Michigan Player(s) plant spear in Spartan Stadium during pre-game
Apparently, per all the Twitters, some Michigan player(s) planted a spear on the block S during the pregame.
Does Hoke have any control over his team?
This is apparently why Dantonio went for the last touchdown (way to take the high road, Mark). But still, if there was ever a time to not disrespect your rival, it was before this game.
EDIT: Some Tweets:
"Them putting a spear in a field before the game is not a product of their team but their program." - Dantonio on the UofM Pregame spear.
— Rico Beard (@RicoBeard) October 25, 2014
Connor Cook was clear, last TD was because MSU felt disrespected before game. Said a UM player stuck a spear in field before game
— Matt Charboneau (@mattcharboneau) October 25, 2014
Buddy just asked me if Dantonio ran it up because of Nussmeier's reaction but just heard UM players speared the S. That would explain it
— Jeff Riger (@riger1984) October 25, 2014
And worst of all:
Hoke said he was somewhat aware that one his players put a spear in the ground before the game but "not fully aware"
— Mark Snyder (@Mark__Snyder) October 25, 2014
Perhaps, not worst of all. This seems dubious, so please be untrue:
According to the #MSU players, they saw a #Michigan players throw a spear down on their field during the national anthem.
— Rico Beard (@RicoBeard) October 26, 2014
Final Edit: Appears to not be on the block S. Here's the .gif
BTN video can be found here:
http://deadspin.com/michigan-gets-asses-kicked-after-defacing-spartan-s…
October 25th, 2014 at 8:17 PM ^
Is this any less classless than Sparty vandalising the M block? They should have thrown a bucket of blue paint on their Sparty statue. Better yet, just win the game. This was enough in the past.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
Uhh, we've painted the statute before. We're we classless then?
October 25th, 2014 at 8:35 PM ^
October 25th, 2014 at 8:39 PM ^
Michigan fans vandalised the spartan statue last year and many time before. Thats why the Spartan Marching Band guards it every year.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:17 PM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
October 25th, 2014 at 8:17 PM ^
October 25th, 2014 at 8:18 PM ^
I rarely rant on here but.....THIS IS FU**ING STUPID. Spear or no spear, do we really think Dantonio isn't going to run up the score as much as he possibly can? Really?!? Are we supposed to believe that without this alleged thrown gantlet, this game would have been a bunch of jovial gentlemen shaking hands? If true, it's A SPEAR. WHO CARES?
October 25th, 2014 at 8:26 PM ^
Apparently you weren't around when Minnesota planted their flag on the block M at the stadium in 2005. Symbolic gestures like this are flat-out stupid, no matter how you cut it. Particularly during freaking pregame. Our players should know better. Some grad assistant standing there watching this happen should know to walk up and take the spear away. Hell, Hoke should know to keep his players in check so it doesn't happen.
There's a right way of doing things, and this isn't it. If you can't see why it's a big deal, you may not really understand what Michigan Football should be.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:34 PM ^
You're right, Bando. As a 1987 graduate, who has attended more games than many on this board, I apparently don't know what Michigan football is. I thought it was about winning with passion and playing with intensity - even if it means we sometimes have to manufacture that intensity with "idiotic" moves like putting a spear in the opposing team's field. We're not intentionally injuring players here. We're not cheating on tests. We're not driving drunk. We're not punching girlfriends. We're trying to get some intensity going. If this team is held to such impossibly high - and absurd - standards of behavior - when that comes before winning games, then we've completely lost sight of what Michigan football is. Look at our record for the past seven years. Is that Michigan football?
October 25th, 2014 at 8:38 PM ^
It's funny, we've done just about everything you've pointed out over the past few years.
But, OK, 1987 graduate. This 2008 graduate thinks you're grasping at straws by defending this completely asinine move.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:46 PM ^
Not grasping at straws at all. I really don't see the issue. The only possible issue I can see is doing something during the National Anthem, but everyone seems to take issue with the spear itself. I think people on this board are looking for more to hate about Hoke and this season, as if there wasn't enough already. If it happened (and I wouldn't mind seeing video because this is all speculation anyway), it was a 19 or 20 year old kid trying to stir up his team and get something going. I feel like the outrage here is misplaced.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:50 PM ^
This can't be serious. You really can't be this dense.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:09 PM ^
I'm watching Ohio State tonight and sort of marveling at how much the freshman quarterback has progressed since the beginning of the season. And I know why - it's because they're just playing the game of football to the best of their ability. They're not putting football on some sort of moral high ground, like we do. They're just playing football. You can say that they have had indiscretions, but so have we. It's just that they don't see themselves as the ivory tower of college football. Every move we make as a program is judged through the squeaky clean lens of Michigan morality. How about we just play some football?
Edit: I felt so strongly about my response, I posted it twice.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:14 PM ^
What does OSU-PSU have to do with the price of tea in China?
October 25th, 2014 at 9:19 PM ^
Teams that are focused on the right things win.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:29 PM ^
Which has something to do with this spear-throwing stunt, because...
October 25th, 2014 at 9:46 PM ^
We all should be more focused on football and less on the lauded ideals. Seriously, if some statistically inclined person was to take a look at how many posts are put forth examining the high moral standards/Michigan Man-ness of our program/potential coaching candidates vs. those of other schools with elite football programs(to which we aspire), I believe we would have a disproportionate number of said posts. And I know you'll argue that that's what makes Michigan different, but I believe it's also what has made us obsolete in college football.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:50 PM ^
So many straw men, so little time.
October 25th, 2014 at 10:07 PM ^
So much anger, and a whole blog full of people to pin it on. By the way, I haven't downvoted you once. You seem like a smart, thoughtful person who cares a lot about Michigan football.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:32 PM ^
A major chinese tea finaceer was watching the OSU-PSU game and in his distracted state inadvertently bought 10x times tea futures as he intended. Folks thought he was trying to corner the market and the price as just skyrocketed. True story (or maybe not).
October 25th, 2014 at 9:07 PM ^
I'm watching Ohio State tonight and sort of marveling at how much the freshman quarterback has progressed since the beginning of the season. And I know why - it's because they're just playing the game of football to the best of their ability. They're not putting football on some sort of moral high ground, like we do. They're just playing football. You can say that they have had indiscretions, but so have we. It's just that they don't see themselves as the ivory tower of college football. Every move we make as a program is judged through the squeaky clean lens of Michigan morality. How about we just play some football?
October 25th, 2014 at 8:41 PM ^
puerile gimmicks to motivate them. Michigan came out ready to play because they had coaches who had the ability to do so. This staff clearly does not have that ability.
Teams who have to resort to chest thumping like a gorilla to motivate them are not well-coached teams. Good teams need no more motivation than the opportunity to smash an opponent.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:43 PM ^
I don't know of the other stuff but players are driving drunk and they're punching people on the street.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:51 PM ^
Yeah, and those things deserve our outrage, but not this. People need a place to hang their anger this week and I guess this is it.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:59 PM ^
The "people are just angry about losing" hot take. OK.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:02 PM ^
The spear isn't the reason for the anger but one of many and everytime a reason arises it's seems more childish and pathetic. The spearing of the field from what I saw involved taunting afterwards as well. Like the logo stomping at MSU last year, the quote of " win and losses are just a statistic", to the "not being fully aware" from Hoke.
This is just another example of the poor leadership this team has.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:01 PM ^
and during the time spent getting two degrees I attended the large majority of the home games from '71 through 1982. I don't know what team you were watching, but the idea that Bo Schembechler would ever have countenanced or made excuses for any of his players pulling off such a brainlessly disrespectful stunt before, during, or after a game is laughable.
The fact that you're advocating "manufacturing" intensity is a sad commentary on the lifelessness of this team. The fact that you evidently think planting spears on your opponent's field isn't the very definition of "losing sight of what Michigan football is" and that not doing so is an "impossibly high and absurd standard of behavior" is a sad commentary on the desperation of our fanbase.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:16 PM ^
Who said I was advocating that? I think the players have no choice but to do that because the coaches aren't doing their jobs. I am disgusted by what I'm seeing and in fact won't be going to the Northwestern game - a game I always go to - because of the lack of passion. I love Michigan football, but I certainly don't want to get in a pissing contest about who loves it more. This is a bad night to be posting on this board - really a bad season to be posting on this board. Not much more to say.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:30 PM ^
They have no choice but to resort to a stunt like throwing a spear into Michigan State's field?
Really?
October 25th, 2014 at 9:37 PM ^
Bando, I guess I'm your target tonight, which is fine. Yes, they have no other choice but to try to manufacture passion and intensity for themselves. The coaches aren't doing it for them. And as much as I would like to think 19, 20 and 21 year old guys are incredibly mature, thoughtful and smart, sometimes they're not. I just think in the spectrum of moral transgressions, this is not a big one.
October 25th, 2014 at 9:52 PM ^
I frequently agree with you, but not on this. Don is right: if this actually happened, it is a seriously juvenile and even unsportsmanlike move.
I don't actually care whether or not Dantonio went for the last TD. What were we expecting from MSU, mercy? If that is what the team hoped for, planting a spear in their field dashed any chance of that.
More than anything though, what I find unconscionable and disgraceful is that these two programs have completely swapped identities. It is now the Spartans who play with poise while Michigan resorts to gimmicks.
And if this is what Todd Howard supports in a Michigan squad, then I don't give a shit who he played for.
October 25th, 2014 at 10:02 PM ^
You know why I'm ok with this? Because it shows that someone is awake and has a pulse. I haven't been convinced of that lately. Doing something subversive, which this seems to be, is like a kid acting out against what's going on, and in my book, that's better than total complacency.
Of course, I would much rather see the emotion go into the play on the field. But that hasn't happened in a full season now. So when I hear that one of the players (who are mostly kids still, a few just barely men) did this, I think they're trying to come up with ways to get each other going.
October 25th, 2014 at 10:09 PM ^
October 25th, 2014 at 10:20 PM ^
Just because I'm arguing a point doesn't mean I'm advocating it. I agree with you. I'm just calling it like I see it, no judgment.
And by the way, back in the day, Jim Harbaugh guaranteed a win against Ohio State on TV. Think Bo was happy about that? Jim used to make Bo crazy, going rogue on occasion. And he would get yelled at on the sideline. But that didn't stop him from doing it again.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:20 PM ^
Remember when we used to laugh at Sparty for doing crap like this? We really need to clean house and bring in a great coach cause some of these players need their ass kicked. It's obvious that Hoke has lost control of this team.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:18 PM ^
are supposed to be smart?
Nothing about this move is intelligent. The imagery, metaphor, symbolism, message...it's all off. Probably the most embarrassing thing that could realistically happen.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:19 PM ^
Toughest thing Joe Bolden did the whole damned day.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:19 PM ^
October 25th, 2014 at 8:26 PM ^
October 25th, 2014 at 8:21 PM ^
I was hoping that MSU's last TD was just an unprovoked dick move that we could use for motivation. But that doesn't work if it was just a response to a dick move on our part.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:25 PM ^
I was hoping this same thing
October 25th, 2014 at 8:27 PM ^
Nothing changes the fact that the last TD was a dick move. To me, that is the definition of little brother-ing.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:31 PM ^
I mean, it's not like they passed for it. They ran the ball right down our throat. They earned the damn touchdown.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:31 PM ^
is a dick move. Can we move past this stupid term because it looks great on a program that has won on game since then.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:41 PM ^
will run a play when a knee (or 2 if we use our TO) will run out the clock? 120 teams out of the 125 would have taken the knee, and the other 4 would have had their backups in. The first 5 or 6 runs to run out the clock were 100% normal. They just went 2 plays too long.
I, too, have never liked the little brother mantra or term, but once in a while it fits. Call it whatever you want, but MD still has a complex.
October 25th, 2014 at 8:44 PM ^
October 25th, 2014 at 10:29 PM ^
that is warranted an article after the game. So, yes, clearly out of the norm and a dick move. Is it little brother? That requires a certain amout of context. I don't know the detailed history between those programs, but given USC's dominance in the years before that, maybe.
October 25th, 2014 at 10:49 PM ^
I hope we're willing to recognize that "running up the score" is inappropriate even when it's done by someone (we want) on our side. However, just as some want to down play the "spear" because it was done by our players, I also suspect some are complaining about the last TD because we weren't the ones scoring it.