as many points as a tailgating Badger puts down one of Milwaukee’s finest beverages. The Spartan defense will probably want to drink their sorrows too after watching another exceptional performance go to waste.

Wisconsin will rely on their powerful offensive line and running back combo of Montee Ball and James White to get them a victory. Even if Michigan State can force U.W. to long 3^rd down situations it’s no guarantee freshman quarterback Joel Stave will make enough mistakes to keep the Spartans in the game. Frankly no matter how well the Spartans D does against Ball and company, I don’t think it will be enough to overcome the Spartans anemic offense. While the Spartans D ranks first in the Big Ten, the offense ranks 11^th, with a lowly per point average of 19.6.

Coach Dantonio showed again his willingness to make gutsy calls in last week’s game. Calling a fake punt on your own 23 yard line with the game still in doubt is not something many coaches do. That said, I hope to see Dantonio open the offense up and find out if QB Andrew Maxwell has the talent to lead the Spartans to a Big Ten Championship next year. Can Maxwell throw the deep ball, can he stand in the pocket and deliver when a hit is immanent and can he get a crucial first down to ice a game.

In the T.V. show “Shark Tank”, there’s always a moment of truth for the entrepreneur trying to connect with one of the millionaire investors. The question that always gets answered is: “Are you worth it?” Are you worth the investment, the time, energy and money that you are asking for? Spartan fans have been waiting all season to see if Maxwell is worth their investment. So far the bait is still on the hook. Hopefully Saturday’s game will have Spartan fans enjoying a well-earned victory instead of smelling the same old moldy offensive cheese.

Dr. Dre’s Prediction: Sparty 10   Badgers 24

Wolverine placekicker Brendan Gibbon ended four years of frustration, as his 38 yard field goal with five seconds left ended a four game losing streak to in-state rival Michigan State. UofM finally beat MSU 12-10 on an otherwise beautiful fall day in Michigan. The win puts the Wolverines in first place in the Big Ten’s Legends division. With the lose, MSU drops to 1-3 in conference play and is all but eliminated from making a return trip to the Big Ten Championship game. Once again, the Spartans found a way to come up just short of victory.

Despite holding the potent Michigan offense to four field goals and never allowing them to reach the end zone, the Spartans lost another close one. MSU has lost three conference games by a total of six points, one in overtime. While the defense was once thought to be elite, it has continually shown the inability to make the plays necessary at the end to secure a win. Likewise the offense has dropped multiple opportunities to keep the ball out of the opponent’s hands for a final game winning or as in the case against Iowa, game tying drive.

For fans and players alike the last few weeks have been incredibly difficult to watch, as the Spartans are always a few plays short of victory. This Saturday was no exception. The four key plays (or plays missed) from the loss against the Wolverines in order are:

1. 0:18 seconds left in game: 2 and 11 for Michigan at the MSU 41: UofM QB D. Robinson completes to WR Drew Dileo for 20 yards; sets up game winning 38 yard field goal.
2. 5:48 to go 4^th Quarter: With a chance to force Michigan to have to score a touchdown, MSU offense has it 1^st and goal at the UofM six. On first down Maxwell overthrows TE Derek Hoebing. After two Le’Veon Bell rushing attempts, MSU settles for FG.
3. 3:34 to go 3^rd Quarter: After the defense did another excellent job of forcing a “3 and out” and to boot a horrible punt by UofM, Spartans start with great field position, with the ball on their own 48. Three plays later on 3^rd and 4 from the UofM 46 Maxwell overthrows an open receiver and ends up with an interception by Jordan Kovacs. The game at that time was 7-6 Spartans. A good MSU drive could have put MSU up 14-6.
   4. 3:07 4^th Quarter: With a chance to win the game, MSU offense gets the ball on their own eight yard line  and up 10-9. Only needing to make two or three first downs to seal the victory, the Spartan offense can’t muster more than five yards and ends up with another three and out ; thus not only leaving UofM with plenty of time on the clock but also giving them very good field position to start from.

Coach Dantonio constantly talks about football games coming down to a few plays and being prepared to make those key plays when they are in front of you. Starting with last year’s lose to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship game, the players have been in position to make those plays. It’s the execution they lack. If they don’t get it corrected soon, a few more plays are going to result in Coach Dantonio’s first ever losing season at MSU.

Rivalry Game Breakdown:

Michigan State Spartans (MSU) (4-3, 1-2 in Big Ten) vs. University of Michigan Wolverines (UofM) (4-2, 2-0 in Big Ten), Saturday October 20^th, 2012 at Ann Arbor, MI at The Big House, a.k.a. Michigan Stadium.

Game time 3:30p.m. on Big Ten Network

At stake: Paul Bunyan Trophy and a years’ worth of in-state bragging rights!

One of the most electrifying players in college football is Wolverine QB Denard Robinson. “Shoeless” as his teammate’s call him is lighting quick and has moves that buckle defenders. Every team that faces Robinson designs its defense to stop Robinson first and everyone else second. Thankfully the last two times these in-state rivals met, the Spartans defense has proven to be the
great equalizer to Robinson’s amazing talent.

The Spartan hold Robinson in check better than anyone else in the Big Ten. Statistics reveal as much, as he averages a mere 3.2 yards per carry and 170 yards/game passing vs MSU compared to 5.0 yards per carry and 192 yards/game passing vs the rest of the Big Ten. Most revealing is that Robinson’s ratio of TD’s to INT’s is nearly reversed; as he throws one TD for every two picks vs MSU but throws 1.75 TD’s for every 1 INT vs other Big Ten foes. While by no means dominating, the Spartans defense is the signature reason why Denard has yet to walk off with a win over the Green and White. However, given the way the MSU offense is playing of late, not even a typical Big Green D performance will stop Robinson from finally hoisting the Paul Bunyan trophy.

Speaking of QBs trying to shake a bad streak, first year Spartan QB Andrew Maxwell is looking to put together a complete game for the first time. Maxwell has yet to lead the Spartans offense with any level of consistency. His lack of down field playmaking has suffocated this offense, relegating it to hoping for either a big run by Le’Veon Bell or as was the case against Ohio State, a wide receiver (Keith Mumphrey) breaking eight tackles in a row for a lone touchdown. The Michigan defense is much improved from their “roll over and play dead” Rodriguez years so MSU won’t generate points simply from defensive breakdowns and miscues. The entire MSU offense from the O-line to the wide receivers will have to play their best game to date if MSU has any chance of winning on Saturday.

If MSU wins…Freshman sensation wide receiver Aaron Burbridge will have a monster game. That missing MSU air assault will come alive with a number of deep throws completed to Burbridge. Le’Veon Bell will then go to work on the softer Wolverine defense.  On the defensive side MSU will have at least five QB sacks and produce three turnovers and get into the endzone once themselves.

If UofM wins…Denard Robinson will have a good day staying conservative with his passing game and not turning the ball over. Robinson will run for over 100 yards on his way to scoring two of the Wolverine’s three touchdowns. The maize and blue defense will pummel Maxwell and force the Spartans into two turnovers and hold them scoreless until the second half.

Prediction: There’s nothing Spartans hate more than losing to Michigan. Die hard green and white fans would rather go 1-10 and beat Michigan then go 11-1 and lose to Michigan. True enough, as much as this pains me to write this I don’t see the Spartans putting more than 13 points on the board tomorrow. The Wolverines will bring Mr. Bunyan back to his dungeon since his last stay in 2007.

Final Score: Wolverines: 25 Sparty:13

The Skinny: Michigan State Spartans (MSU) (4-3, 1-2 in Big Ten) lose to University of Iowa 19-16 in Double Overtime

Next game: MSU vs. University of Michigan (4-2, 2-0 in Big Ten), Saturday October 20^th, 2012 at Ann Arbor, MI. Game time 3:30p.m. on Big Ten Network

Series Notes: UofM leads all-time series 67-32-5; MSU have won four in a row, including last year’s 28-14 victory at Spartan Stadium.

On a cold and rain soaked Saturday afternoon Homecoming game, the Spartans faithful watched an all to familiar theme play out in front of them. The defense played well but not well enough, while the offense again continued to show little ability to put more than a few points on the board. Had the defense not come up with an interception at the Iowa 26, the offense would have scored only six points all day! The end result was a 19-16 double overtime defeat to Legends Division rival Iowa Hawkeyes.

Andrew Maxwell’s tipped ball interception in the Spartans second overtime possession gave the Hawkeyes a victory in a game that they were otherwise outplayed. The Spartans outgained the Hawkeyes  328-257 and had the lead for the entire game, until the Hawkeyes scored a touchdown with 55 seconds left in the 4^th quarter. From there the Spartans offense again stalled in the red zone, settling for a field goal in their first O.T. possession. The Hawkeyes went on to score two field goals in a row in their O.T. possessions. Maxwell’s first pass in the second O.T. completed the late game collapse.

Here’s a telling statistic from the last two seasons that will shed light on the Spartans current struggles. MSU went 21-1 in 2010 and 2011 when they scored over 25 pts. This year, their offense has accomplished that twice, vs. Indiana and Central Michigan. The Spartans have five games left and given how their offense is currently performing they may not score over 20 pts. again.

True freshman, Aaron Burbridge is the only Spartan deep threat this year. Burbridge again came up big on Saturday with five receptions for 89 yards. Unfortunately it’s going to take more than Burbridge’s amazing leaping ability to get this offense moving. For this team to make this even a respectable season by Spartan standards either one of two things must change.  MSU offensive coordinator Dan Roushar must allow Maxwell to take chances down the field to loosen up opposing defenses and/or 2. The Spartans must score more touchdowns when in the red zone. In their lose on Saturday they settled for field goals after drives stalled at the Hawkeyes 5, 6 and 7 yard line.

The Spartans came into the season with high expectations to repeat as Legends Division Champions and finally win an outright Big Ten Championship. Those hopes hinge completely on this Saturday’s game against Michigan. If the offense doesn’t find a spark soon, I don’t think plans should be made to go anywhere in January except for maybe a trip to Ford Field for a not so honorable Pizza Bowl.

The Skinny:  

Michigan State Spartans (M.S.U.) (3-2 Overall. 0-1 Big Ten) vs. Indiana Hoosiers (I.U.) (2-2 Overall. 0-1 Big Ten)

Saturday October 6, 2012 at Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, I.N.  T.V.: Big Ten Network at noon

Last week:  M.S.U. lost 17-16 vs. Ohio State University: I.U. lost vs. Northwestern University 44-29.

For the first time this year, Michigan State will play outside the state of Michigan. Bloomington, I.N. is only a five hour drive from E.Lansing, combined that with the fact that the Hoosiers are quite possibly the worst team in the Big Ten and it’s hard to call this game a true “road test”. What is a test for M.S.U. is how well they respond mentally after a close lose to Ohio State last week. Losing your conference home opener is not the way you want to start the Big Ten season. M.S.U. still has high hopes to return to the Big Ten Championship game and ultimately gain a trip to the Rose Bowl. That journey begins Saturday against a team it should easily beat.

I.U. comes into tomorrow’s game with the worst defense in the Big Ten, giving up an astonishing 449 yards a game. That should help M.S.U.’s offense continue to build some continuity heading into the heart of their schedule which begins next week at home against Iowa. Besides the continued improvement in the passing game, what M.S.U. needs most are guys to, as coach Dantonio is fond of saying, “make plays”. Nothing defined that mantra more than Keith Mumphery’s electrifying 29 yard touchdown run and catch last week, which included bowling over multiple Ohio State defenders.

As I watched Mumphery’s incredible effort, I was reminded of numerous extra effort plays that Blair White, Keith Nichol, Keyshawn Martin and others constantly made in years past. In a game that isn’t nearly as hyped as others, this Spartans team needs to find out who else besides Mumphery is willing to make plays not just when they can but when they have to. With a weak opponent and still plenty to play for, Spartan nation should get a good look at what this team is made of and importantly find the players that are willing to step forward to move this team over the hump.

What to expect:  The defense and offense should both be hungry for this one. The offense needs to get moving and quickly before their lack of productivity sinks this season. The defense should accept the test to shut down the suprisingly efficient I.U. freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld. Sudfeld threw for over 150 yards in each of his second half apperances to go along with three touchdowns. Sudwell played so well in fact that the Hoosiers nearly came back to beat Ball State and Northwestern after being down by double digits in both games.

Final Score Prediction: M.S.U.: 24 Indiana:13

Michigan State Spartans (M.S.U.) (3-1) beat Eastern Michigan Eagles (0-4), 23-7.

Next Game: Michigan State University (3-1) vs. The Ohio State University (4-0), Saturday September 29^th at Spartan Stadium, E. Lansing, MI
T.V.: ABC Network at 3:30p.m.

Michigan State saved its best for last on Saturday, outscoring the Eagles 20-0 in the fourth quarter, in route to a 23-7 victory Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium. That’s the good news. The bad news is, the Spartans offense still looks like it’s lost in transition. They’ve gone from a unit that last year exhibited excellent leadership, depth and continuity to one that is now desperately searching to replace all of the above.

After games like this, I can only imagine Coach Dantonio crying heavily as his stereo blasts the 1988 Cinderella hit “You Don’t Know What You Got Till It’s Gone” with photos of Kirk Cousin, Keyshawn Martin and B.J. Cunningham surrounding him. Under the watchful eye of their leader Cousins and with the help of two exceptional wide receivers, the M.S.U. offense broke school records for passing touchdowns (25) and total receptions for a receiver (79 for B.J. Cunningham) last season. For his career, Cousins also holds the Spartan records for most passing yards (3,086) and pass completions (218). It’s no surprise that Cousins, Cunningham and Martin were all taken in last April’s N.F.L. draft. What is shocking is how long it’s taking for the latest quarterback to wide receiver(s) combination to develop at M.S.U.

New QB Andrew Maxwell is starting to show signs of being able to hit open targets and has connected on a somewhat regular basis with TE Dion Sims; although even Sims had a dropped pass today. Regrettably his other receivers aren’t as accomodating as they dropped seven passes against the worst secondary they’ll see the rest of the season. Catching passes against the Eagles defense is one step above non-contact practice drills and Bennie Fowler, Tony Lippett, DeAnthony Arnett and Keith Mumphrey still didn’t come up with several easy ones. To add insult to injury, Fowler fumbled one of his four catches on his own 23, which led to the Eagles lone touchdown of the day. In the new age of football where airing it out is key to any teams success, this 2012 Spartans team simply doesn’t have enough wind to make it their third consecutive season with double digit wins (11 in 2010 and 2011).

Athletes, coaches and prognosticators always harp on how important leadership is. M.S.U. is finding out the hard way, as another aspect of losing Cousins is showing up on the field. During the post-game interview Coach Dantonio alluded to having to give his team a good old fashioned thrashing at halftime to wake them up. Down 7-3 to a 0-3 Mid-American Conference foe, it was the coaching staff that had to gear up the players to prevent them from suffering what would have been the most humiliating team lose during Dantonio’s tenure.

What’s revealing about this is that the team wasn’t called to account by their own leaders. Cousins and company didn’t allow poor play and low expectations to be the standard in years past. More than anything, this Spartans team is hurting from inexperience and maturity from the traditional leadership position, the quarterback. While Maxwell’s play hasn’t been completely awful, it remains to be seen if he has the skill set and more importantly the personality and attitude to challenge and lead his teammates.

The Spartans survived today because their offense put together one solid quarter of play and their defense played per usual. The Big Ten showed its ineptitude again today (Iowa losing at home to Central Michigan University 32-31!), and for that reason I’m still confident the Spartans can win their share of Big Ten contests. I’m not sure counting on watered down conference opponents is anything to celebrate, but when a game vs. the Eastern Eagles makes you sweat it out until the fourth quarter, you take what you can get.