The No. 9 MSU football team didn’t take it to the media and fight back after accusations of being a dirty team. The Spartans didn’t complain about getting completely disrespected by the national media, who proclaimed Wisconsin “unbeatable.”
Instead, they endured the criticism and patiently waited to take the battle to the gridiron where they — by their play against then-No. 4 Wisconsin — collectively told everyone off.
Dirty team?
How about four full quarters without a single penalty.
Wisconsin was unbeatable?
How about rattling Badgers quarterback Russell Wilson to the point the then-Heisman Trophy frontrunner threw two interceptions and an intentional grounding in his own end zone. And don’t forget senior quarterback Kirk Cousins outperforming Wilson with a 290-yard, three-touchdown game.
And the statements that no one cares about MSU football?
The Spartans responded with one of the best games in college football history, ending on the positive side of a play that will be relived every single time the word “miracle” and “sports” are used in the same sentence. All with the national spotlight on.
The football team might have a 24-hour rule for celebrating victories, but there are no such rules for Spartan Nation. So, enjoy this one.
Now, let’s look at the good and the bad from Saturday.
Defense didn’t give up
The way the game started it looked to get really ugly really fast.
On the first two possessions, it wasn’t a matter of if Wisconsin would score, it was a matter of who coach Bret Bielema wanted to give the touchdown.
But with a Trenton Robinson interception, the senior safety woke the defense up. Two defensive plays later, stellar coverage by sophomore cornerback Darqueze Dennard led to a safety and MSU’s first points.
Special team’s big plays
The next two Badgers’ possessions ended as follows: a field goal block by Dennard and punt block by sophomore linebacker Kyler Elsworth, which was recovered in the end zone and put the Spartans up 23-14 heading into halftime.
Also, a beautiful punt by redshirt freshman Mike Sadler pinned the Badgers inside the 5-yard line and led to the safety.
These units can cost the team a game or they can win it, and last Saturday night, they gave MSU the life it needed to win.
Although the Spartans played well Saturday, not everything about the win was perfect.
Offense couldn’t close
Had the miracle pass not been completed and had MSU lost the game, the story would have been the offense’s inability to execute in the fourth quarter.
Twice the defense stopped the Wisconsin offense and gave the Spartans a chance to run the clock down. Both times, the team burned only one minute and went three-and-out.
The Badgers then were able to overc0me a 14-point deficit to tie the game. Championship teams don’t let that happen.
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Too many yards
Allowing only 67 rushing yards a game is probably not sustainable in the Big Ten, but the Spartans defense gave up more than that in just the first quarter.
On the day, the Badgers rushed for 220 yards — almost quadruple the average. It doesn’t get much easier, but MSU really needs a bounce-back performance to reiterate the belief they are a dominant defense.
Anthony Odoardi is a sports reporter for The State News. He can be reached at odoardia@msu.edu.
