Living Up To Epic Status

Saturday’s intrastate slugfest in East Lansing did not lack in entertainment value.  So much so that Fox may feel justified in immediately raising its ad rates (of which there must have been many in a game that took almost 4 hours.  Take a bow, Mel Tucker, in forcing Michigan’s stellar kicker, Jake Moody to make 4  field goals on consecutive plays despite 3 time outs by Tucker at the end of the first half. PLEASE, make a rule change, NCAA!)

Nor did it lack in irony.  On Michigan’s first offensive possession, UM had to dig out from its own 1 yard line.  No problema!  Just find a Freshman recruit from East Lansing, with no meaningful previous experience, and have him speed 93 yards for a TD reception that totally silenced Spartan faithful.  Andrel Anthony made a name for himself in a game that meant the world to him!!

At several junctures, Michigan seemed just a play or two away from taking total control of the game but State never broke.  When the Spartans took a 14-13 lead in the second quarter behind the second of Kenneth Walker III’s 5 touchdowns, MSU had successfully fought off early Wolverine dominance.  Speaking of Walker, his ability to cut on a dime was reminiscent of another back who regaled fans of this region, Barry Sanders.  What also makes Walker special is his ability to not go down when confronted by the first would-be tackler.  His 195 rushing yards augmented his NCAA-leading yardage and screamed, “Heisman!”

The Wolverines scored 17 unanswered points and seemed in control with 4 minutes to go in the third quarter, leading 30-14.  MSU had a decision to make with 4th and 4 at the UM 29.  No field goal attempt.  Instead, Payton Thorne looked a perfect 28-yard strike.  After two touchdowns and 2-point conversions (one mildly controversial as a Wolverine DB did wind up with the ball), Spartan Stadium had a 30-30 thriller on its hands.

Michigan was driving for a go-ahead score.  Cade McNamara had been hit hard on a blindside blitz.  Perhaps this was why Freshman five-star, JJ McCarthy, reentered the game.  His reentrance had nothing to do with McNamara’s stellar performance as McN threw for 388 and made fools of all the experts who had questioned the ability of Michigan’s passing game in his hands.  McC came in and promptly fumbled twice.  Michigan recovered the first when a greedy Spartan tried for a scoop and run instead of falling on the ball.  The ball skittered out-of-bounds and allowed the ever reliable Moody to put UM up 33-30.

After a defensive stop, UM again appeared to have control until McC again fumbled at the Wolverine 41.  A Spartan recovery and Walker’s legs put MSU’s fans into orbit for the 37-33 final score.

The Odyssey believes that coaching was a key element in MSU’s triumph.  The Spartans’ offensive coordinator, Jay Johnson, was a creative playcaller.  Michigan was perhaps too stubborn on the amount of runs given to their two feature backs when MSU never had an answer for the passing game of the Maize and Blue.  Further, UM’s defense appeared disorganized on a number of plays where late substitutions made a mad dash on the field.

MSU fans live to see UM go down.  Sparty lovers have a lifetime bonus in that they find the most devastating ways to score some of its victories in the heated series.  Yesterday was an excruciating defeat for the Wolverines and, especially, Jim Harbaugh, as UM was repeatedly close to shutting the door.  Added to even more exasperation as none of the key reviews seemed to go Michigan’s way – including a strip sack-and-score TD that was overturned. Three other memorable Sparty wins over their former big brother.

1. The blocked punt TD on the game’s final play in 2015 after a questionable Harbaugh decision to punt.
2. The 2001 “Spartan Bob” timer game where MSU was generously given 1 second to throw the walk-off TD pass winner.
3. The 1990 game where the comeback of a #1-ranked Wolverine team was foiled when Desmond Howard was tackled in the end zone on the game’s pivotal 2-point conversion.  No call.

The Odyssey does wonder why Kenneth Walker III transferred from Wake Forest and beautiful Winston-Salem.  Can you imagine what undefeated Wake Forest’s offense would be like if he had stuck around?  Even without Walker, the Demon Deacons seemed to do the impossible in their game at Army last week:  have less than 18 minutes of possession and score 70 points!!

Who saw Wake Forest and Michigan State both undefeated as we enter November?  Wake Forest was a remote possibility, but never a Michigan State team that many thought would inhabit the cellar of the Big Ten East.  In this playoff era where the country has become numb to the ongoing dominance of Alabama, Clemson, Ohio State and Georgia, wouldn’t it be fun if these two outsiders made the playoff?