MSU vs. U of M Reaction

When watching the MSU vs. U of M game this weekend I was surprised by a few things. State’s defense looked much better. The offense was as predictable as ever and only big plays from Cousin’s arm (and his feet, he must practice with Nichol on that) kept drives alive. The dumbest moment on the afternoon was U of M faking a punt on fourth and short on their own 17 yard line. And the announcers tried to make it sound like it was Mesko’s call. I know that Zoltan Mesko is one of the more popular players in Ann Arbor (why?) but that was a dumb play all around. I wouldn’t even call that in NCAA Football 2010.

How did MSU’s defense shut down Michigan’s offense at all? They made the “anointed” one Tate Forcier look like a freshman. They were pressuring him and forcing him to make bad decisions. I’m sure Michigan fans will say how hurt he is and all, but that’s no excuse. It’s like saying how Randy Moss didn’t block because his back was hurt, yet he was healthy enough to make ten catches.

Both teams were put in great situations but could not come away with points, which is odd. Both defenses are struggling this season and the weather was not bad enough to affect the offenses too much.

In the end MSU came through in Overtime in an instant classic. Freshman Larry Capers took a run to the house after a toss play lost 9 yards. This is a game that MSU used to lose. Good for Dantonio for getting his guys to play.

From the broadcast:

The announcers were awful. I know it was the Big Ten Network but still. All they did was talk about how much moxy Forcier has or how much of a warrior he is or how he lives for these moments. Then he throws an interception in the end zone in OT. Ooops. I hate how he always limps to the huddle or bends over in pain after every throw. Unless I find out Monday he has swine flu/broken back/broken leg/dislocated shoulder then I will have to label him a “diver” (there you go hockey fans). I get it, he’s pretty good. But he isn’t Tim Tebow. He takes dumb hits and struggles with accuracy. That is all I have to say about Forcier.

MSU has looked very Un-MSU like this season. They are very sloppy and took too many stupid penalties. They have not played to their potential all season and its upsetting. They did continue to play in the 4-3 almost exclusively and shuttle in QBs all day. It reminds me of playing in the sand lot and you would tell a guy, all right I’ll play QBs odds and you even. Nichol did not ruin any drives but did not add much. Kirk Cousins had some big runs (I know!) and made some great throws. The kid looks great sometimes. The running game was much better and continues to improve. If we can build off this success and learn to play defense and run the ball we may be all right.