O’Brien
It was a night of firsts for the No. 10 MSU football team.
For the defense, it was the first time this season an offensive touchdown was allowed. For junior quarterback Andrew Maxwell, it was the first time all season he was sacked (and then the second, third and fourth times soon after). And for the juniors and younger, it was their first ever loss in Spartan Stadium.
Prior to Saturday night’s 20-3 defeat at the hands of No. 20 Notre Dame, the Spartans were riding a 15-game home winning streak.
However, the offense’s inability to move the ball into the redzone and build any momentum cost MSU dearly.
“We had a lack of explosive plays,” offensive coordinator Dan Roushar said. “I have to put the guys in better situations.”
Over the course of 60 minutes, MSU’s longest offensive play came on a 19-yard completion to sophomore wide receiver Keith Mumphery. The Spartans also struggled to gain big yardage on the ground, with the longest run coming on a 15 yard dash by junior running back Le’Veon Bell at the end of the first half.
On the other side of the ball, a possible game changing interception by junior linebacker Max Bullough was negated when a replay showed he did not have full possession of the ball as he crashed into the ground.
“They took advantage of our aggressive defense,” Bullough said. “We need to make plays and create in situations like that.”
Monster plays aren’t important just to appease the fans. A big play shifts the momentum heavily, and the Spartans could barely get the needle to budge Saturday night.
Big gains through the air have eluded the Spartans all season.
Maxwell failed to connect with his receivers on two or three plays that could’ve gone for a score, with balls glancing off fingertips or pressure forcing him to check down to a secondary receiver.
Maxwell’s inexperienced. His receivers are inexperienced. His offensive line had two fresh faces on it Saturday night. But MSU needs to see more from it’s passing game. There’s a lot of talent there that hasn’t been tapped to its full potential.
But if the Spartans hope to find out what Pasedena in January feels like, they need to use next Saturday’s game against Eastern Michigan to work the kinks out. Because if the passing game hasn’t improved by the start of Big Ten season, this won’t be the last time MSU gets held out of the endzone this year.
While I’m sure it stings now, Saturday’s loss isn’t the end of the world for the Spartans. They found themselves in a similar position after the Fighting Irish gave them a 31-13 drubbing in South Bend last year. And from where I’m sitting, MSU still is the best team in the Big Ten.
But for now, the Spartans are just another 2-1 team looking to get better. And if they don’t, things could get even uglier as the season goes on.
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