Sparty On

I don't think I have ever screamed louder at my TV as I did this afternoon.  In my opinion, this makes it a 1 game season.  I can't imagine we could have a let down against Purdue or Minnesota at home and if we're undefeated going into the Penn State game, I think we'll be able to close out the last game of the season.  With College Gameday likely to be broadcast from Iowa City next week, here's my thoughts on things I like and things that need to be improved. (Note: Gameday actually chose Los Angeles, the site of USC/Oregon in attempt to keep their streak of dooming the #1 team alive.) 

Three Things I Like
-Cousins is really starting to step up as a leader and take over games when the rest of our team isn't getting the job done.  Our WRs are doing a good job of limiting the number of drops, but much of that is due to Cousins putting the ball in the right spot for them.

-For the second week in a row, our team has been able to completely turn the momentum of the game around and gut out a win.  Losing a game that was within our grasp used to be a weakness of the "old" Michigan State, but we have turned the tables around.

-We continue to appear to be a team of destiny.  The decision to go for the fake punt on 4th and 11 instead of having Cousins run a play on 4th and 6 makes me think they believe it too and they're testing how long they can keep it up.  Everything has fallen into place perfectly this season to give us the best opportunity to have success (no OSU on the schedule and they lose, fake FG to beat ND, Penn State is down this year, Wisco is a home game...) 

Four Things that Must be Improved
1. Slow Starts
Many people will point out the 2nd half comebacks against Northwestern and Illinois, however the problem with slow starts has plagued MSU all season.  The last time they scored a touchdown in the first quarter was a month ago against Northern Colorado.  Over the course of the season, they have only scored first quarter touchdowns against two other teams - predictably, Western Michigan and Atlantic.  To drive this problem home, here are their drive summaries until they scored against their Big 10 opponents.

Northwestern
3 plays, 9 yards  PUNT
3 plays, 6 yards  PUNT
3 plays, 25 yards  FUMBLE
3 plays, 9 yards  PUNT
9 plays, 36 yards  FG MISSED
First TD: 3 mins left in 2nd Quarter

Illinois
6 plays, 10 yards  PUNT
6 plays, 19 yards  PUNT
4 plays, 5 yards  TURNOVER ON DOWNS
First score: 7 mins left in 2nd Quarter, FG
First TD: 8 mins left in 3rd Quarter

Michigan
7 plays, 24 yards  PUNT
4 plays, 23 yards  PUNT
First TD: 11 mins left in 2nd Quarter

Wisconsin
First score: 9 mins left in 1st Quarter, FG
First TD: 30secs left in 2nd Quarter

Because I am a statistics junky (or a dork with too much time on my hands), I figured out that MSU has averaged only 5.8 plays for 24.5 yards for first quarter drives over their games against real opponents (so excluding N. Colorado, WMU and FAU).  In comparison, Iowa is averaging 5.5 plays for 44 yards during their games against real competition (Big 10 opponents and Arizona).  I would love to see a Wisconsin vs. Ohio State type of start to the game.

2. Iowa's Strong Defense
Although we have played 3 teams ranked between 20-30 in points allowed, we have not played anyone ranked higher than us (17th).  Iowa currently ranks 6th best in the country in points allowed.  Our offensive line must come better prepared for the challenge they will face than they have the last two weeks.  We need to open up holes for our RBs and give Cousins some time to make the playaction work. 

3. Kicking Concerns
You may thing I'm crazy for listing that as something MSU must overcome, but this is the first time that Dan Conroy is facing real pressure.  He missed his 38 yard field goal today, which was his only try today.  Will that sit on his mind all week and affect him next week?  We need all of the points we can get against Iowa.

4. Third Down
The difference between MSU and Northwestern on 3rd down was a point of contention all day.  Iowa is not exactly good on 3rd down either, but against quality opponents they are 48% and we're only 40%.  For having as good of a running game as MSU has (or at least had) I am very surprised they don't convert more 3rd downs.