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Column: Bullough's suspension creates more than on-field problems for Spartans

December 28, 2013
	<p>Stephen Brooks</p>

Stephen Brooks

Yes, the Spartans are going to miss Max Bullough on the Rose Bowl turf Jan. 1.

The announcement of the senior linebacker’s career-ending suspension in the wee hours of Dec. 26 sent a shockwave through the MSU program and fan base.

As the Spartans arrived in California for their most highly-anticipated game in a generation, they did so without their two-time captain and three-year starter in the middle of what has become the nation’s No. 1 defense.

Bullough has been as integral as any cog in building the foundation of MSU’s elite defensive machine. Often regarded as “a computer” by coaches, Bullough is credited as one of the smartest Spartan defenders for his pre-snap recognition and ability to make on-field adjustments.

But his absence has the greatest impact away from the playing field.

MSU’s coaches can and will find a serviceable replacement at middle linebacker – whether it’s senior Kyler Elsworth, sophomore Darien Harris or someone else. They won’t be able to dissect formations and shifts as well as Bullough did before the snap, but that’s not reasonable to expect when Bullough occupied the spot for three seasons.

They probably won’t be able to smash Stanford’s massive offensive linemen in the face and take on blocks the way Bullough used to.

But they’ll do good enough.

If Stanford beats the Spartans in Pasadena, Calif., it’ll be for reasons far greater than Bullough’s suspension.

Where this situation hurts MSU most is everywhere but the field. It’s the fact that since the team plane touched down, the Spartans have been bombarded with questions of how they’ll survive post-Bullough. The urgency of getting the replacement(s) prepared. The possibility of shaken confidence behind closed doors. The distraction this entire saga presents for a team preparing for a monumental nationally televised contest. The fact that this column even exists.

In an environment where the utmost concentration and focus are required, the news couldn’t have come at a worse time.

Bullough was supposed to be the leader to ensure that focus and concentration never faltered in the shadows of the Hollywood sign. He likely would have been the one leading the Spartans’ pre-game rituals, the one getting the team fired up on the field, the one with the last word before they left the locker room.

Logic would lead one to believe Bullough, as in touch with the magnitude of this game as any, would do everything in his power to keep himself out of a position for this outcome to occur. Of course, we may never know all the details of what led to this. At the end of the day he’s simply a college kid that made a mistake — that comes with the territory — but the timing and scope of this one is why it’s so disheartening to the MSU program.

For an event filled with feel-good stories surrounding MSU’s first Rose Bowl since 1988, Bullough, a well-publicized third-generation Spartan player, would have been one of the biggest storylines as he closed out his standout career in college football’s most hallowed grounds.

Now he’s the single biggest story for a completely different reason – not the Spartans’ journey from 7-6 to Cinderella Big Ten champions.

Stephen Brooks is a State News football reporter. Reach him at sbrooks@statenews.com.

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