The No. 12 MSU football team dominated Indiana 55-3 in a game that really didn’t necessarily reveal much about the Spartans. Because let’s face it, the Hoosiers aren’t the best competition out there. However, the game did put heavy stakes on these last two games.
But without wasting any more time, I want to get right into my positives and negatives that I took out of a chaotic weekend in college football.
Dan Conroy
With how this past weekend shaped up in college football, it seems only right to give the Spartans’ junior kicker some props. Unlike most kickers on top-ranked teams Saturday, Conroy actually made his field goals.
He hit both tries from 21 and 33 yards, and with 78 points scored on the season he’s tallied the seventh most of all players in the Big Ten — third among kickers.
Given the pressure in a 55-3 game wasn’t nearly the same as that on the place kickers of Alabama, Boise State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State or Oregon (who all had chances to win or tie but lost because of missed field goals), it must be comforting for MSU head coach Mark Dantonio to know he can confidently call on Conroy at any point.
Conroy is 13-of-18 on the season, but two of those misses came from 50-plus yards. The trend in college football this year seems to be games coming down to a field goal, so at some point in these final three games, the junior might truly have to show he’s replaced Brett Swenson.
Offensive line continuity
Senior quarterback Kirk Cousins is sitting pretty right now — and not just because he’s a handsome guy.
Most football players, whether college or professional level, are banged up right now from a tough season, but not Cousins. In fact, any injuries he might have had, he’s surely recovered from in the past two weeks, where he hasn’t been sacked once.
It’s clear the offensive line, which had the most question marks entering the season, is now meshing and functioning as a single unit. With the time he’s had to throw, Cousins has racked up five touchdown passes and 568 yards in two games.
Michigan to earn a BCS?
Yet another reason the BCS system doesn’t work.
If Michigan defeats Ohio State this Saturday, they can sit back, relax and wait for either MSU or Penn State/Wisconsin to lose in the Big Ten championship game.
Although the two Legends and Leaders representatives will have won their respective divisions, second-place Michigan (again, if they win) could earn a BCS-bowl bid, while the loser of the Big Ten title game likely heads to the Capital One or Outback Bowl.
After arguably a better season than last year, the Spartans could get burned again. This time, with Michigan going, it would probably sting even worse. So the only option left? Win-out and don’t let anyone else decide their fate.
Third-down trouble, again.
Throughout most of the 2010 season, the Spartans were the conference’s worst team in converting on third downs. By the end of the season, they moved past Purdue, but converting 37.5 percent of the time is hardly something to be proud about.
Looking at the stats and seeing Wisconsin lead the Big Ten in 2010 with a 50.3 percent rate, the Spartans, who were 6-of-12 Saturday, didn’t necessarily have a horrible game from that end. But for the season they are at 36.5 percent and the worst in the conference.
For as great of a game as they had, there are still many places to improve
Honorable Mention to the Defense
They didn’t allow a touchdown to the Hoosiers, but having been so dominant this season, I feel I’ve been redundant writing this and crediting them each week. But ”the dogs” deserve it for another stellar performance.
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