Spartans “Gotta Fight to get it Back Again”

As Pearl Jam’s latest hit single “The Fixer” pleads, “when something’s lost…I wanna fight to get it back again!” That spirit captures the efforts

As Pearl Jam’s latest hit single “The Fixer” pleads, “when something’s lost…I wanna fight to get it back again!” That spirit captures the efforts of Mark Dantonio since he took control of the Spartan Football program in late 2006. The program was truly lost, and in desperate need of fixing. His efforts so far have prompted fans of both organizations to dub Coach D as Spartan Football’s own “Fixer.” That spirit also captures the immediate challenge this team faces moving into November.

In a sense, their season has already been lost. They are completely out of the Big Ten race heading into November, when only a few weeks ago it looked like they’d be playing for the title again on the last weekend of the year. But not all is lost, and now it’s up to the Spartans to fight to get it back again. No one left on the schedule is going to give MSU anything. But opportunities remain for MSU to earn back some respect that’s been lost and finish with a winning record for the third straight year.

Few thought the Spartans would be where they are right now, and even fewer could imagine just how MSU would arrive to this point in the season at 4-5. It’s been a wildly unpredictable year, with too many of the twists and turns going against the Green and White, each illustrating to the Spartan Nation yet again, just how fine the line is between victory and defeat.

Five loses from a combined 23 points is enough to leave a deep gash on a college football team’s psyche, not just an irritating sting. But these Spartans have already bounced back before from significant adversity after tight, late-game losses, to Central Michigan and Notre Dame. The stakes are arguably higher in the next three weeks. There’s really no more room for error, no more space for a letdown.

Quarterback Stability?

Many in the Spartan Nation have wondered all year about the stability of the QB situation. Injuries to both Rs.-So. QBs Keith Nichol and Kirk Cousins have disrupted the rotation the Spartans developed towards the middle of the season. Yet, both players have shown signs of being excellent college QBs. And both are near the top of the Big Ten in the often chastised statistical category of “Quarterback Rating.”

Cousins throws a beautiful ball, and might honestly be developing an NFL type arm. Nichol carries with him a special charisma and ability to improvise plays that can make him a game changer. But as well as both have played at points this year, they’ve each made young QB mistakes that have cost MSU victories. That’s simply part of the development and maturation process. Hopefully November will find both QBs productive and poised to play winning football.

Some in the Spartan Nation have recently pointed out that Cousins does not have a good record as a starter (2-5…no, Montana St. does not count), and Nichol has only started one game, a victory against a miserable Illinois team. There’s a wonder out there whether MSU might consider making a switch going into these last three regular season games. Perhaps not as much an indictment on the play of Cousins, but as an overall approach to shake things up and give MSU a different look at winning games.

Spartan Nation asked Coach D Tuesday if the staff was even considering a change to the starting QB, he said simply, “I don’t think that’s an appropriate question right now.”

Floundering to Finish Drives

Time is of the essence for the Spartan Offense. There’s no more room for error in 2009. No more allowance for empty trips into the red zone, and no more room to be shut out of the end zone with multiple shots from inside the 5. “The last two weeks it’s risen up to sort of bite us and create a situation where were missing those points,” Dantonio told Spartan Nation earlier this week. “It creates a situation where we’re losing the football game, inevitably.”

Ever since So. RB Glenn Winston’s knee blew out on the Illinois turf, the Spartans have struggled mightily down by the goal line. Coach D told Spartan Nation on Tuesday that they’re not ignoring the issue. “We’ve evaluated everything from a goal line perspective…in terms of how effective it is, and what we have to do to score points.”

Some have wondered if Nichol might play a bigger role in goal line situations down the stretch due to his outstanding athleticism and play making ability. “Keith has been injured the past two weeks, so this (Minnesota) was his first game back (from the elbow). I don’t think we’d want to put him in that situation at the point of attack in goal line right now.”

Dantonio again feels it’s a game of inches, and that MSU isn’t far from closing the deal more often inside the red zone. “It seems to always be something small…whether it’s a missed assignment, whether it’s a lack of fundamentals…or bad play choice. But we need to get it fixed, there’s no doubt about that”

My one main criticism of this staff remains its tendency to get stubborn with play calling at times, on both sides of the ball. The Spartan Nation doesn’t want to hear that “above all else, we’ll stick to what we know.” Few successful organizations, let alone college football teams, have great success being inflexible and slow to adapt. It’s theoretically possible, occasionally occurs, but is definitely not nearly the norm.

The Coaching staff needs to show up the rest of the season with some new and effective answers to the Spartans’ goal line blues. If they continue to do the same thing over and over, they will likely end up with the same result. With the same results, more respect from the fans will be lost, and boos will be heard throughout Spartan Stadium. Dantonio told Spartan Nation Tuesday that he understands the fans’ concern. “It’s something we need to address and continue to try and correct in order to be ultimately successful here.” Sounds like something you’d expect to hear from a “Fixer.”

Martin’s Mounting Momentum

Outside the red zone, the Spartans are enjoying the development of the ultra-versatile and talented So. WR Keshawn Martin. Thus far in ’09, Martin has caught a TD pass, ran for a TD, thrown a TD pass, and returned a punt for a TD. Those are the only ways he’s scored thus far, but there’s still three regular season games left for him to come up with something else. Martin’s development is not a surprise to Dantonio. “Keshawn’s always been a big play guy for us, even going back to last year when he played as a True Freshmen.”

As the story goes, Martin flew somewhat under the modern day recruiting radar. But as soon as the Spartans got a hold of his recruiting tape, they knew they were seeing something special. “He’s had that running ability and that change of direction and explosiveness from the day that we saw him as a high school player. So it’s no surprise to us, the things that he’s doing.”

Martin struggled early in 2009, prompting some to wonder whether he had the ability to grasp everything the Coaches had thrown at him, and could handle all the different ways the Spartans would try to get him the ball. But as the year has developed, Martin has shown more signs of stability and dependability. “What’s happening is he’s growing in confidence and learning how to become a Wide Receiver, Kick Returner, and Punt Returner,” Dantonio said. Watching talent develop remains one of the most enjoyable things about following college football. Expect Martin to play an increasing role in the Spartans’ offensive success for his remaining 30 games in Green and White.

When Something’s Dark..Lemme Shed a Little Light on it

To again lean on the old Bill Parcells theory, you are what your record is. MSU is a 4-5 football team. But it’s a 4-5 team that still has opportunities thisyear, and needs now to demonstrate the passion, humility, and discipline to focus on the opportunities that are out still there. MSU can still have a winning season, and possibly even a southern bowl trip. In order to make any of that happen, the Spartans must win their last three straight. That’s not an easy proposition, but it’s possible.

Now is the time to execute the fundamentals with an attention to detail. It’s not time to over celebrate routine plays early in games. It’s not time to go for highlight hits when the simple tackle is there to make. And it’s not the time to take costly and undisciplined penalties. That kind of play won’t fix anything, and it could painfully cost MSU even more of the respect it had earned back in the last couple years.

Western Michigan at home should be a sure thing for MSU, but it most certainly is not. Sure things really don’t exist anymore much in college football. Just ask the folks in Ann Arbor. Yet, if MSU is going to fix things here in 2009, it’s gotta start this Saturday, when the Spartans “fight to get it back again.”

Jon Schopp is a weekly writer for Spartan Nation