DetNews Top 5 MSU v. Mich games (lolz)

Submitted by Fresh Meat on
http://detroitnews.com/article/20101008/SPORTS0202/10080366/1131/sports… Michigan State victories make up 3 of the 5 games, BUT there is one bittersweet caveat. 2 of the 3 wins the writer essentially admits that MSU cheated/didn't deserve to win. Bitter in the sense that it sucks reading about those games and having the memories of anger come back, sweet because 2 of their biggest wins of Michigan they didn't actually deserve. EDIT: For those too lazy to click, the two wins are Clockgate and Desmond being tripped

jwschultz

October 8th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^

[I tried to check the WYSIWYG editor for a bug related to posts that start with links, but I didn't have results similar to OP's. I wonder if it's only an issue for new topics and not for comments/replies.  I sure as hell am not creating an entire test topic, this week (month?  season?).]

M-Wolverine

October 8th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^

More column material, as it was published one game a day all week.  And most, in addition, have the article that was written about the game that year.

I have no real problem with the list.  I might have substituted one (95?) for one of the other OT games.  the order is completely whack though (Lynn Henning, what do you expect?).  3OT has to be #1.  You can argue the rest, but not that. Even MSU fans might say so.  Then I might go Clockgate, the trip, 2007, and then 1995.

It gets slight mention in the article, but the funny part is we got screwed in 1995 too.  They spotted the ball over half a yard forward on MSU's 4th down play at the end of the game that year. So I think it's hilarious that the top 3 MSU wins of the last 25 years, or however long it is, all involve ref shenanigans for them to win.  They're biggest victories come from cheating.  And (written by a Spartan), they're proud of it.

Section 1

October 8th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^

In the history of this series, has MSU ever been jobbed by officials the way that we were when the interference on Desmond cost us the game and Number 1 ranking at the time?  And, the Spartan Bob Clockgate? 

I was there as an eyewitness to both.  I've been to most of the M-MSU games, home and away, since the eighties.  I cannot recall anything of the depth of outrage in both cases.  In Desmond's case, we know that Eddie Brown admited interfering, and the Big Ten supervising officials recognized it was a mistake.  In the Spartan Bob case, they changed the way clocks are operated.

Then, there is the matter of the Rose Bowl "vote" in 1973.

Apart from Fritz Crisler wisely objecting to MSU entering the Big Ten Conference in the first place, has there ever been an occasion in the football series with Michigan where Sparty has gotten screwed?  (I suppose that Spartan basketball has been the recipient of a couple fo recent screw-jobs, but it had nothing to do with us.)

Section 1

October 8th, 2010 at 3:17 PM ^

"Conference," as opposed to "NCAA."  The NCAA rule on that subject is kind of weird.  It says that the clock is operated under the direction of the Referee or the Umpire.  (Or the Back Judge, I forget and I am too swamped today to look it up again.)  And, in the same breath, the NCAA allows that "management" can be appointed in that regard.  (Again, I have lost track of the exact language; but I saw it earlier this year.)  I am quite sure that the NCAA would allow the continuation of the Spartan Bob operation, but the Conference said, "No, we'll get regular referee crewmembers to do that from now on."

lilpenny1316

October 8th, 2010 at 2:04 PM ^

We won by at least 10 in most of our wins in the 90s and 2000s, so it's hard to get jobbed when that happens.  And I believe that in the 80s all of the games were pretty free of any ref shenanigans.  

And as much as Bert Smith took a dump on us in 1973, so did other athletic directors.  It's not fair to let him take all the credit and glory. 

profitgoblue

October 8th, 2010 at 10:08 AM ^

As per my previous post, I have a very difficult time taking a man named "Lynn" seriously.  Plus, this Lynn is a complete idiot and d-bag so even when he's right, he's wrong.

trublu4781

October 8th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^

Well this makes sense....in order to be "top 5" material you want a game that is memorable and unique.  Something that doesn't happen all that often.  Like MSU wins

JNQ_GOBLUE_79

October 8th, 2010 at 10:55 AM ^

write up is inaccurate (surprise).  Henne did not throw two TDs to Braylon in OT.  One was to Avant, who made a hell of a catch in the back corner of the endzone.