Act Of God
10/17/2015 – Michigan 23, Michigan State 27 – 5-2, 2-1 Big Ten
[Eric Upchurch]
So I was trying to come up with a clever thing for this post and started Googling "Act of God." Folks in contracts who are beset by improbable occurrences regularly petition the courts for forgiveness since, you know, things. And stuff. I mean, seriously. That thing, that was a pretty unlikely thing. Cumong man.
The courts have generally gone along with this. If you are beset by a plague of locusts and boils and rivers of blood and the like, the courts are generally like "God's bad, yo" and then they let you go.
Anyway. I'm scanning, scanning, trying to find something apropos, and then
I AM NOT ON THIS LIST
NOR ARE THE HUNDRED THOUSAND STRUCK DOWN JUST THIS SATURDAY
WHAT KIND OF RATIONAL WIKI DO YOU PURPORT TO BE
IF SERIOUSLY I MEAN I AM NOT ON THIS LIST, NOR IS MY UNCLE OR MY COUSINS OR VARIOUS STUDENTS AND ALSO JIM HACKETT AND JIM HARBAUGH AND PROBABLY LIKE 1500 OTHER JIMS IN THE STADIUM
OH I'M NOT RATIONAL, RATIONALWIKI?!?!? IIIIIIIII'M NOT RATIONAL?
Fine. Okay. Yeah. Okay. You're right. It's cool, RationalWiki. Keep on being mean to anti-vaxxers. It's cool. I am perfectly calm, RationalWiki. Calmer than you are.
-----------------------------------------
This is the section inspired by the brain above. It's a pretty impressive brain, all up in some parentheses that probably mean something to people who took their discrete math class seriously instead of asking my friend to drop off my homework because 8:30 on North Campus just wasn't happening, man.
So. In about 10 months Jim Harbaugh erased the physical gap between Michigan and Michigan State. Michigan didn't run roughshod; both teams struggled to get yard one on the ground. Injury whinging is out of the question: both teams were down one starter on the line when MSU was on the field.
In the absence of a physical advantage either way, the game came down to the fact that Michigan State spawned a generational quarterback from a three-star recruit at the same time they had disastrous special teams. Michigan's special teams were amazing until they were… not amazing, and Brady Hoke hired an offensive coordinator whose 30-year career has seen one quarterback he recruited ever—everrrrrrr—start. (That guy was Indiana's QB as a sophomore; the next year he was a tight end.) Jake Rudock is a smart dude who I am grateful is at Michigan; he is not a guy who Harbaugh has chosen and developed.
[Bryan Fuller]
When Cook had an opportunity to hit a receiver who'd gotten over the top of Jeremy Clark, he did so. He nestled the ball in there with the care and precision of a watchmaker. If there was a job where you had to throw babies at titanium bassinets inside a volcano, I would be comfortable giving Connor Cook that job. Rudock hit some intermediate passes but he did not take advantage of his opportunities to hit touchdowns.
Thus a game that was close enough for God to do some serious smitin'.
So, that sucks. It sucks that happened. It sucks that the kind of trash program that would run all the way across the field to taunt the Michigan student section after being handed a gift gets to feel like they earned something this morning. They're planning on nicknaming it, as if they earned something. That is why Michigan State will always be Michigan State. That is why "little brother" stuck: because it is the truest thing ever said about the attitude of that program.
But I've seen worse. I've felt worse. I have a big ol' callus. It's clear the direction this is going, and it's not a loss to Rutgers. The juggalos will get theirs as soon as Harbaugh flips the QB matchup. That's the undercurrent of their relief. They're already celebrating like underdogs who fluked it out.
See you next year.
AWARDS
[Fuller]
Known Friends And Trusted Agents Of The Week
you're the man now, dog
#1 Jourdan Lewis had 6 PBUs, wasn't beaten clean without offensive pass interference, and shut down Burbridge enough that MSU was behind despite a monster game from their QB.
#2 Jabrill Peppers had three excellent returns, was important in limiting the MSU ground game, caused MSU to freak out and burn consecutive timeouts late in the first half, and set up a Michigan touchdown with an end-around.
#3 Willie Henry had two sacks and was in MSU's backfield for most of the fourth quarter.
Honorable mention: rest of the front seven, Kenny Allen.
KFaTAotW Standings.
9: Jourdan Lewis (#1 UNLV, #1 Northwestern, #1 MSU)
6: Jabrill Peppers(#2 BYU, #2 Northwestern, #2 MSU)
5: Chris Wormley(#2 Utah, #1 Oregon State)
3: Jake Butt (#1 Utah), De'Veon Smith(#2 Oregon State, #3 BYU), Ryan Glasgow (#1 BYU), Desmond Morgan (#1 Maryland),
2: Ty Isaac(#2 UNLV), Maurice Hurst (#2 Maryland), Willie Henry(#3 Utah, #3 MSU).
1: AJ Williams (#3 Oregon State), Channing Stribling(#3 UNLV), Blake O'Neill(#3 Maryland), Jake Rudock(#3 Northwestern)
Who's Got It Better Than Us Of The Week
This week's best thing ever.
Michigan's defense boots MSU off the field on fourth and nineteen to win the game, until they did not win.
Honorable mention: 80 yard punt. Peppers on the loose.
WGIBTUs Past.
Utah: Crazy #buttdown.
Oregon State: #tacopunts.
UNLV: Ty Isaac's 76 yard touchdown.
BYU: De'Veon Smith's illicit teleporter run.
Maryland: Jehu Chesson jet sweeps past you.
Northwestern: Chesson opening KO TD.
MSU: the bit where they won until they didn't.
MARCUS HALL EPIC DOUBLE BIRD OF THE WEEK.
This week's worst thing ever.
Obvious.
Honorable mention: N/A
PREVIOUS EDBs
Utah: circle route pick six.
Oregon State: Rudock fumbles after blitz bust.
UNLV: Rudock matches 2014 INT total in game 3.
BYU: BYU manages to get to triple digit yards in the last minutes of the game.
Maryland: Slog extended by deflected interception at Houma.
Northwestern: KLINSMANN OUT
MSU: Obvious.
[After THE JUMP: Jourdan Lewis targeted again. It goes okay to well.]
OFFENSE
[Bryan Fuller]
Why it was close enough to turn. Jake Rudock couldn't hit a deep ball. He missed Jehu Chesson long; above he missed Jehu Chesson way short and to the inside; he underthrew Amara Darboh after Darboh had beaten MSU's coverage by five yards. Darboh caught the ball, but instead of a touchdown it was 32 yards and Michigan had to settle for a field goal. Remove the Jabrill Peppers sweeps that are inanely credited as passes in the NCAA rulebook and Rudock was 13/23 for 140 yards—6.1 an attempt.
Rudock hasn't hit a deep pass for a touchdown seven games in, and it cost Michigan. Especially frustrating was a the play after the (phantom) holding call inside the redzone; he had Jake Butt as M hit the play design, but he didn't throw it. Rudock generally avoided challenging the weakest part of Michigan State's defense. At his point it's hard to see that improving.
On the other hand, good enough to win.
[Upchurch]
Run game: nope. It was blocked better than it looked at first glance, with a number of opportunities to pick up solid yardage that went awry because of the backs. The above shot was one of them; Michigan had creased the MSU defense just to the right of where Isaac went. You can see Cole burying a guy—the crease was over there. Higdon fell down on a promising opportunity late, and there were a couple others from Smith.
Michigan remains pretty bad at adapting to a changing situation in front of it. Both lead blockers and the backs were stymied when MSU would shoot a guy inside what was supposed to be a kickout block; they did not adapt to that and hit the gap outside. By the time I saw Stanford do that a lot they'd had Harbaugh for three years. It is a work in progress.
They did hit their long run. It's just that it went to Sione Houma, and he got caught from behind after bursting past the entire MSU D.
Arrrgh. After the Butt play mentioned above Michigan had second and goal and f-ing had it, man, on a clever Tiny Screen on which Smith ran an angle route and Glasgow released downfield. Glasgow was about to cut off the only guy between Smith and the endzone when the ball got batted down at the line.
Enter the Peppers. The insertion of Jabrill Peppers on offense freaked MSU out to the point where they called consecutive timeouts at the end of the first half. Michigan ran something that looked odd; Butt fell down and then got up; MSU got a lot of pressure and Rudock just threw it away. Often TEs falling down in those situations are making a bid to be forgotten about; MSU did not bite.
When Peppers did finally get the ball on offense he immediately outran an angle to the corner for a near-touchdown. I'd like to see him continue in this department, because he is a good football player in any situation.
DEFENSE
[Bryan Fuller]
The other 19 guys were almost incidental. Run for two yards, throw at Jourdan Lewis covering Aaron Burbridge, repeat. Burbridge was targeted 19 times. Burbridge had nine catches (one of them was against Jarrod Wilson as he and Lewis swapped coverage on the first drive for reasons unknown); Lewis had 6 PBUs. There was maybe one Burbridge catch on which he had gotten any separation. Most saw Cook launch a laser-guided munition, often under pressure just over Lewis's head.
All three gentlemen in this matchup made themselves a lot of money on Saturday, except Jourdan Lewis is obviously too small for the NFL until 2017, when he will be quite excellently sized.
Was this a good idea? Michigan's defense gave up 328 passing yards and 58 rushing yards. 74 of those passing yards were on the fullback thing on which either Ross or Hill—I think Ross—busted. Outside of that RPS play Cook had 6.7 YPA.
Meanwhile Burbridge was averaging ten yards a target coming into the game; when matched up against Lewis he managed 5.8. Lewis was up to the task, and the configuration Michigan was in helped them limit the MSU ground game to 3.1 YPC once sacks and TEAM are removed.
Also, Cook was straight dealing. I can't imagine there were any other approaches that would have made it more difficult for him. Michigan gave him windows that were more like arrow slits and he delivered. Looking forward to seeing Not Connor Cook as MSU QB.
Henry beast mode. This is the game that's going to get Willie Henry his double-digit UFR day. Two sacks, a few other hurries, and yeoman work on the ground game.
The personal foul was unfortunate. I looked at it and it seems to happen simultaneously with the whistle, but it is a belly flop onto a pile of guys that is unnecessary. That was the only blemish on a day that was probably his best as a Wolverine.
Runs: stuffed. MSU rushes went nowhere. They had a long of 11 on the day, that on a play on which the pulling guard wrapped both arms around the body of Royce Jenkins-Stone. Virtually all other runs were downs set on fire.
The fullback wheel. It was either on Hill or Ross. If I had to guess I'd say Ross. Excellent design there, though—reminiscent of the Butt screen against Maryland with the multiple fakes opening up an unexpected blocky/catchy guy. Michigan did have some ripostes of their own but they did not come off due to bloody-minded fate.
SPECIAL TEAMS
[Fuller]
Why they won until why they didn't. Michigan killed it in this game. O'Neill hit an 80 yard punt, placed two others inside the 20, averaged 45 yards a kick, and didn't have a touchback. RJ Shelton had 4 return yards on those punts. MSU averaged 37 yards a punt and put zero inside the 20, instead banging a ball eight yards deep into the endzone.
Peppers had a 34 yard punt return and a 49 yard kickoff return; Allen hit his field goals while MSU chose two attempts to convert fourth and long instead of fairly makeable field goals.
Michigan also covered and then stuffed a fake punt, with Desmond Morgan getting over to put Tyler O'Connor on the ground. Jourdan Lewis covered the pass option—Michigan had their defense on the field. Until the thing at the end this was an unbelievable blowout.
Field goals. None were particularly long but Allen was 3/3 and is now… reliable? Can we say he's reliable? He seems fairly reliable, knock on wood. I abjure and reject thee, #collegekickers.
Kickoffs: let's stop bothering with them. Kenny Allen can put the ball in the endzone whenever he wants; Michigan keeps trying to pop it up short in case they can get the guy down short of the 25. The upside there is low and the results have been mediocre to date. I'd rather save the wear and tear.
MISCELLANEOUS
seems legit [Fuller]
We got boned. This was as bad as that Oklahoma State-Texas game that sent most of the Texas fanbase to the tinfoil hat shop. Flagrantly wrong calls against Michigan in this game:
- They missed an obvious offensive PI on Peppers on MSU's drive from the 1 after the 80 yard punt.
- The holding call on Jourdan Lewis (or "86," whatever) was vaporware. Feet got tangled and the WR stumbled into the umpire.
- The targeting call on Bolden was roundly denounced by the entire world; that moved MSU from third and four at the 40 to the 25.
- Royce-Jenkins Stone was put in a bear-hug on the ensuing MSU TD.
- Michigan was about to have second and goal on the four when a phantom hold on Braden sent them back to the 18.
- Rudock had his head damn near taken off after he caught his own pass on that bizarre deflection, but no facemask was forthcoming.
Add in the ludicrous number of replays because these guys couldn't get the call right on the field and this was 1000% clownshow. Oh and the block in the back call they picked up after someone was like "is the side of the guy the back of a guy?" and they managed to figure it out.
It happens, I guess, and Michigan had won anyway until you know what.
Game theory bits. The "what if" afterwards is inevitable. This one is pointless. That loses you a game about once every 125 years. The absolute worst case there should have been O'Neill falling on the snap and giving Michigan State a shot at a Hail Mary. Other options are at least as risky.
The only thing I might have done differently is align in whatever formation you'd use for a punt when you're backed up on your own goal line. Michigan surely has one of those, and this would be a situation to use it.
Stat business. MSU fans will point at the yardage in an attempt to claim that it was some sort of fluke that they were behind, as if special teams doesn't count. FWIW, Bill Connelly's numbers had Michigan a very healthy favorite given the way other games with that statistical profile went. Michigan was winning because they should have been winning.
HERE
Best: Jourdan MF Lewis
Nothing was more entertaining than seeing MSU fans complain about Lewis “mugging” Burbridge throughout the game on his way to 6 pass breakups and a pretty decent effort against MSU’s sole real passing threat. Lewis, of course, is just playing the same type of physical, grabby defense MSU introduced to the conference some years back, just perhaps at a better level than either Waynes or Dennard every did. Being a shutdown corner doesn’t necessarily mean that the guy you cover never catches a ball, especially when the opponent doggedly targets him because they literally had no other competent options (Burbridge was targeted 19 times in this game).
Instead, it means making it as difficult as possible for the offense to consistently complete passes to your side and limiting the damage when they do, and Lewis did that in spades. Even though Burbirdge finished with 9 catches for 132 yards, he only had 3 catches after halftime, and at least two of them were just great plays by him despite great coverage by Lewis. Lewis was also the victim of a pick play in the 2nd quarter (I believe) that Brandstatter called out immediately when it happened. Overall, he played like the All-American he’s being touted as and performed well in a tough matchup against a good receiver.
* Jake Rudock was once again, 2 for 3 on my efficiency metrics, going 15 for 25 (60%, passing, but just barely) with zero turnovers, but missing on the YPA by averaging 6.7 per attempt.
* Early on, someone said my YPA was not sufficiently difficult. I checked the stats this week and saw about 84 QBs average at least 7 YPA. There are 128 FBS teams, give or take, so that doesn't seem like a high bar. However, I want my efficient QB to do this AND this AND this. Of all those QBs, only 60 throw for 60% or more with 7+ YPA and 1 or fewer TOs per game. I'll take that. Either you are efficient or you are not. If ~1/2 of the QBs pass my test, I'd say my WAG at efficiency is close to the mark.
Craig Ross posts a list of Historical End Game Debacles if you'd like to compare and contrast.
ELSEWHERE
Shamepaint, naturally. This week's edition has minimal phalluses.
Marc Tracy nails it in the NYT:
In contrast to the title of their fight song, the Wolverines were not the victors. Nor are there moral victories in football, particularly at programs like Michigan’s: There are just too few games, and too many other teams competing for the final four playoff spots, to take much heart when it says “L” instead of “W” next to a given game on a schedule.
But there is such a thing as appropriate perspective. This will not be Michigan’s year, but it was never supposed to be. After all, Michigan’s last seven seasons involved two failed coaching tenures and an overall 46-42 record. In those seven seasons, Michigan was 1-6 versus Michigan State.
Even had they won Saturday, the Wolverines would not have looked like a championship team. On offense, they converted only four of 16 third- and fourth-down opportunities and amassed just 230 total yards.
But what is true — not in a hazy, sentimental sense, but in a real one — is that Michigan’s football team is back. And one byproduct of the revival is that the Michigan-Michigan State game was again at the epicenter of the college football universe on a midseason weekend.
“This time last year, no one was talking about this game,” the ESPN analyst David Pollack said Friday. “It was, ‘How bad will Michigan lose?’ ” (The answer last year was 35-11.) Michigan defensive end Willie Henry, a senior, said after the game that this traditional rivalry felt different this year.
“Both teams were winning,” he said. “Everyone thought it would be a great game. It was a great game.”
Matt Hinton on the immediacy of the moment in college football. Bill Connelly.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
Yards have enough meaning to where the team who has 150 more of them from scrimmage wins 98+% of the time. If you dominate yards from scrimmage then it means you are dominating the facet of the game that you spend (I'm guessing) 3/4 of the time on. If we had beaten MSU it would have been a massive statistical outlier.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
How does it come out then? I think the reason that most times the team with 150 more yards wins is that special teams arent so lobsided.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:52 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
You have vastly underestimated the special teams advantage that Michigan had in this game. As Brian alluded to, Bill Connelly's win expectancy against Michigan State was 68%, meaning that a team that performed as Michigan did against Michigan State would be expected to win 68% of the time. State had 3 scoring drives all game and missed no field goals; Michigan had 5 scoring drives. State was able to accumulate more yards from scrimmage because they were faced with a major field position disadvantage the entire game. That was due to special teams.
EDIT: Michigan State also ran 14 more plays than Michigan did, which at State's rate of 5.15 yards per play, would result in 72 additional yards from scrimmage.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^
I'm not underestimating it. What I'm saying is that you shouldn't hang your hat on it or take much heart in it. If you are looking for long term sustainability, getting outgained 386-230 is a really shitty way to make a living.
Also, the field position had nothing to do with our anemic offensive output. The goal line only stopped us from gaining yards twice.
If the roles were reversed then anyone who suggested that MSU deserved to win would get laughed out of this forum. Anyone here remember the 2003 game? That was the Chris Perry 51 carry game. We beat MSU by only 7 despite kicking the shit out of them on both sides of the ball. Why? Because of hidden yardage and one fumble return. If you include all of the hidden yardage in that game, then MSU actually outgained us! But you would be a retard if you suggested that the clearly better team did not win.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:53 PM ^
Truly, the team should feel comfortable hanging its hat on this special teams unit. It was a major advantage against both Northwestern and Michigan State (until the final play). Michigan can expect to neutralize some of its weaknesses thanks to its special teams, and that's valuable.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:55 PM ^
Let it go Hannibal. Seven different people have tried to explain it to you and you still don't get it, and that's okay.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:56 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 2:37 PM ^
except UM had 44 more punt return yards, 56 more kick return yards and 126 more punting yards (on two more punts).
i think UM's avg starting position was the 38. all of these numbers and the special teams more than offset sparties 156 offensive yardage advantage until the final play.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:04 PM ^
You can win lots of football games with great special teams.
Michigan won the special teams battle decisively Saturday, until God stepped in.
But the metric that sticks out for me from Saturday is 3rd and 4th down conversions, as I thought it would, based on previous MSU game results.
The truth is that Connor Cook has been lethal on 3rd down, despite shoddy OL play and Lewis' heroics. And it showed. I don't like it, but the truth is Dave Warner has a done a magnificient job at MSU polishing what everyone else regarded as second rate QB talent, and shining them into NFL prospects.
Your team is unlikely to win football games when you only convert 35% of 3rd and 4th downs, while your opponent with Connor Cook in the same game is converting 50%.
I wrote on Saturday that in all other universes Michigan wins this game either 23-14 or at best 23-21. It just so happens we Michigan fans all live in the same universe where Charles White scores phantom touchdowns, Harry Oliver hits 51 year field goals with no time left, and Rick Leach's game-tying TD pass to Stanley Edwards bounces off Edwards' helmet into the loving arms of a LB some parent decided to name Michael Jackson.
It's all shit.
But you learn to accept it. Swallow the turd sandwich bollus. And move on.
Michigan is going to finish 9-3 this year. I'm going to be very happy with that. Not satisfied. Just happy.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:10 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
"I looked back today to see how often somebody has won a game in which they got outgained by 150 yards."
Did you also look back to see how frequently one team is almost 20 yards worse than the other in net punting? No? Okay then.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:20 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:44 PM ^
I had to login to downvote this inanity.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:46 PM ^
You don't rack up as much total yardage when you're working with a shorter field.
Pretty basic.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
We had ten first downs in the game. Short fields had absolutely nothing to do with the stats from the game.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:54 PM ^
Again, our average net punting was almost 20 yards better than MSU's. That's two first downs every exchange. This should not be difficult to understand.
It takes a special kind of fan to argue that the team leading for 59:59 of the game would have been lucky to win.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 1:03 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 1:16 PM ^
This has to be a troll, right? I mean, first downs aren't even a good stat because you could gain 30 yards on one play and it would only be one first down, and the other team could then gain three 10-yard first downs, and they're winning 3-to-1 on first downs. Does that mean they are better though? Obviously not.
Not to mention, starting field position obviously makes a difference in yardage gained. You can't just ignore special teams yards as if they didn't happen, becuase they did, in fact, happen.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:46 PM ^
I get your offensive argument and sort of agree with it in a narrow sense, but you would be better served talking in a more holistic approach to your commentary.
To that end
MSU won the battle of the 2 offenses
I felt the battle of the defenses was a wash (yes that can happen even if MSU won the battles of the offenses as I am comparing offense to offense).
And UM dominated the battle of the ST (until the last play)
So if you look at it in 3 phases it was a toss up game. MSU clearly better in 1 phase, and UM better in 1 phase and the 2 teams equal in the 3rd.
Also VATech made a living with defense and special teams and not much offense for about 15 years.
What happened here was UMs special teams was outstanding and gave UMs offense great field placement a lot. UM's offense did not take advantage of it enough* They had some scoring drives that were paltry in yardage and in a normal game where UM started at its own 35 rather than Spartys 28 would not be scoring drives. But credit special teams.
*well enough in a game of normal circumstance but not in this one.
If UM's offense had done more the whole last 5 minutes would have been moot. It is what it is.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:25 PM ^
You also don't give up as many yards when drives aren't extended by gifts from referees.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:48 PM ^
in that the descepancy between the two teams in terms of kicking, punting and returns was so big. Short of the incident at the end, we dominated in special teams.
If MSU had a solid kicker, they probably attempt two FGs instead of going on 4th down. If they werent getting only 25 yards net on punts, they dont go on the fake punt.
The yardage descrepancy just states that MSU's offense did better against our defense than our offense against their defense.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:51 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 1:15 PM ^
Okay, if we're being technical, MSU was not trailing for 60 minutes. That would mean that Michigan scored without having any time roll off the clock at the beginning of the game. They didn't hold a lead when there was time on the clock, though.
October 19th, 2015 at 1:24 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^
We out gained ND last year and got blown the fuck out. Also, I don't understand how you can make a case for yardage being important and then immediately dismiss special teams yardage. Field position is field position whether your offense moves the ball or if you gain it by kicking a 80 yard punt.
October 19th, 2015 at 2:24 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:34 PM ^
but I thought that the MSU players went back to that endzone to check on their injured player, who was getting strapped onto a board at that point before being sent ot the hospital.
That doesn't mean they're weren't plenty of examples of classless behavior on their part (little brother does as little brother is), but maybe not that particual incident.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Thanks, as always after a tough loss, I needed that...
October 19th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^
Brian for articulating how we all felt and still feel. Its an emptiness thats indescribable. Beyond the unbelievable game results were the reactions of the sparty faithful including their coach. As if they earned something great. It was a gift and maybe hopefully a parting last moment for them to shout with glee over their "accomplishment" of beating Michigan again. Anyway, this reminds me of a bad meal I had many years ago, I simply could not get the taste out of my mouth until I gargled with a mouthwash about 10 times. So lets not let this linger any longer and take comfort in the fact that random acts of chaos eventually affect everyone equally. Lets just hope that karmadic payback happens to sparty this year so we can witness it sooner rather than later.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
I've made my living writing and editing for a long time. And one of my favorite things to do is find the perfect word. You found it when describing the Sparty slappies: "juggalos." The Insane Farm Posse has had its last hurrah.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:40 PM ^
Reporter: Do you think of Michigan State as your little brother?
Mike Hart: Yup. So that's what they think, that's what I think. What can I say? If they think that, I'ma think that. If they think we think that yea we think that.
Little brother was and always has been about their attitude. Connor Cook skipping down Michigan's sideline to the student section is the perfect example. Shit happens in college football. Teams that deserve to win sometimes lose on flukes. Congrats. Next.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
Thanks Brian.
Immediate view: The result is a damn shame.
Long view: We are poised for years of success at the highest level. It will be glorious.
Steel Spine. Resolve. Go Blue!
October 19th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
The number of MSU fans that can't or won't admit that this game was handed to them on a silver paltter blows my mind. At least on the message boards the opinion is damn near unanimous that they forced that turnover. I guess I don't know what I expected to read...
October 19th, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:45 PM ^
"The juggalos will get theirs as soon as Harbaugh flips the QB matchup."
I don't know man. Something about Saturday's game at Michigan, and the Rutgers black out game before it, tells me MSU is not the same team. The juggalos may get theirs sooner than anticipated
But meanwhile....yeah, rat farts and admantium exoskeletons for all.
October 19th, 2015 at 3:06 PM ^
the QB matchup? Jake is by far our best QB right now, so they say. How are the others developing? I have heard nothing about them since the season started and we don't get to see any of them except Speight. How much magic can he work in the off season?
October 19th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:50 PM ^
You know the officiating was bad when the first comments out of not one, not two but three OSU alumns I work with this morning were to the effect of "who in the hell did you guys piss off in the B1G?" Now mind you they said it while smiling but it was clear that even our enemy watched the game wondering why we were getting worked by the officals.
What I dont understand is why we get this type of biased officiating at home. I get why you dont get the benefit of judgement calls on the road but I dont understand why Michigan gets fucked both at the Big House and when we're the visitor. Watching that game on Saturday it was pretty damn clear to me that the refs had an agenda and were hell-bent on carrying it out each and every opportunity they could. Bolden's "targeting" penality and ejection being for me the worst.
The game should've never come down to the last play IMO. The last time I got this pissed off over the officiating was the 1990 Rose Bowl or maybe the 1977 Rose Bowl. But at least in those I KNEW we would get screwed at the PAC10 officials made no secret of their hatred for Bo. Saturday I couldnt tell you why that happened.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
October 19th, 2015 at 12:56 PM ^
Bo suffered the same. You're a bit older than I am, but surely you remember getting totally boned in close games?
October 19th, 2015 at 12:55 PM ^
Brian, well written.
Thanks for linking to the Bill Hinton article. It nailed how many of us currently feel and how we are going to deal with it going forward.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:57 PM ^
MSU barely won on a fluke play, despite having almost every significant call go their way and fielding one of their most highly regarded teams under Dantonio with an NFL-level passer. Michigan barely lost on a fluke play, in part because every significant call went against them in a major way and we are in the first year of a coaching transition to the best football coach in the world with a solid, but unspectacular, graduate transfer at QB. This game stings as bad as it does largely because of how far this team has come.
October 19th, 2015 at 12:59 PM ^
What's the final word on your review of the Twitter/social media barrage? Were they teenagers as you initially found or were they, in fact, grown adults who are in need of blowjobs?
October 19th, 2015 at 1:23 PM ^
90% teens. A bunch of them are just losers who aren't even Michigan fans. One douchecanoe at Michigan named Mitch.
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