MSU head football coach Mark Dantonio made it known throughout the week that conference play in the Big Ten is where the season really starts to matter. It is where the rings, big bowl games and college football playoff appearances are earned. Very little can compare to the hard nosed physicality the Big Ten conference puts on display every week.
Needless to say, it’s not the start that MSU was hoping to accomplish Saturday.
The visiting No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers mopped the Spartan Stadium field with No. 8 MSU Spartans by a score of 30-6, and put on an impressive showcase of strategic gameplan and poise, primarily from redshirt-freshman quarterback Alex Hornibrook, who looked calm and collected all game in his first career start.
“We knew what they were when we came into this football game,” Dantonio said. “We talked about it this week at length, that they were a very solid football team. And they would make you beat them.”
If the Spartans knew who they were, what they would do, and how they would beat them, how did the events that transpired Saturday afternoon happen? How did this turn into Dantonio’s third-worst home defeat since taking over in 2007?
The very same thing that happened against Furman, the same phrase that was uttered from every coach and player following their week one victory. “We can’t shoot ourselves in the foot.”
The Spartans did. And the only problem this week was that they weren’t lining up across from Furman.
Third-Down Defense
There were 10 times that Wisconsin faced a third down and more than five yards to go. Seven of those times were third and 10 yards or more. Wisconsin converted four of seven of those attempts, with another being converted on fourth down the next play. The only two they failed to convert were on their last two drives, when the score was already 30-6 and the Badgers were bleeding down the clock.
“We have to get off the field on third down,” assistant coach and co-defensive coordinator Harlon Barnett said. “We contained the run well on first and second down. We have to be able to get off of the field. That’s where our issues were. Credit to (Alex) Hornibrook. Credit to the young man starting his first game in a hostile environment. He threw some good balls out there today.”
Hornibrook finished 16-26 throwing for 195 yards and a touchdown.
133 yards of that total were from third down completions, conversion or no conversion.
Only one of those completions was over 30 yards (a 31-yard completion), showing that it was a number of chunk gains and not big plays that got the conversions necessary for Wisconsin to keep the ball, while tiring out the MSU defense at the same time.
Mental mistakes and turnovers
In MSU’s opening season victory, it was the penalties that took points off the board and stalled momentum.
10 penalties were committed that game for 180 yards. Saturday, the Spartans had that act cleaned up, only flagged five times for 35 yards.
This time around, the Spartans were hurt by missed assignments, turnovers and mental lapses. Three interceptions from fifth-year senior Tyler O’Connor was just the beginning of a long list of errors.
“We pride our ourselves on trying to eliminate and have no explosive plays, and things happen in the game, and no play’s perfect, no team is perfect,” senior cornerback Darian Hicks said. “And obviously, we know what we have to do now, and we come back and watch film, and just learn from everything that happened today.”
The second half began with the defense storming out and forcing Wisconsin to punt deep in their own territory.
Getting the ball at midfield, a seven-yard run from sophomore L.J. Scott got the Spartans rolling to begin their drive.
Then, Scott fumbled on the next play. The ball flew and was picked up by Wisconsin.
66 yards later, it was 20-3 Badgers.
It killed all momentum the Spartans had, and trickled down through the rest of the game.
Only trailing by 17 and still with plenty of time left to make something happen, a high snap resulted in sophomore punter Jake Hartbarger falling on the ball and turning it over on downs.
With the ball at the MSU five-yard line, the next play was a Corey Clement touchdown run, and it all but sealed the deal for the Badgers.
“We still need to be able to respond,” co-offensive coordinator Dave Warner said, regarding Wisconsin’s defensive touchdown. “There was a lot of football left to be played right there. It was unfortunate. We were moving the football. Things were going well, and all of a sudden the momentum changes. That’s a test. That’s where we need to understand that there is plenty of time left. I’m not sure that we were able to respond very well to that.”
O’Connor’s luck ran out
O’Connor had made three career starts before Saturday’s contest: A road victory over Ohio State, where he split time with backup Damion Terry, week one against Furman, where he struggled at times but settled down, and his most impressive statistical performance, a road win over No. 18 Notre Dame last week.
He went 19-26 for 241 yards and two touchdowns that game, and delivered most of his throws on time, leading his receivers in stride. The Badgers came in and blitzed O’Connor more than normal and received results. O’Connor final line from Saturday: 18-38, 224 yards and three interceptions.
“You know every quarterback has their ups and downs, and we still believe in Tyler,” senior receiver R.J. Shelton said. “You know it’s nothing to be where he should be down on himself. It’s a learning curve and everyone learns.”
O’Connor, Shelton and the rest of the Spartans players and staff are keeping a positive beat as they move on with their season, but have glaring issues that need improvement.
“It’s my first loss as the starter so that’s definitely tough and eats at you,” O’Connor said. “It’s still early in the season, and we can still control our own destiny. We still control that. It’s tough to swallow, but we have a lot of guys and we will get better.”
Destiny still in their hands
MSU’s conversation for the remainder of the season shifts.
The team, as O’Connor pointed out, still controls their own destiny.
They play divisional foes for the rest of the conference season, excluding the University of Illinois and Penn State University, and still have an opportunity to play for a Big Ten championship.
In other words, the chip on the shoulders of the MSU players will have that much more of a meaning with a loss on their record, which is an idea that resonates with much of the team.
“I wouldn’t say we are shell shocked,” safety Demetrius Cox, who led the team with 14 tackles on Saturday, said. “I just feel there are little things. The inches did not go our way today. We just have to play better as a whole and come out with more of a chip next week.”
That next week will see the Spartans on the road to take on the Indiana Hoosiers in yet another night kickoff, this one scheduled for 8 p.m. on October 1st.
The defeat is rough for the Spartans, especially considering the scoreboard, but it provides stepping stones for improvement.
“When you look at it, we have to recollect ourselves, our destiny is still in our own hands just like the Nebraska situation last year,” Dantonio said. “When we lost, we ended up playing all the people we needed to play to get that championship game, which is the Big Ten Championship game.”
That goal remains in reach again this year and it’s up to the Spartans if they want to reach higher now.
