Friday's Win, a Little Perspective

Michigan State’s victory on Friday will prove to be extremely valuable. The Spartans opened the season with a ‘real’ opponent who has been a giant killer ever since Chris Peterson arrived in Boise. There was little doubt that MSU was going to have their hands full on Friday night. The deck was clearly stacked on adversity’s side and MSU’s response to that adversity was huge. Here are a few things to consider:

• Michigan State QB Andrew Maxwell, although capable and highly touted, had yet to start a game for the Spartans.
• Andrew’s receiving corps, wide receivers and tight ends included, didn’t have a single returning starter in the group.
• Michigan State started both a new fullback (Palazeti) and left guard (J. Allen) on offense as well. Both played very well.

It is hard to ignore the miscues by the MSU offense. There were a number of plays that were disastrous that would have cost MSU the game under previous coaching regimes. Tony Lippett has felt the brunt of the dissatisfaction having fumbled the ball twice on big plays that were drive killers. Nobody felt worse about those plays than Tony Lippett. History is now on the side of the Spartans. Dantonio has proven that he can win even when adversity strikes. Michigan State is no longer fragile. They no longer need to be coddled. However, they don’t need a schizophrenic fan base lashing out either especially after a win.

My campus job at Michigan State was driving the specialty shuttles and buses. I was there when George Perles was fired and Nick Saban took over. This predates the Clara Bell Smith Center, the Skandalaris Center and all of the stadium upgrades and amazing new resources for student athletes. I also had what I called the ‘bowling alley’ shift meaning that I started late and often times didn’t get out of work until 5 am. I would often pick up student athletes from the campus apartments and drive them to study hall or the library. I share this story with you, because I think it is important.

One particular night, Nigea Carter (former MSU WR) climbed on my shuttle. He was the only passenger on route at the time so I struck up a conversation with him. Like the foolish MSU student I was, I asked Nigea about the infamous dropped ball in Columbus. If you were in Columbus for the game or you were watching it on TV, you remember the play.

Carter was a true freshman playing a huge game in Ohio Stadium. Nigea had what would have been a game winning score bounce off his hands. Looking back at Nigea was one of the more sobering moments I had working that job. I’ll never forget how badly he felt and how much my calling attention to his mistake impacted him. Looking back on it now, it was a poor decision on my part. Nigea’s team lost that game in Columbus that afternoon. Tony Lippett’s team did not.

As far as this team has come, some of the fans and the media have not risen to the same standard as our coaches and the men they coach. We need to do better. Some are starting to behave with the same entitlement as those fans 63 miles down the road. It is embarrassing.

Michigan State responded and beat a very good Boise State team. They needed to put together a game winning drive in the fourth quarter and they needed to run out the clock and possess the ball to earn a 17-13 decision under the lights.

Growth happened all over the field for Michigan State Friday evening. Maxwell had 3 INT’s in the first half.  MSU overcame a missed a 43-yard field goal. Lippett had an INT ‘give-away,’ a fumble and a sack. MSU had a number of substantial penalties and faced different pressures all night long.

As an MSU fan, I am happy to have the win. I am particularly happy to have a win that shows me that this Dantonio lead team, just like the ones before them is resilient. They will grow immensely from this. There will be a great deal of improvement in the coming weeks. Tony Lippett will rebound as well.

Adversity will strike again this season and MSU will be ready for it. Andrew is going to go through some growing pains and that is just part of playing the quarterback position. After going back and watching the game, I don’t think more than one of those picks was actually his fault. The defense was lights out. Le’Veon Bell was Superman. Mike Sadler (our punter) proved to be an intimidating tackling force having been flagged for a late hit. The line held up extremely well considering the different blitzes they faced and Dion Sims looked like the best receiver on the field. There is a lot to build on.