MSU vs WMU last night

Submitted by UMProud on

So Sparty beat the Broncos (as expected) by 13 points last night...but they definitely did not dominate our MAC neighbor.  Connor Cook was very inefficient and they just looked sorta bad coming out of the gate.

I'm sort of scratching my head wondering if this is a one off or something else.  We'll know next week when Sparty hosts Oregon in East Landfill I suppose?

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Wendyk5

September 5th, 2015 at 10:42 AM ^

Ironically, the blustery anti-Sparty sentiment gives them even more power. Treat them like just another game. Put information out there that's relevant, just like you would with Penn State or Ohio State or any other team we play this season. Respect what they've accomplished on the field. But all this over the top reaction to Michigan State actually builds them up. 

Joined: 11/20/2008

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Bocheezu

September 5th, 2015 at 10:13 AM ^

had more defensive TDs than offensive ones, and they looked like crap the next week against USF, too.  Still won the Rose Bowl that year.  They might not beat Oregon next week, but they'll be up to speed by the time we have to play them.  They always are.

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Ty Butterfield

September 5th, 2015 at 10:14 AM ^

Staee has looked not great in some of their early season games the last few seasons. Unfortunately they seem to shake it off and play better after the first few games.

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UMForLife

September 5th, 2015 at 10:14 AM ^

MSU plays bad in the beginning. Come B1G play, they get better. At least in the last few years. How much losing Pat affects their D is a question mark. Looking at 7 sacks, not so much. They will improve and so would we. For the first time in a long time, I expect us to play really well. Even Hoke beat them, for crying out loud. They are not invincible. Will be a good game. Let us see how we improve next week and how they play next week.

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Ryanonymous

September 5th, 2015 at 11:25 AM ^

Poor footwork by the WMU QB and a relatively undersized OL were mostly the cause here.
While the QB made some nice throws on mostly quick passes and fades with a few throws on the run, he refused to step up in the pocket and planted both feet once he took the snap in most cases.
He was a sitting duck and took lots of hits because of this.
By the end of the game he couldn't move his feet due to a sprained ankle one one leg and a thigh bruise on the other it appeared.
I'm sure MSU gets better by the time we play them but their D was not that impressive to me in this one at all.
They blitzed a ton and had 7-8 in the box all night, daring them to beat them with passes and WMU almost did that.

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BlueinLansing

September 5th, 2015 at 10:18 AM ^

we not give a fuck about the Spartans on a Michigan blog instead of starting posts to talk abou their game against a MAC opponent.

 

Sparty looked like shit to start last year, no one here learns their lesson

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Rabbit21

September 5th, 2015 at 10:27 AM ^

Thank you! Sparty is not going away anytime soon, let's give it some time and kick the shit out of them a couple times, play in our own big bowls and win some championships and things will go back to normal, but they're not going to do it for us like we keep hoping.

Joined: 11/12/2009

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Blarvey

September 5th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^

WMU is among the best in the MAC. Yes, MSU should smoke them however the 2013 team that won the Rose Bowl struggled against WMU in week 1. They will get things going and I still wouldn't be surprised if they beat Oregon next week.

With that said, I wonder if Connor Cook's numbers and ability to carry the team topped out last year with those receivers and running game. Those positions tend to get better throughout the season faster than the improvement of lines and QBs, it seems.

The only thing is that talent doesn't seem to be that exceptional - I don't really see any gamebreakers - and their playcalling is vanilla with pumpkin spice. It reminds me of 2000s Lloyd OCs if they had gone back to school to learn about the evolution of the last 15 years of college offenses and came up with a playbook as a senior thesis. Even their hurryup is predictable. They do, however, protect the football.

They should be a 10 to 11 win team with that schedule. I just can't shake the feeling that certain offenses and defenses are built to devour teams like MSU. I hope Michigan is one of those soon.

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MGoDillon

September 5th, 2015 at 10:44 AM ^

They looked like hell against them in '13 too and we all know what happened then.... So I wouldn't put too much stock into it



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Geaux_Blue

September 5th, 2015 at 11:29 AM ^

MSU had no answer to play types they'll see much more of next week. Bubble screens, slot throws and deep balls - being beat on those things against lower quality players does not bode well for next week. WMU flat out dropped or under ran a number of plays Oregon will not, with better defense as well. MSU could lose by 20

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Perkis-Size Me

September 5th, 2015 at 10:48 AM ^

PJ Fleck is a darn good coach from what I understand, but I think it's more an aberration until MSU proves otherwise. They'll obviously have a much stiffer test with Oregon next week, but it's on their turf and I don't think Vernon Adams is the second coming of Russell Wilson.



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Maizen

September 5th, 2015 at 11:01 AM ^

This game was a lot closer than the final score indicated. Western dropped two long touchdown passes (one wide open) and missed a very makable field goal all in the first half. Despite this they actually had the ball inside the Sparty 7 yard line with about 2-3 minutes left to make it a 6 point game. They threw a fade route that the Western reciever didn't even try and make a play on and MSU intercepted it. I watched the entire game and WMU was having their way with the Sparty defense especially in the second half. Their star RB Franklin got hurt and had to leave the game as well.

Sparty's defense is so unsound. They completely sell out against the run and hope you can make plays in the passing game which WMU did. Their recievers also pushed off WMU DB's all night are were frankly lucky they weren't called for offensive PI. 

I'll say this, MSU's running back Scott is going to be the real deal as is Vayante Copeland who when you watch his high school highlights as a running back/DB looks exactly like Darqueze Dennard. I have no idea what these recruiting experts look at when ranking some of these kids.

One final note, MSU has something like 21 seniors on this team. They're going to take a step back next year.

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SalvatoreQuattro

September 5th, 2015 at 11:43 AM ^

The second half was better, but they still could only move it through the air. WMU had major problems protecting Terrell and could not run the ball effectively.

MSU clearly wasn't much interested in this game. That became obvious in the second half. I would not place too much stock in this game as MSU generally starts seasons slow under Dantonio.

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UMxWolverines

September 5th, 2015 at 11:17 AM ^

MSU is like a poor man's version of 2000s OSU (god that sucks to type) they never look good in the beginning of the year and they might drop the Oregon game but they'll still be in the playoff hunt. Yes their secondary is a weakness but after Thursday I'd say that was probably out biggest weakness as well along with linebackers which is a big disappointment. We will have a very tough time winning October 17th and I'm not afraid to admit that.

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chunkums

September 5th, 2015 at 11:24 AM ^

MSU farts around every year during their nonconference schedule. They'll be a different team by the time B1G play rolls around. I've seen this too many times.

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ford_428cj

September 5th, 2015 at 12:14 PM ^

I dont think some of you guys are giving much credit to WMU. They played pretty good. If it wasnt for their WR dropping easy catches -  would have been real close. Yes - we would have our hands full with them right now.  If we put a decent QB out there & RB Drake ... then we would roll.

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allintime23

September 5th, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^

I watched the game. They had a kick return and were able to throw deep. Their defense wasn't anything special and they couldn't run the ball. Their quarterback looked very small and slow. They won't be winning the MAC but their coach presents himself well and will probably be a big ten coach one day. Also, Michigan state is in really bad condition. Most of westerns damage was done from the end of the third quarter on.

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LV Sports Bettor

September 5th, 2015 at 2:21 PM ^

WMU is a MAC title contender this season. The top half of the MAC might be as strong as it's ever been as they have some of the best QB the conference has ever seen with Toledo, UMass, NIU, Bowling Green, WMU, Buffalo and CMU.

WMU couldn't run the football yesterday because of who they were playing but they have the best RB in the entire MAC. He was a MAC 1st team RB last year and also the offensive player of the year in the conference as a TRUE FRESHMAN!!!

Keep in mind that WMU has a handful of kids who easily could have signed at bigger schools as Fleck has had back to back classes ranked higher than any other MAC school EVER in the history of the conference. When those players become upperclassmen in a few years this could be a program who dominates the MAC as they're already way ahead of schedule with last year's strong turnaround season.

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allintime23

September 5th, 2015 at 4:05 PM ^

Yeah, I'm sure Western will be able to run the ball well against teams at their level. It's going to be very hard for anyone to run the ball against State this year. The new Oregon transfer QB is deadly passing off scrambles. It'll be a good game, I think the ducks pull away late. I was surprised by how slow and tired States Defense looked in the fourth.

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blueday

September 5th, 2015 at 1:37 PM ^

Would not know what even happened. I watched WWII in the Pacific. Really don't want to get in the habit of watching them.

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allintime23

September 5th, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^

Every year since the Dantonio has been there they have opened very sluggish. This is nothing new. I expect them to lose to Oregon by ten or twelve next week and be ready to twist necks and throat punch linemen come October 17th. Their defense is going to take a huge step back this year and I think they lose three or four games. I think we'll be hitting our stride and get a little pay back this year.

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