The Odyssey is so intrigued by an interesting intrastate matchup that our Senior writer, Bronco Chris, feels compelled to cover the game in East Lansing. Check out his postgame comments on this post.
Michigan State is one of the most enigmatic teams in 2017. This battle against a fired up WMU squad will speak loudly. Will MSU more closely resemble its 2015 playoff squad or the 3-9 disaster last year? What is unusual for the Spartans is the uncertainty on both lines, generally a Mark Dantonio staple.
Western has one of the electric kick returners in the country in Darius Phillips. In their 2015 encounter in Kalamazoo, Phillips torched the Spartans with kick returns of 75 and 100 yards. Will Sparty avoid putting the ball in his hands at all costs? Last Saturday, Phillips showed that his designation as 2016 MAC Special Teams Player of the Year was no fluke as he took a kick to the house against USC.
Expect MSU to stack the box against first-year starter Jon Wassink. Western absolutely shocked USC last week with 263 rushing yards and scared the bejesus out of the Trojans before fading late in 110 degree temperature.
Will LJ Scott continue to have the fumbleitis that plauged him last week against Bowling Green? Stay tuned.
So, the Odyssey remains in the Midwest for another week. Next week, the Odyssey will be reporting from San Diego State as Stanford plays a second consecutive team from SoCal.
Bronco Chris
Hoping for Victory
There was a lot of anticipation for Western Michigan heading into the game with Michigan State on Saturday. The results of the 2016 season were in the forefront of everyone’s mind. Few could forget Western Michigan’s magical 13-1 season while Mark Dantonio’s squad had an uncharacteristic 3-9 record. WMU faithful were, dare I say, expecting to win after pushing #4 USC to the brink in week one. Bronco’s impressive offensive line pushed the line of scrimmage throughout the game at the Coliseum and racked up 263 rushing yards. On top of that, the confidence in the MSU crowd was low, despite the fact that the last time WMU beat MSU was on Oct. 11, 1919. In the week leading up to the game, most of the MSU fans I spoke with were hoping for a win. Being a fan of a MAC team, this conundrum almost never happens. Most MAC teams when playing a Power 5 team are hoping to keep the score close, hoping that they might have a chance in the second half, and hoping they can get through the game without any major injuries.
Saturday was a perfect Midwestern day for a football game. The temperature was in the high 60s with not a cloud in the sky. The crowd arrived early on campus for a sun soaked tailgate and game. The crowd was enjoying the weather; however many had concerns about the hurricanes stirring in the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico. Once the game started, it was clear that week two was going to be different than week one for the Broncos. MSU’s coaching staff watched the game tape from the week before and was ready for a battle at the line of scrimmage. They knew WMU’s passing game was inexperienced to say the least. WMU has a first year coaching staff, with first year starters at quarterback (Jon Wassink) and at all 3 wide receiver positions. MSU started and finished the game by owning the line of scrimmage and daring WMU to throw the ball. Western Michigan was held to 116 yards on the ground for the day while the Spartans pounded the rock to the tune of 296 rushing yards. The Michigan State rushing attack came from all the skill positions. The running backs, wide receivers, and quarterback Brian Lewerke all rushed the ball effectively. Western Michigan’s offense was held scoreless throughout the day. The Spartan’s defense, a staple of Dantonio teams, was physically dominate (as they were in week one). The game was relatively close due to one man, WMU’s senior cornerback Darius Phillips. He accounted for Western Michigan’s only scores. In the 3rd quarter he stripped the ball, picked it up, and scored a touchdown to cut MSU’s lead to 21-7. Then in the 4th quarter after MSU opened up the lead to 28-7, Darius returned a kick-off 100 yards for a touchdown. Not only did he score, he had an interception, 3 pass breakups and a tackle for loss. Even MSU fans were giving him props late in the game. One fan seated nearby said, “I hope he is playing for the Lions next year.” Other than his efforts, this sunny Saturday belonged to the Spartans with their solid line play on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball.
The only time a Mark Dantonio lead MSU team has lost to a MAC team was in 2009 when CMU beat the Spartans 29 to 27. CMU was lead by Head Coach Butch Jones, MAC superstar Dan LeFevour in his senior campaign, and future NFL Pro Bowler Antonio Brown. This CMU team went on to finish the season 12-2 with a final ranking of 24 in the Coaches poll. Let’s just say, if you plan on walking into Spartan Stadium expecting to get a win, it is not going to be easy and you are going to need a pretty good team to do it. The next time WMU faces MSU will be in 2019. Jon Wassink and his receiving corps will be seniors. I am hoping that after 100 years since WMU’s last victory over MSU, that the timing will be right.
rickro51
The Odyssey is going to do our best to keep Bronco Chris as our Senior Staff Writer. We know that both the Detroit Free Press and the Detroit News have expressed interest in our Bronco.