Sparty Week: Stay Safe Out There!
Seeing a number of comments on Sparty boards suggesting they would redeem their season by beating Michigan (duh), or more likely — injuring one of our key players. Yeah, that’s right. Many Sparty supporters believe injuring Michigan players is a legit strategy at this point.
Ok, first off. What absolute dicks, if true. Makes me encourage Harbaugh to pound them even worse than I expect he will already (because of the tunnel incident). But it does bring a point that other folks have mentioned on this board. I would like to see our starters pulled off the field perhaps a bit earlier in these lopsided games. I didn’t love seeing the first team on the field after leading 38-7 yesterday. And if the Sparty game gets out of hand, which it will, it just seems like we’re asking for disaster to strike — especially at MSU at night.
That being said, I hope we win 70-0, with Tuttle, Denegal, and 2nd/3rd team guys leading the way the second half.
October 15th, 2023 at 10:49 AM ^
"Seeing a number of comments on Sparty boards suggesting they would redeem their season by beating Michigan (duh), or more likely — injuring one of our key players."
Believable, but a link or two (or three ...) would be appreciated.
October 15th, 2023 at 1:51 PM ^
Here's one of the incidents that I believe are referenced in the OP:
This #MichiganState fan is putting together quite a game plan for next week’s game against #Michigan. pic.twitter.com/A3kR81kz5V
— Message Board Geniuses (@BoardGeniuses) October 14, 2023
October 15th, 2023 at 2:04 PM ^
remember last year's credible reports of the sparty coaches screaming to break blake's leg and go for JJ's knees. before the felony gang assault in the tunnel.
as an aside, i actually think sparty is better than we're giving them credit for, and could be a tougher out than we hope. yeah, yeah, 2-4, lots of bad stats, but it wouldn't surprise me if they have been practicing for us every single practice for two months.
October 15th, 2023 at 2:52 PM ^
There we go, thanks.
October 15th, 2023 at 10:51 AM ^
Who cares what fans say about injuring players. They can’t do shit from their seat and most are complete wimps.
I don’t think the players will do shit like that on the field this year. They are wounded fawns and after yesterday they are dead ducks Saturday. They will give up quickly
October 15th, 2023 at 11:02 AM ^
Gonna agree here, and I'll add that Harlon Bennett is no Mel Tucker or Mic Dontanio. Bennett isn't feeding his team with an aggressiveness that turns into assault. Can a rogue player, or two, act out? Sure, but I don't see Bennett encouraging that behavior in the manner that Dimtonia absolutely did, and that Tucker passively allowed.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
Spartyness aside, Harlon Barnett seems like a pretty good guy.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:33 AM ^
He can’t preach that with the State that program and University are in. Any outbursts by them makes everything in EL even worse(hard to believe it can get worse)
October 15th, 2023 at 11:58 AM ^
This is fan talk and I think as 1VaBlue1 said that Harlon Bennett is not cut from the Mel or Mork type attitude.
Jim will likely advise the refs about potential dirty play on the field by MSU. Let's hope that the refs will stay on top of that. Thus far, there have been a few unsportsman-like conduct flags in many B1G games thus far. As long as that happens and we'll see it Saturday night, that should curb the dirty play by sparty.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:42 AM ^
I would typically agree with this mentality except that in this case, we are dealing with a program in which the thoughts of fans on the message boards seem to blend seamlessly with the administration, players and coaches.
October 15th, 2023 at 2:09 PM ^
They are wounded fawns and after yesterday they are dead ducks Saturday
They are about to play their Super Bowl. If they can somehow beat Michigan, they will redeem themselves. They're at home, playing under the lights. We should expect to see MSU's best effort of the season, at least to start the game.
That said, if we jump out to a big lead, they may fold.
October 15th, 2023 at 10:57 AM ^
Roses are red
Violets are blue
Sparty is ass
And the entirety of the RCMB that makes up their knuckle dragging, inbreeding cesspool of a fan base can eat a bowl of herpes laden dongs.
Time for church….
October 15th, 2023 at 1:48 PM ^
-1 for poor rhyming scheme.
October 15th, 2023 at 4:31 PM ^
To say nothing of the poor meter.
October 15th, 2023 at 8:00 PM ^
Although not religious I would consider joining your church.
October 15th, 2023 at 10:59 AM ^
I scrounged through RCMB yesterday. There was comments about starting "blue chip" QB, whatever that means. Most have given up on the season. Angry comments about their AD and BoT. Plea for Meyer to come and even offered 13 million of someone else's money LOL. But nothing about injuring UM players. Is this on a different site?
October 15th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
Let's whack em right off the field.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:11 AM ^
Agreed. We should choke the life out of those chickens
October 15th, 2023 at 12:03 PM ^
Choking chickens? Is that a MeLLLLLLL Tugger reference?
October 15th, 2023 at 1:18 PM ^
Of course it wasn’t, why would I make such insinuations? All I’m saying is that when it’s all said and done, Sparty’s helms will be polished with mud from multiple pancake blocks and tackles for loss.
October 15th, 2023 at 2:06 PM ^
you don't want to rub them the wrong way.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:05 AM ^
I don't know what the score will be or how Sparty will react. What I do know is M won't let up even if they're winning 60-0. They will keep passing and go for 2-pt conversions and keep all starters in. They will mete out merciless vengeance, even if they don't say so publicly.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:54 AM ^
When have we ever done that under Harbaugh?
We'll pull the starters after 3 quarters like every other game this season.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:46 PM ^
Rutger called, they want the memory of 78-0 wiped clean under these new guidelines...
Yeah the starters were pulled, but the gas was pressed thoroughly to the floor and the brake lines were cut. Now I'll grant you that was a special circumstance - what with Chris Ash making a big, giant, huge public show of fencing off his garden from Wolverine usurpers. And, while there are 'special circumstances' here, Bennett wasn't the cause and he hasn't been running his mouth - nor has the program as a whole.
I don't think Harbaugh will let up and show mercy, but I also don't think he'll go out of his way to destroy a program that appears to be trying to clean itself up under a new (if interim) coach.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:56 PM ^
We did go for 2 in that game (in the first half), but other than that, I don't see much evidence that we deliberately wanted to run it up. Rutgers was just that bad.
A glance at the box score shows that we rushed the ball 56 times - with 11 different players - for 481 yards. We played three different quarterbacks (probably all that we had on the travel roster) who attempted a total of 16 passes.
The fact that it was a road game (reducing our available roster) probably hurt Rutgers more. Most of our walk-ons weren't on the travel team.
October 15th, 2023 at 1:29 PM ^
Correct. I get why people think we ran up the score in that game but Rutgers just refused to tackle us. That's all that was.
This just came up in a thread last week. The only example I can think of Harbaugh running up the score was MSU 2019. Everybody was pretty sure that was going to be Dantonio's last year and we wanted to exorcise some demons because we failed to put the pounding on MSU that we should have in 2016 and 2018. We spent that whole game dunking on them.
This was a game where MSU had multiple late hits and personal fouls. Jacub Panasiuk was ejected for a late hit on Shea. It wasn't targeting. It was just so egregious that he was kicked out of the game on the spot.
Our last drive started with 6 minutes left, up 37-10. We kept Shea in the game, which Harbaugh wouldn't normally do in this situation. In the middle of this drive, Jacub's brother Mike also picked up a late hit personal foul.
On 3rd and 2, after five consecutive runs to open the drive, with 2:40 left in the game, we ran RPO and Shea hit a wide open freshman Cornelius Johnson for an easy 40-yard TD.
When we got the ball back with 5 seconds left after a punt, we took a knee.
Normally when we have big scores, it's because we do all our damage in the first three quarters. Then Harbaugh puts in backups and let's them run real plays which gives them a chance to show what they can do. This is why Tuttle had a late TD pass yesterday. But even then, we usually have conservative playcalling.
MSU 2019 is the only time I remember Harbaugh breaking that pattern.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:12 AM ^
This is where I propose, an eye for an eye penalty rule in the NFL and in college. If you injure an opposing player, you are out and banned from playing for the same length of time as the player you injured. This is for late hits, personal fouls, targeting, and any others that are clearly intended to injure the other player upon video review. Like grabbing a foot and then rolling 360°.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
I have thought this too but it would be difficult to enforce what is clearly intended and I am sure it would also have consequences that we don't intend.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:23 AM ^
Nah. What is stopping someone from going after from your best player. I think they should just be banned. Period. Intentional injury is not acceptable regardless of who commits it.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
If you injure an opposing player, you are out and banned from playing for the same length of time as the player you injured.
Then you'll see designated goons come in and injure the opposing QB. No thanks.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:57 PM ^
There is nothing stopping designated goons today. Look at MSU. The penalty would only be worse than it is today.
Edit: Your comment makes absolutely no sense. Today goons can injure you, get paid a bounty, and the worse that can happen is a 15 yard penalty for the team and maybe an ejection for the remainder of the game.
Eye for an Eye means if a player injures another with intent, they may have to sit out the season or longer. They sit as long as the person is injured. No player, even a goon is going to risk ruining someone else's career if it also means they risk ruining their own career.
I would never happen though
October 15th, 2023 at 12:50 PM ^
Right. Because 'intent' is so easy to judge that targeting has a completely perfect track record of correct calls. And the replay system is also perfect - everybody is on the same page with regard to these rules and their enforcement.
So clearly, judging the intent of someone that perhaps is intentionally trying to injure another player would be so easy to glean...
October 15th, 2023 at 10:21 PM ^
Agree, not easy. Just a fun, but fair, idea.
October 15th, 2023 at 1:07 PM ^
Do you trust the B1G or NCAA to make such determinations?
October 15th, 2023 at 11:20 AM ^
Fuck Sparty
Just beat the motherfuckers
Also why are you going to MSU message boards?
Do you like becoming dumber?
October 15th, 2023 at 11:23 AM ^
They have a one game season. It hasn't started yet so there is nothing for them to redeem. I will be over a week from now and their season will be a failure. They will then go back into their holes and resurface next year.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:25 AM ^
Is it wrong for me to hope that MSU gets
October 15th, 2023 at 11:31 AM ^
LOL. Hope the kid was OK though.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:16 PM ^
Kid tried the stiff arm, to no avail. Big sis in tractor can’t lose.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
A runner that can't stiff arm? Do not want.
October 15th, 2023 at 4:41 PM ^
... and the camera keeps running *as* the vehicle is approaching (and then trampling) the kid.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:50 AM ^
Sadly, I actually consider this a storyline coming into this game and something to watch for.
I don't exactly care what internet tough guys say. Their influence is essentially zero. But I do think it's indicative of the intensity in this rivalry, and I do think that's not completely lost on the players.
There will be a ton of Michigan fans in the stands, but it will still be majority Michigan State. The nighttime kickoff will bring an extra energy to the start of the game. If the fans are ginned up early-- since it will be their only chance to be excited--the players could feed off that.
If MSU's gameplan really is to prove how tough they are, it's not out of the question that someone on MSU will think taking a cheap shot is a good idea. We saw this dynamic play out in Colorado-CSU this year. We've seen it play out in our games with Michigan State time and again.
Last year it was reported that there were people on their sideline encouraging hits on Corum's knees or something along those lines. Nothing came of it on the field, but obviously it carried over after the game.
There is no Mel Tucker. There is no Pat Narduzzi. There will be Mark Dantonio, but I honestly doubt he's doing anything and he won't be out there preaching to injure people. (He also won't stop it from happening.) So hopefully that won't be their M.O. this time.
If early on MSU wants to give us a bunch of 15 yard penalties and free first downs, as long as we don't suffer an injury, I welcome that. It will get us to garbage time that much faster. Despite what some Sparties want to believe, this team has shown a propensity to quit, so hopefully they will get to give-up mode early and just go through the motions to get off the field.
My hope is MSU will lose all its fight as soon as it becomes hopeless and they are totally overwhelmed, as has happened to basically every team we've played this year. To that point, I do want us to treat this like every other game. Get up as much as we can, as early as we can, and let our backups play the entire 4th quarter.
We need to take MSU seriously. Getting caught off guard and letting them hang around will prolong the danger time in the game. But once it's in hand, we don't need to do anything to provoke them. I'm not interested in payback for the tunnel, payback for Dantonio, running up the score. Even a "close" game would mean winning by 21. If we don't go out of our way to provoke them, then it should be okay by the end. Just win the way we've been winning.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:08 PM ^
100% on the above comment. Michigan is not only tough but Ben Herbert tough! If our guys can own the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, then we'll smoke 'em. That will allow big plays on running and passing. Let's get YAC on running and WR with YAC for this game.
Fielding punts would be where the sparty players could inflict injury to one of our players.
October 15th, 2023 at 2:59 PM ^
We don’t need to take the seriously …
The team does - and they’ve already pointed to this game, such as Roman saying MSU wants to beat them after yesterday’s game. The coaches clearly know the intensity and high variance that MSU will bring to the start of this game, so expect the game plan to protect against variance in 1Q and then start to ratchet up in 2Q.
October 15th, 2023 at 3:24 PM ^
I use "we" to reference the team. Yeah, I'm one of those guys. Sue me.
October 15th, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
There are knuckleheads in every fan base, including ours. It may be worth remembering that these are our neighbors, and that many of us have friends who went to school there and are cool people.
I also really really want to beat MSU. But damn, man, do all of you actually believe that kids who go to a different university (and that university's alumni and administrators) are actively evil?? IMO, that kind of language only ratchets up the animosity, and doesn't help anyone.
Hope it's a good game, and that Michigan wins (easily). That's enough for me.
October 15th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
I agree. I want MSU to lose every game, but that is sports rivalry. I don’t think MSU players are dirty so much as undisciplined. In football it is easy to confuse the two.
MSU will come out swinging. Not literally. I think both programs are embarrassed over what happened last year and will be taking measures to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
MSU already has a lot of bad press. They don’t need more from players acting the fool in the game.
October 15th, 2023 at 2:33 PM ^
While I know some wonderful people who graduated from MSU, against what other team (and fanbase) do you get this kind of thing?
While I hope you're right, my experiences and observations on gamedays against MSU make me worry whenever we play them.
October 16th, 2023 at 8:41 AM ^
damn thats sick to look at.
October 15th, 2023 at 2:31 PM ^
Of course no one thinks most MSU students/fans feel that way. There were Sparties at every tailgate I attended last year, and they were all chill and enjoying the Ann Arbor gameday vibe. But that said, the tunnel incident was very much a product of the bad culture within their football team. An off-field violent incident like that does not happen in a vacuum, and it's telling how many Sparty players were involved. In addition, we've all heard the reports of MSU coaches yelling for their players to injure Michigan's players, and we've seen dirty plays from them in the past. Without condemning everyone, it's not a bad thing to recognize that not all teams (or fanbases) are the same, and that MSU may have more than their share of scumbags who want to see our players hurt.