Season Endings #10

To say Michigan State had a rough year in football is an understatement. Thankfully the season came to an end last week (sense were not even bowl eligible). We ended our season getting blown out by Penn State 45-12. I didn’t even bother watching the game because I didn’t want my eyes to bleed again like previous weeks. I’m just thankful that Tyler O’Connor is leaving us after this season. We still have quarterback issues to figure out, mainly to see who the starter is going to be. Lewerke was a freshman QB that played here and there, with spirts of playing fantastic. But, he broke his collarbone towards the end of the season and has to work on getting that back to 100%. Terry on the other hand is a sophomore, that usually just plays when we are optioning the ball. And our 3^rd on Deweaver is a true freshman that only played a few snaps with little experience. On the plus side though Michigan State has rumors going out that they are interested in getting Notre Dame quarterback, Malik Zaire. It’s been a long season for Michigan State on the gridiron, but the recruiting is set to heat up over the next couple of months. Michigan State recruiting hasn’t taken a hit like it did last year around this time, which has been a major positive for Mark Dantonio. Even with a 3-8 season in progress, the Spartans have managed to keep all of their commitments and that’s a major plus. Michigan State has created a family atmosphere even during the rough times, and that’s attractive for recruits. Plus, these kids have known Michigan State to be a successful program over the past decade anyways. There is still room for 5-7 more commits in the 2017 class and here are five realistic must-have prospects remaining. There are others who are considering MSU, but realistically will go elsewhere who weren’t included on the list. Tyler Johnson, 4-star TE/DL, Jaylin Harris, 4-star WR, Lynn Bowden, 4 star, Deron Irving-Bey, 4 star DE, Thayer Munford 4 Star OT, KJ Hamler 4 star WR, and finally Ambry Thomas, 4 star CB. Hopefully with these recruits it can put a pep in MSU’s step and have a fighting chance next year.

Rare win for the spartans #9

It’s been tough to watch Michigan State football this season. After getting off to a 2-0 start, the Spartans have lost seven straight games and are on the verge of being completely ineligible for postseason play, and yes, 5-7 teams can make a bowl now. Tyler O’Connor wasn’t the quarterback people expected following the Connor Cook era and Mark Dantonio will have to find a new starter for the 2017 season. One bright spot on offense has been sophomore running back LJ Scott, but he has fumbling issues. This team seems hapless, but the visiting Rutgers Scarlet Knights are on the same level. In fact, both teams are searching for their first win in conference play. It’d probably be a safe bet to take Rutgers with the points seeing as the Spartans haven’t been able to win a game since September. Moreover, they have been favored in a majority of their matchups over the seven-game skid, including Indiana, BYU, Wisconsin, Maryland, Northwestern and Illinois. If you can believe it, the only game over the past couple of months that Michigan State wasn’t favored in was the Michigan game and they wound up covering the spread. Other than that, it’s been the Spartans losing as the favorites. Even though we played the worst team in our conference we finally pulled off a W, shutting Rutgers out 49-0. To be honest I didn’t even watch the game. A fun fact to is that tickets were selling cheaper than movie tickets. Rutgers never made it farther than the Michigan State 27-yard line, and on that drive in the second quarter, the Scarlet Knights ended up punting from the 30. There's nothing the Spartans can do now to make up for the horrendous losing streak that derailed their season, but this was about as emphatic as a victory can get. Michigan State outgained Rutgers 440-149, and did it without injured defensive lineman Malik McDowell.

Founders hall activity week #8

Last Thursday was not a normal class for us in Mr. Browns English 111 class, instead we did something pretty fun and went down in front of the library to listen to a variety of people talk about their life. The people that I had the pleasure to listen to were about the army life, Vietnam veteran, and people of color. First off I listened to the army life. The man was I believe 19 years old and told us he just got back from training, and was over there for a pretty long time. He started off by telling us about their training and how miserable it is. He said the main thing they try to do is to break your mind and try to get you out of the “civilian” mind set and to get you to your “war” mindset. Basically he was telling us that they work them into the ground and just keep pushing and pushing you until you want to quit. They also give you certain duties you have to do such as do something in a certain amount of time or else you would get punished, which most of the stuff they told you to do was impossible he said. He kept telling us though that it is totally worth doing because it teaches you lots of life lessons and makes you appreciate everything you have and some things you didn’t realize.

The next person I talked to was the Vietnam veteran. He was in the navy for 3 years I believe and began in 1969. His duty was part of the nuclear weapons such as missiles and things like that. One type of missiles he talked about was the underwater ones that go after submarines. To me I thought that was pretty cool. He told us that the missiles travel under water within a mile radius and go as deep as 50 feet from the bottom. He also kept telling us like the first man I talked to that he encourages everyone to join the military.

The last person I talked to was the man of color. You might have seen him walking around the halls of delta before. He is a well-dressed man that’s always in a suit and is covered with tattoos. He might look intimidating at first but once you talk to him he is a really nice guy. He started off part time here at delta teaching and built his resume up to become a full time teacher. I believe he has been teaching for over 10 years here. That shows you that it’s not about what the exterior of a person looks like but what there are like on the inside and have the willingness to work hard.

The time that we spent down there listening to those people was a cool experience. Just getting out of the classroom and doing something different was the cool thing. Plus you get to learn about different people with different backgrounds and experiences.

Fun Weekend #7

This weekend is always one to look forward to, the Michigan State vs. Michigan. It is arguably one of the best rivalry in sports. Michigan state has the advantage in the past 10 years winning 7/10 games. This year I knew it was going to be different though sense our team is all banged up and play pathetically. On the plus side though, me and around 20 of us friends went down to Michigan state and tailgated. It wasn’t just your ordinary tailgate, we were ready to party and had the supplies to help us. I woke up around 4 am, because our lift off time was no later than 5am or you were left behind. We got down to East Lansing around 6:30 am.  We were some of the first cars waiting in line to let us into the area to tailgate. Our buddy came in clutch, and he brought his D.J equipment with his speakers, let’s say we were bumping to say the least. We also had 4 canopy tents set up to put our stuff under. We had 4 tables set up with all kinds of food. Anywhere from doughnuts, bagels, bacon, meatballs, sandwiches, deserts, the list goes on and on. My good friend Jim came out and brought his direct TV portable dish so we could set up the game on there. We watched it on a 55” tv. For fun we had 4 tables set up for beer pong or flip cup, and two sets of corn hole. By 7:30 am we were going full throttle with loud music and beer drinking games. It was funny watching all the older people around us, just looking at us in shock or I don’t know maybe even disgust. But hey we were there to have a good time and I would say we did. Plus, later on in the day they ended up joining us anyway. My favorite part of the day though was just before the game, the whole Michigan state basketball team was walking on the sidewalk to the game right through our tailgate. I jumped up in excitement and shook all their hands and wished them luck. Oh and I talked to the best college freshman basketball player in the country Miles Bridges. Being a die-hard state fan that alone made my whole weekend.  

Another Dissapointing Week #6

Once again the Spartans succeed in making me one of the angriest fan in sports. In case you’ve been lucky enough to be living in a cave during this season, MSU currently sits at 2-4 and hasn’t won a game since mid-September. In their most recent loss they surrendered 54 points to one of the lowest scoring offenses in the Big Ten. Oh, and they still have Michigan and Ohio State on the schedule. The Bowl hopes are slim, at best. This team has a shocking number of issues but many stem from an inability to rush or protect the passer. In football, that might as well be a death sentence. Any time a program loses one player the caliber of Shilique Calhoun, Jack Conklin or Cook, repercussions are felt up and down the roster — unless you’re Alabama, of course. MSU had to replace all three and unfortunately that was just the tip of the iceberg. There is a strange feeling amongst the MSU fan base that there has never been before. It isn’t the “resigned to failure” mood that came with the John L. and Bobby Williams eras. It sure isn’t the “us against the world” feeling that came with the first six years of Dantonio’s tenure. It most certainly isn’t the “Big Ten Champions or bust” mentality that defined the past three seasons. The feeling at Saturday’s game against Northwestern was one of disbelief. A stadium filled with people asking themselves “what happened to this program?” One week it’s dumb penalties, the next it’s suspect play calling and coverage break downs, the next it’s a back breaking special teams play. Most weeks, it’s all of the above. You can’t fix talent, but you can fix discipline. That is the starting point for any turnaround. That and letting the very talented group of true and redshirt freshmen linemen cut their teeth and there is no shortage of high profile talent on either side of the ball. As bleak as it may seem right now, this is not the end of the line for the Michigan State program. Far from it. There is a ton of talent up and down the roster that is just starting to hit the field and Dantonio is still one of the best coaches in the country. One bad season will not change that. Spartan fans have been down some dark roads before but, as they say, it’s always darkest before dawn. Let’s hope that sun starts rising again before too long.

Losing to B Y WHO..I mean BYU #5

I don’t even know what to say about Michigan State football this year…. Actually I do, were pathetic!!! We keep losing all these games that hands down there’s no reason for us to lose. First it was Wisconsin, then Indiana, then this week BYWho…. I mean BYU. I didn’t think that losing our starting quarterback (entered the NFL draft) would make such a big difference. Connor Cook was an outstanding quarterback for us that dominated the competition, leading us to conference championship games and even major bowl games. You would think our quarterback now O’Connor would have opened his eyes and learned a damn thing or two from him while he was a backup so he could be a reliable QB for us this year. He’s also a fifth year senior, but that don’t make a difference if you can’t learn during practice and succeed on the game field. In my opinion I would have canned him and have him riding the bench where he belongs. We have to realize that he is not our future, and with him gone next year we should put in one of our younger QBs in so they can at least gain some experience. We already know for a fact that were not making it to the football playoff, and in my opinion if we don’t at least make it there the season is a fail. So with putting in a younger quarterback it’s just preparing us for the future, we have nothing else to lose anyways, expect respect. The Spartans haven’t won since, dropping their first two Big Ten contests and Saturday’s final non-conference game to BYU. Seven games remain in the regular season, including increasingly difficult tests against Michigan and Ohio State, and MSU sits with a 2-3 record. Six wins are needed to qualify for a bowl game, and injuries and inconsistency on offense and defense make reaching that total appear a 50-50 proposition as the 31-14 loss to the Cougars. Mark Dantonio said in earlier weeks “I don’t want a quarterback controversy.” Well, Mark Dantonio has one now after he wouldn’t firmly stand behind Tyler O’Connor as his starter. His offense languished after a first-drive TD under the fifth-year senior, even if the issues once again weren’t all his fault. Damion Terry entered the game in the fourth quarter, threw an interception, then moved MSU to its second score. The junior finished 6 of 10 for 63 yards passing with a sack and the interception, while O’Connor was 7 of 11 for 58 yards and got sacked twice.

Dissapointing week 4

Disappointment is the first thing that comes to mind when Michigan state played this week. We came off an embarrassing loss to Wisconsin in week three, getting waxed 30-6. You would think that mark Dantonio and the other coaches would work the team to the ground during practice all week hoping that they would get motivated from the butt whooping the week before but nope. In week four we played against Indiana Hoosiers which had a 2-1 record going into the game, the same as us. Michigan state is a banged up football team in both physical and psychological sense. The Spartans game at Indiana was a tricky one sense the Hoosiers up tempo offense has given many other teams struggles before. In the first quarter state failed on their first drive to score points, but hit a big play on their second possession. Tyler O’Connor found R.J Shelton behind the Indiana defense catching an 86-yard touchdown putting them up early 7-0 in the first quarter.at halftime the score was also7-0 but penalties were killing us. MSU nearly had as many penalties as O’Connor had completions (7 penalties for 60 yards, while O’Connor was 9-20). In the third quarter it was a strange looking play but somehow it worked. Our quarterback hit a wide open Delton Williams for a 24-yard touchdown pass to give the Spartans a 14-0 cushion. Later on before the end of the quarter Indiana’s trickery worked out while they did a jet sweep hand off and then threw for a touchdown. Bringing the game that much closer (14-7) I was getting pretty nervous because we were looking sloppy and just not pushing the ball. Soon after that MSU had busted coverage while their QB pump faked the safety and converted on a game tying 22-yard touchdown pass. At this point I was on the verge of breaking something. With 4:38 left in the fourth quarter a tired Spartan defense has ANOTHER break down as they found an open wide receiver in the end zone for a 15-yard touchdown to give Indiana their first lead of the game. What hurt us even more was our best defensive tackle got ejected for targeting the quarterback on the play. With valuable time running out in the fourth quarter we drove down the field and our running back had a 4-yard touchdown run that called back because of ANOTHER penalty. Right after that though with 11 seconds left we had a touchdown pass to our tight end to tie the game up 21-21. To overtime we went where we choked and their kicker made a 33-yard field goal to win the game 24-21. Words can’t describe how upset I am with the Spartans this year. I also gave up all faith in our quarterback because he is just straight garbage. Hopefully we can pull our heads out of our asses next week as we play BYU next.