Matt Charboneau (detnews) Is The Anti-Mike Rosenberg
Matt Charboneu is such an MSU slappy, I wonder if Spartans are actually starting to be embarrassed by his enthusiasms. To hear him tell it, the Michigan State defense next year is going to take sliced bread, and ground it down into its component parts, and then synthesize it into even more...component--but hard-hitting--parts.
I'm scared, Matt.
Oh, wait, You're coming to Ann Arbor next year.
I hope you have a Kork Coupons with you.
Oh...wait.
The word talented would not do it justice. Nine starters return from a team that was sixth in the nation a year ago in total defense. And if its performance on Saturday was any indication, this defense will be one that could lead the Spartans somewhere they have only dreamt of in recent years — a national championship.
... I think he has a point about the defense being pretty good next year, regardless of how much of a slappy he is.
"National championship" good?
See LSU last year. Their defense was stellar, and we all saw how terrible their offense was at times, but it didn't matter. A good D can make anything happen. I certainly don't think MSU will make the MNC, but stranger things have happened.
It takes more than a good defense to win a NC, and I highly doubt MSU has the inside track on ending the SEC's stranglehold on the NC trophy. Looks like another Gator/Citrus bowl for the Spartoons. And if their QB goes down, bowl elgibity could be in question.
Even if their QB goes down, I think the rest of the team should be good enough to get them to the Gator Bowl or at least the TicketCity Bowl. I mean last year PSU had no QB, plus a lame duck HC and a child rape scandal for half the season, and they managed a New Year's Day Bowl.
That depends on how early he goes down. They play Boise State and Notre Dame before the Big 10 schedule, open conference play with OSU, and then play Iowa, at Michigan, at Nebraska, and Wisconsin in consecutive weeks.
If Maxwell plays well, they have a decent shot at winning (or losing) each of those games, but if he goes down, each of them turn into likely losses, in my opinion. Their schedule is a legitimately tough one.
They've done really well developing talent lately, but their defense is going to need to play out of their minds if their quarterback play isn't near average for the conference for them to be an eight-plus win team.
Basically, they're in the exact opposite situation Michigan was in last offseason. We knew the offense was going to score some points, but had no idea what was going to happen on the other side of the ball.
The defense certainly seems it could be national championship good. Not like I know the stats of all the past winner, but I'd think there's got to be some worse defenses compared to what State is throwing out there. You do have a point though that talking about national championships when you have a giant question mark of an offense is a bit much. If you're a rational State fan, wouldn't an average offense be what you hope for?
Since our offense moved the ball at will on them last year, we have nothing to worry about...wait....what....we didn't move the ball well last year?...on a defense which has almost everyone except Worthy returning?
Wake up. The streak is a fluke, but not each win. They are a very good program that we cannot take lightly
If I'm Coach Hoke, I may not be saying it publicly, but this is the game. Yeah, Ohio is The Game, but we broke that streak last year. This is the streak that needs to end. Now.
April 30th, 2012 at 12:23 PM ^
I agree that MSU beating Michigan four times in a row is out of the norm if you consider the all time series. I believe it has only happened once before, and that was back in the 60's. However, If you broke down the rivalry since Lloyd Carr retired it hasn't been a fluke. There is no doubt in my mind that Michigan will once again take the upper hand in this rivalry, but the 2012 game will be very tough. I'm not so sure we have the players to out "manball" them yet. MSU is going to try to run over our new look defensive line. We shall see, but don't under estimate the Spartans.
April 30th, 2012 at 10:03 AM ^
I'd agree with you on the four wins if 3 of them didn't look like a one sided cripple fight. 1st was quarterbacked by descendants of Benny Hill. 2nd had true freshman. 3rd game had a defense that probably could have been beaten by a high school all star team. This is the ONLY gripe i have with state fans, in that they take SO much pride in beating those 3 teams and continue to laud theyre 4 game streak.
Look, I am a pretty objective dude. I give credit when due. They've had 2 unbelievable seasons. Msu has a really good defense and they get all the credit for that win last year, because that UM team is the only one of the four that deserved to be on the field with them. But this bragging over beating rich rods version of the wolverines is a little ridiculous
But then again, a streak is a streak, and 5 in a row just sounds bad
April 30th, 2012 at 11:52 AM ^
I mean, we don't gloat about it to the same extent when we beat MSU, but I don't see anyone throwing out the wins over JLS teams because those teams kinda sucked. Losses are losses. The streak woul be a misleading prediction of the future, but it still happened.
"I mean, we don't gloat about it to the same extent when we beat MSU"
That's the point. I'm not talking about throwing out losses. In the John L days it was like, okay, we got msu, lets go out and beat em. okay whos next. sure we won but who really gave a shit. it didnt prove that we were a good team, it just proved they sucked. We proved to be a good team by having consistent success.
two 11 win seasons and first bowl win in 5 years dont mean shit on a national level. Yet they validate themselves by winning their midwest super bowl 4 years straight?
I would have more respect for sparty if they ignored michigan. Because thats what i did when they sucked (and actually still do now, besides this one sticking point, lol). good teams dont constantly talk about beating bad ones. And Our teams were bad during this streak, until last season.
If he's saying this could be the defense of a national championship team, then maybe. But these expectations are just gonna lead to the loss of more couches in EL
But i am willing to bet that the defense looked good because the offense was terrible, much like our offense looked bad because our defense was good. Still dont think that there is a chance in hell they make it 5 in a row against us.
When I read the title I thought you meant he had integrity
He loves dolphins?
Is the biggest homer ever! Even Spartan fans laugh at his thoughts.
The point of this story is that the author says MSU is National championship good and well yea we're laughing at it because....they're not. The defense is good but not good enough for msu to win a title, sorry.
Michigan might have a losing streak to msu but that doesnt mean we cant say that msu isnt a championship contender because well they arent. Neither is Michigan. I'm still going to enjoy watching college football but there is a 0% chance either team wins the BCS title game.
Thanks to super cupcake games against Youngstown State and Florida Atlantic the numbers are a little misleading. I took a look at conference only statistics, here are some of the numbers. Note: These are from the 8 regular season conference games and do not include the conference championship game .
Total Defense - Conference Only
Michigan 300.9 3rd
MSU 313.9 4th
Rushing Defense
Michigan 115.6 1st
MSU 118.1 2nd
Passing Defense
Michigan 185.2 5th
MSU 195.8 9th
First Downs
Michigan 15.6 2nd
MSU 18.5 4th
3rd Down Conversion %
Michigan 30.1 1st
MSU 33.9 2nd
When looking at these numbers just remember Mattison and the defensive staff accomplished this in year one! MSU certainly has a good defense, no one would doubt that, but they are not nearly as dominant as many believe and they lost as much or more than Michigan did. I think our perception of the MSU defense is more favorable because they have given our offense trouble.
http://www.bigten.org/sports/m-footbl/stats/2011-2012/confonly.html
i thought the title referred to integrity as well, but since it didn't and we are responding, i will agree that the MSU defense thinks that it is an elite unit and that we will have our hands full in trying to end the streak, i like our chances in ann arbor and do not like MSU's chances to run through their first two months unscathed. that "elite" defense got torched by Wisci twice and steamrolled by Nebraska. they are good, and in a weak big ten will probably win 10 games again, but they would not finish in the top 5 of the SEC.
For those that didn't, or want to, read the article, I found it interesting that Allen stated their goal as a team is no longer a Rose Bowl, but rather a national championship. They apperently break the huddle with "national champs" as opposed to the usual B1G champs. Considering the debate that has been had about Hoke stating our goal is the B1G championship, I wonder what Dantonio is saying (or not saying) about this. Does he state this is the team's goal, or is he leaving the natty talk to the players? Although a NC berth is not entirely in the team's control, while a B1G champ is, I personally like the higher expectations a team sets for itself.
Actually, I found that "national champ" break kinda pathetic. They've been breaking the huddle witrh "Big Ten' for years and gotten nothing from it, so now they have given up on that goal?
National champs isn't a realistic goal at all for this Spartan team, though the Big Ten is. I'm not sure what is the point of setting expectations unrealistically high. All you get is players losing their respect for the coaches and their shenanigans.
April 30th, 2012 at 10:17 AM ^
I'm surprised no one in this thread has noted the most important determinant of Sparty's success. No matter who they lose on defense or offense, it all comes down to the ever present Sparty Noes. They're not likely to disappear anytime soon.
April 30th, 2012 at 10:38 AM ^
will be awkward after their 3rd loss of the season in October
April 30th, 2012 at 11:14 AM ^
April 30th, 2012 at 11:30 AM ^
I think their program has come a long way and why not set high goals?
Am I the only one who thinks we lost more than they did? That team from E Lansing worries me, it's going to take a much improved team to beat them IMO, but it's at home so I expect a dogfight.
Love him or hate him (I hate him) Dantonio is no joke, he has built a defense that the entire country is taking notice of.
April 30th, 2012 at 11:49 AM ^
Any team that is breaking in a new QB and WR's is losing more than a team that lost two defensive linemen.Considering that QB is the most important position in the game I'd say MSU is weaker than UM is at this point.
Who knows how good Maxwell is. How about those receivers? The line has not exactly been dominant. Bell and Caper are good, but how will the loss of Kork and The Gang impact their play?
(They also lost Trent Robinson on defense. )
MSU is a mystery at this point because we don't know how good their QB is going to be. Is he going to be All Big Ten? Mediocre? The living embodiment of suck? We just don't know.
Conversely, UM's offense is filled with knowns as is most of the defense. Our concerns lie with the DT's. In my mind if UM can even get adequate DT play we are talking about a Big Tehn title team assuming Denard makes the progression as a passer we all expect.
But Denard is a senior, how much more progress is he going to make? He's electric with his feet, utilizing that is when we're best. Losing Molk and Hughye will not be that easy to replace but we should be OK there, but losing our receivers and both TEs will be exactly what MSU is facing except they have Sims back and we have Roudtree back.
Replacing 3 starters on the D line will be the key to the season, that group was great last year and was the reason why out LBs and safeties were able to run free and make plays all season.
Basically we lose a little more on both lines than they do, we both lose all of our experienced receivers/TEs save for 1 (Roundtree or Sims), and they replace Cousins. We're still in transition a little and haven't yet developed the depth that we will have in a few years, that's unfortunately where I think MSU has a big advantage, somehow Dantonio has a team that is quite deep.
It all comes down to Maxwell for MSU, but i wouldn't count on him being a big dropoff from Cousins who wasn;t all that great anyways. State is building a solid team, we might be a year or 2 away from beating them although I hope not.
Just my honest opinion.
Dont take lightly the fact that an inexperienced QB can get alot better when practicing against a tough defense every week. I think that is one advantage maxwell will have
April 30th, 2012 at 11:33 AM ^
Why are there so many sparty threads on here?
April 30th, 2012 at 12:10 PM ^
How are they going to compete for a national title?
April 30th, 2012 at 12:12 PM ^
Alabama.