Michigan St needs late pick to finish off Utah St.... AT HOME!
Play that finally put it away in a very close game, AT EAST LANSING:
August 31st, 2018 at 10:46 PM ^
A win is a win. 1-0. Fuck em
August 31st, 2018 at 11:01 PM ^
When it comes to record, it is, but here's where my Michigan sensibility comes in. My MSU neighbor is going to say that very thing tomorrow morning, that a win is a win, and I'll come back with, "No, not really. You gave up 300 yards in the air to Utah State and were losing at points in that game. It may very well be the usual overly vanilla first game from MSU, but you cannot tell me that you were really thinking that the entire game."
As I like to remind people, we grade our wins in Ann Arbor.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:39 PM ^
Ok, grade all 8 from last year.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:44 PM ^
I rate last year a 3. On a scale of 9
September 1st, 2018 at 7:57 AM ^
I rate last year a 14 on a scale of 10.
September 1st, 2018 at 4:56 AM ^
Nah. You can do that for your team this year. All 8 of them.
September 1st, 2018 at 9:05 AM ^
Another Furman-level beginning of the season?
August 31st, 2018 at 10:46 PM ^
Hate to say it but this doesn't prove a lot. MSU seems to sand bag these early games every year. I wouldn't be surprised if they win solidly against ASU next week.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:50 PM ^
Agreed, but if MSU blows out ASU next week, it’s just as likely that Herman Edwards being a totally out of touch coach has more to do with it than anything relating directly to MSU.
September 1st, 2018 at 12:28 AM ^
AZ States qb is a baller. after how the defense looked tonight they should be worried
August 31st, 2018 at 10:51 PM ^
I’ll be the contrarian here. Usually when this happens they still win by double digits, not hanging on after a late TD. More important distinction though is they usually have their vanilla offense get bogged down. Tonight their defense got ripped up. Could be more red flags than their usual sandbagging.
September 1st, 2018 at 12:44 AM ^
My takeaway from the game is that there is no way Dantonio wanted to put his option plays on tape for the world to see. Without running the option though, they don't win that game. Don Brown has plenty of time to get ready for it now.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:44 PM ^
ASU has never lost to a Big Ten team in Sun Devil stadium. It’s a night game, it’s going to be really fucking hot, weird shit happens with PAC 12 After Dark and let’s just say the refs always find a way to make a few funky calls. Also, I’m going to be there! Go Devils!
September 1st, 2018 at 9:16 AM ^
Do they run tempo? Cuz if they run tempo Sparty gonna have a NOOOOOO moment.
September 1st, 2018 at 12:21 AM ^
They did struggle with Furman and that was the year they wound up 3-9.
September 1st, 2018 at 3:58 AM ^
Indeed, MSU spent all of twenty minutes preparing for Utah State.
Will be a different team against ASU next week.
September 1st, 2018 at 7:38 AM ^
Did you see the Dantonio interview after the game? It seemed like the team was “outted”. Like Utah St. figured out, rather quickly that MSU is not that good. Maybe I am reading too much into this, but that was my take on the post game interview.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:48 PM ^
I guess you never paid attention during 2013 or 16. Happens all the time, they still win 10 games...
September 1st, 2018 at 1:42 AM ^
Classic msu.
September 1st, 2018 at 7:12 AM ^
Except for the year they won 3.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:51 PM ^
This is what MSU does. They play some lower mid-level team and look like a pile of rusty car parts, but as the players get coached up and their QB inevitably shakes off rust, they start looking good. And then they unveil their "real" gameplan that they've been repping all season when they play Michigan.
Today was only remarkable in that they trailed late and needed a fluky pick to seal the deal, and because they had to unveil their speed option package before they wanted to.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
msu sets their schedule to be easy to pad the wins, and then doesn't fuck up the away games, like brandon did. note that their out of conference games are never difficult.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^
I can't stand saying anything positive about them but their receivers have hands like glue. I hope our receivers can match their level of play.
September 1st, 2018 at 6:27 AM ^
Of that I was sincerely envious. I think more than a few NFL receivers would have been envious as well.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:06 PM ^
They generally start with an easy game (in which they often look bad), but they don't schedule three pushovers. Working backwards, their hardest non-conference games this decade:
2018: at Arizona State (usually a tough trip--Wisconsin lost there a few years ago)
2017: vs Notre Dame
2016: at Notre Dame
2015: vs Oregon
2014: at Oregon
2013: at Notre Dame
2012: (tie) vs Boise State, vs Notre Dame
2011: at Notre Dame
2010: vs Notre Dame
Honestly, a very similar strategy to us: One tough game and some patsies. They never play the tough game at the beginning, unlike us, but otherwise not much difference.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:10 PM ^
Um, I think that is everybodies strategy. With only 2 non conference games, nobody plays 2 hard non-conf games. That would be stupid.
btw, how did you get 20million MGoPoints?
August 31st, 2018 at 11:37 PM ^
It's a glitch, they are unearned.
September 1st, 2018 at 12:17 AM ^
Nah, you're one of the better posters. They are deserved :)
September 1st, 2018 at 12:42 AM ^
He stole all of my MGoPoints. :)
August 31st, 2018 at 11:42 PM ^
We played ND last year. And yes, I know how that worked out.
September 1st, 2018 at 9:50 AM ^
They did play a really good Oregon team and beat them a few years ago. Which we failed to do a decade ago.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:05 PM ^
"coached up" is code for doubling their roid dosage.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:52 PM ^
I’m fairly convinced that Dantonio spends the entire week prepping for Michigan whenever they play a cupcake. Probably didn’t even watch Utah St film.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:53 PM ^
A win is a win.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
Just focus on our team for once. We have a gauntlet of a schedule to go through, and if we don't do well there will be a lot of chirping in our direction.
September 1st, 2018 at 1:15 AM ^
You sound as if the people on this board actually suit up for the games. As fans it’s our prerogative to look ahead, take things for granted and act like homers.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:54 PM ^
dont worry they'll change the narrative and say Utah State is one of the best teams in the country
August 31st, 2018 at 10:55 PM ^
And if MSU sweeps the big ten, they’ll still get in the playoffs. Just shows that OOC performance is irrelevant
August 31st, 2018 at 11:01 PM ^
wins vs Michigan, Ohio State, and at Penn State might contribute to that tho
August 31st, 2018 at 11:08 PM ^
If you are top ten(ish) how you win only matters for 7 days.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:55 PM ^
I'm shocked that they couldn't run the ball with any consistency and I'm shocked at how lack luster their pass defense was. Especially considering the fact that we've been hearing about how many starters they return on defense all off-season.
With that being said, unless this trend continues, winning in EL will be very difficult for UM. This game will have no bearing on their match-up with Michigan.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:12 PM ^
Why are you shocked they couldn't run the ball? JL sucks.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:56 PM ^
if they can't run the ball on Utah state. Good luck running it on any decent big 10 team
August 31st, 2018 at 10:58 PM ^
Who cares?! They do this every year. We have to beat them.
August 31st, 2018 at 10:58 PM ^
It was a loss for MSU no matter how they cut it. All those returning starters & a pick for the win? Go Blue!
August 31st, 2018 at 10:59 PM ^
There were some good laughs in that game.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:02 PM ^
Why cares? The only fun in watching this game was seeing Mork frowning and scowling for 4 quarters.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:13 PM ^
As far as I can tell, he's been frowning and scowling for 4 DECADES...
August 31st, 2018 at 11:16 PM ^
Dantonio would frown getting a blow job from Pamela Anderson.
August 31st, 2018 at 11:13 PM ^
So MSU struggled against an unranked team? I wasn't able to watch, can only assume Dantonio must be keeping his playbook under wraps. Either that or they were over rated to start the season.