One of the biggest questions a coach must ask themselves after a close loss is whether her team lost out on an opportunity, or left everything on the field.
No. 2 Oregon ripped off 28 consecutive points in the second half to break the hearts of many Spartans, topping No. 13 MSU, 46-27, from Autzen Stadium on Saturday. MSU held a lead all the way up until the final minutes of the third quarter, but simply couldn’t hold on to earn that program-changing win. But not all was bad for Sparty from Saturday’s disappointing loss. Here are four takeaways from MSU’s loss to the Ducks:
Oregon’s second explosion and the loss last season to Notre Dame were topics head coach Mark Dantonio addressed during his teleconference Sunday night, following No. 13 MSU’s (1-1 overall) 46-27 loss to No. 2 Oregon (2-0 overall).
Following a weekend split for MSU field hockey (2-2 overall), the Spartans have dropped three spots to No. 19 in the latest National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) poll. After looking impressive in their exhibition matches prior to the season, MSU has had an up-and-down season, record wise.
After six wins to start the 2014 campaign, MSU (6-0 overall) has climbed the national rankings to No. 15 on Soccer America Women’s Top 25 Poll.
MSU finished its non-conference schedule on Sunday, and thanks to a game-winning goal against Western Michigan, the team is undefeated after its first six games.After a challenging early-season schedule, MSU (6-0 overall) has shown clear improvements from last year.
After playing in their third game of the season, the men’s soccer team remains undefeated — just not quite in the way they imagined. After being postponed on Sept. 5, No. 7-ranked MSU played the Illinois-Chicago Flames to a 0-0 tie.mThe team now holds a record of 2-0-1 through three games.
No. 23 MSU (4-2 overall) did not get the results it wanted over the weekend after losing consecutive games to No. 17 UNC (4-1 overall) and No. 20 Duke (5-1 overall) at home as part of the ACC- Big Ten challenge. However, these losses can be attributed to the growing pains of a tough non-conference schedule and are not indicative of the team the Spartans can become.
Eugene, Ore. — For the first 40 minutes of the game, No. 13 MSU looked like it could hold its own with the best of the best. The Spartans held a two-possession lead on the road over No. 2 Oregon and were looking like they could pull the upset and catapult itself into elite status. However, that quickly changed with Oregon reeling off 28 unanswered points to knock off MSU, 46-27.
After just over 100 minutes of a back-and-forth physical battle, junior forward Allyson Krause scored the game-winning goal in double overtime to beat Western Michigan, 3-2.Krause used her speed to get behind the Bronco defense and received a slip pass from senior forward Paige Wester, before beating the Western keeper for the game-winner.
Fresh off a victory Saturday afternoon, No. 16 field hockey (2-2 overall) was back at it Sunday as they took on No.
The Spartans, (4-2 overall) ranked No. 14 as of Sunday, came into the weekend undefeated and ready to prove they could compete with top-25 competition, which will no doubt be the norm in the stacked Big Ten conference. However, after losing to No. 20 North Carolina 3-0 (17-25, 20-25, 22-25) and No. 19 Duke 3-2 (25-12, 22-25, 25-23, 23-25, 10-15) in consecutive nights as part of the ACC- Big Ten Challenge last weekend, MSU will have to regroup.
It was billed as a heavyweight title fight between two programs that would be in the conversation for the inaugural College Football Playoff in January. On Saturday in Eugene, Ore., one team showed they are ready for the bright lights that shine on elite programs, and one team did not. No. 13 MSU (1-1 overall) lost to No. 2 Oregon 46-27, despite holding a 24-18 halftime lead.
It appeared MSU was going to finally take that next step into elite status.Leading by two possessions late into the third quarter, No. 7 MSU had No. 3 Oregon on the ropes. Fans surely began to start dreaming of the bigger picture, dreams and aspirations of a national championship.
Despite holding a 2-1 lead at one point, No. 14 MSU (4-2) could not hold off No. 19 Duke (5-1) in a thriller at Jenison Field House.
After a late touchdown by junior quarterback Connor Cook, MSU football leads Oregon on the road, 24-18.Junior quarterback Connor Cook finished the half by going 17-25 with 218 yards.
The men’s soccer team tied with Illinois-Chicago on Saturday, 0-0, after neither team could manage to put one through in overtime.
As most of East Lansing was getting ready for the big football game in Eugene this afternoon, the MSU field hockey team (2-1 overall) was busy notching its first road win of the season.
Eugene, Ore. ? It’s not a short trip from East Lansing to Eugene, Ore., especially for just one weekend.
EUGENE, ORE. -- As I was sitting on the airplane heading out west to Oregon, it finally hit me like a sack of potatoes how important Saturday will be for MSU football ? potentially the biggest game in program history.