Answering your Michigan State Football Questions and Emails…

Answering your Michigan State Football Questions and Emails… Imagine if the Spartans did not have to face Russell Wilson and now Marcus Mariota. Wilson cost

Answering your Michigan State Football Questions and Emails…

Imagine if the Spartans did not have to face Russell Wilson and now Marcus Mariota. Wilson cost us dearly in recent years and MM looks better than him at this point. Wilson turned out to be a Super Bowl winning caliber QB. What will MM turn out to be? And what could have the Spartans done if we did not have to face these world class QB's? Craig Borowsky

If you want to go that far imagine if they didn’t face Matt Ryan (now with the Falcons) and Matt Stafford (now with the Lions) in their first two bowl games? Pretty amazing slate for the Spartans, but if you want to be the best, you have to face and beat those people. I think those are some great points.

Hondo You have stated several times that opposing coaches in recruiting use the lack of O-Lineman in the NFL that have played for MSU under Coach D as a negative quality for choosing MSU. Besides selling the merits of the school itself and the football program in general, how do they respond? Thank you, Dan in Chicago

I think they try to keep it about the team and MSU and that Jim Bollman has a proven track record of getting guys there. The facts don’t lie and although I think line play is significantly improved and they have some very good players who will get there, as of right now that is a factual statement that schools are still using. I know of one key OL target who over the last few months WANTED to go to MSU badly, but because of that argument from another coach didn’t commit to MSU. One Big Ten coach told this young man, “If you want to be a Doctor would you go to a school that hadn’t produced any?” Right or wrong he didn’t attack Dantonio at all. He simply asked the kid if he wanted to play OL in the NFL.

Hondo, Up 9 midway through the 3rd, Cook missed a wide open Pendleton which arguably could keep momentum going, perhaps expand the lead. Cook laughs about it, and we kick away. I'm all for levity, can't treat EVERY play with stoic seriousness, but it signaled to me, the boys felt way too comfortable with game in hand at that stage. Momentum was STILL there with a virtual 3 and out with two MONSTER sacks... and then, on 3rd and loooong, Mariota eludes, a flick pass, and we never saw that Momentum again. What say you? Eric

I have watched the game in person once (Obviously) and 13 times on tape. That play was a big play and I didn’t see Cook laugh it off. He was distraught and eventually had to smile and move on, but I didn’t see that. Maybe you saw something I missed, but I went back and watched that play AGAIN to answer you and I don’t see anything like you did. He grabbed his helmet with both hands and was distraught. Having said that I think you hit on a bigger point as to why MSU lost. They went into the locker room jacked up. They had a monster chip on their shoulder, they were up and they physically were dominating the Ducks. Oregon was exhausted and MSU was in total command. MSU came out in the second stopped them, got a FG and life was good. Then something happened we have NOT seen since Mark Dantonio arrived. His team thought they had it. Go back to the big sack by MSU on second down and then a big third down play with six minutes left in the third. MSU had Mariota stopped and he got away from multiple people and flipped a shuffle for a big play. Oregon came for a heavyweight fight of 15 rounds and MSU thought they would wilt. Once Oregon caught the Spartans coasting, missing assignments and making mistakes it was over. Crowd was back, they had confidence and the Spartans who were used to coasting once they had teams down found out a tough lessons. National title teams play 4 quarters, not two and nine minutes of the third. The MSU players let themselves down. They took their foot off the gas. The better team won because the Ducks came with a four quarters mentality. They were the ones with everything to prove. Frankly they out MSUed the Spartans. The Spartans players beat themselves in Eugene. No way this loss is on coaching.

Hondo I was watching the game and saw Connor Cook just fall down for a sack. Do you know the play I am talking about? What in the world is that? Was he scared? Does he lack the toughness to play at the National Championship level? Mike S.

You can say what you want, but you are nuts to question that kids toughness. The play you are talking about is his first sack of the game. It was the third quarter with 12:28 on the clock. The Spartans had the ball at the Oregon 47 up 24-18 and they had a second and thirteen. I did see that play and scratched my head at the time. Perhaps he felt like there was someone closer than there was and he was exercising ball security. Connor Cook by nature is a risk taker and a gunslinger. Toughness is not an issue. I have not spoken to him about this yet, but I would assume he thought the Ducks were close, he was hearing footsteps and was exercising ball security.

Hondo as I watched the Oregon game I wanted to scream at Dave Warner. He was pathetic. Kurt W.

We must have watched a different game Kurt. I thought on both sides of the ball with Narduzzi and Warner the MSU play calling was magnificent. Other than the fourth and two when MSU went for it, I had no issues with the play calling. Warner and Narduzzi did their jobs and did it well. Don’t take my word or go off of your emotion. Don’t judge them on guys missing throws, holes or plays. Go back and watch the game. Were guys in the right spots, were plays open but guys made wrong reads. Again other than the fourth and two I take no issue with the play calling and think both of those men should hold their heads high, they did the Spartan Nation well on Saturday.

Hey Hondo, Just wanna say that I completely agreed with your analysis that if the Spartans were able to pass and they stayed with it they could win convincingly. That's what made it even more frustrating watching the second half. It's not the only reason for the loss, but it was one of the more glaring reasons. Hope they can run the table and possibly get another shot at the Ducks. Go green! Matt Tucker

Matt, I specifically said they had to “Keep their foot on the gas.” I don’t think a lack of passing was the reason. In fact, I have got a lot of emails complaining about some of the run plays, but Oregon was exhausted. I liked it (other than the fourth and two), but Warner can’t complete passes or make catches. He can’t throw a block or make a RB stop dancing and get to the hole. Go watch the tape again. Warner was aggressive and I don’t think he had ANYTHING to do with the loss. This was on the players.

Hondo I heard you on the radio show talk about the fourth and two call, but I wasn’t able to hear you explain it. You said you would later, but I was at dinner by then with my wife. Can I get a recap please? James Plunnt

Sure. If you go back and look at my Twitter feed I stated that I loved Dantonio’s decision to go for it on 4th and two. LOVED IT. Showed stones, guts and a belief in his guys. I hated the play call. You had two WRs split to the right and left and Oregon had them both manned up. Then you bring a WR in motion so that you bring their defender IN THE BOX as well. Now the Ducks had 10 players in the box area and you fail to convert. MORE egregious to me was that the tenth player you brought into the box with your WR in motion actually was the first person to get his hands on the ball carrier and stop the conversion.  That call was BEYOND ugly. I would have went to a pass there, that is why I called for a boot/pass option. It reminded me of the Rose Bowl when Narduzzi sold out to stop Stanford on 4th and Kyler Elsworth made his iconic stop. After the game Oregon admitted that they KNEW MSU was NOT going to pass. It was a total run and the way the line was playing at that moment it was a horrific play call. A call I am not convinced was made by Warner, but nonetheless it was the worst call of the game. Not the decision to go, but that play.

Hondo I always value your long term look at everything. What was the biggest long term take out of this Oregon loss? Thanks for all you do. Heather Wright

Thanks Heather. I have had four MAJOR MSU opponents in the last few years tell me that when play MSU a major advantage is that “We don’t even put in our game plan a threat for a QB run.” One went as far as saying, “Cousins did a few, but that looked more like him and it was his last season. They just don’t do it.” Dantonio has the best DC in the nation. He has success against a QB who is a threat, and it is unfathomable to me that MSU doesn’t at least make teams worry about it. You may remember a few years ago Dan Roushar brought out Cook in a game to run a QB rushing play. Cook is athletic and can run. MSU is leaving a weapon on the bench when they don’t at least incorporate SOME mobility in their offense from a QB perspective. They should demand two running plays a game to keep teams honest and insist on Cook taking off as a legitimate option. You can’t ingrain in kids heads NOT to do things and expect them to be spontaneous. I have said numerous times, Andrew Maxwell’s failures at MSU are coaching related. He had it ingrained in his head to be afraid to take risks or run. So when he played that way it baffled people. Cook is a not a good athlete, he is a great athlete; just like O’Connor and Terry behind them. I don’t want a spread team, but I do want a team to have to think about everything. Make life hard on opposing DCs that aren’t as good as Narduzzi like they do him. I am shocked with Narduzzi getting the assistant coach title as well, that they haven’t added to their offense things he finds difficult more. Just my two cents. You saw two or three times against Oregon situations that Cook could have done some things with his feet. Other than Cousins senior year that is the standard operating procedure at MSU. Since that is the track record at MSU, that is on coaching. I promise if being more mobile by a QB was stressed and guys were benched when they didn’t, it would happen.

There you go everyone. That is your weekly MSU football questions and answers article. Make sure you send your questions to SpartanNationMail@yahoo.com and put in the subject line Football Q/A. Thank you.