Pessism and Optimism for MSU Game

We're 4-0.

I could give half a crap how we get there, but if Michigan is 5-0 after Saturday, it doesn't matter how it happened. We're on the verge of playing with house money with this season.

Only optimism here. As long as our players believe they can win, and they apparently do, we can. We should be able to hang 35+ pts on MSU and I think we can hold them below 30. Again it may not be pretty, but a win is a win. I know we are all waiting for the Cinderella story to end, but the opposite could also happen. Who is to say that we won't hang a 30+ pt blowout on MSU, Iowa, or both. It may not be likely, but neither was a 4-0 start. It's a fun season to watch for sure, and it is only going to get better.

I don't know if that is optimism or pessimism, but we will find out on Saturday.

Optimism - team has an identity, competent players at the skill positions, and a sense that they can win games even when things are going wrong.

As for MSU, I don't think they are much better than a .500 team in the Big 10. Yes, they were the third best team in the Big 10 last year by record, but last year was one of the worst in the Big 10 in recent memory.

I think we will need the offense of ND and the defense of Western to show up for our big games. Lst 2 weeks have been a little flat overall but as the scoreboard states, we are 4-0 and this team is finding ways to win. I like Michigan 38-34 sending Sparty into a tailspin 5-7 season.

To hell with Big Ten meatgrinding football, let's win 59-52 and have some fun this year.

These kids are playing hard and winning games in the most dramatic of fashions. It's going to be loads of fun to watch the 2009 Michigan Wolverines.

we are on upset alert for next weekend. i smell it

I almost got a sense of a little looking past Indiana today. Heck, even I was guilty of doing so this morning. I know the defense was pretty porous, and the offense looked lethargic, but I'm not sure how significant that was to this game in particular.

I'm hopeful for next week, or maybe cautiously optimistic, but I don't know that there's a good way to look at this week, or the week before and say anything definitive. Well, besides Carlos Brown will score a touchdown. I will say that with some certainty...

Is that everyone comes ready to play Michigan. It doesn't matter if Michigan doesn't look like they could beat the Sisters of Mercy (i.e. last season). It's still Michigan, and other teams want to beat UM bad, if for no other reason than shear pride.

Coaches do what they have to do to get players in the right frame of mind. You can also lead a horse to water, but ....

Next week, I expect both sides will come out, guns a'blazing. Who will win? Here's what an old English teacher of mine (himself a Spartan fan) once told me:

"It doesn't matter who wins or loses. It just matters who you root for!"

Indeed.

GO BLUE!

The bad: Our D pretty much sucks.

The good: MSU's defense honestly might be worse.

The bad: MSU is the kind of team that can maul our front seven despite being a shitty running team.

The good: Pat Narduzzi coaches MSU's defense, and he is clueless against the spread and his players can't tackle a Pop Warner team.

The bad: It's on the road.

The good: It's a noon start...and we're gonna win.

"Champions aren't made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."
Muhammad Ali

GO BLUE!!

I'm optimistic I will end up cursing Obi Ezeh's instincts at least once in the game, and will generally be pissed off wherever I am watching. However, we just might eke it out. Pretty optimistic about our offense if we can HOLD ON TO THE DAMN BALL.

Our defense will be face palm for much of the day. Almost certain.

Honestly, I'd be very surprised if I were a neutral if Blue won if for no other reason than MSU is playing for their freaking season. They can't start 1-4 with a loss to their sun (yes, their football orbits around us. Tell me this: Does MSU prefer a 7-5 season where they beat us and we finish 6-6? Or do they prefer a 9-3 season where they lose to us and we finish 10-2?)

Anyway, I'll be optimistic because this is practically house money and there's no sense in hand wringing. We were 3-9 last year, and now we're 4-0 and fun to watch.

Nobody, myself included, is used to Michigan scoring 35+ points a game. What the heck, this is a lot better than last year. I guess it will be this way the whole season. Like RR says, "Neat."

We all have seen this before. UM doing well, MSU underachieving. At home, they will probably play over their heads and give us their best game. It will be a great test for our young team.

the play on the field is improved. Mooseman will surely be better next week. This was his first start and he tried to do too much to on a couple of plays. This game was clearly the worst of the season, but what bothered me most was that we completely went away from Brown and Minor. When we run we are gashing fools. We went away from that our offense didn't do much. I think we will be jacked up this weekend, because regardless of their record, they aren't terrible. Tough test, hope the d arrives.