Close to achieving glory

Football team changes image, playing attitude

For the first time this season, members of the MSU football team really complained about respect Saturday.

Junior defensive end Trevor Anderson pleaded that MSU was “not the same old Spartans team.”

Senior quarterback Brian Hoyer asked when the name would die.

Senior defensive end Brandon Long said he listens to the radio and gets tired of hearing the doubt. (Ha! Athletes do listen to talk radio!)

With nine wins and two losses, these are not the “same old Spartans.”

The MSU football program can take pride in the little victory of getting past its own culture of mental fallibility. Any team with a 9-2 record can’t be bad.

But the best football programs don’t settle on little victories. The best programs are measured by the statement wins, the victories over top 20 teams, the conference titles.

The Spartans have an opportunity to pull off that trifecta in two weeks at State College, Pa., where Penn State will still be licking its wounded paws after Saturday’s upset loss at Iowa.

Hoyer said all the pressure will be on Penn State to tame the Spartans in two weeks, but that was before the Nittany Lions were subdued by Iowa. Now, the target is squarely on the Spartans’ chests.

Penn State likely still will be playing for a spot in the Rose Bowl, but this will be more of a referendum of MSU than a proving ground for the Nittany Lions.

The Spartans don’t have a win on which to hang their helmet this season. What’s MSU’s best victory this season? Northwestern? Notre Dame? Michigan?

You can only beat the teams you’re scheduled to play, and MSU has knocked off nine teams.

Of course, the combined record of those teams is 38-50.

The Spartans haven’t beaten either of the two programs — California and Ohio State — that would give them instant national credibility.

For MSU to beat Penn State, the Spartans’ will have to bring their first “A+” game of the season. For proof, pick MSU’s most impressive performance of the season. It’s probably a 37-20 win at Northwestern.

Now, transfer that showing to a game against Penn State, which has a better quarterback, running back, offensive line, front seven, secondary and home crowd than Northwestern. The only matchups the Wildcats’ team could win are a foot race between head coaches and a quantum physics quiz.

An output similar to the one against Northwestern won’t get the job done against the No. 7 team in the nation.

If the Spartans will need their best showing of the season, Saturday’s output doesn’t inspire confidence.

Four turnovers, a dull passing game and a nonexplosive ground attack will be a recipe for offensive disaster in State College. An aggressive, opportunistic defense will need to carry over and stop a Penn State ground attack that ranks No. 12 nationally with more than 220 yards per game.

Perhaps it is too much to ask from MSU to go from conference bottom dweller to title contender in two years.

With expectations, however, comes the burden of never dwelling on success.

If the Spartans want to move far beyond shedding “same old Spartans,” they have one final chance to earn true respect.

“This is the game,” Anderson said. “If you want to get respect in the Big Ten, you beat teams like Penn State.”

It could happen in Pennsylvania in two weeks.

Published on Sunday, November 9, 2008