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I don’t need to say much about the Michigan-Penn State game. Joe Pa brought his team into the new look big house where the Nitney Lions haven’t won since the mid 90’s and hit the young Wolverines in the mouth. With the exception of the first Michigan TD drive of the game, the Wolverines can’t take much away from this game. Penn State put on a dominating performance. Rich Rodriguez and his young football team will need to shake this one off if they hope to have a winning record this year. With a road trip to Wisconsin and the Buckeyes still coming to town yet this season, there aren’t any gimmes left on the schedule.
I won’t say Michigan State nearly pulled off the upset of undefeated Iowa because I believe they played good enough to win and if they defense is coached differently down the stretch, the Spartans would still control their own destiny for a trip to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl. Great play calling on the Spartan’s final offensive possession was ruined by terrible defensive playing calling on Iowa’s final possession.
The hook and ladder play to setup the MSU touchdown with just over a minute to play in the game might have been the best play call I’ve seen in any college football game this season. It’s too bad the MSU defense was afforded this same type of coaching. Now, I know people will say that the Iowa receiver made the play at the end and the MSU DB didn’t and that players win games…not coaches. I do agree with that to a point, but I also believe that it’s a coach’s responsibility to put his players in the best position to make plays and that is where the MSU defensive coaching staff failed. Three straight “all out” style blitz’s called on the first 3 downs inside the MSU 10 yard line, leaving the MSU corners on an island. With 2 seconds left trailing 13-9 and Iowa looking at a 4th and goal play standing in their way of the school’s first 8-0 start in school history, the Hawkeyes called timeout. I have to believe that someone on the Iowa coaching staff said “Hey if they are going to keep blitzing us, let’s run a slant pattern where the linebackers and safety’s use to be”. And that’s exactly what they did. Easy three step drop quick slant and the rest is history. Will the Spartan’s bounce back? We’ll see, but I find it hard to believe they will forget about this lose anytime soon.
