Answering your Michigan State Football Questions and Emails…Coach D and Reggie Jackson?

I know that the review official can overturn a targeting call. Can any penalty call be overturned if evidence warrants? Rick No, only certain ones can. Hi

I know that the review official can overturn a targeting call. Can any penalty call be overturned if evidence warrants? Rick

No, only certain ones can.

Hi Hondo, I made the drive to Maryland to see both the basketball & football games. It was a great showing by our fans but it wasn't just fans living on the East coast. I was amazed how many cars I passed heading East with Michigan plates, car magnets etc. Before Coach D turned this thing around I don't think we would have seen this support. Gotta love both Coach Dantonio & Izzo for what they've done to the programs and make all Spartan fans everywhere proud. -Doug Wegener

Agree. This is an amazing time. A once in a generation time, but I think you are missing the most important person. Izzo and Dantonio are SUPER at what they do, BUT the loss of Hollis would be devastating. Spartan athletics can maintain what it has now with Hollis in place long term. He is as close to irreplaceable as there is.

Hondo, I continue to worry about this MSU football team, because good teams will exploit our weaknesses and we don't seem to be improving. Not comparing to last year, just an observation by someone that isn't a coach. One example, the DL doesn't shift as much as last year to adjust to offensive formations, that's an indication of us not learning. Is this a coaching issue, effort issue or talent issue? Greg Seraydarian

I think you are leaving out how good last year’s team really was. It was a once in a generation team and although I do agree with some of your points, it is imperative to remember the prism of last year is a big one.

Hondo, what's with McGarrett Kings at punt returner? I can understand that he may have issues with returns, but why is he not even catching the ball? At Maryland he left most of the punts to just roll on the ground. Is there a personnel issue here? Coaching? Randy

He has been disappointing in that position. I would have made a switch and given an opportunity to a few others. Remember that NEITHER of us are in every practice and those are where spots are won.

I love how you call it how it is and there isn't any sugar coating. For me the most frustrating part of (OSU loss) was the poor angles of attack the defense was taking. When we were playing Denard R. of U of M, whenever he would break for a long run we'd turn and run to the flag to cut him off. It just seemed like we were aiming for the 30 when we played OSU. Did the coaching staff underestimate OSU's speed? Lance from Mooresville

No Lance. If you go back and look, it was the first game in the Dantonio era where I thought his players came with a sense of entitlement. I love confidence when it comes with hard work. MSU thought the Buckeyes would lay down. Had MSU went up 28-14, I think MSU would have won that game. Instead, the offense (players and coaches) were terrible in the red zone and Geiger missed a kick. The game swung on that series.

I normally comment AFTER an email. In this case I want to explain something. The following email came to me from someone who is very well respected in the NFL for his work with MULTIPLE All Pro players. Here is his evaluation of Connor Cook sent to me unsolicited this week after the PSU game:

Dear Hondo,

This is a football physics lesson. An object going thru the air has

resistance. The small object has less resistance. A spinning object

may or may not cut through the air better depending upon the oscillation

of the object. A wobbling non-spherical object like a football has more

air resistance. It will go relatively slower to a tight spiral.

So now to throwing a football. If you watch NFL quarterbacks, the ball

is most often a perfect spiral. Watch Connor Cook, not that way.

So Cook often is throwing behind the receiver. Why? He has in his mind

how hard to throw to a certain place, but since the ball is wobbling, it

is going slower than anticipated through the air. It takes longer to

get to his target and therefore ends up behind the running receiver. It

gets to the spot later than anticipated.

So if I am MSU coach, I teach a QB on how to throw a spiral or keep

recruiting great receivers. The receivers previously dropped these

balls, but now have over time learned how to catch a poorly thrown

wobbling football, even expecting the ball to be behind them and therefore

ready to catch it.

One other thing, a tight spiral is a smaller object which is easier to

physically catch. It also is not varying in shape moment to moment. The

spiral is the shape, similar to a resting football, is what the receiver

expects to grab on to. (Name withheld)

The MSU offense did more than enough to win against OSU but the defense absolutely did not show up. I would say almost edging back towards that SOS moniker that they have been trying to downplay for several years. My question...was the defensive collapse against OSU more on coaching or players? I was shocked when the second half looked the same as the first defensively. Desire of players? Or lack of adjustments? Or lack of "stars"? Kirk G

I think after eight years of success, even referencing SOS is laughable and sad. After double digit winning seasons in four of the last five years, I equate same old Spartans with double digit wins. If you choose to see the half empty mistakes of past staffs it is your choice, but categorically unfair. Disappointing for sure, SOS, I guess they won ten games so far so it is same old Spartans.

I attended the football game against OSU and as a previous season ticket holder (I’ve since moved out of MI), MSU Alumni, 2014 Rose Bowl attendee, and huge Spartan fan I thought it would have been nice to not only give out MSU rally towels to the student section but to everyone who entered the stadium. That was such a high profile game and the energy around campus all day was so intense it would have been nice when our Spartan football team ran onto the field to have that whole stadium waving white rally towels showing them we were there to support them! Especially since this was a night game on ABC and a lot of people were watching this game to see what happened – who would be going to the Big Ten Championship Game, it would have made for a really neat atmosphere in Spartan Stadium. It looked really cool to see the student section waving those when the team ran out, just would have liked to see the whole stadium being able to do so too. And “non-students” would have held on to them and used them when cheering throughout the game. Christine Plummer

I agree.

Hondo...I continue to be very proud of our football program and what Coach D and his staff have done. But every now and then I so scratch my head. Such was the case after the Penn State game and realizing that senior running back Nick Hill never made the field save for a kneel down play at the end. If he had done something to catch the ire of the coaching staff fine, but if not it's inexcusable and Coach D's comment even more confusing. Can you shed any light on why it is Hill didn't play more in his last regular season game? Arnold

Sure. Coach Warner didn’t play him. Earlier in the year Dantonio wanted Delton Williams and you may remember Coach Warner didn’t play him. He is the offensive coordinator and RB coach. The blame of Hill and earlier Williams not playing is on Warner, not Dantonio. Something Coach Warner has acknowledged as an oversight with Williams and he has not been accessible to address Hill, but I assume the same. Games are intense and coach made a mistake.

Why haven't the Spartans used the screen pass very much this season? Larry List

Great question. It was significantly underused this year. I heard that out in Oregon from Oregon people as well after the game.

Hondo, this year’s prolific offense seemed to provide a great opportunity for the back-ups to play significant B1G minutes. Yet in multiple games with huge leads the starters were still on the field in the 4th quarter running the ball up the middle. I thought after the Maxwell situation things would be different. Grant Crago

It was very frustrating and once again MSU at times, emphasis on at times, failed this year on both sides of the ball to develop younger players, and more importantly, put the team’s season in jeopardy playing starters late. Thankfully, nothing happened, but it was a role of the dice that I think will hurt them next year on both sides, especially should Shilique Calhoun leave for the NFL early.

If Reggie Jackson can be Mr. October, why isn't Coach D being called Mr. November? He surely can finish a season. Randy in East Lansing

I love it and will pass it on to him at his next press conference so you can watch the video of his answer. Love it.

Hondo, now that the PSU game is over perhaps some help. You mentioned when Coach O’Brien left that you respected him as a coach, but that you didn’t respect that he left and would explain at another time. Is it time? Scott Meton

Sure. I won’t name the two players, but when sanctions were levied against PSU for the Sandusky incident, two players (soon after) got in a car bound for East Lansing to look at transferring. Not far from the PSU campus they got a call. They were told that to leave PSU then, while they could by NCAA rule, was not fair to the fans and people of Pennsylvania and that they should stay for them; to heal the community, you can’t run when times are tough, etc…Funny how both players, NEITHER OF WHICH get paid, stayed and but the coach left and could make millions and leave for the NFL and he jumped ship. I have no problem with a coach going. I have a problem when players were shamed into staying, but the same principles were not lived by. That is shameful in my humble opinion.

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.