Last Week/This Week

Last Week = W/49-14 over Western Michigan

WHOOOOOOOOOOOO! Celebrate good times!

Well, not quite. Even though the Spartans actually looked somewhat impressive, especially Captain Kirk and his 353 yards through the air, this was, as I mentioned last week, a Bronco team that was practically running on empty. They had just lost to Kent State the week before, and Tim Hiller’s stats this season, particularly in their loss to Central Michigan, make it clear that team has zero running game. Against the Chips, Hiller fired for 410 yards off 66 attempts! West actually ran for 96 yards with a 4.6 YPC average, but that still puts a crazy load on your QB.

Ashton Leggett (right) was the big story that everyone liked to talk about for the Spartans this weekend, as he went for 110, including a 71 yard TD run early in the game, as the team’s primary runner. Leggett got the playing time coming off the news of Caulton Ray and Andre Anderson’s dismissals from the team for “unspecified reasons.” It’s great that MSU has a lot of depth at the running back position, but it makes it difficult when it’s clear that the freshman, especially Edwin Baker, may be talented, but aren’t quite ready for the spotlight. Baker had a solid 5.2 YPC average against Western, but runs of 37 and 39 yards helped his average drastically in games against Iowa and Western Michigan respectively.

This Week = at Purdue, @ 12pm – ESPN

Can the Spartans go bowling? This week will probably be the key. Bruce Feldman’s bowl projections for ESPN have MSU heading to San Antonio for the Alamo Bowl, a game that is affiliating itself for one of the last times with the Big Ten. But, I digress, especially since the Spartans actually have to win to be eligible. MSU’s 5-5 right now, needing 6 wins to become eligible. Even though the Penn State game is at home, and they didn’t look all that great last week against the Buckeyes, most would still agree that the Purdue game is the more winnable of the two.

The key to beating the Boilers is stopping Ralph Bolden. Joey Elliott went buck wild against Michigan last week for 367 yards, but that’s because Bolden opened him up, going for 98 on 16 carries. Against Wisconsin, where Elliott threw for only 5 completions, 59 yards and a pick, Bolden ran for only 37 yards on 10 carries. That’s a 2.4 YPC difference folks, and 3.7 YPC isn’t going to open up the passing lanes quite like 6.1 will. Greg Jones and Co. will have to be on their game to make sure they keep Bolden between the tackles and don’t let him outside, where he can be dangerous for the big gain.

Last (Couple) Week(s)/This Week

Two Weeks Ago = L/15-13 to Iowa

Where to begin with this one. The Spartans appeared to have the stars aligned after the crazy hook-and-lateral taken by Blair White on a late third-down, and then his 30-yard TD reception with 1:37 remaining. However, Stanzi, who hadn't looked all that spectacular all night long, brought the Iowa offense down the field with authority, hitting Marvin McNutt on the quick slant as time expired. My Dad mentioned to me after the game that there was a point on one of the final drives where the start of the clock was delayed at least 7 seconds, but you've gotta make a stop somewhere on that last drive regardless. Chris L. Rucker did the same thing I would've done once McNutt made the catch; kept whacking at his arms for a good 5 seconds, in complete denial of what had just occurred.

The surprising stat to me had to be the lack of turnovers from either side. Kirk Cousins has proven that he's not really turnover prone, so I wasn't really expecting interceptions. However, the inability for some of the young runners for MSU has been obvious, so I was pretty shocked not to see one pop out. As for the Hawkeyes, I also heard after the game that there may have been an Iowa fumble on that last drive that wasn't called, but I can't remember it from being in the crowd. In the end, it was two gutty drives that defined each team. It's just too bad that Iowa's drive was the one resulting in gloom and doom for the Green and White.

Last Week = L/42-34 to Minnesota

The Iowa loss wasn't a "bad" loss, this one was. MSU never really looked in the game, even with the 31-28 brief lead, despite a school record 17 penalties for 157 yards. SEVENTEEN PENALTIES! I mean, a lot of them were warranted, don't get me wrong, but I certainly would've wanted to take off the heads of the refs if I were a Gopher fan in Fifth-Third Bank Stadium on that night. Again, in spite of the penalties, it was really just two huge plays from Keyshawn (the BTN announcers think my last name's Johnson) Martin that even made this thing close. His 93-yard kickoff return to open the second half, followed about 10:00 later by an 84-yard end-around made things somewhat interesting, but Weber grilled the Spartans through the air for 416 and 5 TD's.

This Week = vs. Western Michigan, @ 12pm - Big Ten Network

 

All the glitz and glamour the end of the season could've contained for the Spartans is gone now, and it's dog-fighting for a bowl game time. A 6-6 finish is no longer guaranteed, and a win over the Broncos in Spartan Stadium is an absolute necessity. The positive is probably that Western isn't the MAC powerhouse that some thought they would be pre-season, as the Broncos have dropped conference games to Northern Illinois, Central Michigan, and Kent State just last week. Tim Hiller can still throw the ball, however, and the Michigan State secondary is going to have to have a significantly better day than they did against Adam Weber last week if they want to avoid the upset.