MSU's Desperation
I am soooooooo annoyed that literally 99.9% of all previews for this game mention MSU's biggest plus is their desperation for a win. You get desperate because you're bad, which is... well, not a good thing. I understand they are desperate, but doesn't every losing team realize they are playing badly and get desperate? I don't get it. The game will be close because they are not as bad as their record indicates and it's a rivalry game. Desperation has been the most overused word I have endured this week and I want to blow my brains out.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
I heard "must win" vs CMU
I heard "must win" vs. ND
I heard "must win" vs Wisky
May their tradition of performing in "must win" games continue Saturday.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:55 PM ^
the Bobby Williams debacle, Michigan-MSU is always close. Hopefully, that was more of a function of the conservative coaching nature of Bo, et. al. and Rodriguez will deliver some nice blow outs. Desperate or not, this thing is more often than not a 3 hour butt clincher.
October 2nd, 2009 at 3:56 PM ^
You're awesome.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:01 PM ^
Want to come to my room? I got the new Jack Johnson CD
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:06 PM ^
Let me put on my midewestern jesus mandles.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:07 PM ^
Michigan won't even be trying on Saturday. I mean, they already have 4 wins. Why would they need another one? Not to mention that so many of the players come from out-of-state, they won't really care about the game anyway, since Michigan is the only state where there are rivalries. I'm surprised they are even suiting up, since the game is so unimportant to so many of Michigan's players.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:16 PM ^
they don't respect the green.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 PM ^
no countdown clock.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:24 PM ^
I can't think of any good outcome that came from an act of desperation. Desperation is an emotional response that clouds judgement. Come to think of it...I dont remember a team winning because they were emotional about the game...just my opinion...We will see tomorrow I guess.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:27 PM ^
are so "desperate" to win, explain Michigan last year?
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:42 PM ^
The Wisconsin game.
October 2nd, 2009 at 4:59 PM ^
Most of the time, I read desperation to mean "wanting it more". If one team wanted it more I think it goes without saying that they would improve their chances of winning. They would use every creative play in their playbook and not bench any players that are at risk of injury, and would just exert more effort on a given play.
But that's a huge if. For one team to want it more, the other team has to not care that the other team wants it more, which, like, never happens. Especially in a rivalry game. So the desperation level just reaches an equilibrium point between the two teams, and the effect is nullified. Even though this is MSU's biggest rivalry game but not Michigan's, and even though MSU is perilously close to bowl ineligibility, Michigan will match MSU's intensity, which has to be an 11 right now.
* Unless it's the 16th game of the NFL season and only one team is playoff bound. Or it's the last match in a sumo contest, if you're Malcolm Gladwell.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:34 PM ^
Apparently, you meant Steven D. Levitt, of Freakonomics fame; but, your post did make me go, "Dammit, is there another Gladwell book I have to read?" which in turn made me google him, which revealed that, in fact, I do - but it contains nothing about sumo matches.
Meanwhile, I think Sparty (No!) has shown that desperation/wanting it more is just exactly what they don't need right now or ever. One imagines that MSU desperately wanted to block CMU's FG, but just jumped offsides instead. [I'm leaving the onside kick out of this because that was a fucking Spaceball of Zoltan.] MSU must have desperately wanted to score on ND to instantly salvage the season from their CMU-barrassment, but just SN!'d all over the field instead. Little Bro can go ahead and want it more than they have ever wanted anything, but one of these days they're gonna have to settle down and MAKE PLAYS!
Meanwhile, I think Sparty (No!) has shown that desperation/wanting it more is just exactly what they don't need right now or ever. One imagines that MSU desperately wanted to block CMU's FG, but just jumped offsides instead. [I'm leaving the onside kick out of this because that was a fucking Spaceball of Zoltan.] MSU must have desperately wanted to score on ND to instantly salvage the season from their CMU-barrassment, but just SN!'d all over the field instead. Little Bro can go ahead and want it more than they have ever wanted anything, but one of these days they're gonna have to settle down and MAKE PLAYS!
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:53 PM ^
It was as if the CMU kicker had that ball under remote control; bounce-bounce-big bounce (like a superball), right to his man along the sideline, behind Sparty's goodhandsmen. That was textbook.
October 2nd, 2009 at 8:33 PM ^
Ah, thanks for the correction. I spent a good minute trying to remember which Gladwell book it was. I guess that's why I couldn't.
October 2nd, 2009 at 5:41 PM ^
I can remember that did something on desperation wound up with herpes.
Not good!
October 2nd, 2009 at 6:25 PM ^
You want to talk about desperation, wait until the bars close tomorrow night in East Lansing. You can smell it in the air and cut it with a knife!