It started oh so well, but it ended oh so badly as the Spartans exchanged a 28-3 advantage for a 37-34 loss: it shouldn’t have happened, but it did.
Saturday, the Spartans dominated virtually every statistical category. The Spartans controlled the clock for nearly 38 minutes; they piled up 526 Yards of Total Offense including an incredible 275 Yards Rushing at 5.4 Yards per attempt. Defensively the Spartans yielded just 36 Yards Rushing to Illinois, allowing just 1.3 Yards per attempt. On paper, those aren’t just “winning stats”…those are the type of stats you expect in a blowout.
Of course, while stats are meaningful indicators of strengths and tendencies, nevertheless the games are still played on the football field, and the Spartans failed to close the game when they had a chance, and they had plenty of chances.
Interestingly, the Spartans led 7-0 after less than 2 minutes; they expanded the lead to 28-3, and then led 28-10 at the Half. To start the 4th Qtr, the Spartans enjoyed an extraordinary 21 point lead: 31-10. Keep in mind, the Spartans had only scored a total of 17 points in their previous 3 games.
The Spartans had chances to “put the game away” but they failed to convert several scoring opportunities, and so they allowed Illinois to “hang around” and the Illini scored an unimaginable 27 points in the 4th Qtr and the Spartans paid the most humiliating of prices and lost at Spartan Stadium 37-34 in front of a smattering of fans who stayed until the bitter end.
Did the Spartans do the unthinkable and take their foot off the gas?
Backbreaking Turnovers:
Turnovers occurred at different times during the game, but the Spartans committed 4 “momentum stopping” Turnovers, including 3 Interceptions, 2 Fumbles (losing 1), while 1 Interception was returned 76 Yards for a “backbreaking” Touchdown in the 4thQtr. In fact, Brian Lewerke played a hand in all 4 Turnovers, including one momentum stifling fumble, and for an opportunistic team like Illinois that was enough.
Brian Lewerke has all the tools to be a dynamic, Championship Quarterback, yet there is a fine line between playing aggressive enough to win as opposed to being reckless with the football. At times, Lewerke tries to do “too much” and with devastating consequences, and Saturday was one of those days.
As we know, the Spartans started the 4th Qtr with a 31-10 lead, but then gave up a Touchdown at the start of the 4th Qtr and the score was 31-17. Then Illinois scored at the 12:14 mark of the 4th Qtr and the score was 31-24. So, a pleasant day at the old ball park was morphing into a “white knuckle” countdown.
A short time later, Lewerke mishandled a Shotgun Snap and instead of covering the errant fumble, he attempted to retrieve the football and continue the play, but he failed in his attempt and Illinois recovered. Lewerke should have simply fallen upon the football and lived to play another down, because that Turnover added immense pressure upon the Spartans.
Nevertheless, in a stoke of good fortune, a few plays later Illinois attempted a pass and Shakur Brown intercepted the football for the Spartans in the Spartans End Zone: Brown returned the football to the Spartans 10 Yard Line. But at that point, Illinois was exerting their “will to win” and the Spartans were rocking back on their heels. There was virtually no margin for error.
Manage the game and control the football (no heroics needed):
After the Interception, the Spartans seemed to exert some resolve and in 7 plays, the Spartans advanced the football from their 10 Yard Line to the Illinois 45 Yard Line, and the coaching message on passing plays throughout the 4th Qtr should have been:
“Look, we have the lead…so, if you like the coverage, then take what they give you. If you don’t like the coverage then don’t force the football…No Heroics…control the football and play for another down. No Turnovers!”.
Did the coaching staff remind Lewerke and underscore that message?
With the football resting 3rd & 10 at Illinois 45 Yard Line, and with a 31-24 lead and a tick less than 5:00 minutes on the game clock there was no need for heroics, but there was a need for “efficiency” and that meant there was a need to control the football and score a Touchdown to provide a cushion. But the message should have been underscored: control the football and don’t be reckless.
On the white board, I would have flooded the passing lanes in the “high percentage” intermediate passing lanes, say 10-15 yards to simply move the sticks: after all, the football rested 3rd & 10. The longer the throw the lower the percentage.
A pass play was called and Lewerke targeted Cody White, yet White was near the intersection of the Illinois 24 Yard Line and the East sideline, 20 Yards down the field. It was a long throw. It’s OK if it works. Yet it was a head scratching throw because Sydney Brown from Illinois was arguably 2 Yards inbounds of White and the pass looked as if it was intended for Brown and not White. In fact, Brown looked like he was the intended Receiver on a deep curl route. Did Lewerke expect White to cut inside instead of cutting toward the sideline?
It’s inconsequential, because Brown looked as if he was the intended Receiver: he intercepted the football and in the blink of an eye, he returned the football 76 Yards for a Touchdown. Curiously, Illinois missed the PAT and the Spartans held a narrow 31-30 lead, yet all the momentum swung in favor of Illinois, and the Spartan players had to be thinking “here we go again.”
Nevertheless, the Spartans still had “a little left in the tank” and demonstrated a measure of resolve. After the ensuing Kick Off the Spartans moved from their 25 to Illinois 29, but stalled. And so Matt Coghlin was called upon to kick a fairly low percentage 46 Yard Field Goal with 3:17 remaining, yet the FG was good and the score was 34-30 in favor of Spartans.
But 3:17 remained and Illinois had already scored 20 points in 12 minutes. This was an ominous position for the Spartans.
Any margin for error was lost when Illinois closed the score from 31-17 to 31-24, and now with a narrow 31-30 lead, the Spartans had to play near perfect football for the final 3 minutes. With just 3 minutes remaining, it was pure passing environment for Illinois, so it was mandatory for the Spartans to obstruct passing lanes, cover like a glove without committing penalties: in brief, play aggressive but don’t commit penalties, don’t commit mistakes.
Of course that sounds good, but it’s virtually impossible to do.
Clock is ticking…no margin for error:
After 57 minutes of football, the Spartans put themselves in an ominous position, and to be redundant, it’s nearly impossible to play perfect football for 3 minutes, but that was the position the Spartans found themselves.
With just 3 minutes remaining, the Spartans were in “prevent” and so Illinois commenced their march. The Illini marched 74 Yards in 8 plays and that point, the football rested 1st & Goal at the 1 Yard Line.
To their credit, the Spartans Defense knocked Illinois back 3 Yards on the first play, and after 2 more plays the football rested 4th & Goal from the 4 Yard Line with precious little time remaining. With a bit of good luck and good fortune, the Spartans might be able to hold on? But could the Spartans stay “clean” and not commit “any” penalties (motion, holding, or interference) on 4th & Goal and close out the game?
Illinois knew they couldn’t run against the Spartans Rushing Defense (only 36 Yards for the day) and so they attempted a pass. Of course there was no margin for error for Illinois either.
With limited real estate and lots of Receivers fighting for open space, and with a bounty of D-Backs and Linebackers defending the passing lanes, someone was going to make a critical mistake. Would it be Illinois or the Spartans?
As fate would have it, the Spartans were called for what would be described as a 50/50 Pass Interference call: “iffy” according to both game announcers and Fox Studio analyst’s, nevertheless that gave Illinois a fresh set of downs at the 2 yard line. So, for the Spartans, there was no time to commiserate, they had to line up.
The Spartans Defense would get yet another Goal Line test.
To their credit, the Spartans knocked Illinois backward for minus 3 yards (-3) on the first play from scrimmage again, but how long could the Spartans hold on? After all, Illinois already had 5 unsuccessful attempts inside the 5 Yard Line. On the next play, Illinois completed a Touchdown pass, converted the PAT and the final score was Illinois 37…Michigan State 34.
Sadly, the game should have never come to that point, but it did, and the Spartans lost!
At the bottom line:
The Spartans have a bounty of good players, good character players, but something has gone horribly wrong with consistency and execution.
Illinois didn’t beat the Spartans…the Spartans to beat the Spartans.
I think this team has forgotten the mantra “the season is just 1 game”. In other words, win a game, and prepare for the next game. I can’t prove it, but it seems like this team was so focused upon winning a Championship as opposed to winning just one game at a time that the first loss damaged their confidence and broke their spirit.
And so, when the Spartans lost to Arizona State it knocked them totally off equilibrium because it deprived them of an invitation to the College Football Playoffs. Then when the Spartans lost to Ohio State it compromised the likelihood of winning the Big Ten East.
And then the wheels on the football cart started to wobble. After losses to ASU and OSU, the Spartans broke down and got beatdown by Wisconsin, Penn State and Illinois. Confidence is gone. Confidence is shattered. Methodical execution has been replaced with reckless execution at times and the Spartans seem to be trying to overcome adversity with Heroics…trying to do too much.
And so the final 3 games will be a test of their resolve: yet the Spartans must be mindful, “the season is just 1 game”: win one game and the rest will take care of itself. Let’s see if the Spartans can find resolve at Ann Arbor.
We’ll look at that game later in the week.
Media grandstanding:
The media needs to leave the grandstanding at the door.
As problematically as this season has unfolded, the reality is, 3 games remain on the regular season schedule. So, until Mark Dantonio steps down, or until the Spartan Administration makes a change, Mark Dantonio is still the coach. So, he has a job to do.
There are two press conferences each week, one is the postgame press conference…and the other is the weekly press conference that occurs on Monday or Tuesday of the following week.
That means at the postgame press conference, the coach is there to answer “postgame” questions: in other words, play calls, game strategies, tactical decisions, penalties and so on. Of course at the weekly press conference, the coach is there to talk about the forthcoming game including game prep, strengths, weaknesses and tendencies of the forthcoming opponent, and therein articulate what it will take to post a victory.
By all measures, a coach (any coach) is not at a Press Conference to share with the media or public, private conversations or discussions regarding anticipated staff, or organizational changes. After all, those are internal discussions that have legal implications pertaining to privacy, as well as an abundance of contract issues. And, most importantly, the coach is not only talking to the media, he is also talking to 105 Football players, and so the coach is not going to roll over and answer some asinine question from the media after a football game, win or lose.
Yet, a bombastic and verbose media type who “talks” on Detroit Sports Talk radio and writes a column for an Oakland County paper, thought he would be provocative and ask a bombastic question.
The reporter asked Mark Dantonio in so many words, “what would you tell students and alumni who are upset by the way this season has unraveled…and what would he say to those wondering if this is a sign of things to come…?”. To which Dantonio replied querulously , “Next question.”.
Several weeks ago, another reporter asked Mark Dantonio if he made the wrong decision by way of retaining his Offensive Staff in lieu of changing the entire staff in the off season?
To which I say to those reporters, leave the grandstanding at the door.
If those reporters want to ask those questions at the first Press Conference at the conclusion of the season, then so be it, but until that time, leave the damn grandstanding at the door and focus upon gameday questions!
