Senior long snapper Kyle Cutler, from the Bowling Green Falcons says a prayer for the both teams after the football game Saturday afternoon at Spartan Stadium. MSU won the game 28-17.
If the MSU pass rush needed a slogan, it might be, “What a difference a year makes.”
The Spartans recorded 16 sacks in 2006 – just two more than last-place Indiana in the Big Ten. On Saturday, though, MSU collected seven sacks to bring its season total to 12 in two games.
Senior defensive end Jonal Saint-Dic was the pass rush’s main contributor, earning three sacks on the day. Freshmen linebackers Greg Jones and Jon Misch, senior defensive linemen Ervin Baldwin and Ogemdi Nwagbuo, junior defensive lineman Justin Kershaw and senior defensive lineman and tight end Kellen Davis all chipped in with at least half a sack.
“As the game wore on and continued on throughout probably about midway through the third quarter on I think our guys did a great job,” MSU head coach Mark Dantonio said. “I mean, seven sacks. You don’t lose too many games with seven sacks.”
The Spartans had difficulty containing Bowling Green quarterback Tyler Sheehan in the first half. Sheehan scrambled for all 38 of his yards on the ground during the half, including a six-yard touchdown run.
In the second half, though, Sheehan was sacked six times and added just 81 yards through the air, bringing his total to 295 yards.
Baldwin isn’t oblivious to the progress the Spartans pass rush has made, but he isn’t settling.
“We’re taking a major step,” he said. “But we’ve still got room for improvement.”
Nobody’s perfect
Just when things were beginning to go MSU’s way, the officials stopped the Spartans’ momentum with a blown call in the second quarter.
After MSU tied the game, 14-14, Bowling Green appeared to fumble the ball at midfield on the ensuing drive. An official, however, ruled running back Eric Ransom down by contact and blew a whistle to end the play. Junior cornerback Kendell Davis-Clark picked up the ball and attempted to score a touchdown before the whistles halted him five yards short of the end zone.
Replays showed, though, that senior strong safety Travis Key stripped the ball loose before Ransom hit the ground. After nearly 10 minutes of debating, the officials announced that the play was not reviewable because a whistle was blown – much to the dismay of thousands of booing MSU fans.
“There were some calls out there that we feel we should have had,” Key said. “They didn’t end up going our way, but the crowd got into it and that definitely gave some juice and put us into the game more.”
The Spartans defense, with a vociferous crowd serving as background noise, stopped the Falcons on that series and forced a punt.
When the officials returned to the field after halftime, they were greeted once again with a collective “boo.”
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