We were told the Spartans new coaching staff had incredible experience at the collegiate and professional level, but somehow it didn’t come with them to Michigan State.
The Spartans got beat down by Indiana 24-0 yesterday, which means in the past two weeks the Spartans have been beaten by a cumulative score of 73…7.
The Spartans record is 1-3 but in the bigger picture, the possibilities of winning another game are at its lowest probability in decades. After all, the Spartans next 3 opponents (Maryland, Ohio State and Northwestern) have a cumulative record of 9-1 and appear to be peaking as the season progresses, while conversely the Spartans are sliding toward the abyss.
To underscore the Spartans scoreless outing vs Indiana, the Spartans posted just 60 Yards Rushing, threw 3 Interceptions, fumbled 3 times (losing 1) and were penalized 61 Yards.
The current coaching staff may not have inherited a championship caliber roster, nevertheless they inherited a stable of solid players.
Perhaps the Offensive system needed a makeover, but frankly I can’t discern any difference from the inept Offense that was deployed in 2018 and 2019. Moreover, if anyone can describe the identity of the current Offensive system, then please drop me a note.
In good conscience I can’t be critical of 18-22 year old athletes, when the AD recommended to the Board of Trustees to pay Top 15 compensation to a coaching staff that was supposed to usher in a new era of Championship football.
Sadly, the new era looks more like a race to the bottom, and I hold the coaching staff accountable.
The fundamentals are broken.
The fundamentals have gone the way of the wind.
When measured against 127 D-1 Schools, the Spartans rank an abysmal #122 in Turnovers…#122 in Rushing Offense…#119 in Scoring Offense…and #110 in Total Offense.
Amongst the prime indicators of solid football fundamentals is Rushing Offense, yet the Spartans posted ‘net” 12 Yards Rushing in the 2nd Half against Indiana. Take a visual picture of the football field and measure 10 Yards and that’s essentially the total of the Rushing Yardage the Spartans carved out in the 2nd Half.
Overall, the Spartans posted just 60 Yards Rushing and 191 Yards of Total Offense vs Indiana, and you can’t win Football games with those dismal numbers.
In the bigger picture, fixing fundamentals is the job of the coaching staff, and you know the mantra, “…if you don’t coach it, you can’t fix it”. And while the coaches talk about “fixing it”, yet the problems persist and are seemingly escalating in their magnitude.
In the past 3 games, the Spartans Offensive production has declined more than 250 yards per game, from 449 vs Michigan, to 286 vs Iowa, to just 191 Yards vs Indiana.
At the bottom line:
It doesn’t make sense to add more kindling to the fire, because the problems are abundantly clear, and that means Spartan Football is headed in the wrong direction.
It would be easy to point the blame and pile on Rocky Lombardi, but that’s a lazy narrative and it’s unfair.
By all measures, Rocky Lombardi is a work in progress, yet if a Quarterback doesn’t get protection from his Offensive Line or get protection from his Blocking Back, and if he is forced to throw in the absence of a viable Rushing Offense, then a low completion percentage and Turnovers will be a consistent companion.
We have always known that a serviceable Quarterback will thrive behind a Championship caliber Offensive Line, while conversely a Championship Quarterback will fail miserably behind a dysfunctional line.
It’s also unfair to blame the Offensive Line who are utilizing techniques and blocking assignments given to them by the Offensive coaching staff.
Instead of blaming the Quarterback, or the Offensive Line, I want to know how the Offensive Coordinator, the Offensive Line Coach, the Running Game Coordinator, and the Running Back Coach are going to fix the abundance of systemic Offensive problems that have arisen on their watch.
At any measure, it seems to me the Spartans AD and Coaching Staff need to convene this afternoon to chart a plan to salvage a season that is headed toward the abyss.
After all, they raised their hands for the jobs, so some way, somehow they need to find fixes to prevent the Spartans from finishing “dead last” in the Big Ten.
Thank you for reading and I always welcome your comments and opinions.
