Congratulations to Coach Mel Tucker and the Michigan State Spartans, 37-33 winners over the Michigan Wolverines on Saturday. I predicted MSU would win, but was way low on the score (24-20 was my projection).
And let me get the self-flagellation over with: I was dead wrong about superstar running back Kenneth Walker III. I figured Michigan would do a great job of bottling him up like Nebraska and Indiana did. Nebraska held KW to 61 yards and no touchdowns; Indiana limited him to 84 yards and zero touchdowns.
So what happened Saturday? Well, the awesome Kenneth Walker III, a legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate, scored FIVE touchdowns and gained 197 yards on the ground. And that vaunted Spartans passing attack I thought would be the difference-maker? Zero touchdowns, albeit star receivers Jayden Reed and Jalen Nailor both contributed, including each one making a crucial fourth down catch to keep a drive alive.
The Spartans' rushing defense also stepped up. While Michigan was averaging 253 yards rushing per game, the Wolverines were held to 146 yards on the ground. On the down side, Michigan quarterback Cade McNamara often had all day to choose his receivers, and he carved up the Spartans secondary, finishing with 383 yards passing. His two touchdown passes were to freshman wide receiver Andrel Anthony, ironically an East Lansing High School product.
I kept screaming at the TV, "He's got all day! Gotta do the cornerback blitz!" Indeed, it was a fourth quarter cornerback blitz by the Spartans' Justin White that prevented Michigan from converting on third down in its own territory, forcing the Wolverines to punt. I think the coaches need to look at putting more pressure on quarterbacks, because this isn't one of MSU's better secondaries.
It was a highly entertaining, emotional game. But I am relieved it's over. MSU having a bye on Saturday Oct. 23 made for a VERY long two weeks leading up to the game, with the trash talking and speculation getting tiresome.
All week long, I heard Michigan fans and so-called "experts" from ESPN and Fox Sports talk up Michigan's ground game and boast about how the solid U-M defense would bottle up Walker. Some of the Wolverine regulars who call in to Lansing's 730-AM "The Fan," with host David "Mad Dog" DeMarco, are downright insufferable.
A substitute slappy this past Monday must have said 100 times, "I like Michigan's chances in this game. I think their ground game and run defense are a bad matchup for Sparty." This guy happened to be a CMU grad, so that explains it. I wonder if any of these blowhards will go on the air this week to eat crow and congratulate MSU. (Don't hold your breath.)
I have to credit K.N. McBride, founder of Posse Incitatus, for predicting last summer that MSU would be much better than people were expecting and could win up to 10 games. Looks like he was prescient. Some "experts" picked MSU to finish last in their division. I figured they would be 6-6 or 7-5, not having any idea how talented the new additions obtained via the transfer portal would be. Should've done my homework.
Looks like I'll be paying off on a bet in a few weeks, but I'll be happy to do so. This has been a tremendous season, and the fun's not over yet. Next up for MSU is a trip to Purdue, and the Spartans must guard against the infamous "letdown' performance after an emotional win -- a problem that's plagued them in the past. Road games in the Big Ten can be very tough, even against inferior competition. But Coach Tucker has done a tremendous job conditioning his players, hiring competent assistant coaches, motivating the players, and keeping them focused.
Tough games remain, including a home game against Penn State, which gave Top 5 Ohio State all it could handle Saturday night in Columbus, and a road trip to the Horseshoe to face those Buckeyes. The Buckeyes are young and have shown some vulnerability, but on any given weekend have the talent to blow out most teams.
As for Jim Harfraud -- er -- HARBAUGH, well, his days may be numbered. He's 3-4 vs. instate rival MSU, and still hasn't beaten U-M's main rival Ohio State in five tries (2020 game was canceled due to COVID-19). Loss number six is coming up in a few weeks. There are few who will shed any tears should this abrasive and strange man be shown the door.
As with many things involving the University of Michigan and its rabid fans, the Harbaugh hiring in December 2014 was full of off-the-charts hype, big talk and giddy expectations. But the reality is a cruel slap in the face for the legions of M-GO-BLOW loudmouths. Couldn't happen to a nicer fanbase. Sweet schadenfreude, indeed!
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